I am still quite new to Obsidian, I followed the tip to ‘just make notes’ in the beginning but now that I am nearing ~800 notes, I need some templates (I finally sorted the structure, organisation and other stuff out, but my knowledge on templates is still quite lacking). Kindly share some of your templates, they can be on any topic.
Thanks!
5 Likes
I’ve recently done a round of re-factoring. I had simple templates, then went super complex, and have just re-factored to what I absolutely need. Here’s my standard Note template.
At top, I delete all but the tag I need to stay. May also keep “add-clarity” if the note needs more love.
Below the YAML, title is pre-populated with the note file name. #add-topic is replaced with a topic tag. I double click “Write” and start typing or paste. It’s super fast to start a new note with the minimum type and topic tags.
---
tag:
- type/fact
- type/structure
- type/concept
- type/principle
- type/process
- type/procedure
- type/template
- type/list
- type/MOC
- add-clarity
---
# {{title}}
#add-topic
Write
I tried more complex templates, but it was extra cruft. This is as minimal as is useful.
3 Likes
I have a few templates for notes that I use very often:
Daily Notes Template - Exactly what it says on the tin, this is the template for the Daily Notes plugin. I like having my Daily Note be my kind of hub for the day, where I can have all my tasks and a little micro-journal. I’m still working on this, and I pretty drastically changed it last night actually but I think it’s coming together well enough to share.
[[YYYY-MM-DD|<<Previous]] | [[Daily Notes]] | [[YYYY-MM-DD|Next>>]]
__Created:__ {{date}} {{time}}
---
__Tags:__ #journal
---
__Get done today:__
- [ ]
---
__Notes:__
---
__Best thing that happened today:__
---
![[Master Task Lists#Priority Tasks]]
![[Master Task Lists#Recurring Daily Tasks]]
![[Master Task Lists#Low Priority Tasks]]
At the top, I have to manually replace the “YYYY-MM-DD” with the previous and next days’ dates, but that’s easy and it’s handy being able to navigate between days with just a tap on my phone. I know it’s possible to put those in automatically but it involves a bunch of code and plugins I don’t understand so for me it’s easier to just type the dates, takes like four seconds.
“Tags” is where I put any tags or links. So for example if I’m watching a video called “Tips for fiction authors” I’ll write [[tips for fiction authors]] so I can easily find all the notes I’ve taken that day. “Get Done Today” is just my daily to-do list, if there are things that really need to be done on a particular day. “Notes” is my journal area, where I just write what happens or things I want to remember. This could be as simple as “Nephews came over today, had a great time playing Super Smash Bros.” or it could be multiple paragraphs, just whatever I feel like writing about. “Best thing that happened today” is a new one, I’ve heard that it’s good for your mental health to focus on positive things like things you’re grateful for, so I want to be more mindful of the good things that happen each day because I tend to focus on the negative a lot. The links at the bottom are also new, I learned yesterday how to link to preview a note within another note so those are links to a note called “Master Task Lists” and each link shows the list underneath a different heading within that note. That way, I can have other stuff on that note, like buttons to navigate back to my “Home Page” or “Daily Notes” page, without them showing up here, and the task lists are automatically loaded into each daily note, so I don’t accidentally forget something I wrote down on a particular day.
Zettelkasten Template - I don’t actually use a strict Zettelkasten method of organizing my notes. But I find a lot of the ideas of Zettelkasten useful, and my sorting has been roughly inspired by it. So for a general note template I named it Zettelkasten because it’s similar to that method.
