Organise your Research: Foundations of Idea Management Course

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A 4-week cohort-based Personal Knowledge Management course to help you transform a pile of notes into a network of ideas.

Unlike other PKM courses that focus on teaching apps, we concentrate on building your knowledge management skills.

You’ll explore mindset shifts to break bad note-taking habits, apply step-by-step methods to convert your pile of notes into a network of ideas, investigate how your favourite app can help (or hinder) you, and leave with confidence in your ability to generate original ideas.

Is the Foundations of Idea Management course right for you?

1. Have you been considering how to organise your research notes for a while, but are unsure about the first step?

You are still looking around for the “best note-taking app” before you get started. You want to learn “the right way” before taking the first step.

In the meantime, you regret not having taken notes last week when you read an interesting source you can’t quite remember now.

2. Have you begun organising your research notes, but find yourself still searching on a pile of notes?

You spent days watching knowledge management videos on YouTube, tried numerous apps (Evernote, Notion, Obsidian, Scrintal), and have changed between folders and tags more times than you can count. Despite all efforts, you still don’t have an organised system. 

When you look back, there are notes all over the place and searching for something still feels like diving into a dumpster of notes.

3. Have you tried multiple knowledge management workflows, but nothing seems to work for your research?

You have created a system to organise your notes based on the best advice you found out there. You even adapted it to suit your preferences, but you still spend ages looking for a source you KNOW you have read, you can’t separate your knowledge contribution from what is in your sources, and organising your notes feels more like procrastination than knowledge production.

You finish the day wondering whether this practice is worthy of your effort or if something is wrong with you (there is nothing wrong with you, you just need a method tailored to knowledge creation 😊).

3 challenges are stopping most people from succeeding in organising their notes

Challenge 1: Perfectionism. Many talented people struggle with maladaptive perfectionism. It is a form of perfectionism that stops us from starting things (because they have to be perfect from the onset) or leads to not finishing things (because the result never feels “good enough”). When it comes to note-taking, maladaptive perfectionism can appear as an inability to write notes that express our own thoughts (because our initial thoughts never seem “good enough”) or endlessly tweaking the system’s structure before we even start making notes.

Challenge 2: Analysis Paralysis. When thinking about systems for note-taking, there are numerous options available — apps, frameworks, methods, plug-ins, and tool features — and deciding what's best for your research and specific needs can feel overwhelming. What many beginners overlook is that Personal Knowledge Management is more than just a system — it is a practice. It is about finding harmony between a system and your way of thinking. So instead of focusing on tools first, I encourage you to start by identifying which mindset you want to cultivate, then explore methods that support it, and only after that, consider how to implement these in your preferred (or most suitable) tool. I name this approach “climbing your own PKM Pyramid”.

Challenge 3: Making it all about the system. Personal knowledge management goes beyond having note templates or deciding on tag and folder structures. It is about optimising your knowledge processes with the help of a supportive system. It is about improving how you express and grow your knowledge as a result of working on your notes. That’s why adopting someone else’s system as-is often doesn’t yield the expected outcome. Instead, we should focus on developing your PKM skills. When you combine knowledge needs, mindsets, and methods, then you have a PKM skill.

Here is how this course solves these challenges

Apps come and go, so in this course, we won't focus on the features of an app. Instead, we will develop your Personal Knowledge Management skills so you can apply them to the app that suits you best. As a foundational course, we will focus on 3 skills:

• Active Note-Taking. This is the ability to express your own knowledge rather than just passively copy or highlight your sources. The skill of Active Note-Taking supports you in expressing yourself, remembering ideas you come across, and creating notes that will help your writing later.
• Active Reading. This is the ability to engage with a source from multiple perspectives. If you want to deeply understand your sources and create original ideas from sources that everyone else is reading, then you need to know how to look at your sources differently. Active reading is not about summarisation (you have GPT for that), it is about interpretation. So those who actively read MUST take notes, otherwise most of their thoughts are gone after just a few days.
• Idea Management. This is the ability to organise your ideas. Yes, I didn’t say “organise your notes” but “organise your ideas”. It is the process of identifying what are your objects of attention and organising your notes around them. The process of object identification opens the way for knowledge creation, whereas organising your notes and sources around them makes the retrieval of these notes (and sources!) super fast.

