{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "building-a-second-brain",
            "name": "Building a Second Brain",
            "kind": "book",
            "website": "https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/book",
            "page": "https://listme.name/books/building-a-second-brain",
            "tagline": "Tiago Forte's system for capturing and reusing digital notes",
            "summary": "Building a Second Brain is a book by Tiago Forte on capturing, organizing and reusing digital notes and information. It introduces the CODE framework of capture, organize, distill and express, and it links note-taking to work output. The author's site lists print, ebook and audio editions.",
            "author": "Tiago Forte",
            "formats": [
                "print",
                "audiobook"
            ],
            "pricing": "paid",
            "price_note": "Print, ebook and audio editions; the site also sells courses",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Clear four-step framework",
                "Works with common digital note tools",
                "Available in print and audio"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Tool-heavy, with many app examples",
                "The author's site sells courses alongside the book"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "cover": "https://listme.name/assets/covers/building-a-second-brain.webp",
            "overview": "Forte describes a system for saving useful information in digital tools, organizing it by how actionable it is, and reusing it in writing and projects. The CODE framework names four steps: capture, organize, distill and express. The book treats notes as material for future work, not as a personal archive.\n\nThe author's page lists print, ebook and audio editions, and it offers a hardcover discount through Porchlight Books. The method leans on digital tools, and the site's examples use Notion and Evernote, so readers should expect a software-heavy approach. The site also sells courses and memberships alongside the book. The approach suits knowledge workers who save a lot of material."
        },
        {
            "slug": "digital-minimalism",
            "name": "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World",
            "kind": "book",
            "website": "https://calnewport.com/writing/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/books/digital-minimalism",
            "tagline": "Cal Newport's case for spending far less time on personal technology",
            "summary": "Digital Minimalism is a book by Cal Newport, published in 2019. It argues that people should spend much less time on personal technology and use tools deliberately. It is part of the Technology and Society trilogy with Deep Work and A World Without Email, and print editions from Portfolio are listed.",
            "developer": "Portfolio",
            "author": "Cal Newport",
            "formats": [
                "print"
            ],
            "pricing": "paid",
            "price_note": "Print editions sold by booksellers; price varies by seller",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Clear philosophy of technology use",
                "Written for general readers",
                "Part of a three-book Technology and Society series"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Advice is about values, not app settings",
                "Less focus on task systems than Getting Things Done"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "cover": "https://listme.name/assets/covers/digital-minimalism.webp",
            "overview": "The book argues that personal technology, especially social media and smartphones, can take over attention in ways people do not choose. Newport proposes a deliberate process for deciding which tools to keep, with a philosophy of focus behind the steps. The book's value lies in its framework of values and practices rather than a list of app settings.\n\nNewport is an academic technologist who writes about focus and work, and the author's site presents this book as part of a trilogy. It is written for general readers, and readers who want methods for deep work should read Deep Work, which is also in this list. Print editions from Portfolio, including a 2019 paperback, are in the Open Library record."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "productivity-and-note-taking-books",
            "name": "Productivity and note-taking books",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/productivity-and-note-taking-books",
            "of": 10,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "building-a-second-brain",
                    "rank": 5,
                    "score": 86.5,
                    "verdict": "A digital note system built around four steps, with examples in common apps. It is tied to digital tools and sells courses alongside the book, so it is more tool-driven than Ahrens.",
                    "best_for": "Digital notes and reuse for knowledge work",
                    "spec": {
                        "level": "Beginner",
                        "free_online": false,
                        "focus": "Capturing and reusing digital notes"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "digital-minimalism",
                    "rank": 4,
                    "score": 87,
                    "verdict": "A clear argument for spending much less time on personal technology, aimed at general readers. It is about values rather than methods, so it ranks below Deep Work for practical focus rules.",
                    "best_for": "Less personal technology and more focus",
                    "spec": {
                        "level": "Beginner",
                        "free_online": false,
                        "focus": "Reducing personal technology use"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "digital-minimalism",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/building-a-second-brain-vs-digital-minimalism",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/building-a-second-brain-vs-digital-minimalism.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}