An Evolving Obsidian Vault
Did I spend the recent holidays tweaking my Obsidian setup? No, of course not. Well...not the entire holidays.
Truth is, between slices of fruit cake (and way too much food in general) I did work on it here and there.
As I wrote before the break, Obsidian has replaced a lot of software in my daily workflow and, interestingly, I've grown to enjoy the app for the exact reasons I initially avoided it: because it can be anything. I usually prefer an intentional design to a kitchen sink approach where users need to make every single decision on their own. But this is a case where my efforts keep being rewarded. Construction is not simple, but eventually the space stands on its own and you're just refining the decor, adding coffee tables and adjusting the lighting. So here's a quick tour of this evolving setup.
The Vault
The Dashboard (very partial view)
I've named my vault ILTM, an acronym for In Link Think Make, the system I'd devised for Craft which was based as much on the app's limitations as it was on its strengths. Obsidian's expanded duties call for a slightly more complex folder organization, but the core concept remains: collect, write/research, and build. The ILTM name acts as a reminder of this.
After the switch, I initially tested using separate THINK and MAKE vaults, but finally decided against it. A single location is not only easier to manage, it also enables instant access to absolutely anything, without friction. Besides, Craft had a block limit, Obsidian doesn't. Consolidation makes much more sense, especially given how fast the app can search and link to any existing content.
Expansion = Function
Obsidian, by default, offers several built-in functions through their plugin architecture, each of which can be toggled on or off. These are the Core Plugins. An example of this is the recent Canvas addition (only available on desktop at the moment). But out of the box Obsidian is fairly basic, so its appeal stems from third-party plugins which are accessed through the Community Plugins section. It's this thriving ecosystem that makes the platform so versatile.
Of course the downside of an open plugin and themes architecture is compatibility: the app is prone to breaking. Just like Wordpress, there can be conflicts, obsolescence etc. I experienced minor hiccups while building my vault, so I'm conscious of keeping the setup as tidy as possible, installing only what I truly need, disabling anything that causes issues. Here's my current list:
THE THEME
Minimal.
Obsidian provides themes that can can not only alter its look, but also add functionality. Minimal isn't the official Obsidian theme but it may as well be. In fact, it was a deciding factor for me in adopting the app. With its two (!) companion plugins, it not only offers an overall aesthetic I find appealing, but also provides tons of control over every aspect of the UI and UX. I'd have a hard time using Obsidian without it.
MY ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY PLUGINS
Minimal Theme Settings and Style Settings: the theme's companion plugins. The second one opens almost everything up to customization.
Banners: allows Notion and Craft-like page banners and icons.
Dataview: adds database features to Obsidian. Incredibly powerful, and essential for creating dynamic content (ie dashboards, tables, updating lists etc). Not obvious to grasp, but once you do it's a set it and forget it kinda thing. Transformative.
Sortable: required for sorting tables on-the-fly, temporarily overriding any hard-coded order in Dataview. Comes in handy.
Calendar: adds a calendar pane that links to daily notes.
Periodic Notes: allows daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly notes.
Better Word Count: adds a Ulysses-like writing counter.
Reading Time: adds a Ulysses-like reading time counter.
Footnote Shortcut: a quicker way of adding footnotes to documents.
Text Format: UPPERCASE, lowercase, Capitalize All...no more clumsy system Shortcut.
Shortcut Launcher: from Viticci at Macstories, this can hotkey and launch any Apple Shortcut. I've yet to integrate it to its fullest: so far, I'm using it to send any selected text to Reminders with Command-Shift-R, and send interstitial entries from Daily Notes to Day One using Command-Shift-O.
Readwise Official: syncs all Readwise content to Obsidian automatically. This is the service's official integration.
MY GOOD-TO-HAVE COMMUNITY PLUGINS
Highlitr (yes, that's the spelling): adds more, fully customizable highlighting options to Obsidian. For internal use on personal research and book notes.
Copy Block Link: enables quicker transclusion at the block/paragraph level.
Icon Folder: icons for folders :)
Tag Wrangler: merge, rename etc. Useful when it counts.
An Ongoing Affair
My Obsidian space will never be as pretty as Craft—but it's mine. Nothing is hidden away, or inaccessible. I think of a function to add, or a UI element to tweak, and nine times out of ten it's available moments later. And because it's all just folders and text files, I've built Apple Shortcuts that create entire projects in a single click, others that append formatted links to a page, or add notes that appear on my dashboard, or as bullet items in a journal.
In many ways this journey has been like building an OS within the OS, identifying and connecting each essential part to the other. Geeky work that's ultimately meant to recede.
Complexity serving simplicity.