Status: #inbox
Tags: [[Inbox]]
Created: {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}} {{time:HH:mm}}
---
Notes:
---
Links:
[[{{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}]]
---
Source:
This one is cool. The {{}} brackets are code that automatically plug in the date and time when the note is created. So when I make a new note and apply this template, it automatically adds the date and time the note was created. But it also puts the date in the “Links” section, within [[]] square brackets, making it a link. My daily notes are titled YYYY-MM-DD so that link is automatically created to go to my daily note for that day. I was really proud of myself when I figured out how to do that haha. At the top where it says “tags” I’ll usually link whatever topic it’s related to, so for example if it’s a note about writing I might tag my “Writing Ideas” note. Under “Links” I’ll post more specific notes that are linked, so for example if this note is about building a fantasy world I might link other fantasy worldbuilding ideas that might work well together or tips about worldbuilding. Finally, source is where I’ll put a link to the site, YouTube video, etc. that inspired this note, or if it’s just a random idea I had then I’ll write “Me, I’m citing myself, I had the idea all on my own tyvm.” I’m snarky at myself like that a lot, I mean why not? Nobody else is reading my vault.
Book Review Template - I haven’t used this one much yet, since I’ve only finished a couple of books so far this year. I built this template when I finished Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson so it may be subconsciously geared toward fiction but I think I made it general enough to work for non-fiction too.
### Author:
### Series:
### Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
---
### Summary
Delete this text and write a summary of the book here. This should not be your thoughts on the book and what it means, but instead should just be a basic statement of the plot or progression of the book in question.
---
### My Thoughts
Delete this text and write your thoughts on the book here. This is where you take note of things like how the book made you feel, how satisfied you were with the plot, etc.
---
### Quotes
Here's some space to write quotes from the book that were impactful to you. Did a character say something really cool? Did the author make a really interesting observation about Swedish Death Cleaning? Write it here!
---
### Notes
If you want to take notes while reading the book, here's where you can do that. Protip: you can use dropdowns to condense your notes. That way, you can have a bunch of notes in detail without taking up too much room on the page, and you can always use the search function if you need to find something and don't remember where it's written.
---
### TODO
- [ ] Did this book make you want to do something?
- [ ] Maybe it's a non-fiction book that drove you to make a change in your life.
- [ ] Or maybe a novel gave you a great idea for something you'd like to write.
- [ ] Whatever it is, if the book makes you want to do something, write it here.
---
### Tags
If you use hashtags in your Vault, put them here. If you use links instead, put them here. If you use both tags and links, you can put them both here or you can create a new section for links if you prefer.
---
### Review
If you want to write a review for Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, etc., then this is the place to do that. I put it at the end, because I tend to write pretty lengthy reviews so I wanted the shorter information to go up at the top where I can find it more easily without having to scroll past a big block of text.
---
### Links
[[Book Reviews]]
This one doesn’t need much explanation because I wrote the explanations into the template. That way I don’t forget what I created each section for, and I can just select the paragraph and delete it quickly to replace it with my thoughts on the book.
I have like 3-4 other templates that I use but they’re more specific to me, like a shopping list template that’s basically just headings with all my favorite stores and a - [ ] beneath each heading so I don’t have to manually type the tickbox code every time I want to make a list. But the ones I listed above are the most useful ones that I think might be useful for other people, so I hope they give you some inspiration for your vaults. Feel free to copy anything from mine or copy the template wholesale if it works for you, I made these as an amalgamation of lots of other people’s ideas so stealing is encouraged 
7 Likes
Hey, the daily notes part was great! thanks for sharing. Also, a book nerd to another, how did you like Rhythm of war?
1 Like
I thought it was fantastic! I feel like The Stormlight Archive is kind of a “love it or hate it” series, apart from the first book. I hardly ever hear anyone say anything bad about The Way of Kings, but the other books seem really split. So my thought is basically, if you like Words of Radiance and Oathbringer you’ll probably like Rhythm of War, but if you don’t like those two then you probably won’t like this one either. I think all 3 books have the same kind of feel to them, with Sanderson’s sometimes meandering plots, deep character moments for some at the expense of others, big bang finale, all that kind of stuff feels very similar between all three books. But I mean that in a good way, I love Sanderson’s style and the plot has been really interesting to me. Also Kaladin is my spirit animal.
It also helps that I’m listening to the audiobooks, which have the absolute best narration I’ve ever heard. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading are legends.
