10 principles for your second brain, a better Google Drive workflow and 17 ways to rent out your stuff

"Every tip and tactic has a shelf life, and will someday become outdated. Even the most cutting-edge new app will eventually lose relevance.

The history of managing ideas reveals a constantly changing stream of tools and techniques.

But the underlying principles of idea management are timeless. They were present hundreds of years ago and will be present hundreds of years from now. And these are the principles worth learning.

As Silvano Arieti says, “Creative products are always shiny and new; the creative process is ancient and unchanging.”

These are the 10 core principles of idea management I’ve discovered."

— The 10 Principles of Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte

First principles thinking is a powerful way to become more of a chef than a cook in your work.

I appreciate Tiago Forte’s perspective because he focuses on timeless fundamentals — not current trends.

As you navigate the world of shiny new note-taking and personal knowledge management apps (Roam, Obsidian, Craft, etc.), keep these principles in mind.

👏 Recommended

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How to Build Your Online Support System ⟶

Building a sense of community and safety while working online can be challenging — especially if, like me, you’re mildly allergic to meetups.

These tips can help you find your people.

App

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Sidedrive ⟶

I have been looking for a better way to navigate Google Drive for years. (Having to click through subfolders to see what’s inside is super inefficient.)

Sidedrive (free) is a handy sidebar for Google Drive that lets you:
🗄 View your file & folder structure from the sidebar — without navigating to the folder first
🖐 Re-arrange your files with drag & drop
💡 Quickly add new files inside folders
🔍 Efficiently search with thumbnail previews

Give it a shot for an instant efficiency boost.

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17 Ways to Make Extra Cash Renting Out Your Stuff ⟶

Airbnb is far from the only place you can make money from the things you already own.

There are platforms for renting out your car, extra storage space in your attic, backyard, RV, boat, driveway — even your clothes.

Here are 17 solid places to start.

🌈 Unrelated

For much of this year, I’ve been focused on finding lower-tech ways to do the things I typically use my phone for (so I’m less dependent on — and tethered to — my phone).

I love listening to podcasts and music in the morning, so my current mission is finding a dedicated listening device that has relatively few features and doesn’t deprive me of my beloved Spotify.

That last condition rules out many potential solutions (e.g., old-school mp3 players) — but I recently stumbled upon this little guy. (Check it out if you're of a similar mind.)

Want more high-quality reads? I highly recommend Refind. You tell it what you like reading about, and it serves up 5 great links each day — for free. (I use it daily!)

Side note: My goal with this newsletter is to share at least one idea each week that helps you create more financial security, time freedom and/or joy in your WFH life. If there’s anything I can do better, let me know — I would 💌 your feedback. Just hit reply.

Thanks for reading The Zag!

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And if you come across anything interesting this week, feel free to send it my way (just hit ‘reply’). I love sharing things that I find through readers of this newsletter.

Thanks for joining me and have a great week,

Nadia

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