{
    "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": "getting-things-done",
            "name": "Getting Things Done",
            "kind": "book",
            "website": "https://gettingthingsdone.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/books/getting-things-done",
            "tagline": "David Allen's method for capturing and organizing commitments",
            "summary": "Getting Things Done is a book by David Allen, first published in 2001. It describes a method for capturing open commitments outside the head, deciding the next action for each and reviewing the system regularly. Penguin publishes the print editions, and the author's company sells courses and coaching.",
            "developer": "Penguin",
            "author": "David Allen",
            "formats": [
                "print"
            ],
            "pricing": "paid",
            "price_note": "Print editions from Penguin; price varies by seller",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Concrete capture and review workflow",
                "Focus on next actions for tasks",
                "Author offers courses and coaching"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Says little about goals or deep focus",
                "Setup takes effort before the system helps"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "cover": "https://listme.name/assets/covers/getting-things-done.webp",
            "overview": "Allen's method asks readers to collect every open commitment in trusted places, decide the next physical action for each one and review the whole system on a regular schedule. The book's premise is that a clear mind and organized commitments produce better results with less stress. It presents the method as a complete workflow rather than a set of tips.\n\nThe method is practical and procedural, so it works as a system and suits people who manage many tasks. It says less about deep focus or goals than the other productivity books here, and it does not cover linked note-taking. Readers who want a method for linked notes will need How to Take Smart Notes. The author's company offers courses, coaching and a newsletter."
        }
    ],
    "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": "getting-things-done",
                    "rank": 3,
                    "score": 88.5,
                    "verdict": "A complete capture and review workflow for tasks and commitments, with concrete steps for each part. It is about task systems rather than attention or notes, so it complements Deep Work and Smart Notes here.",
                    "best_for": "Capturing and organizing tasks",
                    "spec": {
                        "level": "Beginner to intermediate",
                        "free_online": false,
                        "focus": "Capturing and organizing commitments into next actions"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "getting-things-done",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/building-a-second-brain-vs-getting-things-done",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/building-a-second-brain-vs-getting-things-done.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"
}