1 Like
[[<% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD", -1, tp.file.title, "YYYY-MM-DD") %>]] <<>> [[<% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD", 1, tp.file.title, "YYYY-MM-DD") %>]]
That automatically makes the Date for Yesterday (Daily Notes) and Tomorrow (Daily Notes) seperated by <<>>
I know you said it was to much complexity but there’s the code written for you, literally just put that in your daily note template.
6 Likes
Daily Note Template
<%*
let title = tp.file.title
if (title.startsWith("Untitled")) {
title = await tp.system.prompt("Title");
await tp.file.rename(title);
}
tR += "---"
%>
Title: <%* tR += title %>
Tags: daily/journal/<% tp.date.now("YYYY/MM/DD") %>
---
## <%* tR += title %>
[[<% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD", -1, tp.file.title, "YYYY-MM-DD") %>]] <<>> [[<% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD", 1, tp.file.title, "YYYY-MM-DD") %>]]
### Notes
-
#### Recent Notes
```dataview
List
from ""
WHERE file.mday >= date(today)
SORT file.mtime desc
Projects Board
Projects Board]]
End of Day
- [x] Daily Reflection [[<%* tR += title %> Reflections]] [completion:: 2022-01-26]
- [x] Sweep OmniFocus [completion:: 2022-01-26]
![[<% tp.date.now(“YYYY-MM-DD”, -1, tp.file.title, “YYYY-MM-DD”) %> Reflections]]
Rolled Over Tasks
5 Likes
This is my very simple quick add template - the top part just makes it so if the note has not been title yet it’ll prompt you for the title, if title already made (say by making the note link in a note than clicking on it) it’ll just format the title for you.
the tp.file.cursor(#) are just a quick snippet so when note is created and editing - hitting option + tab will take you right to each of those in order. Just a little extra thing to making filling in the info really quick.
as you can see - i have two of them inside [[]] - that’s just for me to make sure i link it to another note or too and helps me keep that quick side research, jotting quick notes from being lost to the abyss.
(it also automatically creates a link to the daily note which is located right under the Yaml and title.
<%*
let title = tp.file.title
if (title.startsWith("Untitled")) {
title = await tp.system.prompt("Title");
await tp.file.rename(title);
}
tR += "---"
%>
Title: <%* tR += title %>
Created: <% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD") %>
---
[[<% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD") %>]]
[[<% tp.file.cursor(2) %>]] << >> [[<% tp.file.cursor(3) %>]]
---
<% tp.file.cursor(1) %>
3 Likes
Thank you so much! I’ll try that out, really appreciate it!
Figuring out how to code it myself is too much complexity, but it’s pretty easy to copy/paste haha
Edit: This doesn’t seem to be working, do I need to have a specific plugin active or should it just work with base Obsidian? I replaced the top stuff on my daily note template with the string you gave me and created a new daily note but it just shows the code as links to pages that don’t exist rather than filling it in with the correct date info.
my apologies - So I am pretty sure you need the “Templater” plug-in.
(And TURN-OFF “Templates” plug-in when turning on “Templater”)
For me, i’ve always viewed it as Templates with the “option” of steroids, so shouldn’t complicate anything.
attached a picture of one of “Templaters” settings - as it explains allows use with Daily Notes (also really good documentation with that plug-in, with examples you could copy and paste with literally only changing, say the #tag.
2 Likes
May I ask what is the benefit of using the YAML tagging system instead of the build-in Obsidian tags? Thanks 
1 Like
I liked separating my type and status tags from my topic and keyword tags. I put one kind in YAML and the other kind in the note.
No difference. Just a preference.
1 Like
Has anyone built a template that grabs a string from another file and presents it? Like a random string. Thinking - self reflection question but not the same question each day. It’d randomly present a question from a curated list of questions.
1 Like
I use shortcut keys, another option: Ctrl+; for yesterday, Ctr+’ for today (I have Obsidian open to today’s Daily Note, so that is for when I’m elsewhere), Ctrl+# for tomorrow.
