Why Basis

Hello, I'm Lance. I'm glad you're here.

I built Basis on the simple idea that I wanted a “second brain” where I could organize everything in my life to feel less stressed and more focused on the things I care about.

The cost of a disordered life

I know the chaotic, anxious feeling that comes from living a disorganized life. Maybe you do, too.

I rushed through life going from one crisis to the next, barely staying ahead of deadlines (or blowing through them) in my work and personal life. I was barely keeping my head above water and felt guilty taking any time to relax, since I knew I had a long, though undefined, list of unfinished work.

Even when I was successful in life, I didn't really enjoy it. I'd spent the journey overwhelmed and waiting for the other shoe to drop, always running behind and white-knuckling through the day. As soon as one goal was accomplished, I had to run to catch up on the next one that I was behind on.

I was so busy struggling to keep up with all my responsibilities that I never had time to step back and ask whether I was working on the right things. I didn't have time for the important questions in life:

• Is this how I want to spend my time?
• Does this task matter in the big picture?
• What am I giving up to focus on this?

Failure to ask these questions led to me spending time stressing about the wrong things. A cruel irony, and a bad way to spend the precious little time we each have on earth.

The answer

If you've felt the same way, there is a solution. Great thinkers and writers have identified it, from Seneca and Benjamin Franklin to more modern authors like Sönke Ahrens and Tiago Forte. The solution is deceptively simple, articulately summarized by David Allen:

Your brain is a place for having ideas, not holding them.

The mind works best when information is quickly jotted down somewhere that it can be accessed, organized, and acted upon. When it stays up in your head, you gradually develop a cacophony of competing thoughts, obligations, reminders, worries, and stresses. You have to fight through your own loud thoughts just to get through the day.

An external system to capture and process your thoughts and tasks is scientifically shown to reduce mental fatigue, leading to better mental health, higher focus, and more acuity.

I took a long time to find and implement a second brain system. I believe there is no one-size-fits-all answer, but that everyone can benefit from building their own external system for capturing information and organizing their life.

I've built a system that works well for me. I hope it may work for you, too. I call it Basis.

What I looked for and what I found

I'm a nerd who's tried most of the productivity, task-management, and project tools out there. But I've never been satisfied with one tool that fulfills what I want for my own second brain.

My criteria is simple. I wanted a tool that fulfills the following requirements:

• Tasks: A native, intuitive way to capture, organize, and prioritize my tasks.
• Notes & Files: A clean and easy way to jot down notes, capture files and photos, and store non-actionable information that I want to save.
• Personal Knowledge Management:A structured and clear way to organize my own “reference library.”
• Ease of Use: Simple and easy to setup, use, and maintain. Complex databases or high-friction custom setups are a killer.

Of the many options out there, here's what I've found:

No product on the market satisfied what I'm looking for. So I built Basis.

What is Basis and how does it work?

Basis is designed to be your intuitive, all-in-one second brain. Use it to easily:

• Capture to-dos
• Capture notes, files, photos
• Manage your personal reference library

Basis is a modern take on the commonplace book, a practice thinkers have used for centuries to capture ideas, organize them, and return to them. What Basis adds is speed, structure, and the ability to hold tasks alongside notes without either getting in the way.

Basis is loosely inspired by David Allen's Getting Things Done: capture everything, clarify what matters, organize by context, review regularly. But you don't need to follow GTD. Basis is flexible enough for whatever system works for you: a stripped-down inbox flow, a project-based structure, or nothing more than a running list. Tweak your process, don't tweak the tool.

If you want the detailed walkthrough of how I personally use Basis with GTD, I've written it up separately in How I use Basis(full walkthrough coming soon). For now, the short version: capture into Inbox, process each item into either an actionable task (with a date, priority, and project) or a note (filed into the right notebook), review weekly, and then focus on what's in front of you today.

Works in Progress

Basis ships changes regularly. My roadmap is driven by what users tell me they need. Most of the recent improvements came directly from feedback. Recent shipped work includes inline images in notes, natural language capture, and a focus section for what you're actually working on today. Next up is deeper mobile polish, better handling of recurring work, and export/backup tools.

If you use Basis and something feels off, tell me. There's a good chance it's already on my list, and even better odds it moves up when a user asks for it.

Let's be friends

If you've read this far, thanks for taking the time to check out Basis. I like to speak with anyone on the journey of finding an intentional way to move through life, whether you use Basis to do that or not.

Connect with me on LinkedIn, X, or by email at hello@thebasis.app.