Quiz · 7 questions

What's Your Second Brain Style? (Find Your PKM Method)

There's no "right" PKM method. There's the one that matches how you think. This quiz figures out which of the four major systems fits your brain — Zettelkasten, PARA, BASB, or Bullet Journal.

By Taha Baalla·Updated May 22, 2026

1. How do you think about ideas?

Networks — ideas connect to other ideasProjects — what am I working on right nowCapture-then-distill — save everything, refine laterDaily flow — what's today look like

2. What's the worst part of your current system?

Notes don't link to each other meaningfullyI lose track of which project a note belongs toI never re-read what I've savedI don't have rituals — it's chaos

3. Pick your dream Sunday review:

Re-reading old notes and finding new connectionsUpdating my project status boardDistilling this week's captures into highlightsHand-writing next week's spreads

4. How important is permanence?

Critical — I want notes from 2030 to still make senseProject-scoped — once it's done, archiveDoesn't matter — value is in distillingI love the ephemeral feel of paper

5. How much time do you spend setting up your system?

Forever — I love the meta-work30 min once, then leave it aloneZero — auto-organize or bustWeekly — that's the practice

6. What gets you excited about a note tool?

Bidirectional links + graph viewDatabase views + project templatesOne inbox where everything landsBeautiful blank pages

7. Pick your spiritual leader:

Niklas LuhmannTiago Forte (PARA flavor)Tiago Forte (BASB flavor)Ryder Carroll

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You're a Zettelkasten Purist

You want a network of permanent atomic notes that link to each other and produce emergent connections. Setup is heavy but the system compounds over decades.

You're a PARA Pragmatist

Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive. You want clear buckets, project-scoped notes, and a system that doesn't break when life changes.

You're a BASB Devotee

Building a Second Brain via Tiago Forte's CODE method: Capture, Organize, Distill, Express. You save aggressively and refine later.

You're a Bullet Journal Romantic

You think in spreads, dailies, and rituals. Pen and paper is part of the practice. Digital tools serve the analog system, not replace it.

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