Learn

Learn practical workflows for productivity, collaboration, and agents

Use ThirdBrainLab as a structured operating system: capture work, connect context, review visible tasks, and give agents a scoped place to help.

Credit: PARA and CODE are frameworks by Tiago Forte, creator of Building a Second Brain.

Productivity

Weekly review

Situation

You need one place to see what deserves attention before the week starts.

Set up in ThirdBrainLab

Create or review your active goals, projects, and open tasks. Add notes for decisions or loose context that should not stay in your head.

Use the dashboard to review

Use the Open task view to spot active commitments, then check stale projects and upcoming priorities.

Agent move

Ask an agent to summarize open work and propose a short priority list. Review the proposal before it writes updates.

Example prompt

Review my open tasks, active projects, and recent notes. Suggest the top priorities for this week, list stale items, and wait for approval before creating or editing tasks.

Productivity

Inbox zero

Situation

Ideas, notes, and follow-ups have piled up and need to become usable work.

Set up in ThirdBrainLab

Capture rough items quickly, then sort each one into a task, note, project, area, resource, or archive item.

Use the dashboard to review

Check Inbox and Open task views to confirm every actionable item has a next step or a clear home.

Agent move

Ask an agent to classify captured notes and suggest tasks without making changes until you approve.

Example prompt

Classify my recent inbox items into tasks, notes, projects, areas, resources, or archive. Suggest exact task titles and links, but do not write anything until I confirm.

Productivity

Project kickoff

Situation

You have a goal but need a concrete execution structure.

Set up in ThirdBrainLab

Create a project, define the outcome, add first tasks, and attach decision notes or reference resources.

Use the dashboard to review

Use the dashboard to verify the project has visible open tasks and enough context for execution.

Agent move

Ask an agent to turn the goal and notes into a draft project plan with first actions.

Example prompt

Turn this goal into a project plan. Propose milestones, first tasks, decision notes, and risks. Wait for review before creating the tasks.

Productivity

Focus day

Situation

You want a small execution list for one focused workday.

Set up in ThirdBrainLab

Pick a goal or project, mark the few tasks that matter today, and move everything else out of the way.

Use the dashboard to review

Use the Open view as the execution list and keep the task count intentionally small.

Agent move

Ask an agent to prepare context summaries for the chosen tasks so you can start faster.

Example prompt

Help me plan a focus day. Pick the smallest useful set of open tasks for this project, summarize the context for each, and flag anything blocked.

Recommended workflow

Use this sequence when a piece of work is larger than a single task. It keeps outcomes, execution, responsibilities, and reference material connected.

1Set the Goal so the outcome is explicit.
2Create Projects that can realistically move that goal forward.
3Place recurring ownership in Areas so standards do not get lost.
4Store supporting knowledge in Resources and Docs.
5Capture Tasks and Notes throughout the work, then link them back to the right entity.
6Archive completed or inactive material to keep active views focused.

Decision guide

When you are unsure where something belongs, classify it by the role it plays.

Does this describe a measurable result?

Make it a Goal.

Does this have a finish line and several steps?

Make it a Project.

Is this an ongoing responsibility or standard?

Make it an Area.

Is this useful reference material?

Make it a Resource or Doc.

Is this a single action?

Make it a Task and link it to the relevant project, goal, or area.

Is this context, a decision, or raw thinking?

Make it a Note and connect it to the work it supports.