---
url: /recipes/second-brain-with-relations.md
description: >-
  Link tasks, ideas and notes to each other and find the connections later on
  the graph.
---

# Build a second brain with relations

This recipe is for people who keep a [second brain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_knowledge_management)
of notes and tasks in Hule and lose track of how they connect. You link things as you write, by
[mentioning one task in another](/guides/comment-and-mention#link-tasks-with), and a
[Relations view](/guides/link-related-tasks#relations-graph-see-the-connections) later shows the
web: which ideas feed which projects, and what depends on what.
Why relations work this way is explained in
[Task relations and the relations graph](/concepts/relations).

You need a workspace where you can create lists.

::: warning Permission to create lists
In someone else's workspace you need **Create** in the **Lists** block of your
[permission set](/reference/permissions-and-access): **List/Folder manager** and **Admin** have it,
**Worker** doesn't. Ask the workspace owner for one of them.
:::

## Linked notes and their map

A **Notes** list holds one task per note, for example:

* an idea, such as **Idea: offline mode**;
* a reading note, such as **Reading: Local-first software**;
* a decision, such as **Decision: pick a sync library**.

Around it you get:

* links that appear on their own while you write: mention a task with `#` and the two are
  related;
* a [personal](/concepts/personal-and-work) **Relations** view, **Map**, that draws your notes
  and project tasks as a graph.

After two weeks of notes, **Map** looks like this:

![The personal Relations view Map: notes, ideas and project tasks joined by dotted mention edges, with one blocks edge and one relates-to edge, in two groups, and the idea about a podcast on its own](/shots/recipes/second-brain-1.light.webp){.light-only}
![The personal Relations view Map: notes, ideas and project tasks joined by dotted mention edges, with one blocks edge and one relates-to edge, in two groups, and the idea about a podcast on its own](/shots/recipes/second-brain-1.dark.webp){.dark-only}

Four of its tasks, with each line named:

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  IDEA["Idea: offline mode"]
  RES["Research: sync conflicts"]
  DEC["Decision: pick a sync library"]
  PROJ["Project: mobile v2"]
  IDEA -- mentions --> RES
  DEC -- mentions --> RES
  IDEA -- relates to --> PROJ
  DEC -- blocks --> PROJ
```

## Notes list and Map setup

1. Create a **Notes** list in your workspace, at its top level or in one of its folders
   ([Create a list](/guides/organize-folders-and-lists#create-a-list)).
   The list appears in the sidebar, with **Relations** on: the
   [**Simple list** preset](/guides/set-up-a-list#turn-features-on-or-off) has it.

2. In the sidebar's **User Views**, hover over the row with your name and choose **+** →
   **New view**.
   The **What view are you making?** form opens.

3. Name it **Map**.

4. Under **Display Mode**, choose **Relations**
   ([Views as lenses on tasks](/concepts/views)).

5. Under **Source**, pick **Notes** and the lists of the projects your notes touch.

   ::: warning Pick both lists
   A relation shows only when both of its tasks are in the view's sources.
   :::

6. Click **Create** ([Relations graph](/guides/link-related-tasks#relations-graph-see-the-connections)).
   The graph shows every task in those lists as a dot; lines appear as you link tasks.

7. In **Notes**, open a note, for example **Idea: offline mode**
   ([Create and edit tasks](/guides/create-and-edit-tasks)).
   The task opens with its description and comments.

8. In the task's description or in a new comment, type `#`, start typing a task's title, and
   pick it ([Link tasks with #](/guides/comment-and-mention#link-tasks-with)).
   The task appears as a link that opens it.

   ::: warning Pick the task from the list
   Typed text is not a mention: choose the task in the `#` list. A task in another workspace
   creates no relation.
   :::

9. In a comment, send it.
   The task you are in shows a **Mentions** relation in its **Relations** section. A mention in
   the description needs no sending: the description saves as you type, and the relation comes
   with the save.

## Mentions as you write

* **Write one idea per task.** A short title states the idea, the description holds the
  details. Small notes link better than long ones.
* **Mention as you write.** When a note builds on another idea or touches a project,
  `#`-mention it in the sentence, in the [description](/guides/write-a-task-description#mention-a-person-or-a-task).
* **Open Map weekly.** The [weekly review](/recipes/weekly-review) is a good moment.
* **Read the clusters.** A cluster is what you keep thinking about; a lone node is an idea you
  never connected. Link it or let it go.

When a link means more than "see also", add it by hand in the task's **Relations** section
([Link two tasks](/guides/link-related-tasks#link-two-tasks)) with a named type:

| Relation type | Use it for |
|---|---|
| **Blocks** / **Is blocked by** | a dependency: one task waits for the other |
| **Duplicates** | a note that repeats another |
| **Relates to** | any other link that matters |

::: info Mention relations follow the mentions
Remove every mention of a task, in the description and in comments, and the relation goes too.
:::

## Map problems and fixes

| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| No relation appeared after a mention | Pick the task from the `#` list, not typed text, and keep both tasks in one workspace. A comment's mention counts once you send the comment. See [Link tasks with #](/guides/comment-and-mention#link-tasks-with). |
| The map is empty | It shows only tasks from its sources. Open **Sources** in the view header and add your **Notes** list; see [Sources: where a view looks](/concepts/views#sources-where-a-view-looks). |
| Linked tasks show no line | Put both tasks in the view's sources, and turn the relation type on under **Configure graph** → **Filters**; see [Relations graph](/guides/link-related-tasks#relations-graph-see-the-connections). |
| The graph is a tangle | Set **Slice** in the view header to **Tasks** to hide subtask lines ([which tasks a view shows](/concepts/views#sources-where-a-view-looks)), or pick **Relaxed** under **Configure graph** → **Forces** → **Preset** to spread the nodes out ([Relations graph](/guides/link-related-tasks#relations-graph-see-the-connections)). |
| A relation you removed by hand stays gone while the mention stays | Remove the mention and add it again; see [Remove a relation](/guides/link-related-tasks#remove-a-relation). |

## Variations

* **Your own relation types.** Open the menu at the bottom of the sidebar (your name) →
  **Workspace settings** (pick the workspace if you have several) → **Relation Templates** →
  **New template**, and add types such as **supports** / **is supported by**; see
  [Relation types](/guides/link-related-tasks#relation-types).

  ::: warning Creating a type needs a permission
  You need **Create** in the [**Relation templates** block](/reference/permissions-and-access);
  **Admin** has it, **Worker** doesn't.
  :::

* **One task's links on its own.** Open a task: its **Relations** section lists its links by
  type, and **Show graph** draws them around that task alone; see
  [Relations graph](/guides/link-related-tasks#relations-graph-see-the-connections).