I Tried Obsidian Note Taking for a Week... (MD App Review, Guide, Tips, Features, and Setup)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the creator shares a week-long experiment with Obsidian, a note-taking app that emphasizes organization and customization. The script explores themes, linking notes, customizable hotkeys, and the IMF note structure. The creator details personalizing the vault, leveraging templates, and enhancing note-taking with tags and links. They conclude that Obsidian's accessibility, customizability, and durability make it a powerful tool for idea connectivity and knowledge management, encouraging viewers to try it for project planning or idea expansion.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Obsidian is promoted as a 'permanent second brain' with a unique methodology for note organization and customization.
- 📝 The speaker underwent a 7-day experiment using Obsidian as their primary note-taking application to evaluate its features.
- 🎨 Obsidian offers a variety of themes that can be mesmerizing, especially for those with specific aesthetic preferences like vaporwave and outrun.
- 🔗 A key feature highlighted is the ease of linking notes within notes and the sophisticated search functionality, which enhances navigation.
- ⌨️ Customizable hotkeys are available for improved efficiency, allowing for quick actions like switching panes and creating notes.
- 📚 The speaker found the customizability of Obsidian to be a powerful tool for elevating their note-taking and information organization.
- 📑 The speaker used Obsidian for an English class assignment and found the pane customization and hotkeys to be more efficient than traditional document formats.
- 🔄 The process of transferring documents from Google Docs to Obsidian was described as inefficient but part of the speaker's adjustment to the new system.
- 🗂️ The speaker explored different workflows and templates from the Obsidian community, such as the PARA and IMF models, to organize their notes.
- 📈 The IMF structure was adopted, which uses an index, maps of contents (MOCs), and fluid frameworks to organize notes systematically.
- 💡 Personalization of the note-taking process is encouraged, with the speaker creating templates and customizing their vault layout to suit their needs.
- 🔗 Obsidian's selling points are its accessibility, customizability, and durability, making it a potentially long-term solution for note-taking.
- 🌐 Notes in Obsidian are in markdown format, stored locally, and easily transferable, with the speaker recommending regular backups for safety.
Q & A
What is Obsidian and what does it claim to be?
-Obsidian is a digital note-taking application that claims to be a 'permanent second brain,' emphasizing its unique methodology for note organization and customization.
What was the purpose of the video?
-The purpose of the video was to showcase the presenter's personal 7-day experiment using Obsidian as their main note-taking application and to share insights into its benefits.
What are some of the features of Obsidian that caught the presenter's attention?
-The presenter was particularly impressed by Obsidian's themes, the ease of linking notes within notes, an intricate search bar, customizable hotkeys, and the overall customizability of the application.
How does the presenter describe the process of importing documents into Obsidian?
-The presenter describes the process as initially inefficient, involving copy-pasting documents into Obsidian, and later realizing the need for a smarter way to organize the different materials.
What workflow models did the presenter explore in the script?
-The presenter explored the PARA and IMF models, eventually choosing to import the IMF template into their Obsidian vault.
What does the IMF structure consist of according to the script?
-The IMF structure consists of three methods for organizing notes: an index as the main hub, maps of contents (MOCs) to organize concepts, and fluid frameworks to organize notes and concepts within MOCs.
How did the presenter adapt the IMF template to their needs?
-The presenter personalized the IMF template by introducing a concepts MOC and keeping most of the categories from the IMF template, making adjustments as they saw fit.
What are some of the advantages of using Obsidian for note-taking according to the presenter?
-The advantages include accessibility, customizability, durability, ease of creating and connecting new notes, and the ability to creatively organize notes with various features and community plugins.
How does Obsidian handle the storage of notes?
-Obsidian stores notes in markdown format on the user's computer storage, which makes it easy to transfer to a new program if needed.
What is the presenter's recommendation for someone considering trying Obsidian?
-The presenter recommends downloading Obsidian and trying it out for a day or two on a specific topic to see if the user interface and features complement the user's personal preferences.
What resources does the presenter suggest for further exploration of Obsidian?
-The presenter suggests visiting the Obsidian forums page and watching other YouTubers like Bryan Jenks and Linking Your Thinking for more organization and structuring ideas.
