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  • Why and How I use Obsidian

    ·

    Chris Wilson

    In the last few years, there has been an explosion of new note taking apps which only seems to be accelerating. This has been a wonderful blessing to those of us who got fed up with hearing about work chat (and even more fed up with jokes about work chat) and wanted something more than just the default Apple notes or…whatever Android people use.

    Table of Contents

      Why Obsidian?

      After exploring a few options I’ve settled* on Obsidian as my note taking/personal knowledge management application (*terms and conditions apply). I present this post not as a case for why everyone should use Obsidian, but why I like Obsidian and have chosen it. There may well be a better option for you (and there’s possibly a better option for me!) so if you want to keep exploring, go for it.

      It’s free to start

      I have no issue with paying for a good app but the main reason I settled on Obsidian was it’s free entry point. I had been playing with notion but wanted to try one of the new internal linking note taking apps. Roam seemed like the obvious choice but the $15 a month price point was enough to make me wait. As Obsidian was free, I had no barrier to download and play.

      Once I started exploring, it soon convinced me to stay thanks in part to it’s strengths over an app like roam.

      Interlinked notes works for me

      I had previously been exploring Notion which Anne-Laure Le Cunff aptly described as an “architect” style note app. That is, one which requires you to create a structure to organize your notes.
      There are some great aspects of a system like this such as tracking a project in a Kanban view or viewing all delivery dates in a calendar view. But, I don’t really need those for my personal notes. In fact, creating those layouts and organizing notes took more time than using those notes.

      Interlinked notes is completely different. It’s a bottom up approach where you don’t need to start with a grand structure. Instead you make a note (either just a thought or in reference to a topic) and think about what it might be related to. If you can think of a connection, link to that note (warning, you don’t want to link to everything. Eventually links can get overwhelming).

      This approach allows for topics and trends to emerge naturally and even unexpectedly as you follow your curiosity. I suspect this is better for most individuals with eclectic interests whereas something like notion is better for focused organizations but I know there are some people who prefer Notion/Evernotes approaches.

      It uses plain text files

      Plain text both makes it far easier to move note application in the future (if I so choose) as well as opens up compatibility with other apps. It’s very easy to save notes from drafts to obsidian, or edit and publish this article using iA Writer (I’m currently writing in Obsidian).
      I can even easily share these notes to a Jekyll based digital garden if I so wish.

      It’s cross platform

      Thanks to electron, there are PC, Mac and Linux apps. I was using the PC app for a long time while working on my company provisioned computer. Unlike an app like craft (which is just starting to provide a web client), this means I am not limited to windows or mac.

      This was another significant factor in getting me hooked on Obsidian. Now that I can use a Mac for work, I could switch to something like draft, but the assurance that I can move to my work PC whenever I need is persuasive.

      You can even use your own sync services

      Obsidian provides an end-to-end encrypted, paid sync service at a reasonable cost. But you can use your regular Dropbox or iCloud sync at no additional cost.

      The community

      I am a real lurker in the Obsidian forums and discord but I am really grateful for the people who are contributing fantastic work there. Some are simple ideas or tips on how to organize notes and sharing ideas they’ve saved. Others have provided really fantastic resources to help and a select few even create community plugins which can add some powerful functionality.

      Everyone seems very friendly and I don’t get an arrogance that I feel from some other note taking communities.

      What’s not great

      Obsidian isn’t without faults and there are certainly some aspects I dislike and envy in other apps including.

      • it uses electron not a native app
      • navigating the mobile app is very awkward (thanks electron)
      • it’s not as attractive as tools like craft
      • publishing is a pricey addon
      • you don’t get some of the organizational tools of an app like
      • you have to keep all your images and files locally (you can’t hide images etc in the cloud)

      How

      In this section I’ll explore the different ways I use Obsidian and take notes in general.

      With Evernote

      I still have a paid Evernote plan, in no small part because I have an exceptional ongoing discount as well as a significant backlog of reference notes.

      Evernote has become my storage locker for reference notes, pdfs and files (and even Twitter threads). It’s also the place where I may save a copy of a web page (you never know if a website will disappear). Obsidian is where I write notes and reflections on what I have saved.

      RRR approach

      I want to share about this properly but I came across this approach to help learn and remember a topic called Read, recite, review. The basics theory is the best way to develop knowledge/a skill is to DO that skills, but we often do limited forms of it. So most people just read and reread their notes and never actually practice recalling information. As such, they don’t really take the information in.
      This approach involves

      • reading some material
      • reciting (or in this case writing a note from memory)
      • Once (and only when) you have finished writing a note, you go back and review the material.
      • Add any information you forgot (from memory)

      This results in making a personalized note, with only the key information (or information that resonated with you) and helps embed it in your memory.