With these 3 skills, you will be able to demonstrate you remember and understand the information you come across, and you will have a network of notes that help you apply this knowledge (if you want to develop all 6 skills, check the PKM for Research Mentorship instead.)

This course will help you organise your notes so that you can:

1. Capture your unique insights

If someone asks for a portfolio demonstrating your expertise, you can’t send them a collection of quotes and highlights, right?

Instead, you would send them a book you wrote, give a talk, write articles, or provide another form of content expressing your knowledge and demonstrating your expertise. Your notes are the birthplace for that portfolio. They are where you can capture your understanding of what you read and observe, making sense of expertise unique to you.

In this course, you will be introduced to methods for capturing knowledge, interpreting sources, and linking yours ideas to references, leaving you with a network of notes showcasing your unique insights.

2. Avoid unintended plagiarism

Unintended plagiarism happens when you copy a piece of source material or take notes from a conversation without properly referencing the source. Over time, you may forget the origin of the text (or ideas) in your notes and mistakenly attribute it to your own thoughts. When this text appears in something you write, without acknowledgement, then you have unintendedly become a plagiarist.

We don’t want that to happen!

So in this course, you will be introduced to good referencing practices and practical tips to maintain the connection between your sources and ideas in your notes, even as your knowledge evolves.

3. Protect your focus

When conducting research, we often face high volumes of information, resulting in an overwhelming number of notes to manage. This abundance can scatter our attention and make focus difficult, especially for those with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

In this course, you will learn a methodology that embraces the chaotic nature of your mind when expressing new thoughts, transforming this natural chaos into organised focal points. No more scattered ideas pulling your attention in multiple directions. Instead, you will concentrate on one idea at a time, knowing that the rest will be accessible when you are ready.

4. Transform procrastination into sensemaking

Note-taking supports thinking, but organising notes can become a task in itself. It is easy to get caught up in structuring folders and tags instead of focusing on what truly matters – generating new knowledge. This can lead to procrastination.

So in this course, you will learn the mindset shifts and methods to turn organisation into sensemaking. As you make sense of the information you encounter, you will naturally organise your notes. It all happens simultaneously, eliminating the need to choose between organisation and knowledge creation.

5. Save time when searching for your ideas and sources

Researchers might spend up to 20 minutes trying to find a source they KNOW they have read. Now, imagine how much time you could waste when writing a document with 10 references (or even more, like 70+, if you are writing for an academic journal). It could mean wasting 24 hours just searching!

The solution is to eliminate the “search” part.

In this course, you will learn how to organise your notes as ideas, not documents. So when it is time to look for an idea, you can find it immediately, and when it is time to look for a source for an idea, you can stop searching and find it with just 1 click.

Here is what is inside..

When you enrol in the Foundations of Idea Management live course, you will receive access to:

• 2-week self-paced curriculum covering the skills of Active Note-Taking, Active Reading, and Idea Management.
  • Micro-lessons so you can squeeze learning around your free time. Individual lessons vary from 2 to 16 minutes.
  • Different types of lessons:
    • Conceptual lessons, where I explain how the mindsets and methods work.
    • Reflective lessons, where you are invited to reflect on your practice.
    • Challenge accepted lessons, where we will explore your natural way of dealing with a note-taking challenge.
  • 300+ minutes of content so you can go through it all in less than 6 hours (plus optional content if you want to go deeper).
  • 17 mindsets you can choose from.
  • 11 methods you can use for different self-expression purposes.
  • 6 methods to support your active reading.
  • 3 methods to help you manage your notes as ideas (not documents).
• 2 curriculum live sessions so we can review, expand, and practice the content from the self-paced curriculum.
  • Week 1: Active Note-Taking and Idea Management (module 1).
  • Week 2: Active Reading and Idea Management (module 2).
• 4 co-working live sessions, to put into practice the mindset shifts and methods you have learned.
  • 2 co-working sessions per week, catering for Eastern and Western time zones.
  • Week 1: Practice a method for self-expression and organise your thoughts as idea notes.
  • Week 2: Write your understanding of a source, organise it into idea notes, and connect your notes to your source.
  • Work together on a Scrintal board so I can see your progress ‘as you write your notes’ rather than seeing just the result of it.
• Portfolio project so you can apply the mindsets and methods to your own use case.
  • A step-by-step self-guided project for you to apply everything you have learned in your own note-taking practice.
• 2 hot seat coaching live sessions to get feedback on your practice.
  • Raise your hand to get live feedback on your portfolio project or any aspect of your own note-taking practice.
  • Sessions during weeks 3 and 4, catering for Eastern and Western time zones.
• 2 years of access to the curriculum and recordings of all live sessions.
• 2 months of free access to the Scrintal note-taking app.
  • We will use Scrintal in our co-working sessions and examples but you are invited to use the note-taking tool of your preference for the portfolio project.
• BONUS: 30 Days Active Note-Taking challenge. Unlock a bonus 30-day challenge when you complete the whole curriculum of the course.
• BONUS: Templates, maps, and decision frameworks to assist your daily decision-making (see example below).

