Learn Chinese Fast with a Second Brain

Build a second brain to help learn languages faster so you can remember more, stop translating and speak fluently.

Has this ever happened to you:

You're learning a new language, and you feel overwhelmed with the number of vocabulary.

You feel lost because you don't know which learning material to focus on.

You keep forgetting what you learn and feel like you're not making any progress, even though you study a lot.

The problem is not your effort; it's the lack of focus.

Your brain is not designed for long-term retention without deliberate organization and reinforcement.

You need a system that quickly collects, organizes, and retrieves your resources and vocabulary so that you can focus on getting fluent.

This is how I was able to learn to speak Mandarin Chinese in one year. It's the same way that many language learners learned to speak their target language in record time—by using a “Second Brain”.

What is a Second Brain?

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them." - David Allen

A "Second Brain" is a concept popularized by productivity experts like David Allen and Tiago Forte and the main purpose is to help you connect the capture of ideas and knowledge to the application and use of that knowledge.

In other words, it helps you get stuff done, become more productive, and enhance learning.

But a Second Brain is not about blindly collecting information or knowledge. This is like hoarding vocabulary, and it doesn’t help you get fluent.

Knowledge is not enough; we must apply.” - Bruce Lee

Most language learners are really good at collecting vocabulary and information, but they struggle to apply that information.

A Second Brain helps us to do that.

A Second Brain for language learning ensures that every new phrase, grammar pattern, or cultural insight is stored in a way that makes it easy to retrieve and apply.

It turns scattered learning into a structured process, allowing you to see connections, track progress, and accelerate fluency.

How Does a Second Brain Work?

A Second Brain can be anything that helps you offload cognitive load so that you can return to it later to accomplish your goals.

It acts as a complementary system to your biological brain, helping you offload information, reduce mental clutter, and enhance productivity.

Think of it like increasing the RAM on your computer. Your CPU is your first brain—your main processing power—and then you have your Second Brain, your RAM, which temporarily stores information for you to use when needed.

You can use different tools to accomplish this. For example, you can simply use pen and paper, dictionary apps, flashcard apps like Anki, and note-taking apps like Notion.

But the basic steps are the same:

1. Capture: Collecting ideas, notes, and information in a centralized place.

2. Organize: Structuring the information in a way that makes it easy to access and use.

3. Find: Quickly find the information when needed.

4. Create: Use the stored knowledge to generate new ideas, apply vocabulary to speak fluently

But before we talk about how to build a Second Brain to help you learn languages, we need to understand why they are so effective.

The Benefits of a Second Brain for Learning a Language

1. Reduce Context Switching.

I used to spend hours searching for the best learning material every time I sat down to study because I was constantly getting distracted by social media, other videos, and decision fatigue.

Research shows that decision fatigue can significantly reduce productivity. When faced with too many choices, learners often spend more time deciding what to study than actually studying.

Moreover, searching for resources and studying are two very different tasks. Switching from one task to another during the same session damages your productivity and ability to study effectively.

Context switching is the act of shifting your attention from one task to another.

Research shows that context switching can hurt productivity, mental health, and long-term memory.

Impact on Productivity:

• Context switching can reduce productivity by up to 40%.

• It takes up to 23 minutes to regain focus after a distraction.

• Reduced attention to detail can lead to mistakes.

Impact on Mental Health & Memory:

• It can lead to stress, fatigue, and burnout.

• It can impact long-term memory and learning.

• It can make it harder to detach from constant distractions.

A Second Brain fixes this problem by separating collection from studying. Whenever you encounter interesting material, you can quickly collect it throughout the day. You batch the work of collecting high-quality resources upfront for when you have time to study later on.

This way, when you study, you can focus on learning instead of collecting.

But what do you do once you’ve collected the material?

2. Copy Real Sources

When I first started learning Chinese, I used to only collect isolated vocabulary. What I quickly found was that I would easily forget these vocabulary words. They didn’t stick. Nothing was anchoring them into my memory.

There’s a better way to do this. Instead of collecting isolated vocabulary, we can collect sentences and phrases from real sources. We can collect resources like the videos and podcasts that you’re consuming.

Collecting from authentic sources gives us context.

Context is critical for learning and memory because it helps us anchor what we are learning into our memory. It adds texture to our learning, making it easier to remember.

Context can come from the topic of the video, the sentence the vocabulary is placed in, the stories being told, the speaker and their voice, the background music, the clothing they are wearing, and much more.

Studies have shown that authentic materials improve learner engagement, motivation, and language acquisition outcomes compared to traditional textbook-based learning.

Authentic materials expose learners to real-world language use, including cultural nuances, idioms, and natural speech patterns.

We also learn best when the material we use is interesting and compelling. Instead of learning from boring textbook material, we should learn from the vast resources of real, authentic material available online.

I show you how to find the best authentic language learning material and create a Second Brain in the Copy Paste Speak Course, a proven step-by-step system to help you improve your speaking and have better conversations in your target language.

Collecting isolated vocabulary is better than nothing, but it’s not very effective at helping you apply what you learn.