      Book notes

      I enjoy reading a wide range of non-fiction but especially christian books. I use a book note template to save my reflections and thoughts.

      I will also make individual notes with key points and ideas from a text and link those back to the main book note.

      Random ideas

      Sometimes I have a random idea or theory and save it as a note to investigate and explore. For example, I came up with the idea of “superhero syndrome” as an alternative to “impostor syndrome”. My vague idea is that we should imagine ourselves as Clark Kent, who seems out of place and an impostor, but really we are superheros who have to hide our true identities.

      I have no idea how realistic this idea is and maybe I need to refine it, but I like the name and I certainly struggle with impostor syndrome, perhaps it will become something in the future.

      Meeting notes

      I recently started saving my meeting notes in obsidian. I have a simple template that adds a link to my daily note (below) and fills in the topics I plan to discuss and do discuss as well as listing next actions. It helps make sure I prepare for meetings and can check who is responsible for what.

      Daily notes using the storyline productivity schedule

      I’ve used the Storyline Productivity schedule since about 2013 and Don Miller has updated it for his new book and course; Business made simple.

      Everyday I press the button to open the daily note, fill in my primary tasks and answer the question “If I could do today again, I’d…” This simple practice has been fantastic for me.

      You can watch a video on how it works here.

      Study notes

      I’ve taken a few courses recently and I use Obsidian to take notes on readings, tutorials and general ideas. These are all linked back to a central page which keeps track of my module and progress.

      Sermon planning

      In the last year, I’ve started preaching at my church. Preparing for a sermon takes a lot of research and work to come up with suitable examples, applications and illustrations (and then organize them together). Obsidian works fantastic for putting ideas down, embedding illustrations, and then exporting a finalized PDF that I can preach from.

      Want to start with Obsidian?

      If you are interested in getting started with Obsidian, I made an Obsidian starter kit that provides an opinionated set of files to help you structure your Obsidian system.

      Sign up, get the set and watch the tutorial. It’s free!

      Get Started with Obsidian

    1. How I effectively read online content

      ·

      Chris Wilson

      Back a hundred years ago there were four options for reading interesting content. Buy a (good) newspaper, buy a magazine or journal, buy a book or borrow a book from a library. The internet changed that. Now we have instant access to the entirety of human knowledge instantly. But how do we find the most relevant online content for ourselves. And once, we’ve found it, how can properly process it?

      Today’s blog post is how I find, read and then apply content I read online.

      Table of Contents

        FOMO: The problem with online content

        Fomo affects my reading of online content in two ways.

        1. I worry that I’m not consuming enough,
        2. I fear that there’s some other, new content that would be better for me to read.
        3. I get distracted by notifications and worry that I’m missing out on something else.

        Although there are steps I can take to help ensure the quality of what I read as well as reduce distractions, accepting fomo is a key step.

        Defeating FOMO with an abundance mindset

        The truth is that I (and you) will never know everything or even everything we want to.

        We are limited human beings and there’s just too much information. In fact, there will be more great content published today than you have time to read.

        At the same time, this is a blessing.

        We no longer have to strive to read every great article that is being published, instead we can be selective, knowing that there is more great content out there.

        When we accept an abundance mindset, we can cope with not reading everything. We don’t even need to read the best things. Instead, we just need to read something that is beneficial for us.

        This pragmatic approach helps us focusing on gaining value from what we do read and defeats the FOMO that can prevent us from actually reading.

        Avoiding distractions while reading online content

        Many websites are minefields of adverts, push notification popups and email optins. Not to mention the ease of switching browser tabs. To avoid this, I send articles to a read it later service (instapaper in my case). This helps

        • remove distracting popups
        • changes the reading process to encourage complition
        • allows me turn off notifications while reading and stay focused.

        I’ll return to this aspect later, but now I want to address the process.

        Step 1: Find good things to read (two methods)

        The first step in the process is to find something to read. Not finding just anything, that’s easy enough as we’ll soon see, but finding something good to read. When it comes to finding content, there are two methods: Pushed content, and pulled content.

        Push content

        Push content is content sent to us without our explicit engagement.

        Advertisments are push content (we often don’t want to see them) but so are social media feeds. A feed will include content that others users (and the algorithm) believe you will be interested in.

        The challenges of pushed content

        There are obviously issues with push content. We have limited to no control over what the feed will spew out. If it is time based, then our interesting friend may have decided to push some selfies.

        Algorithims will tend to favor easy “pop” content over meaty enriching content. While there is nothing wrong with watching the latest Hollywood block buster, if you only watch big budget movies there is a problem. You are unlikely to advance in areas of knowledge you want to develop.

        Push content also tends to interrupt us and be endless. The social media feed is practically never ending and a ping during a focus study hour can ruin the whole time.

