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I was overweight when I was younger.

Around the age of twelve, maybe thirteen, some kids had growth spurts, and it felt like they were ready for high school. But not this guy. I stayed 5’5” until around sixteen or seventeen, dealing with all the unhealthy eating habits common at that age. I remember drinking milk. A lot of milk.

“Harrison, yuh big-boned,” my dad would say. In the 00s, there was no “love your body” movement. The ideal was to be as thin as possible, almost “slip between prison bars” skinny. This societal pressure fueled the allure of the “magic pill” promise. My parents, too, tried losing weight even though they didn’t need to. It was just a thing, and I guess it still is with Ozempic, despite the evolving cultural understanding of weight.

I was, and my parents were, captured by this idea of the quick fix. The magic pill. The lottery. And this idea chased me into adulthood. With every new beating heart of an idea—productivity, AI, second brains—there’s always a tad of a promise to “fix” whatever ails you. This idea captured me because, well, I suck at organization, or at least thought I did, and I would have liked to be good at it.

From elementary school agendas to A5 Moleskines in France, I’ve experimented with different ways of organizing my life. I’ve got fifteen to twenty journals now, but they’re not easy to reference. They’re hard to carry around, bulky, and full of imperfections. I felt like I needed something “new.”

The Allure of Quick Fixes

Then a few years ago, I found the holy grail: building a second brain. While building a second brain, I came up with so many iterations. It led me to many pathways, this newsletter namely, and also my passion for systems, automation, and operations. But it was less of a fix and more of a building block. Despite these efforts, each system has its pitfalls, and I’m here to dive into what I’ve found.

Digital vs. Analog: A Comparison

First off, digital tools offer neat organization but can be overwhelming. Analog methods, like bullet journaling, bring mindfulness but are prone to errors. Digital journaling and tasks excel in organization and efficiency, allowing quick retrieval of information.

Finding Clarity

Ultimately, it comes down to intentions and what best serves you. As Brianna Wiest puts it, “The truth is that when something is right for you, it brings you clarity, and when something is wrong for you, it brings you confusion.” When listening to this book, that quote hit me hard as I realized that with the different iterations of my second brain v1, v2, v3, v4, v5, and I think I’m on v6, I was trying too hard to make the digital system work because of how it looked, how it made me look.

My productivity system failed because…well… I didn’t pay attention to what worked for me. The question is, what has worked for you in the past? Is what you’re doing clear or confusing? How do you find clarity? What makes you feel overwhelmed?

99% of the time it’s a system that… doesn’t exist. Why?! It’s one, impossible, and two, no one is you. Only you know the best thing for yourself. Your system might look like whack-a-mole to another person, and you can riff on other people’s ideas, but that’s it.

Embrace Your Unique System

Accept that no system is perfect. Embrace your limitations, as they can lead to greater clarity and personal growth. The best system is the one that resonates with your needs and intentions. Whether digital or analog, what matters most is what brings you clarity and calm.

Until next time ✌️