I recently started using Obsidian and I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s one of those tools that seems simple at first, but the more I explore, the more possibilities I discover. I’m still keeping my setup pretty basic while I learn the fundamentals, so I wanted to ask the community: what’s one small tip, shortcut, or workflow that made Obsidian much easier for you?
It doesn’t have to be anything advanced. Sometimes the simplest ideas end up being the most useful.Looking forward to learning from everyone here and hopefully being able to help others as I gain more experience. Thanks!
Use unique and descriptive note names if possible; don’t be afraid of long ones. air-conditioner--exhaust air at night setting, sleep mode, etc.md is going to tell you a lot more about the note contents compared to air-conditioner.md.
Sounds like you’re on the right track, but don’t worry about community plugins (or fancy setups) for now. If you run into a wall with something you want to do but can’t, then go looking for a plugin.
I was originally using created: Wednesday, March 4th 2000, 2000年 3月4日 (水), or whatever format I was in the mood for at the time.
If, down the road, you ever get into querying, Bases, Dataview (a community plugin), automation, etc., the ISO format will save you a lot of headaches and redoing of dates.
Learn how Obsidian works before you start installing a bunch of plug-ins. If you don’t understand the out-of-the-box workflow, then you’re going to be at the mercy of plug-in developers for your workflow, and whether or not they continue supporting whatever crutches you’re using on top of Obsidian.
In many cases, adjusting your workflow to the software is a better trade-off than trying to adjust the software to you. It will also save you a lot of heartache in the future if the author of a particular plug-in you rely on abandons it.
Thanks for the thoughtful advice! This is exactly the kind of beginner guidance I was hoping to get. A few of you have mentioned learning the core features before diving into plugins, and that makes a lot of sense. I’ll focus on getting comfortable with the basics first instead of trying to customize everything right away.The tips about backups, descriptive note names, and using a consistent date format are also really helpful. Those all seem like small habits that will probably save me a lot of trouble later on. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience!
As others have been saying, learning the basics of Obsidian before adding plugins is a good idea. I would also add: once you decide to start adding plugins to your setup, don’t go wading through the list of plugins thinking, “That one looks useful! And this one sounds cool! I bet I could use that one!” etc. etc. It’s really easy to load up on ‘useful’ plugins that you forget you even installed!
Instead, when you find yourself thinking, “I wish Obsidian did this differently”, or “I wish Obsidian had that feature”, then search the list of available plugins for the one you really want. Odds are good that someone else had the same idea, and the plugin you’re looking for is already there.
With the help of vibe coding, one can easily “take over” the development of a plugin you like and need, and continue its evolution by contributing to the original source, or create a brand new plugin for yourself and others.
To be more ambitious, one can even create a whole bunch of plugins to fulfill your workflow requirements.