Why I Picked Workflowy As My Second Brain Two Years Ago

Workflowy changed my note-taking style. Let’s take a deep dive Into my second brain.

I have been using Workflowy for the last two years.

It is a lightweight tool. Somewhat like Roam but without connections. It has an ultra-fast search. Workflowy has changed how I take notes. I have so many nice things to say about this app.

So what is so special about Workflowy?

#1 — Workflowy follows a bullet point structure. You start with a bullet, then add sub-bullets and then more bullets.

Our minds easily synchronize with bullet points.

#2 — Workflowy provides you with the true power of tags. When you select a tag, it displays relevant lines and structure.

Workflowy makes it super accessible with its flat hierarchal view. Following is an example of my Workflowy search results for the “writing” tag.

#3 — Workflowy is distractions free. It does not come with hundreds of fancy formatting options but has a few powerful features.

You don’t need fancy features most of the time. Too many features can distract you by giving you too many choices to do a task. You may end up bouncing between several options. I must pick an option and then focus on the job rather than finding the best option.

#4 — The mirror feature allows you to keep things under multiple nodes to maintain a connection between the original and clone copies.

#5 —Workflowy has a MacBook, iPhone, and iPad app, allowing you to switch between multiple platforms and access your data on the go.

#6 — A free version of the application is enough for beginner users.

#7 — Workflowy has a few Chrome browser extensions that you can try. Following are some examples of such extensions.

Clip To WorkFlowy — Bookmark websites in WorkFlowy
WorkFlowy Clipper — Quickly save a bookmark or jot down a quick note into a particular WorkFlowy list
Workflowy New Tab — Make a Workflowy list of your Chrome New Tab page.
WorkFlowy to Google Calendar — Add a WorkFlowy bullet (or any webpage) to Google Calendar in two clicks.
WorkFlowy MultiFlow — WorkFlowy MultiFlow adds a multi-column view to WorkFlowy, enabling you to maintain an overview of, or relationship between, several WorkFlowy documents at once.

Note: These are UNOFFICIAL browser extension. I have no affiliation with WorkFlowy.

In no time, I fell in love with Workflowy and have used it for the last two years as my favorite Note-Taking Application.

Following are a few ways I used my Workflowy.

#1 — Every day, I create a new node using a Workflowy template and then use it to capture notes. On Sunday, I use the “Daily Log With Weekly Review Template” to capture the outcome of my weekly review.

#2 — I move these daily nodes to a journal section later.

#3 — I have many other root-level nodes for various projects, areas, and resources. I will rearrange these to accommodate the PARA system from Tiago Forte — Project, Areas, Resources, and Archive.

#4 — I use tags to find items quickly.

#5 — Kindle notes and summary from Readwise

Alright, that’s a wrap.

I have used Workflowy for the last two years, and I know how great it is.

If you are already using Workflowy, please share how you use it. If you are not using it, please give it a try.

If you like this article, you will love the following article as well.

Best Note-Taking App For Building A Second Brain

I spent the last two weeks picking the best app for my second brain. Here is what I found.

authorvinod.medium.com

In this article, I am explaining my journey forward.

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