Don't edit too much if at all. Get the idea down and over describe everything. I have found notes I took that are too short. Give the note context. Also you can get more paper, so write - write - write.
It's rare that someone delivers 10 tips of something and for 7 of those I think that that tip alone was worth watching this video. Very, very useful stuff.
Right? I totally feel the same way about many "10 tips" list, and I"m really glad that you don't feel like this video was repetitive or basic. Thank you
Relatable content mate, especially wrt "Ebbs and flows". I tend to stress about those periods where my productivity is low and try to make up for it later on. I kind of know you wont be "on" 100% of the time and it is ok... but your video helped drive that home. Thanks
That’s a huge point for me, too. I used to get discouraged, especially when it seems like so many people can just maintain high levels of output. I’m DEFINITELY not like that. But those periods always return, so I’ve just learned to trust the ride.
wow, this type of videos must be paid ! unbelievable benefits without repeating same things over and over again from others with minor switching and adding . Absolute gem
Merci beaucoup, After watching your videos, I immediately adopted your templates and MOCs. I plan to create others that apply to both my professional and personal life. It seems to me that you don't offer MOCs for daily notes! I've used and abused daily notes and it's difficult to reuse them in a MOC without properties. During the course of a day, I write a multitude of actions in these daily notes that have little to do with each other. Sometimes I write an additional note with a link. But links are difficult to exploit with a database like dataview. So I need to go back to my old daily notes and add properties to them in order to make MOCs?
You're right that I don't have an MOC for my daily notes. I'm not really browsing old Daily Notes in that way, so I haven't built it. But, from your description of how you use your notes, here's probably what I'd do: 1) add a new Property to your Daily Note Template titled "Summary" 2) At the end of each day, write a 1-2 sentence summary of important points that day, a reminder for your future self 3) Create a Daily Note MOC and use Dataview to create a table that shows the daily note name (including date) and then the Summary property Then, you can browse your Daily Note MOC to see all your daily notes as well as the reminder you wrote to yourself.
There is no difference between your note taking/linking/benefiting "style" and your fingerprint. ....My vault abides by the philosophy of "Design for emergence"
Thanks Dann. I am an expert user and Obsidian is my go-to tool for thinking. Your video is excellent. You presented YOUR gems that you discovered and it has a lot of value to me. You were compact, to the point and supported every idea with a concise example. Very good video. Please keep them coming.
Thank you! It's always nice to hear from other experienced Obsidian users, because everyone develops their own style and way to make things work. I'm glad to hear that you found some of my tips useful. This is exactly what I was going for. And thanks for the encouragement, more videos to come!
It's rarely that I comment on youtube, but I would love to say that I have watched a lot of videos about obsidian and note taking systems, and by far this is one of the best ones in term of explaining the basics in a very simple way, thank you
This is definitely the best video for taking notes. Every piece of advice is important and very profound if you think about it. Thank you very much and I hope you continue.
The encouragement to not be too precious about your notes - to instead treat it all as a Living Knowledge Base (point 6) - is so spot on to my mind. You have to train the muscle, but there is such value in revisiting and reworking your thinking in different areas. Personally I make it easier by thinking of it as 'polishing', as refining. 'Everything in life is a work in progress' I say to myself. The greatest dividend is that actually getting your hands dirty and reworking stuff also definitely improves not only your understanding of your past thinking, but also your recall of it. Great video Dann - thanks for sharing such solid ideas.
Thanks for your insights. I think both polishing and refining are perfect words for what I do, too. Some of my best and freshest ideas have come from re-visiting old notes that I haven't thought about in a while...and bringing all the new things I've learned since then and applying them to the old ideas.
100%. And the unsung hero of Obsidian for me is truly the random note function. The perfect alternative to doom-scrolling - the same sense of not knowing what's coming up next, and yet after a short session something creative and fulfilling almost always emerges as a result! @@DannBerg
@@patrick_pkp RIGHT?? I had no idea that the Random Note button would be quite as powerful as it turned out to be. Like, we all know what a Random Note button does. But then you find a way to work it into your workflow and it's an AH-HA! moment
great video dann!! the information and presentation were on point. Would've love it more if you'd visually show your personal note taking system... because the thumbnail promised something like that
Sorry, I didn't mean to mislead with the thumbnail! I've created a few videos about individual systems I use (Daily notes, meeting notes, etc) and plan to create a full vault tour at some point soon. Keep an eye out!