When is the next group getting started?

Monday, April 29th

Curriculum live sessions: Fridays, May 3rd and 10th.

Co-working sessions: Mondays, May 6th and 13th.

Hot seat coaching sessions: Friday, May 24th and Monday, May 27th.

Who is the instructor?

Hi,

I am Bianca Pereira and I will be guiding you through this journey.

I have learned firsthand that academia does not equip you with the research skills needed to thrive as a researcher, nor does it cover Personal Knowledge Management, despite knowledge being at the core of research work.

After experiencing burnout and quitting my 1st PhD in 2015, I decided it was time for a change.

I immersed myself in books, courses, workshops, and communities, consuming as much information as possible. However, true knowledge does not come without the nuances of practice, so I tailored everything to fit the research practice.

The effort paid off.

Over the years, I published papers and a patent, assumed a project management role in industry-academia collaborations, mentored early career researchers, secured a grant proposal, and led my own project — a feat uncommon for researchers without a PhD.

In just 5 years, I went from a medical emergency burnout to becoming a successful early career researcher.

But let me ask you: Do you have 5 years to waste?

That's why I built the Prolific Researcher community — to accelerate the journey of research-driven writers, whether they are on an academic journey or prefer to never set foot in academia.

In the course, I share part of a process I developed from 13 years of research experience, 2 years of experience as a Personal Knowledge Management coach, and insights gained from teaching over 250 individuals.

Having struggled myself, I easily recognise where others are facing challenges. And having walked the hard path, I want YOUR path to be easy.

So this is my invitation for you to join the Prolific Researcher Community. I look forward to welcoming you aboard.

— Bianca Pereira, researcher and knowledge management coach

You can also find me on the Prolific Researcher Playbook, Twitter, and Youtube.

Here is what previous students have said about the course..

"I was working today on a paper draft I did a few months ago before the cohort and my notes then weren’t helpful, but I have spent an hour or so turning what I had into idea notes and linking ideas, and it’s been awesome, I had so much done that I did not know! Also I seem to understand everything much better now that I’ve done it this way. "

— Raquel Gonzalez, PhD candidate in plant biodiversity

"I started my PKM journey backwards when my intention was to get to the heart of processing research for output using modern day tools and technologies. But I dove head first into the the tools and technologies that enable PKM. Bianca was paramount in closing the loop for me… finally! She’s packaged academic research skills in a format that’s accessible for amateur researchers to make meaningful contributions and create real impact in any endeavour."

– Anonymous, Chief Marketing Officer and Founder

“I did some research before and studied history at university but it was the first time I encountered a course and someone who explains so clearly basic concepts of research like idea management and how to read a source. In less than five minutes I understood something that in 5 years of study I didn’t. The course is great, for researcher and for all kind of people, because everybody should know how to read a source, how to use critical thinking, it is such an important skill. I will surely use everything I learn in this course in future projects that are not necessarily research related. I know feel more confident to write articles and how to use source and literature to do so.”

