Learn how to use Obsidian via an instructor with quality teaching methodology instead of ramblings in front of a camera. And, I would prefer the methodology for how to use Obsidian is based on some kind of real-world evolution instead of someone merely coming up with something that has a sample size of 1. I’m not interested in learning more about PKM systems; I want to learn specifically how to use Obsidian more effectively.
Things I have tried
I have looked up many YouTube videos, some I like more than others. I have looked up online courses to learn more about how to use Obsidian. I have tried a multitude of various methods and none have worked well for me, and it has turned my Vault into a mess. I don’t have the simplest understanding of how to “visualize” the Obsidian system/process. I use it so infrequently that I end up having to re-learn everything.
This is not going to happen. Most free/paid resources about Obsidian are based on individual practice (or no real word data). You have to rely on personal views. Conducting rigorous studies about productivity with Obsidian requires tremendous amount of money.
I think you need to start with a clearly stated problem that Obsidian is the answer for, and use it for that consistently. As you become used to to that system, you’re naturally come up with questions or ideas of how you can use it in a more advanced way. Again, be clear about what you’re trying to achieve at that next level and pursue that one thing.
If you view the Obsidian world as a thing to be learned in its entirety, even if you could learn it, you’d be spending time becoming master of an app, not mastering your data.
Everyone (including me in this post) is selling you a process to using a tool out of their own unique experience. There is no single ‘ultimate’ way to use Obsidian, because we’re all using it for different purposes from different perspectives with different abilities.
I’m about a year and half in and for me at certain levels ‘a light has gone on’ and it is getting really good now, but there are still areas where it could be a better tool. I have to remind myself that in this frustration and starting to hunt for the plugin that will solve all my problems , I have to stop and define exactly what I’m trying to do/improve. It is too easy to get sucked into the well of tinkering instead of working with your data.
I’m learning a lot about Obsidian, such as, my response is too similar the my most recent post. So, as much as I want to tell you that you have some good points that I will be keeping in mind and that I thank you for your response, but this Obsidian forum, in all of its wisdom, has prevented my many attempts to say so. I love it when my technology operates me instead of me operating my technology. So, thank you for some good points that I will be keeping in mind.
After 2 years of using the software, I recently started daily notes (was not my top priority) and a habit trackers.
All this time sometimes I had a feeling I should learn how to make more of Obsidian.
The one realization I have made is that I don’t have the time and design skills to build an all-round vault with bells and whistles. So I tried demo vaults where the templates and (Dataview) queries are created and only a little effort was needed to search and replace folder and property names, which latter you’ll need to set up.
Obsidian is really worth something if you take the time to set up a structure, which over time you can change, of course.
So I’d say download some demo vaults, keep a zip of the originals and write into them to see what they are capable of. Some will have Local Graphs with tags, some with tasks and project managment, etc.
Some links:
Read to the end of the thread.
More demo vaults with live filtering of tables (based on pre-set properties):
Read more into the Share&Showcase section, and generally spend time on the forum to keep yourself up to date but don’t let yourself be easily persuaded to change something that works for you.