Works really well, that’s the right-side Ctrl key with three keys side by side two rows higher (basically, depending what keyboard you use in what part of the worls, I use the ‘non-letter’ bunch of keys above the right side Ctrl key for shortcuts)
Edit: the shortcuts don’t create the notes, they only scroll through already existing Daily Notes. They are hotkeys I’ve nominated.
To adapt to your context
Fasting template
---
aliases: []
---
#health
# Related
- [[Fasting]]
- [[Health]]
- [[My health goals]]
# TODO
> [!TODO] TODO
# {{title}} - {{date}}
**Date:** {{date}}
The situation/context:
## Metrics
| | -24h | +24h | +48h | +72h+ | break +24h |
| ------------------ | ---- | ---- | ---- | ----- | ---------- |
| Energy | | | | | |
| Happy | | | | | |
| Anxious | | | | | |
| Ouraring readiness | | | | | |
| Ouraring sleep | | | | | |
| Ouraring heart rate | | | | | |
Press cmd+shift+O to insert daily ouraring scores.
## Insights
Startup template
---
aliases: []
---
#business #idea
# [[Epistemic status]]
#shower-thought #to-digest
# Related
- [[Ideation]]
- [[Cofounder ideation hackathon]]
# TODO
> [!TODO] TODO
# Start-up idea
## Problem/opportunity
## Solution
## Markets/customers/users
## Why
- Popular:
- Growing:
- Urgent:
- Expensive:
- Mandatory:
- Why do you want to solve this problem?
- Unfair advantage:
Life areas template
---
aliases: []
---
#personal-growth #personal
# [[Epistemic status]]
#shower-thought #to-digest
# Related
# TODO
> [!TODO] TODO
# Life areas
| Name | Rating | Changable | Focus for now | Meaning |
| ----------------------------------------- | ------ | --------- | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Health Introspection | | | No | Examining one's physical health, such as diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices. |
| Time Introspection | | | No | Examining how one chooses to spend their time, and identifying potential improvements. |
| Information Introspection | | | No | Examining and evaluating the information one consumes, as well as how it is used. |
| Nutrition Introspection | | | No | Examining what one eats, and how it affects their health and wellbeing. |
| Idea Sharing Introspection | | | No | Examining how one shares ideas and information with others, and how it can be improved. |
| Personality Introspection | | | No | Examining one's personality traits and habits, and exploring ways to make them more effective. |
| Sleep Introspection | | | No | Examining one's sleep patterns and habits, and exploring ways to improve them. |
| Transportation Introspection | | | No | Examining one's transportation habits and exploring ways to make them more efficient. |
| Purpose Introspection | | | No | Examining one's sense of purpose and how it relates to their life goals. |
| Career Introspection | | | No | Examining one's career aspirations and exploring ways to achieve them. |
| Team Introspection | | | No | Examining how one works with a team, and exploring ways to be a more effective member. |
| Skills Introspection | | | No | Examining one's skills and knowledge and exploring ways to develop and enhance them. |
| Impact Introspection | | | No | Examining one's impact on the world and exploring ways to make it more positive. |
| Fitness Introspection | | | No | Examining one's physical abilities and motivations, such as physical health, body image, and exercise |
| Productivity Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on one's ability to achieve goals and accomplish tasks |
| Knowledge Introspection | | | No | Analyzing one's intellectual abilities and understanding of the world |
| Behavioral Introspection | | | No | Examining one's patterns of behavior and their consequences |
| Meta Cognitive Introspection | | | No | Thinking about one's own thought processes and how to improve them |
| Goal Setting | | | No | Establishing and working towards short and long term objectives |
| Relationship Introspection | | | No | Assessing one's interactions with other people and understanding of social dynamics |
| Values Introspection | | | No | Evaluating one's personal values and their impact on one's life |
| Financial Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on one's financial habits and understanding of money management |
| Family Introspection | | | No | Examining one's relationships with family members and how their lives intertwine |
| Emotional Introspection | | | No | Analyzing one's emotional state and understanding of emotional responses |
| Community Introspection | | | No | Examining one's involvement in and understanding of their larger community |
| Environmental Introspection | | | No | Thinking about one's relationship to the environment and their impact on it |
| Appearance Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on one's physical appearance and understanding of beauty standards |
