From Notes to New Ideas: Build Your AI-Powered Second Brain

You’ve bookmarked hundreds of reels, left countless articles open in tabs and listened to dozens of podcasts. So where are all the good ideas now? In this hands-on workshop, you’ll build your personal AI-powered second brain in Obsidian.md: a single place to capture what you find, connect, and turn them into new research, writing, and project ideas. Follow along on your laptop and leave with a working AI-powered second brain. This is a small, relaxed, hands-on workshop. Who it’s for • Anyone curious about using AI more effectively for thinking, learning, and creating • PhD candidates and early career researchers who are drowning in papers and notes • No coding or technical background needed What you'll walk away with • A working second brain set up in Obsidian on your own laptop, ready to use the next day • A simple way to capture ideas, articles and research papers so nothing gets lost • Notes that connect themselves, using links that build a web of your thinking over time • AI connected to your notes, using either Claude, ChatpGPT, or a local AI that runs on your own laptop, so you understand the trade-offs between the two • At least three fresh ideas generated from your own notes, whether research questions, paper outlines or project briefs How the day runs • Morning (3 hours): Set up Obsidian, import your articles, videos, and papers, turn connected notes into project ideas. • Afternoon (3 hours): Connect your Obsidian to AI. Link your notes to AI and use it to find gaps, make connections and develop new ideas. • Lunch break in between (lunch not provided). What to bring • A laptop (Mac or Windows, not a tablet) and charger