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Do you feel like your obsidian
vault is more of a digital junk
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drawer than a productivity system?
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I know I did.
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Six months ago.
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My Obsidian looked like this.
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Notes everywhere.
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No structure, a tagging system
that made sense Monday, but was
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complete gibberish by Friday.
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Now it looks like this.
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The difference isn't just aesthetic.
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This transformation has
completely changed how I interact
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with my knowledge and ideas.
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I no longer waste time hunting
for information or feeling
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overwhelmed by digital clutter.
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My system actually supports my thinking
rather than getting in the way.
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And today I'm showing you my exact setup.
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No theory, no "you should" advice,
just the actual system I use every day.
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You'll see my folder structure,
essential plugins, and the specific
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workflows that make this system work.
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Let's start with the philosophy
that changed everything for me.
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My obsidian philosophy.
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The biggest mistake I made with
Obsidian was trying to capture
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everything and I mean everything.
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Random thoughts, article highlights,
meeting notes, project ideas, all dumped
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into a digital landfill I called my vault.
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Here is a counterintuitive
principle that changed everything.
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The value of a note taking
system isn't what goes in.
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It's what comes out.
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Most Obsidian and tutorials focus on
fancy input methods, but I realized I
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need to design for output for actually
using and applying what I capture.
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So I rebuilt my entire system
around three core principles.
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Friction free capture.
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If it takes more than three seconds to
capture a thought, the system fails.
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Connection over collection
notes gain value when linked to
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other notes Action orientation.
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Every note should eventually drive
some form of output or decision.
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This philosophy might sound obvious, but
here is something nobody talks about.
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Most Obsidian setups are designed
to make you feel productive rather
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than actually be productive, they
are digital productivity theater.
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I wanted a system that produced results,
not just the sensation of organization.
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Let me show you exactly
how my vault is structured.
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You'll notice something immediately
about my folder structure.
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It's initially minimal.
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I have just a few key folders.
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"All files" were all new
notes are initially created.
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"Journals" for my daily
notes and reflections.
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"Archive" where I move notes
I no longer need visible.
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"Vault" contains my
templates and system files.
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But here is the interesting part.
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I don't rely heavily on
folders for organization.
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Instead, I use a linking system
that starts from central pages.
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My entire system revolves
around these key pages.
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Homepage.
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The central hub from which
all other links branch out.
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Notes.
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Quick capture for ideas that need
to be jotted down immediately.
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For synchronization I use Synchthing.
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It gives me complete control while keeping
everything in sync across my devices.
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My linking system.
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I create a main homepage from
which I link to all other pages.
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This is the key to my system.
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I don't use folders for categorization.
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I use links from homepages instead.
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What makes this especially powerful is
that I've set my main homepage to open
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automatically whenever I start obsidian.
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This creates a consistent starting
point for all my work and navigation.
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I've configured obsidian to
automatically create all new notes
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in my "all files" folder by default.
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This means I never have to think
about where to save a note initially.
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I just create it, and
it appears in all files.
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Then I link these notes from my
homepage or other relevant pages.
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If I no longer want to see a page in my
main navigation, I simply move to archive"
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and cross it out from my homepage links.
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This link based rather than
folder based organization
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gives me tremendous flexibility
while maintaining organization.
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This system has completely eliminated
the "where should I put this anxiety"
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that plugged my early Obsidian setups.
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The homepage centered
approach gives me a clean
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visual way to access everything
that matters while keeping the
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underlying folder structure minimal.
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Now let's talk about the plugins
that supercharge the system.
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Essential plugins and customizations.
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I've tried dozens of Obsidian
plugins, but most just added
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complexity without adding value.
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I want to share the specific plugins that
actually make a difference in my workflow.
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Rather than explaining each one in detail,
I'll focus on how they support my system.
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Homepage.
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Create my central navigation system.
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DataLoom.
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Helps me create notion like
tables right inside obsidian.
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Iconize makes my navigation
visually intuitive.
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Style settings.
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Helps me customize themes
for better visual experience.
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Omnisearch.
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Powerful search beyond Obsidian defaults.
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Recent files.
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Quick access to frequently used notes.
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Templater.
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Create sophisticated
templates for consistency.
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URL into selection.
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Lets me highlight any word and
instantly convert it to a hyperlink,
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but here is the plugin combination.
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The homepage plugin is particularly
available Let me show you how I use this
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system day to day with some specific
workflows that have made a big difference.
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Workflows and use cases.
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The best system is worthless
if you don't actually use it.
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Here's exactly how this setup
integrates into my daily work.
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First, my stoic morning routine.
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I start each day with a practice
I call stoic meditation.
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The template for this I created
automatically via Templater
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with four key questions.
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What will I face today?
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How should I respond with virtue?
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What are the consequences if I don't?
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What did I do well today
and what could I improve?
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This simple practice helps me approach
the day with intention and clarity.
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By the way, I have a video on my
channel about how Stoicism helped me
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recover after a difficult breakup.
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You'll see it pop up in a card right now.
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If you are interested in learning
more about applying these principles.
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Study workflow.
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My approach to learning is
straightforward, but effective.
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I create a main page for each
area of study, then add links
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to specific subject notes.
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Within this notes, I write my summaries
and insights in free form, allowing my
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natural thinking process to flow rather
than forcing it into rigid structures.
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For example, here is how I organized
my notes for my marketing internship.
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The beauty of this
approach is its simplicity.
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It provides organization
without unnecessary complexity.
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Now let's talk about the templates
that makes this all possible.
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Templates and future proofing.
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Templates help me maintain consistency
with notes I create frequently.
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I keep my approach to
templates, very simple.
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I only create them for
content that I repeatedly use.
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The main template I use is for my stoic
meditation practice, which contains
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the four questions I mentioned earlier
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This simple approach to templates saves
me time and helps maintain consistency
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without any unnecessary complexity.
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Tips and favorite features.
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Let me share some of my
favorite Obsidian tips.
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That makes a huge difference.
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I've customized my navigation hotkeys
to match those in the Arc browser, since
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that's what I'm used to specifically.
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I use this to navigate forward and
this to navigate back to previous page,
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creating muscle memory without consistent
hotkeys across different applications
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reduces cognitive load Templates
are useful for creating consistent
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structures for repeating note types.
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Conclusion.
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So there you have my actual daily
Obsidian setup To recap the key elements.
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A minimal folder structure.
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All files, journals, archive vault,
homepage centers, navigation instead
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of complex folder hierarchies.
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Strategic use of a few powerful plugins.
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Simple yet effective workflows for daily
practice and study customized hotkeys
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that match my other applications.
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What makes this system
work isn't its complexity.
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It's quite the opposite.
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It's designed to be simple enough
to actually use every day while
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still being flexible enough
to adapt to different needs.
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If you are just starting with obsidian,
don't try to implement everything at once.
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Start with the basic folder
structure and homepage approach.
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Add plugins as you need them.
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If you found this helpful, let me know in
the comments which part of this setup you
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are most excited to try and if you have
questions about implementing any aspects
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of this system, drop those below as well.
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Until next time, remember, the
best system isn't the most complex.
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It's the one you'll actually use.
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See you in the next one.