Outlines
🧠 Embracing Obsidian for a Digital Note-Taking Transformation
The narrator begins their journey with Obsidian, a note-taking application that promises to become a 'permanent second brain.' They are intrigued by its organizational methodology and customizability. The video documents a 7-day personal experiment, exploring features like themes, linking notes, and a powerful search bar. The narrator also discusses the convenience of customizable hotkeys and the initial steps in transferring documents from Google Docs to Obsidian, aiming to cultivate a new digital brain.
🎨 Customizing and Organizing the Obsidian Vault
The second paragraph delves into the narrator's experience with Obsidian's customization options, including themes and hotkeys, and their efforts to import and organize various documents into the application. They discuss the adoption of the IMF note organization model from the Obsidian community, which includes an index, maps of contents (MOCs), and fluid frameworks. The narrator also shares their process of personalizing this structure, creating templates for note-taking, and their approach to reading and note organization inspired by 'How to Take Smart Notes.'
🔗 Reflecting on the Obsidian Experience and Future Outlook
In the final paragraph, the narrator reflects on their week-long experiment with Obsidian, highlighting its benefits in accessibility, customizability, and durability. They discuss the ease of creating and connecting notes, the potential for long-term use, and the availability of community plugins. The narrator emphasizes the importance of finding a personal note-taking preference and encourages viewers to try Obsidian for themselves. They conclude by recommending resources for further learning and invite feedback on their experience.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Obsidian
💡Note Organization
💡Customizability
💡Vaporwave and Outrun Aesthetics
💡Hotkeys
💡Markdown
💡IMF Template
💡Knowledge Management
💡Zettelkasten
💡Community Plugins
💡Vault
Highlights
Obsidian is a note-taking application that emphasizes a unique methodology for note organization and customization.
The video showcases a 7-day personal experiment with Obsidian as the main note-taking application.
Obsidian offers a wide range of features and customizability that impressed the user.
Themes in Obsidian are mesmerizing and can cater to specific aesthetic preferences like vaporwave and outrun.
Linking notes within notes and an intricate search bar are highlighted as functional features.
Customizable hotkeys in Obsidian improve the quality of life and workflow efficiency.
Obsidian's customizability provides an abundance of tools for note-taking and information organization.
The user utilized Obsidian for writing an assignment, finding it easier to traverse text compared to .docx format.
Obsidian's convenience is in its note-taking experience, and the user plans to transfer all documents from Google Docs.
The user experimented with different Obsidian workflows, including the PARA and IMF models.
The IMF structure was adopted for organizing notes with an index, maps of contents (MOCs), and fluid frameworks.
The user created a template for computer gates to streamline the note-taking process in Obsidian.
Obsidian promotes creative organization and idea connectivity, which the user finds appealing.
The user suggests trying Obsidian to see if its user interface and features align with personal preferences.
Obsidian's selling points are its accessibility, customizability, and durability in note-taking.
The user plans to store notes on the cloud and maintain a backup on the computer for safety.
Obsidian notes are in markdown format, making it easy to transfer to a new program if needed.
The user recommends the Obsidian forums and other YouTubers for additional insights and organization ideas.
Transcripts
If you've been looking for new methods
of taking notes on your computer
you've probably heard of Obsidian.
It claims to be a permanent second brain putting emphasis
on its unique methodology for note organization and customization.
if you're interested in switching up your digital note-taking
I hope my experiences can provide some insight
towards the benefits of using the program.
In this video I hope to showcase
my own personal 7 day experiment
with using Obsidian
as my main note-taking application.
Will the features overwhelm me?
Or am I gonna start the cultivation
of a new digital brain?
I was blown away by all the features and customizability
Obsidian has to offer.
If you're not familiar with its features
I'll give you a rundown on some things
that caught my eye when I first started using it.
Seeing as I've spent the past few months
looking at completely black screens
when taking notes
the themes on Obsidian have been mesmerizing to work with.
I've always been a fan of vaporwave and outrun aesthetics
and to see a theme that perfectly complemented my tastes
instantly hooked me.
Anyways, a more functional feature
I'm eager to experiment with is
the easibility of linking notes within notes
paired with the easily accessible and intricate search bar.
I feel like Obsidian would make navigation way easier
compared to having to individually open each document in Google Docs.
To add on to the accessibility and flow of the app,
there are countless customizable hotkeys
that provide immense quality of life changes.
For example, I'm able to switch between the different panes open
using alt and WASD
which saves the hassle of having to constantly
switch my hand between my mouse and keyboard.