— Adeline Barnault, Cultural Mediator

"I have been exploring various approaches to personal knowledge management for several years, to support my research and writing. Bianca is an excellent teacher with the ability to introduce concepts incrementally and clearly--with a lovely, gentle sense of humor. I also enjoyed connecting with the other participants, who were an interesting and diverse bunch of generous, thoughtful folks--some of us will be remaining in contact with each other. I now have a number of new tools that will help manage the overwhelm of working on complex projects."

-- Deborah Robson, Writer and Workshop Instructor

“I kept losing my thoughts and insights on what I had read when I would need it while writing or creating any argument. I had read books and seen several YouTube videos on how to build a PKM but when I was trying to implement them for my own self I ran into problems of scale.

This course helped me to cut the clutter about PKMs in my brain and present the core principles in a very useful and implementable way. Having someone experienced guiding through examples is always helpful. Also Bianca’s style of presentation is very warm, welcoming and informal creating a very comfortable learning environment for everyone.

I can see that in the future my PKM potentially can finally be a help rather than a hinderance.”

– Shashwat Tiwari, Podcaster

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this course different from other Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) courses?

Everything is tailored to research-based writing. Also, we don't focus on how to use specific note-taking tools. Instead, we go all the way from the mindsets useful for research, to the methods and, only then, investigating how to use your preferred tool for that.

Here is what previous students have to say:

“The material is impressive and original. It is not repetitive to what other PKM courses are doing. So far, I don’t even think I could see an overlap of concepts in the materials of week one. (I have attended two of the main PKM courses in the market).”

– Jonathan Israel Tan, Senior Commercial Manager (Med Tech)

“I already participated in other courses about knowledge management and was looking for a course for people with an academic background. (…) Tasks and challenges during these different learning settings helped me to not just absorb the well-explained concepts but to put it into action inside my own knowledge portfolio. Bianca’s course changed my approach to knowledge management.”

– Silvia Retzlaff, PhD Student

Is the course only for academic researchers?

The course is for:

• Journalists who collect evidence to publish research-backed long-form pieces.
• Content marketers who create authoritative content for the brands they represent.
• Academics and professional researchers who want to produce original knowledge.
• Lifelong learners who want to move from consuming knowledge to creating knowledge.
• Writers who use research as the backbone of their work.

Do I need to have experience with Knowledge/Idea Management to join?

Not at all. The programme covers everything from the ground up. But don't listen to me. Here are the words from a previous student:

“I started the course with little to no knowledge about PKM [Personal Knowledge Management], and about to embark on a MA research program after many years of being in the work world.

The course was very enlightening, packed with useful skills and techniques to help me lay down a good PKM foundation for my MA program. This is now helping me immensely to digest and reflect on all the new knowledge I am gaining and, more importantly, to generate my own for the purpose of creating a knowledge portfolio.”

– Samar Nahas, MA candidate

What is the minimum time commitment?

The minimum time commitment is 6 hours/week.

This includes going through the self-paced curriculum, attending the live sessions, doing the basic exercises, and working (a bit) on your own tool.

What is the time of the live sessions?

All curriculum sessions will happen on Fridays 4 pm UTC.

The co-working sessions will happen on Mondays at 6 am UTC and 4 pm UTC. Both sessions will have the same structure, so you can choose to attend just one of them or both.

The hot seat coaching sessions will happen on Friday 6 am UTC and Monday 4 pm UTC.

All events are recorded so you can watch them on your own time.

Do you offer payment plans?

I don't often payment plans for this course. Instead, consider joining the 3-month payment plan for the PKM for Research mentorship programme (which also includes this live course).

Do you offer scholarships?

I don't offer scholarships for this course. Instead, you can apply for the scholarships for the PKM for Research mentorship programme (which also includes this live course).

What is the Refund Policy?

I want this experience to be the most useful to you.

If that is not what you expected, you can cancel your participation up to our first live session for any reason and receive a full refund (all your money back).

After that date (and until the end of week 2), we will retain €250 as a cancellation fee and return the rest of your payment.

No refund is given after week 2.

Any other questions?

If you have any questions about the course, please feel free to contact me at contact@biancapereira.me. I will be more than happy to chat!