How to get started with Obsidian

Preamble - A word of advise on how to approach obsidian:

Many new users complain about being overwhelmed by the sheer possibilities of customization through different plugins and setups. In my opinion the obsidian online-community paints a picture of an overly complicated software. But thats not true at all.

When opening the app for the first time, the app is bare-naked and has only the most necessary functions:

• It’s a simple and fast text editor
• Notes created in the app are stored in a local folder on your computer.
• You can create sub-folders to further structure your notes, while also being able to add hashtags to individual notes.
• You also have the option to link related notes together, just like an article in Wikipedia has hyperlinks to related articles within the text.

That’s it.
Simple UserInterface, no junk. Unused features can be hidden. Needed features can be installed through plugins written by the massive community.

It’s the massive library of plugins and their interactions, with sheer endless possibilities that can seem like rocket-science. People on the internet explaining how to use obsidian often fail to mention, that they’re just showing how THEY use obsidian. There is no right way to use Obsidian. It has to work for YOU.

My tip

If you are new to obsidian, don’t start with reading about intimidating & complex workflows. Start by only using the basic functions and go from there.
Only search for inspiration by others to a certain point, always stick to your own thing and never adopt something, just because it works for somebody else or looks professional/cool.

Build the system AROUND your workflow, dont try to come up with a system which you would need to adapt to. The system should work for you - not the other way around.

Keep obsidian as it is: Simple. Start small, dont over complicate - I can not push this enough! Let it grow and evolve organically. Only tweak your system, if the need arises (and be honest while you ask yourself: “Do I really need this workflow?”).

Spoiler: Don’t bother trying to mimic a complex system from somebody else on the internet, as you will be violating Gall’s Law.

Gall’s law

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.”
– John Gall

Only fools and modern technocrats try to create complex systems from scratch!

Link to original

Dont waste your time optimizing

Warning: The Dangers of Obsidian

Obsidian can be highly addictive, functions as a vast rabbithole and can be a massivly effective procrastination tool, since everything you build to be more organized feels so productive. I know what I am talking about :-)
If you start using Obsidian and are new to the topic, use the Pareto-principle.

Also this is just a joke. Have fun and enjoy the ride!

I spent a lot of time fiddeling with my obsidian vault, trying out different workflows, restructured my setup countless times and even developed my own system.
There is a lot I have learned about efficient, future-proof and sustainable structures.

It easily took me 300+ hours to be where I am at, but if I had to start from scratch today, I would be operable in less than a day.
It took some time to combine my experience from the many PMS I used in the past, but it was worth the effort. At least for my usecase.

That I “wasted” so much time configuring my obsidian does not mean that it is complicated, nor does it have to be. It just that I had something very specific in mind and my needs are somewhat unconventional.
You can start using obsidian, have it configured and be familiar with it within a weekend.

I dont think everybody needs to learn everything

We are a society sharing collective knowledge. If you get stuck, dont waste hours trying to figuring something out, which somebody else might already has accomplished. Visit the obsidian Forum and talk to some people instead! (Don’t be a stubborn perfectionist like me).
If you seek assistance with your Obsidian, you can also hit me up.