Furthermore, I'm able to instantly close
and create notes within a few key presses.
As I'm typing up the script
interacting with the program and discovering
all of the intricate features
it provides feels euphoric.
The customizability of Obsidian
has given me an abundance of tools
to work with to help take my note-taking
and information organization to a completely new level.
I haven't done much note-taking yet,
but I've been able to use Obsidian
for writing an assignment
I have for my English class.
The customizability of the panes
paired with my hotkey for switching about them
have made it easier to traverse
through text compared to a linear layout
like the .docx format
I was so used to.
I'm able to create a main hub
or good copy for my project
with my brainstorming and ideas
organized into separate notes
which looks and feels productive.
Although Obsidian's convenience
lies in the note-taking experience
I'm gonna try and transfer all my stuff
from Google Docs into one vault.
This probably isn't the best idea,
but I'll keep making adjustments as i see fit.
And so, I went to work,
unefficiently copy pasting
all my relevant documents into Obsidian.
Whether it be anime reviews,
book summaries or english essays
I put everything in here with the hopes
that somehow connections can be miraculously made
from such distinct categories.
Here's what my web looks like
after importing everything.
Upon further consideration, I should probably think of
a smart way to organize the different material
I have in here.
Should I separate references from ideas?
Previous works from ongoing projects?
I've already spent quite a bit of time today
so tomorrow I'll spend some more time
organizing and thinking about
how to approach this.
With my extensive experience in
Minecraft and Terraria storage organizing
I think I'll come up with something.
Today I spent some time researching
different Obsidian workflows
I could incorporate into my vault.
And luckily for me,
I came across this post on the Obsidian forums.
The original poster had made a .zip file
for different storage templates.
So, I decided to download it myself
and see if any of them were fit for me.
The two that piqued my interest
were the PARA and IMF models.
And as of writing this I've imported
the IMF template into my Obsidian vault
and I'm planning on transferring
my recently imported documents into it.
Credit to Nick Milo for popularizing this concept.
He also has a YouTube channel
for Obsidian tips and tricks and just explanations.
So if you're interested in that
check out the link in the description.
The IMF structure uses three methods for organizing notes.
First is the I which stands for index.
The index acts as the main hub
for the entire organization system
and helps transition into the second level
which are maps of contents, also known as MOCs.
MOCs separate and organize the concepts
that comprise your note system
to organize the notes and ideas within these concepts.
Fluid frameworks are used to appropriately
organize the different notes and concepts within your MOCs.
After finding a promising structure,
I think it's time to personalize it to my liking.
Despite it only being five days since the switch
I'm starting to better utilize the program
through its various features and hotkeys.
I made some notes for the
different kinds of computer gates
I'm making and learning about
while taking the infamous Nand to Tetris class.
Let's take a look. Shall we?
First off, I have some characteristics of the note
like the status and connections it has with other notes.
Credit to Bryan Jenks for the idea.
I would highly recommend his YouTube channel
for Obsidian and zettelkasten knowledge.
Next, I have the title, some quick notes
for the purpose of the gate,
as well as any ideas that popped into my mind.
Lastly, I have the code
I made to create the gate
and a truth table to showcase
the functionality and scenarios of the gate.
There's 16 of these gates
I have to create and having to reformat
every note would be quite tedious.
So, I created a template for these gates
and within the press of a single hotkey
I can use this template
upon the creation of a new note.
Aside from taking notes, I also spent
some time decluttering and reshaping the template
I downloaded yesterday for my own needs.
After creating a simple MOC for my YouTube channel,
I just couldn't help but fantasize of
how organized my notes could actually be.
I like to spend an hour every day in the morning reading
and for today's session
I was hoping to finish the book "How to Take Smart Notes."
Well, the thing is, I only had a few more pages
until I was completely finished the book.
So I still had ample time to spare.
self, wouldn't it be a good idea to,
you know, practice the stuff you just learned about?
And so I did. I went to my personal
knowledge management MOC,
created a wiki link called
"Note Taking" and "Note Systems"
and slowly added more categories
depending on the different topics of my notes.
It was my first time taking decent digital notes,
but I'm really satisfied with the end result.
Being able to use the wiki links and previews
made it easier to navigate through the notes
and I managed to create a decent looking
and functional format for every new note.