        Push content can be fantastic, but we need to control it.

        Sources of push content

        • Advertisments
        • Social media streams
        • TV channels
        • YouTube

        How to raise the quality of your pushed content

        If the content pushed to you doesn’t feel “High-quality” then you need to add some filters and open some new doors. There are some easy ways to do this.

        1. Curate your twitter feed – remove some people you follow, add some new people.
        2. Make some twitter lists – you don’t have to follow people, you can start a list instead.
        3. Get recommendations – ask people you know for good sources to follow.
        4. Adopt a more critical view – be careful about clickbaitey titles. Ask yourself if it would be better to read something from your pull list than the latest item pushed to you.
        5. Adopt more in-between sources – some content is half push half pull. A journal, blog, or newsletter is still technically pushed but is more often curated around a single topic. This makes it more likely to be relevant to you. Increase your sources of these content over pure push content.

        Pull content

        Pull content is content we bring to ourselves.

        Debatably this would be exclusively articles and books we search for and find but In practice I also include heavily curated sources. These still push content, but you choose to have this topic enter your list.

        The advantages of pull content is that you set the bounds and you are unlikely to get added distractions or off-topic pieces. It’s a great way to dive deeper into a certain field. But there are limits.

        One issue with pull content is the lack of serendipity. After an initial exploration of a topic, you are likely to be going deeper and learning the details of a topic. You are more likely to find the same names repeating and the same ideas and issues. This is especially true of reading the same writers and sources.

        The joy of suddenly encountering a radical new idea that challenges many of your assumptions can be lost from pull content.

        Sources of Pull content

        • Google searches
        • Books
        • RSS feeds
        • Curated newsletters
        • Searching through bibliographies

        Balancing pull and push content

        I don’t (yet) have a perfect formula for how much push and pull content is right. I do, however, have a rule of thumb.

        Reduce push, increase pull.

        Most of us don’t have an issue with push content. The real issue is limiting the low quality push content and finding the gems. This stems from our FOMO over content. The truth is that we are more likely to miss out on great content from pull content than push content.

        By filtering the content pushed to us, we can pull more content and raise the overall quality of reading materials.

        Step 2: Send it to read later

        Instead of reading content there and then, I send it to instapaper. There are many read it later services including pocket or note taking applications like Evernote, notion and roam research.

        This might seem like an unneccasery step for some, but there is a reason I use instapaper.

        Instapaper removes distracting elements and allows me to highlight and annotate key parts that resonate with me. It also provides me with an additional step before reading.

        That extra delay helps me prioritise high-quality content.

        The only exception is for short content. Think of it as the David Allen “2 minute rule” but for reading.

        Step 3: Triage to manage content

        With a list of interesting articles in Instapaper, I can now browse and select the items that most appeal to me. I read an article or two this every evening after my daughter has gone to bed and whenever I take a commute (althought that is not so common now).

        I don’t go through from oldest to newest or the reverse, but I skim what I can see and pick the most interesting articles to me at the time. Sometimes, I don’t bother reading an article but archive it as I realise that it isn’t that interesting to me.

        Step 4: Read, Highlight, Annotate

        As I read, I highlight the most interesting and relevant parts for me.

        Admittedly, I also highlight quotable parts that might be good to share, but I seek to find the parts that are relevant to my interests. I also add notes with questions and comparisons to other ideas.

        Step 5: Sumarize from memory

        Next I turn to the applications Drafts and write notes on the individual ideas within the article that resonated with me.

        I do this from memory and then return to the article to check any points I’ve missed. Critically I do not look at the article until I’ve finished making a note so that I push my memory.

        The aim is to test my memory and help entrench those points in my mind using a method similar to read, recite, review.

        I also look for actionable takeaways and ideas. Something which I could do today or start doing that would make a difference. If it is a one time task, I add it to my todo list application. Meanwhile I send my plain text notes to Obsidian.

        Step 6: Archive

        Once I finish reading an article and made my notes, I archive it from instapaper and save my highlights. Previously I did this manually by sending from instapaper to Evernote, but now I can use readwise (more later). The main point is to remove it from the to be read list and save the key points.

        Step 7: Review and find connections

        The processes of reviewing and connecting ideas helps me both remember what I read, identify how to apply it to my life and find interesting connections with other ideas.

        Now I connect my notes to the highlights that I’ve taken so that I have the original text or inspiration indexed with my own notes.

        Later that day or at the end o the week, I start looking for themes and connections with other ideas and notes.

        I’ll start a note saying with a comment about either the connections or similarities between ideas, or the differences and contradictions between ideas. These notes focus on:

        • Points of agreement (both people think this)
        • Similar analogies or expressions (Some times people in the same or different fields say something in different ways)
        • Points of contradiction (X disagrees with Y about Z because…)
        • Questions (sometimes it’s not clear. Is this about the same thing or something different? Does this apply here? Does something explain something else.)

