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Case Study · AI Mastery

A freelance translator built an AI second brain to work with an ADHD mind

A translator wired Notion, Google Sheets and GPT assistants into a second brain that turns client emails into tasks and voice notes into sorted ideas.

This freelance translator spent years losing ideas, notes and half-finished plans to a busy brain. During the program they stopped fighting it and built an AI assistant to carry the load, with a panel of GPT experts to think alongside. It is still a work in progress, and that honesty is part of what makes it so encouraging.

Sonja Kraus
A freelance translator and heavy Notion user who shows signs of ADHD and wanted a calmer way to work.

AI Assistant / Second Brain (plus side project Wahl-KI-Mat)

Before

For years they struggled to keep calendars and planners, with notes spread out everywhere. They started things and didn't finish them, and brilliant ideas vanished before they could be written down. Tracking client tasks and new business as a freelance translator needed heavy improvement, and even a Notion setup based on Tiago Forte's PARA method still meant friction just entering the data.

“Having brilliant ideas but missing to jot them down somewhere, and poof, they’re gone.”

In their own words

The turning point

The shift came when they brought AI-powered automation into the picture. Instead of asking themselves to fill in every table field, they let the system do it. They also asked a bigger question: why not have experts in the thinking process, as many as they wanted?

“So why not have experts in the process – whoever and just as many as I want?”

In their own words

After

Now client emails automatically create tasks with all the needed data in Notion and a Google Sheet. Ideas go into a simple sheet by typing or by voice from their phone, where one GPT assistant sorts each into topics like Productivity, Creativity or Mental Health. A panel of expert assistants, including one called "Myself", then reviews each idea. Along the way they also built a side project, the Wahl-KI-Mat, which compares free-text views with official party programmes, kept for private use because of privacy concerns.

What it lets people do

It lets someone with a scattered, overloaded mind capture thoughts the moment they arrive, without stopping to organise them. Work requests become ready-made tasks, and every idea gets a first round of feedback from several perspectives.

What they learned

They learned that a good system has to remove friction, not add structure on top of it. Starting simple and shipping what works now, while keeping bigger dreams like "Multiple Brains" on the roadmap, kept them moving.

“But just imagine having all these GPT Assistant Experts having a chat with each other, brilliant minds discussing big ideas …”

In their own words

AI Assistant / Second Brain (plus side project Wahl-KI-Mat) was built during AI Mastery.

Read the full submission
I’ve created – or let’s say, I’m still in the process of creating and tweaking – my very own AI Assistant which meant to enhance my brain. For context: Although I’m not officially diagnosed, I’m showing all signs of having ADHD. You need proof? See my last-minute turning in of my project. Also, over the years, I’ve always struggled with maintaining calendars and planners, having my notes spread out everywhere. Starting things and not finishing them. Having brilliant ideas but missing to jot them down somewhere, and poof, they’re gone. Also, I’m working as a freelance translator. My process of keeping track of client tasks or also possible new business needs heavy improvement. I need to discuss my ideas with brilliant minds, to develop them further. So why not have experts in the process – whoever and just as many as I want? I’ve been Notion a lot and it is my to-go tool to jot everything down, while being on my computer. My goal is basically to have a “Second Brain”, referring to Tiago Forte. So I’ve been wanting to use a Notion implementation of his PARA method. But this alone does not help. Still, there is a friction with just entering all the data. And now AI powered automation enters the stage: Client emails trigger the creation of the task with all the necessary data in Notion (and also a Google Sheet, just in case I want to do some operations on them which are just easier in a sheet than in a database). I will have the tasks in my projects and can use the given task management features in Notion. More automations for other kinds of tasks coming in for the future. I want to enter my thoughts and ideas into my notes as easily as possible. I want to write them down without caring about filling in all the table fields. If I’m not on my computer, I would even prefer speech recognition instead of typing. For now, the easiest solution is based on a Google sheet. I can just enter text on my computer. Or I have it handy on my phone and can just use voice to enter it into the very same sheet. There might be some more advanced solutions, but not very straightforward to implement, so for now I’ll go with this one. And now my lovely GPT Assistants are here to help me: First one guy who will categorize my input into one of the topics “Productivity, Creativity, Philosophy, Mental Health, Physical Health, Politics, Technology”. So I’ll be able to filter them later on. Then all my experts have a look at them. Currently, they are personalities from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Another expert is “Myself” with a growing knowledge which I can refresh, or in a later stage even automatically draw from a database. Not implemented yet, but definitely a plan: Make “Second Brain” a “Multiple Brains”. For now, the expert output is a first step. But just imagine having all these GPT Assistant Experts having a chat with each other, brilliant minds discussing big ideas … This needs a lot more work and thorough input and testing; I am not at this stage right now. And I have even more ideas for implementing all these routines, reminders etc. which are meant to keep me going, to encourage me, and to make some everyday life decisions for my ADHD-fatigued brain – up to meal planning or dynamic schedule adjustment, depending on plans and energy levels. A smaller side project while I was working on the big one: Inspired by the famous “Wahl-o-mat” for the coming elections in Germany, I asked myself: why not ask AI instead. While in the original, you answer a lot of questions and can weigh them, my “Wahl-KI-Mat” uses only loosely structured free text information which can be as wordy or not as you want. In a vector, I’ve added the files with the official programmes of the major parties. This one is triggered by a Google form. The result is sent to you via email. As I am aware that this is very sensitive data, and necessary privacy is hard to achieve with this simple setting, this project is not meant to be used productively in public, just for my internal use and as an example for this general idea.

Written 21 January 2025 Submitted by the storyteller

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