I really enjoy how ideas can be briefly listed like this,
but easily expanded by opening the note in a new pane.
Here's what it looks like now.
Once again, I spent some more time
deleting irrelevant categories
and grouping orphan notes.
I still have some progress to go,
but once this is over I can put more
emphasis on making abstract connections
and making it all cozy.
Tomorrow is going to be my last day
for my one week experiment.
So, hopefully, I can finish customizing my vault
for a desirable end result.
I'll skip talking about
the note taking I did today
as it was nothing special.
After some further tweaks and organization,
I was finally able to end up
with this beautiful web
I can call my second brain.
Here's a quick overview.
The structure of my vault is still pretty basic and empty,
but it'll only expand as I continue
to read more and take more notes.
As for the overall layout, I like to have
my graph in the top left for aesthetic purposes,
with the search bar and starred notes in the bottom left.
As for the rest of the screen,
the amount of panes I have open
depends on the kind of writing I'm doing
but I tend to just keep it on preview mode
as I don't mind the hashtags and square brackets.
As for the organization, I mostly kept
the categories from the IMF template
with the introduction of a concepts MOC.
The rest of the categories themselves
are pretty self-explanatory and are quite empty
considering I just started
taking note taking seriously a week ago.
When looking at my notes in the graph view
there's the occasional group of interweaving notes,
but most of the time it's stuff lazily
shoved into a single category.
Hopefully, I can start making connections
to these different notes later on.
For each layout of my notes
I use a simple template
that allows me to create connections,
tags and list references.
I haven't really been creating tags that often,
but I'm planning on adopting Bryan Jenks'
approach to using tags and links.
And, yeah, that's really all there is to it.
After spending a week using Obsidian
as my all-in-one note-taking platform,
I think it's time I share my opinions
about the program.
Prior to using Obsidian,
I wasn't too fond of taking notes.
I find physical notes to be
too tedious to navigate through
and as a result I rarely come back
to a note again after writing it.
Using Google Docs to help write general notes
for the different books I read
helped me remember the ideas I learned,
but the lack of connections in idea organization
has led to writing the same ideas over and over again.
Fortunately, Obsidian solves both these problems.
The various methods of note retrieval
helps reduce the friction of finding previous ideas
and the flexibility and accessibility of taking notes
makes it easy to create and build upon whatever
ideas and topics I come across.
Instead of writing the same idea over and over again
I can dig deeper into the text
I'm reading to further expand my notes
and enhance my understanding of the topic.
I think the selling points of this app are
accessibility, customizability and durability.
Creating and connecting new notes is as simple as
creating a wiki link from an already existing note,
importing a template with a press of a hotkey
and then typing whatever comes to mind.
If you like to creatively organize your notes
Obsidian will be a treat to use.
Having to learn the different typing and formatting conventions
might be a bit daunting at first,
but if you're planning on using this in the long run
it's definitely worth the effort to learn them.
There's also still plenty of other features
that I probably haven't mentioned.
Not to mention the different community plugins
you can add to your vault.
Some plugins enhance already existing features
like tables and templates
while some add new things
like calendars and mind maps.
If your vault has a good structure
Obsidian could easily be the last note-taking tool
you use for the rest of your life.
In the off chance that you do want to switch
all the notes are taken in markdown format
in your computer storage.
So it won't be hard to transfer
them onto a new program.
I personally like to store them
on the cloud for safety purposes,
but I'm planning on saving a backup
every week on my computer.
Just in case.
I enjoy using Obsidian as it promotes
creative organization and idea connectivity,
but your note-taking preferences
may be completely different.
On top of hearing my personal opinion,
it's probably best if you just download it
and try it yourself.
You don't have to fully commit
and move all your notes
like how I did within my
second day of using the app,
but I would recommend you spend a day
or two taking notes on a certain topic
to see if the user interface
and features help complement your personal preferences.
You may not see it
as your all-in-one storage like I do,
but you can still use it as a tool
to help plan out projects or connect ideas.
Anyways, that pretty much wraps up
my one week experience with using Obsidian.
If you have any questions
I'd recommend you go to the forums page
or watch other youtubers
like Bryan Jenks and Linking Your Thinking
as that's where I copied my organization
and structured ideas from.
If you found my advice helpful
be sure to share and like this video
and subscribe for more content like this,
Stay mindful.
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