How I boosted my productiveness with Obsidian and two easy docs

Like everybody else, I’m always on the lookout for methods to enhance my productiveness.

Through the years, I’ve run via my justifiable share of options: I attempted Google Maintain for fast notes, Slack for real-time process reminders, Any.do for easy to-do lists, Pomodoro Chrome extensions to timebox my focus, Asana for project-level oversight, OKRs for aligning big-picture targets and aims, and over-engineered Airtables for larger initiatives with many sub-tasks.

Ultimately (usually embarrassingly sooner), each system I attempted grew to become unmanageable, uncared for, and deserted. When all else failed, I’d return to pen and paper or just asking my spouse to remind me a few notably vital factor.

As of late, I’m conserving it easy — and it really works. When you’re desirous about a productiveness device that genuinely adapts to you, Obsidian may simply be the reply you’ve been trying to find.

A information employee drowning in information

First, a number of particulars about myself. I’m your typical information employee, however with a twist — my (distant) job is far and wide. As a supervisor, I juggle every little thing from main a staff to dealing with organizational stuff. I would like to change contexts always and hold monitor of manner an excessive amount of data. And infrequently, I even get to sit down down and really write stuff.

Whereas I’m grateful for a way fascinating and difficult my job is, I’m usually struggling to remain afloat in an ocean of duties, reminders, messages, notes, and plans.

As a result of I’m desk-bound most days, I often work solely from my Home windows laptop computer. I’m not large on cross-device sync and even cellular use, however I completely get why any trendy productiveness resolution must nail these points, too.

Enter Obsidian

At its core, Obsidian is a note-taking app, however it’s rather more than simply that. It may enable you to arrange large chunks of your information and make it simply accessible, which is why lots of Obsidian loyalists name it a “digital mind.” I feel that’s an apt metaphor for what you are able to do with Obsidian, though I’m conserving my digital mind a lot less complicated.

Obsidian notes are constructed on Markdown, the favored markup language that makes use of easy syntax to format textual content. Typing **this** turns it into this — you may not be accustomed to the identify, however you’ve most likely used Markdown or Markdown-inspired syntax on Slack, Discord, or different fashionable apps. As a result of I used to be already accustomed to the formatting conventions, creating notes in Obsidian got here simple to me.

The place brains have neural pathways, Obsidian has linking between notes. This deceptively primary function allows you to outline and visualize relationships between concepts, ideas, or anything you may put in a word. By always constructing out this community, you make your digital mind extra advanced and highly effective each day.

With options like each day notes, templates, and a wealthy library of plug-ins, Obsidian can adapt to almost any workflow. That’s the great thing about the app: it may be as advanced or as primary as you want it to be.

Whereas there’s potential to show it right into a extremely organized information administration system, I’ve discovered that conserving it easy has made it a lot simpler to stay with.

The docs that truly work (for me)

Once I began utilizing Obsidian, I went all in, constructing out a library of notes. I arrange separate folders for assembly minutes, targets, and brainstorming classes. I dutifully recorded each day notes. I experimented with linking notes and even created a “Grasp view” visible canvas that was purported to be my vaunted hub of every little thing.

In idea, it was the proper setup for managing my information. However in follow, it was full overkill. All that construction simply sat there, gathering mud.

Ultimately, I discovered myself coming again to simply two foremost paperwork: a weekly to-do checklist known as “Focus” and a giant, messy catch-all doc I labeled “Drafting.” These two paperwork do the heavy lifting for me day in and day trip, with out the necessity for intricate folders or hyper-organized word programs.

The Focus doc is my weekly to-do checklist. I jot down every little thing I must deal with within the rapid future. It may be as small as replying to a message or getting ready for a gathering , or as vital as arising with an entire new technique for our web site. Even this text began as a to-do merchandise in Focus.

In the beginning of each week, I copy final week’s process checklist to the highest of the web page, regulate it for the present week, and begin over. Nothing slips via the cracks until I select to delete it. As a result of I always see duties from earlier weeks, I’ve a possibility to catch points that should be reopened or ongoing duties that should be carried over into the brand new week.

Tip: whereas Obsidian doesn’t make it apparent, it helps inserting checkboxes in your notes (the shortcut is Ctrl/Cmd-L). Checking them off feels extraordinarily satisfying.

The Drafting doc, then again, is my unstructured, everything-goes-here area. Must ship out an vital e-mail? It goes in Drafting. Must troubleshoot an Airtable system or jot down concepts for an article? Similar. It’s the place I dump analysis notes, hyperlinks, photos, and random mini-to-do lists — all with out worrying about format or order.

Right here’s the half that may appear weird to you: I hardly ever delete something from Drafting. I simply hold including extra to the underside. As a result of it’s so quick to scroll via, it’s simple to search out one thing from weeks again if I would like it. This “brute drive” strategy may not be probably the most polished, however it saves me from dropping notes or concepts scattered throughout Google Docs, Slack, emails, to-do apps, or worse, my very fallible reminiscence.

Between Focus and Drafting, I’ve discovered a option to monitor about 90% of what I would like with out paying the “productiveness tax” of regularly sustaining and organizing notes. There’s no each day repairs, no elaborate folder constructions — simply two easy docs that match naturally into my workflow.

It’s not a elegant, all-encompassing system, however it works for me, and truthfully, I feel it might work for lots of people. Nonetheless, if and once I resolve my system must be extra advanced, I’ll simply ramp it up because of Obsidian’s flexibility.

Wait, can’t you do that with different apps?

Sure, you completely can use Google Docs or another textual content editor to maintain a weekly to-do checklist and a operating word dump. I informed you it’s two easy docs, in any case.

However Obsidian affords one thing these different instruments don’t. It’s each quick and lean once I need it to be unobtrusive (more often than not) and immensely highly effective once I must innovate with how I do my work.

That’s one of many largest attracts of Obsidian — the flexibility to develop and customise it endlessly. I’ve already added themes to make it look the best way I would like, discovered a number of plugins that make my day-to-day simpler, and tweaked the UI to suit my work model. It feels private, like a workspace I’ve constructed for myself.

And right here’s the kicker: I’ve barely scratched the floor. There’s nonetheless a lot to discover — plugins that would utterly change how I take advantage of it, CSS tweaks for styling, and sync choices for once I need to work throughout gadgets. It’s uncommon for me to discover a device that’s this customizable and has a lot untapped potential, and I’m genuinely excited to dive deeper into what Obsidian can do. And whereas my setup is primary as we speak, I do know I’ll proceed to depend on Obsidian if I ever must make it advanced once more.

Whereas I agree Obsidian has a steeper studying curve than many shopper apps, you shouldn’t really feel discouraged from making an attempt it out. It’s positively not the sort of note-taking app you may fireplace as much as shortly jot down a procuring checklist — however for another use case, the training curve is unquestionably price tackling.

Whereas it’s not an enormous issue for me, Obsidian additionally does one thing that’s fairly uncommon lately — it really works absolutely offline and your knowledge is saved in your machine, not within the cloud. There’s a $4/month service known as Obsidian Sync that may sync your notes throughout gadgets, however it’s utterly non-compulsory. Oh, and the app doesn’t drive any AI options on you (however you may simply combine ChatGPT by way of a plug-in must you need it). Talking of AI, Google’s AI-first NotebookLM is unquestionably price trying out.

Some assets to get you began with Obsidian

Obsidian generally is a little intimidating, so listed below are some assets I like to recommend to Obsidian newbies.

And with that, I’ll return to chipping away at my Focus checklist.