An xTiles Second Brain Template for Notes and Projects

An xTiles second brain template is a reusable layout for collecting sources, writing useful notes, and connecting both to work you want to finish. Start with five pages: Inbox, Sources, Notes, Active Projects, and Archive. Give each saved item a source link and a short explanation of when you would use it.

The layout below is a suggested starting point you can adapt. If different AI assistants help with the same projects, fenbs can keep the current tasks, decisions, and reusable prompts they need outside your visual notebook. You can keep the reference material in xTiles and carry forward only the checked work context.

What should the template help you find?

Build around questions you actually ask: Where did this idea come from? What did I conclude? Which project needs it? A dashboard that answers those questions is more useful than a large collection of empty trackers. Start with one project, such as refreshing your freelance portfolio, and add material as you use it.

In xTiles, projects contain pages, and pages contain tiles for text and media. You can copy a page link and save a page as a reusable template, according to the xTiles structure guide↗ (opens in a new tab). Use that structure to create a consistent place for evidence, interpretation, and next actions.

For the general principles behind collecting reusable knowledge, read what an AI second brain is; this page stays focused on the xTiles layout. The second-brain topic hub gathers other approaches if your working style changes.

Which pages belong in a small starting layout?

Create the following pages inside a single project. Treat the page names as ordinary labels rather than a complicated filing system. You should be able to explain each one to a colleague in a sentence.

xTiles offers a free-form Creative Page for arranging tiles and a Document page for linear writing. Its page-type documentation↗ (opens in a new tab) also describes Table and Board views. Pick a visual layout for the overview and a simple writing layout for longer explanations; the template does not require every available view.

Keep personal journaling separate if it distracts from the project. A second brain can hold many kinds of information, but a work overview should show the small set of facts that helps you resume. For a layout that is independent of any app, use the second brain work template.

What should you copy into a source tile?

Use a source tile to preserve the route back to the original. Avoid saving only an AI summary: a future reader needs enough information to check a disputed detail. A title like Portfolio onboarding survey is easier to find than Interesting article.

Title: [descriptive title]
Original link or file location: [location]
Author or organization: [name]
Published or revised: [date if available]
Saved because: [one sentence]
Useful passage or section: [location in original]
Project that may use it: [project]
Review state: unread / checked / needs another source

For example, a designer might save a client-approved accessibility checklist. The tile should identify the actual document and its revision, not just say accessibility. Write why it matters: Check the portfolio contact form before delivery. That sentence provides a retrieval clue when the subject could apply to several projects.

A source can support a note without supporting every conclusion in it. Mark your inference separately from what the document says. If a sentence depends on a policy or specification that changes, reopen the original before relying on the old note.

How do notes become useful project context?

Write one useful point per note, then link it to an active outcome. A short note should explain the point, the evidence behind it, and its limits. A project overview can link several notes without copying their full contents.

Project: Portfolio refresh
Outcome: Publish three clear project examples
Relevant notes: [links]
Agreed choices: [choice, person, date]
Open questions: [questions still awaiting answers]
Next action: Draft the first example
Last checked: [date]
Resume here: [precise next step]

Keep the action small enough to recognize when it is finished. Draft the first example gives you a starting point; work on portfolio does not. The task list template covers the separate job of writing actionable tasks, so you do not need to turn every research note into a task.

When assistants need the same approved choices and next step, keep that working record in fenbs and link back to the xTiles reference, following the shared context workflow.

Which prompts are worth keeping with the template?

Save prompts that describe a repeatable review, rather than a single request with last month’s details baked in. Include the expected inputs and the conditions under which the assistant should stop. A good prompt helps you repeat the same standard of checking.

Read the supplied source and my project goal.
Return: the useful point, the supporting passage location,
the limits of the evidence, and one possible next action.
Separate source statements from your suggestions.
If the source does not answer a question, say what is missing.
Do not treat a suggested action as an approved decision.

Test the prompt with a source you already understand. If it produces an impressive summary but loses an important exception, revise the prompt before reusing it. You can keep the reviewed version in fenbs Skills and prompts when several connected assistants need to follow the same process.

How to do this with fenbs

1. Create a free account and add the project your xTiles overview supports.
2. Add its current tasks and a concise context note with the checked conclusion and the source location. Keep confidential material within your approved access boundaries.
3. Record choices a person made in Decisions and rules. Save the tested review prompt in Skills and prompts if you expect to reuse it.
4. Connect a supported assistant using Integrations, then ask it to read the project context before working and save progress when it stops.

fenbs is not the right fit for arranging visual tiles or maintaining a private sketchbook. It does not import your xTiles notebook automatically. Use it when the project record needs to continue across connected assistants, and add only the knowledge you have chosen to share.

How do you keep the layout from becoming clutter?

Review the Inbox when you finish a piece of work. Move a useful source to its page, write the note it earned, or remove a capture you no longer need. Leave material unprocessed when you have no reason to use it rather than generating summaries for the sake of filling the template.

Then test the overview by returning after a break. You should find the current goal, one relevant source, and the next action without reading every tile. If that takes too long, shorten the overview before adding another page. The template succeeds when it helps you get back to work.