Since building my “second brain,” my whole approach to writing has changed.

I no longer do the “heavy lifting,” where I would pick a task and stay on it until it’s finished.

I used to write articles on a single stretch, spending hours on it, not starting another one till it was done and published.

I used the same method for writing books. Working on one book at a time.

Now I am working on several.

This approach is called “slow-burn.”

I am working on several projects in parallel, where I am slowly gathering ideas in the background.

Over time, I will have a rich collection of interesting anecdotes, insights, examples, facts, and illustrations to compile my books.

Besides, all those building blocks can be reused in articles, blog posts, LinkedIn posts and even building courses.

Each day I spend one to two hours inside my “second brain,” my Personal Knowledge Management System, and create or refine “notes.”

These “notes” are self-sufficient, reusable, knowledge articles. I like to think of them as atomic essays.

It has been a transformative shift in how I think about my work.

This new way of working is more adaptable, more innovative, more effective, and stress-free.

There have been 5 benefits of this way of working.

1. I am interruption-proof since I am working in one small building block at a time.

2. There are natural breakpoints where I can get feedback rather than waiting till the end of the project.

3. I can create value in any span of time I am working.

4. Big projects and goals have become much less intimidating.

5. Over time, I’ll eventually create so many building blocks that I’d be able to complete entire projects just by assembling previously created blocks.

This is a magical moment.

Once you experience it, you’d never want to start anything from scratch ever again.

This was the place I wanted to be with my writing.