| Conmunication Introspection | | | No | Examining one's ability to effectively communicate with others |
| Sex Introspection | | | No | Analyzing one's understanding of sex and sexual relationships |
| Leisure Introspection | | | No | Examining one's own thoughts, feelings and behavior while engaging in leisure activities |
| Life Work Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on the amount of effort and energy put into one's work, and other aspects of life, as well as the rewards and consequences of such effort |
| Privacy Introspection | | | No | Examining one's own thoughts and feelings about the level of privacy they have, or the lack thereof |
| Safety Introspection | | | No | Examining one's own thoughts, feelings and behavior while engaging in activities that involve risk or potential danger |
| End of Life Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on one's own mortality, and how their life would be viewed by others after their passing |
| Self Introspection | | | No | Examining one's own thoughts, feelings and behavior, and reflecting on the impact of such thoughts, feelings and behavior on one's self-image |
| Everything Else Introspection | | | No | Examining one's own thoughts and feelings about the world, and everything else that isn't covered by the other introspections |
| Legal Introspection | | | No | Examining one's own thoughts and feelings about the legal system, and the laws and regulations |
| Philosophy Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on the fundamental nature of reality, knowledge, and how one should live |
| Societal Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on the values and norms of a society, and how they influence individuals and communities |
| Consciousness Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on one's innermost thoughts and feelings, and how they shape one's world view and understanding of the world |
| Brand Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on how a business is perceived by the public, what it stands for, and how its products and services are viewed by its customers |
| Conjectures and Refutations Introspection | | | No | Reflecting on the assumptions and evidences that make up a theory or idea, and whether or not they are valid in the context of the whole argument. |
Decision journal template
---
aliases: []
---
# Related
https://fs.blog/decision-journal/
# TODO
> [!TODO] TODO
# {{title}}
**Date:**
**Time:**
**Decision:**
**Mental/Physical State**
| | 0/100 |
| ------------------ | ----- |
| Energized | |
| Focused | |
| Relaxed | |
| Confident | |
| Tired | |
| Accepting | |
| Accomodating | |
| Anxious | |
| Resigned | |
| Frustrated | |
| Angry | |
| Ouraring readiness | |
| Ouraring sleep | |
| Ouraring activity | |
The situation/context:
The problem statement or frame:
The variables that govern the situation include:
The complications/complexities as I see them:
Alternatives that were seriously considered and not chosen were:
Explain the range of outcomes:
What I expect to happen and the actual probabilities are:
The outcome:
Review Date (6 months after decision date):
What happened and what I learned:
2 Likes
With my expanding number of templates (general note, daily, literature, video, etc.), I got tired of changing the YAML/frontmatter in each one as my YAML preferences changed over time. Now I use a header template that I change once and is inserted into all newly created templates/notes. Some people like to have different YAML depending on the type of note, but I like to keep it mostly the same (at the moment anyway). I’ll add something here or there if needed. This uses the TemplatER community plugin.
Create a x-header template (named x- to keep it at the bottom of the template modal list, but of course can be anything you want) with your current YAML preferences.
---
created: <% tp.file.creation_date("dddd MMMM Do YYYY HH:mm:ss") %>
alias: []
tags: []
state:
more YAML..
as much as you can endure....
---
Now, in all your other templates, put tp.file.include at the top and add whatever else is needed below per template (For example, here’s a sample book template).
<% tp.file.include("[[x-header]]") %>
# <% tp.file.title %>
Author: [[Author Name]]
Type: [[Books]]
Related: %% Links to pages not referenced in the content %%
## Summary
## Notes
## Quotes
## Questions
## Terms
Change x-header, all newly created notes made from your different templates pick it up! 
5 Likes
Love the “re-writing” of the Eisenhower matrix!
1 Like
(need dataview)
human CRM
Timed interactions with humans (professional or personal)
human map of territory
Your understanding of X person’ personality, links to recent talks, etc
1 Like
Yes, inspirational TY