"Treat it like a living knowledge base"... if you are fully atomic or nearly so, then make a line a he op and with a new time/date stamp add the new edited version... you can then see your editing stack very easily. If that is important to you... Also, some plugins will list those notes added/edited that week, for the weekly review.
Great idea about adding timestamps notating all the editing dates. Can definitely make it useful to see the larger context of what you were working on/editing at the time
What do you do? What do you do that requires all this robotic obedience to work? Do you have a not reminding you to polish the inside of your trash bins each week. Obsidian is catnip for coders. Notion is catnip for wannabe designers. All of them are alternatives to work.
My tech specialty is cloud cost billing. Basically, I work in senior roles that serve as the bridge between Engineering and Finance to understand and control cloud costs. Past companies have included Datadog, Fullstory, MediaMath. You may be surprised to hear that I (mostly) agree with you. Especially when I dive down the rabbit hole and see the crazy complex systems people set up. I try to keep my own vault as simple as possible. But I will say, for me personally, I really REALLY rely on systems. My brain just does not hold on to information by itself, so I need to set up and rely on systems to function. When I use up my toothpaste, I write it down IMMEDIATELY. When I make plans with someone, I add it to my calendar IMMEDAITELY. Otherwise I'll 100% no-show. For some reason, my brain just doesn't hold on to this type of information AT ALL. For me, some of these minimal obsidian systems and habits I've set up really help me function in the world at the level that I WANT to be functioning. Sure, I could survive without it, but at this point I spend maybe 1-5% of my time playing with Obsidian and all my time otherwise working IN obsidian.
Just work on it a little bit at a time. Also, maybe there’s a way for you to write scripts to help automate some of it? ChatGPT is great for helping with scripts…
This is a lot of great info, but it’s really hard to understand if you haven’t actually seen it before. You’re describing folders, maps of contents, etc and I’m sitting here imagining it…why not actually show us?
This is really good feedback. This video is a video version of a blog post I wrote. I've been blogging for years, but am brand new to RU-vid (just a couple months). I'm really starting to think about things like this now, and am going to incorporate better editing and stuff like this more in upcoming videos. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 *📝 Setting the foundation for effective note-taking in Obsidian* - Importance of distinguishing between working on the note-taking system and using it for actual work, - Explanation of an Obsidian system consisting of an index page, template file, and data view table, - Emphasis on building note-taking systems based on actual usage rather than predetermined structures. 01:34 *🔄 Balancing productivity and system flexibility* - Acknowledgment of productivity fluctuations and the need for adaptable note-taking systems, - Recommendation to build systems that support re-entry after periods of reduced productivity, - Encouragement to view notes as dynamic resources for continuous improvement rather than static archives. 03:09 *📚 Maximizing the utility of note-taking systems* - Highlighting the challenge of utilizing notes effectively after creation, - Importance of implementing a structured review process to ensure active engagement with notes, - Emphasizing the necessity of integrating note-taking into regular workflows for optimal results. 04:31 *📝 Strategies for generating new insights through note-taking* - Promotion of synthesizing existing ideas to create new knowledge, - Assertion that writing is a form of thinking, encouraging early and frequent engagement with writing, - Advocacy for sharing written work publicly as a means of refining ideas and building a personal brand. 06:24 *🔍 Leveraging expert models for accelerated progress* - Recommendation to study and emulate successful practitioners in a given field, - Explanation of how mimicking established practices can expedite skill development, - Encouragement to seek inspiration from experts while maintaining individual creativity and integrity. Made with HARPA AI
You delivered invaluable success tips when it comes to note taking and systems, but also tips on life! You made note taking not about using some techy fancy gadget, but suiting the writing, systems and tools to your life. My favorite takeaway was "Writing is thinking" and making a system you can jump out of and come back in (I didn't know what ebbs and flows meant, but you explained that well)
It seems that the video is more about tips for notetaking in general and less specificly for obsidian. They seem to be good though! And nice sentence in the meta-info "ask yourself:" :) I watched the video 2 hours later than initially intended. Cheers
Great video! I am still using both notion and obsidian for notes taking. I realized obsidian is not very convenient when dealing with images, but Notion is easier for this purpose. Otherwise, obisdian is really good.