Instead, create a Second Brain to help you collect phrases, sentences, and resources.

3. Copy Native Speakers

You struggle with speaking a new language because you lack confidence. You lack confidence because you don’t know if you’ll be able to create sentences on command.

Research in second language acquisition emphasizes the importance of formulaic language—fixed expressions, and chunks of language that native speakers use frequently.

These phrases act as building blocks for fluent communication, allowing learners to speak more naturally and confidently without overthinking grammar.

A Second Brain is an excellent tool for collecting and practicing pre-fabricated phrases.

By saving common expressions, idioms, and conversational chunks, you can build a mental library of ready-to-use language.

You will also speak more confidently because you know these phrases are correct and commonly used by native speakers.

This is how I was able to learn to speak Mandarin Chinese in less than one year, and you can learn to do that in the Copy Paste Speak Course, which is an 8-step system backed by science to help you improve your listening and speaking in a natural way so you can start having the conversations you want in your target language.

How to Build a Second Brain to Learn Languages

Step 1: Choose Your Second Brain

Select a platform that suits your style.

For vocabulary, I use an app called Pleco to collect Chinese vocabulary. This will be specific to the language that you’re learning.

Many language learners like to use the program Anki for its ability to create flashcards to take advantage of the science of spaced repetition to help you build memory just before you forget, based on the forgetting curve.

For notes and resources, I like to use Notion because it’s the right balance of simple and complex for me, and it looks nice and minimalistic.

Some other popular options for collecting notes are Evernote, Obsidian, Google Docs, and Apple Notes.

But be careful not to overcomplicate things when building your Second Brain.

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.” - Gall's Law

In the beginning, the tool doesn’t really matter as much. The most important step is that you start.

You can also change the tool later on once the tool starts to limit you or you develop friction.

Step 2: Capture Everything That Matters

Passive learning is good when you’re short on time, but active learning is where the real learning happens.

Whenever I encounter new words, idioms, or useful phrases, I store them in my Second Brain.

Throughout the day, when I’m listening to Chinese podcasts, I’ll look up and collect vocabulary in the Pleco app whenever I learn a new word. I do the same when I’m watching videos, reading books, and even during conversations in real life.

My goal is to learn one new vocabulary word or phrase every day.

The easier it is to collect, the lower the friction, and the more likely I am to do it.

I also collect my favorite resources, podcasts, and videos in Notion so that I can watch them again, increasing repetition and improving memory.

Step 3: Organize for Easy Retrieval

To make your Second Brain useful, tag information by how you plan to use it. Here are some easy ways to tag your information:

• Vocabulary: Create sections for common words, phrases, and expressions, organized by theme.

• Resources: Save useful podcasts, videos, and study tools, organized by theme.

• Idioms: capture common idioms and phrases that native speakers use often

• Personal Insights: Note personal experiences, example sentences, cultural insights, and anything else that will help you anchor it into your memory.

Using tags and folders allows you to cross-reference materials efficiently. But remember Gall’s Law: Don’t overcomplicate things.

Remember to balance simplicity and friction, or you won’t be able to do it consistently.

Step 4: Apply What You Learn

This is arguably the most important step. If all you do is build a system to collect, organize, and retrieve but never apply the information, your learning will not improve.

A Second Brain is only powerful if you use it actively. Some ways to do this:

1. Spaced Repetition:

Spaced repetition is an evidence-based learning technique that is usually performed with flashcards.

Newly introduced and more difficult flashcards are shown more frequently, while older and less difficult flashcards are shown less frequently to exploit the psychological spacing effect.

Anki is a powerful and free platform you can use to create flashcards.

This is a powerful technique, but alone it will not make you fluent. You still need to practice speaking.

2. Writing and Speaking Practice:

I use the vocabulary I’ve collected in my Second Brain to start creating.

Every day, I pick one phrase or vocabulary word I’ve collected in my Second Brain and start applying it. I write a journal in my target language, trying to apply it in many different sentences but also making it personal to my life.

Every day, I use what I’ve written down as a draft to practice speaking. I record myself speaking to mimic real-life situations to further enhance my memory.

This helps me bridge the gap between knowing isolated vocabulary and knowing how to use vocabulary and phrases fluently in sentences during real conversations.

This is the missing step that prevents many learners from speaking fluently.

I've developed a Speaking Template that makes this step easier and helps me build a daily speaking habit with little friction.

If you want to get my full Second Brain system to learn to speak languages fluently fast, check out the Copy Paste Speak Course. Its a science-backed system to help you improve your listening and speaking naturally so you can start talking about what you want in your target language.

I hope this helps you.

加油，

Danyo

PS Here are some ways I can help you:

1. Speaking Template: The exact template I used to speak articulately in Mandarin and English (works for any language).

2. Copy Paste Speak Course: The science-backed system I used to quickly improve my speaking, listening and conversations in Mandarin Chinese
   (can be used for any language).

3. Chinese Speakers Community: I’ll help you level up your Mandarin speaking faster so you can talk about what you want in 30 minutes a day. You get all my courses, trainings, exercises and personalized feedback. Apply here.