Blog
Save less blindly. Remember more.
Guides on keeping a second brain that actually works, the learning science of remembering what you read, and getting your saves out of every app they are stuck in.
Building a second brain
Second brain · 7 min read
What is a second brain? A plain-language guide
What is a second brain? Where the idea came from, what it is for, how to build one step by step, and why most second brains quietly stop working.
Second brain · 7 min read
The best second brain apps in 2026
An honest comparison of the best second brain apps for people who save from their phone: Machina, mymind, Notion, Obsidian, Readwise Reader, Recall and more.
Second brain · 6 min read
Read-later apps vs. a second brain: which do you need?
Bookmarks, read-later apps and a second brain do different jobs. How they differ, the best Pocket alternatives, and how to stop read later becoming read never.
Remembering what you learn
Learning science · 7 min read
Active recall: the study method that actually works
Active recall means pulling information out of memory instead of rereading it. What the research shows, why it beats highlighting, and how to use it.
Learning science · 6 min read
The forgetting curve: why you forget what you read
The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, explained with his real data: what it measured, what popular stats get wrong, and what actually slows forgetting.
Learning science · 7 min read
Spaced repetition: how it works and a schedule you can use
Spaced repetition means reviewing at growing intervals instead of cramming. The research, the Leitner and SM-2 systems, and a simple 1-7-30-90 day schedule.
Learning science · 7 min read
How to remember what you read: a system for articles, videos and podcasts
How to remember what you read, watch and listen to: a five-step system backed by memory research, with examples for articles, YouTube videos and podcasts.
Saving from your phone
How-to · 5 min read
Why you never look at your saved posts again (and how to fix it)
Why do you save things and never look at them? The collector's fallacy, scattered saves and nothing that brings them back. Here's a simple system that fixes it.
How-to · 6 min read
How to save TikTok and Instagram videos so you can find them later
How to save TikTok and Instagram videos with Favorites, Saved and collections, where each one falls short, and a simple system to find any saved video later.
How-to · 6 min read
Your screenshots are a graveyard. Here's how to make them searchable
How to search text in screenshots on iPhone with Photos and Live Text, a 10-minute cleanup routine, and turning screenshots into organized, searchable notes.
How-to · 6 min read
How to save recipes from Instagram and TikTok (and actually cook them)
How to save recipes from Instagram and TikTok: in-app collections, recipe apps that import from social, notes, and a weekly routine that gets them cooked.
Everything you save, finally useful.
Save from any app on your iPhone or the web. Machina summarizes and connects every save, and answers your questions with citations to your own library. Free to start.
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