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07.Obsidian Beginner

1. Blank Vault

  1. Don't start with to many things, build it up from the beginning:
    • avoid confusion
    • customize all notes to you tailored needs
  2. Find one key way that Obsidian can help you and build from there

2. Avoid Using a Lot of Community Plugins

  1. Don't get overwhelmed by the vast community plugin directory right away.
  2. Start by focusing on the built-in core plugins to understand the app faster. He recommends resisting installing any community plugins for at least the first week and slowly adding them only as they provide practical value to your existing workflows.

3. Get Clear on the Job(s) You're Hiring Obsidian to Do

  1. You need to be objective about your workflows and define what role Obsidian plays in your Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system. Start with one workflow that complements your existing tools and then slowly layer more on top.

4. Resist the Urge to Capture Everything Straight Into Obsidian

  1. Focus on the quality, not the quantity of your notes, as "less is often more."
  2. Use a separate, intermediary "capture bucket" (like Drafts) to jot down ideas in the moment. Only curate and transfer ideas to your main Obsidian vault once you've had some time and distance to confirm their value.

5. Establish a Regular Routine of Making Something New

  1. The value of a PKM system comes from creating an output from the component pieces you collect, not just capturing them.
  2. This output doesn't need to be public (like a blog post); it can be as simple as a regular habit of sense making by writing an "opinion note" to codify your thoughts on a topic, such as through the Daily Notes core plugin.

Notes by Copilot

I. What is Obsidian? The "Second Brain" Concept

  • Obsidian is a Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) tool, often described as a "second brain."
  • Its primary purpose is not just to store information, but to connect ideas.
  • It helps you build a network of your thoughts, allowing you to see relationships between different pieces of information that you might otherwise miss.

II. The Three Core Principles of Obsidian

  1. Your Data is Local-First:

    • Your notes are stored as plain text files on your own computer, not on a company's server.
    • You own your data. This ensures privacy and longevity. You are not locked into a proprietary ecosystem.

  2. Plain Text (Markdown):

    • Notes are written in Markdown (.md), a simple and universal format.
    • This makes your notes future-proof. They can be read by almost any text editor, ensuring you can access them decades from now, even if Obsidian no longer exists.

  3. Linking is a First-Class Citizen:

    • The ability to create links between notes ([[Internal Link]]) is the central feature.
    • This is what allows you to build a "web" or "network" of your knowledge, mimicking how your brain works.

III. Setting Up Your First Vault

  • A Vault is simply a folder on your computer where your notes are stored.
  • Recommendation for Beginners:
    • Start with a brand new, empty vault.
    • Avoid importing everything at once. This can be overwhelming and lead you to replicate old, ineffective organizational systems.
    • Start with one specific project or area of interest (e.g., a work project, a hobby, notes for a class). This gives you a clear focus and helps you learn the tool organically.

IV. The Obsidian User Interface (UI)

  • Left Sidebar:
    • File Explorer: A traditional view of your files and folders.
    • Search: A powerful tool to find text within all your notes.
    • Starred: Pin your most frequently used notes for quick access.
  • Main Workspace (Editor):
    • This is where you write and edit your notes.
    • You can open multiple notes side-by-side in panes, which is great for comparing or referencing information.
  • Right Sidebar:
    • Backlinks: Shows all the notes that link to your currently open note. This is crucial for discovering connections.
    • Outgoing Links: Shows all the notes that your current note links to.
    • Tags Pane: Shows all the tags you've used across your vault.

V. Creating and Formatting Your First Notes

  • Creating a Note:
    1. Click the "New note" icon in the File Explorer.
    2. Use the hotkey Ctrl/Cmd + N.
    3. Create a link to a note that doesn't exist yet ([[New Note Name]]) and click on it.
  • Atomic Notes:
    • Aim to keep each note focused on one single idea or concept.
    • This makes notes easier to link and reuse in different contexts. Instead of one giant note on "Ancient Rome," create smaller notes for "Julius Caesar," "Roman Republic," "The Colosseum," etc., and link them together.
  • Basic Formatting (Markdown):
    • # Heading 1, ## Heading 2, etc.
    • *italic* or _italic_
    • **bold** or __bold__
    • - Unordered list item
    • 1. Ordered list item

[[Obsidian Guide - Page 2: Linking, Organization & Advanced Concepts]]

VI. The Power of Linking

  • Linking is the most important feature in Obsidian. It turns a collection of files into a connected knowledge base.
  • How to Link:
    • Type [[ and start typing the name of the note you want to link to. Obsidian will auto-complete.
    • Aliases: If you want the link text to be different from the note's title, use a pipe |.
      • Example: [[Personal Knowledge Management|my second brain]] will display as "my second brain" but link to the "Personal Knowledge Management" note.
    • Link to Headings: To link to a specific section within a note, use #.
      • Example: [[Obsidian Guide - Page 1#Atomic Notes]]
  • Backlinks Pane:
    • Linked Mentions: Shows you every note that has a direct [[link]] to the current note.
    • Unlinked Mentions: Shows you every instance where the title of your current note is mentioned as plain text. You can click a button to automatically turn these into links. This is a powerful way to discover connections you didn't realize you had.
  • Graph View:
    • A visual representation of your entire vault, showing notes as nodes and links as lines.
    • Useful for:
      • Getting a high-level overview of your knowledge.
      • Identifying clusters of related ideas.
      • Finding "orphan" notes that aren't connected to anything.

VIII. How to Organize Your Vault

The video emphasizes a "links over folders" approach.

  1. Folders (Use Sparingly):

    • Folders create rigid, hierarchical structures. A note can only be in one folder at a time.
    • Recommendation: Use folders only for very broad, distinct categories, like 01 Projects, 02 Areas, 03 Resources, 04 Archive. Avoid creating deep, nested folder structures.

  2. Tags (For Status & Type):

    • Tags (#example) are best used for categorizing the type or status of a note. They are like labels.
    • Good examples: #status/in-progress, #type/book-summary, #person, #meeting-note.
    • Tags allow you to quickly filter and find all notes of a certain kind.

  3. Links of Contents (LOCs) / Maps of Content (MOCs):

    • This is the preferred method of organization.
    • An MOC is simply a note whose primary purpose is to be a curated list of links to other notes on a specific topic.
    • Example: You could have an [[AP World History MOC]] note that links to [[Unit 1 Notes]], [[Unit 2 Notes]], [[Key Figures]], etc.
    • This creates a flexible, non-hierarchical structure that can grow and change with your understanding.

IX. Core Plugins to Enable

  • Plugins extend Obsidian's functionality. Start with the core plugins before exploring community ones.
  • Daily Notes:
    • Creates a new note for each day.
    • Excellent for journaling, daily planning, a scratchpad for fleeting thoughts, or taking meeting notes. It provides a natural, chronological entry point into your vault.
  • Templates:
    • Allows you to create pre-defined structures for your notes.
    • For example, you can create a template for book summaries with sections for "Author," "Key Ideas," and "Quotes," and insert it into a new note with a single command.