I found such big amount of various Obsidian plugins little distracting. Some of them doesn't work well together so you need to find alternative and it becomes even more distracting)
Glad to know I’m not alone! These are what I’ve picked up over the last several years, and it’s been very validating to hear from others that think the same way
Great stuff. My own experience with obsidian reflects point 1 of your material. Working with obsidian I've worked with obsidian as well as with my projects. Honestly obsidian consumes such amount of my attention and energy that I become tired and unable to effectively do real work. So I changed to far simpler tool, which has no publicity, which may look not as bright as modern tools, but has blazing speed in realizing what I'm doing, is effective and really improves my effectiveness. It's a zim-wiki :) Just one need to set dark mode, initiate distraction free editing and voila!
Nice! Glad you found a tool that works well for you. Hopefully there are some other tips in here that can help you anyway. That's sort of how I tried to structure the video. Using "Obsidian" in the title was a way to niche myself into an audience (and is the tool I use) but lots of the ideas are for note taking in general.
Thank you! This is probably my favorite comment so far. Personally, I felt like some of my ideas were fresh compared to some of the other content here, but I'm a little biased. :) Nice to have external validation. Thank you again!
I’ve been using Obsidian for 4 years and am trying to help others benefit as I’m getting back into the PKM as well. This was very incisive and I’ve added a lot of your others videos to the watch later playlist. Thanks for sharing!
4:50 I also relate a lot to being disinclined to revise older notes, but I’m trying to keep in mind that revising the 80% or so of average notes will be more beneficial than relying in the recency bias with newer notes.
Thank you! There have been a few times where I've been less productive in my note taking system, and then jumped back into it. Obsidian is great in that it doesn't punish you for taking breaks.
Would you have an idea of templates/MOCs for a researcher whose work tool is scattered in multiple programming rules, scripts and commands launched in command lines (with options and exempels), software structures (object-oriented programming), software installation methods, software tools, programming languages, intervention on multiple different computers, tips or procedures not to forget... For the time being, I store this information in obsisian directories associated with the various computers, and I store "HowTo" type notes. The hardest thing is to easily find the commands a few months after writing my notes. How would you proceed to your clouds stuff ?
Whenever I'm taking notes, I always try to think "if I forgot all the details of what I'm currently writing, how might I try to find that information in the future?" Then, I create note names and MOCs with names that my future self can use to re-find forgotten information. For me, for something like scripts and commands, this can be either a dedicated "Commands" note that lists ALL commands, organized into sections on the same page. Or I might want to keep commands with the Note for the thing they're commanding. For example, if I'm working on my home server, I have a note called Home Server and that note can either list all related commends, OR it can have a link to another note with all the commands (including unrelated commands). Think about what makes sense to your brain, and try to go the most straight foward route for you, because in the future, when you forget the facts, you'll want to make it easy to re-mind.
@@DannBerg Zak McCracken is a video game character. Sometimes he wears a fake nose with glasses and a beard. Your face reminded me of that character. This means NO offense. There is nothing wrong with your look. Btw. .. I really like your video content
@@MarcGerritLanger No offense taken :). That's the first time I've heard that comparison. Just looked up a walkthrough and saw the mustache and know exactly what you're talking about
I have a similar mentality that the original notes are the sacred texts that must not be altered! (Which is silly). Watching this video has made me think that if I put it under version control (git) it will allow me to change things and track the changes.
That's exactly what I do. My vault is automatically backed up to Github on a regular basis, so I have version control over all my files. Here's how I do it: dannb.org/blog/2024/obsidian-backup-github/
That's so true. I've found that to be especially true in the Notion community as well. It's important not to lose sight of the WORK you actually need to do!
What a great video and channel discovery! Your points are spot on. Most of all, I fall back on #3 constantly. Any time I find myself getting stuck (even on non-Obsidian related tasks), I'll whip out some quick notes just to brain dump and get some perspective. Quite often, I'll find structural details and nuances that help me clean up my thinking. From that point, I can toss the unneeded fleeting notes and tag the worthwhile ones for additional consideration later.
That's a super smart way to do it. And you bring up another good point: don't be too precious with all your notes. Make a judgement call about which notes are needed and which are not needed, and don't spend more time than necessary.
This is great Dann! Thanks for the extra motivation to get working towards my goals! I'm going to put these tips in my Obsidian notes and will... definitely uses them again later... fr great content and advice. Good on you to just keep creating and being you.
Hello, Thanks a lot for the fantastic tutorial. However, I still have a question about linking. Imagine I have a note named XYZ, and I refer to this note [[XYZ]] in ten different notes. When I go to the XYZ note itself I want to see all the other ten notes in which [[XYZ]] was referred. Is this possible?. Thanks in advance.
Yes! Obsidian has a side panel where you can see all inbound links. Additionally, you can use Dataview to create a list of inbound links if you want it to be included dynamically in your note.
Thank you! I'm glad you found it useful. As you watch more videos, definitely let me know if there's anything missing you'd like me to make a new video about
My man, number 8 is like my life motto. I have spent so much time writing in the past 3 years and that has made me grow exponentially. I am constantly reflecting about things, even if they are not connected directly. I started using obsidian about a month ago and it has been a game changer. I already do a bunch of stuff, but it was so hard to rely on my memory, on my own organization and on my own ADHD brain. Obsidian has made me a fricking super human 😂. I was already a pro in a lot of aspects, but now I am at my peak productivity with kind of 0 effort. I will share my bit of knowledge too: WORK= FORCE*DISPLACEMENT. You can do a lot of force and 0 displacement and there you will have done 0 work. If you do a lot of displacement with low force (or effort) you actually do work. Obsidian for me has been like cutting my effort into a third of what it used to be and has made me move the needle so much more, so I am doing even more work with the lowest effort it has ever been. I cannot be happier
It sounds like you were in an absolutely perfect place to find Obsidian and be able to take full advantage. "Writing is thinking" was definitely an ah-hah moment for me, and inspired me to write more, even if I don't plan to publish it. A strong Obsidian vault really does feel like a super power. I say that all the time. Congrats on building your own, and welcome to the community!
@@DannBerg thank you dann for your response! It was hard for me to pick up a note taking app, I had a mild "crisis" of "I can't bear my own disorganization anymore" and felt that I had to go digital. Your videos and the community in general helped me to take the step. I sent my bf this video and he started using Obsidian yesterday 🥰
@@patiakreles I actually have a few IRL friends who were originally just watching my videos to help support my channel, and are now Obsidian users. I absolutely love that! :D Thanks!
5:07 what about creating versions of notes? I feel it’s important to chronicle your progress and to remember what you used to think. Also great video, this helped me a lot. Especially with regard to the advice to just write and build a system around that, as well as the advice to publish. Very grateful.
I actually have version control for all my notes via Github (an article I wrote about this process: dannb.org/blog/2024/obsidian-backup-github/). So I have a full version history of everything saved there for free. But honestly, I've maybe looked at a past version of a note once ever. But still, you're right in thinking it's good to have just in case. Especially depending on HOW you're changing your notes.
Thanks for the reply @@DannBerg! That’s really helpful, I’ll check it out. I guess for me the main notes I’m talking about are personal journal entries that are associated with a place and time. I often go back to these notes, duplicate them and either expand on them further retrospectively or change the names and places to create a fictional copy for another world, if you get me.
This is excellent advice! I was slightly paralysed by the feature set of obsidian. However the idea of creating systems is a paradigm shift and inspirational!
Excellent video! Really well done and I know it's good advice as it is all sorts of things I've learnt or thought about over the course of trying to work with such systems. Setting things up in advance and trying to squeeze into someone else's system is a huge trap in the productivity sphere. It needs to be called out often. Inspiration is fine but nothing beats getting on with it, feeling the pain and then adapting your system to resolve that pain
What you said about productivity coming in waves really resonated with me. I'm glad I'm not the only one....and I'll be glad once I have a good "second brain" ready for me to pick up where I left off and get back up to speed again fast.
This was an "ah hah" moment for me. So much productivity advice online is just about how to get the most done at all times. That's great...if that works for me. But for me 1) it doesn't and 2) i don't want it to. Work/life balance is important! Also, listening to your body, and knowing when to push and when to relax.
The list is pure gold. I am not a big fan of Obsidian, while adapting all tips as system thinking and applying them to both my Notion and design systems workflow are more than useful
Exactly! I tried to be a tool-agnostic as I could here. Whether you use Obsidian or Notion or something else, this was mostly about taking a step back and thinking about note taking in general.
I started my Obsidian journey about four years ago. Once you start, you’ll be amazed at how quickly it becomes super valuable. Good luck on your journey!
Dan, thank you for being a creator and for sharing. Your share in this video is truly visionary. Remember the comments section will always show you two things. Those with fixed mindsets and those with growth mindsets. Stay rad 🙌🏽 and keep being a master in this space.