        The aim with these patterns is not to write a final version with definitive conclusions them but to start thinking and let the subconscious mind take over.

        I return and revisit these notes later on to see if I have discovered something new or thought of a new insight.

        Bonus: Reminders from Readwise

        I use Readwise, a service which saves highlights from a wide range of sources and automatically saves them into your note taking application. As Obsidian is locally based an not a SaaS solution with API, this isn’t automatic for me at the moment.

        Readwise does, however, resurface highlights in its daily summary which provides me with a reminder of old highlights that may have a new meaning now.

        What to do when reading an article online

        Personally, I choose to highlight as I read through an article. I think this comes from experience editing work and appreciating well worded phrases as well as habit.

        According to a study (Karpicke, Jeffrey D., Butler, Andrew C. and Roediger III, Henry L.(2009)’ Metacognitive strategies in student learning: Do students practice retrieval when they study on their own?’, Memory,17:4,471 — 479) Highlighting appears to be a nearly useless endeavor for remembering a text. With that acknowledged, I still find it useful when retracing my steps to find a section.

        Perhaps that is just a cargo cult excuse though.

        How to read more

        Reading more articles online requires an approach similar to reading more books. You need to create an environment where it’s easy to read articles and avoid distractions. It’s also good to set regular times for reading and have a collection to read.

        Paper books naturally work this way. They are a single purpose device. They don’t have notifications or other easy to reach distractions.

        Reading online articles are the opposite, especially on the web.

        Action Plan

        • Pick a note taking application (I use evernote and obsidian.)
        • Pick a method to save things to read later. (I use Instapaper)
        • Install any browser extentions that can help you save content for later.
        • Clean up your social media feeds.
        • Find some relevant newsletter and websites you can visit.
        • Set a time when you will read

      • The Best Way to Save Twitter Threads to Evernote

        ·

        Chris Wilson

        Recently, I found myself wanting to save a tweet storm to Evernote but I wasn’t sure how. Would the standard web clipper produce the results that I wanted? Or should I use a different service first to get a simplified view. After some investigation, I came upon the best way to save twitter threads to Evernote.

        Table of Contents

          What are Tweetstorms and why should you save them?

          Tweet storms (or twitter threads) are a form of publishing where you write a longer item of content by connecting tweets together. Each thought is limited to 280 characters but by grouping them together, you can write a much longer message.

          This provides some of the brevity of Twitter (each part is constrained to 280) while also allowing a larger thought to be expressed.

          Skilled practitioners can turn it into an art form, where the reader enjoys moving from tweet to tweet. They may imploy Gifs and images to highlight emotions, or end tweets with unresolved questions, inviting you to contiune reading.

          With the decline in personal blogging, tweet storms have become a common way to share written content. Even bloggers may condense a long post into a more direct thread with a link back to the blog.

          It’s no wonder I, like many others, would want to save a tweet storm for later.

          The issue with saving tweet threads to Evernote

          The only issue is, each tweet is separate.

          While Twitter does a good job of grouping tweet storms together, This isn’t always recognized by third-party services. Twitter also often includes responses from other users at the end of the thread. Sometimes these can be valuable, but often they either agree with or attack the writer.

          This can lead to you to either save notes that are only a link to the thread or only save the first tweet from the thread. In some cases you may have a note that contains a mixture of different users tweets.

          So what is the best way to save a thread from twitter that keeps the content you want, without the scruff. Let’s look at some options.

          The Evernote web clipper

          Evernote provides two default tools to help you save items from the web into files and notes. The first is the Evernote web clipper, a browser extension for PC and Macs. The second is the mobile extension for iOS and Android.

          Saving twitter threads with the desktop Evernote web clipper

          There are several options to save a note using the Evernote browser web clipper.

          • Article: Saves the HTML version of only the tweets but the layout is… strange.
          • Simplified article: saves a note about the cookie notice.
          • Full page: saves the whole web page including replies.
          • Bookmark: saves the URL with a preview of the content.
          • Screenshot: saves a screenshot

          As I’m sure you can agree, none of these are really perfect. They either include aspects you might not want or they are so minimal that they don’t include aspects you want.

          An example of a twitter thread saved using the desktop web clipper
          An example of a twitter thread saved using the desktop web clipper

          Saving Twitter threads with the Evernote iOS Share Sheet

          Unlike the desktop browser extension, the Evernote iOS Share sheet doesn’t provide you with a selection of options. Instead, it simply shares a web clip with only the first tweet selected. Admittedly, this includes a link so you can check out the rest of the thread. But you don’t get the full tweet storm in your Evernote cup.

          A twitter thread saved into evernote using the IOS share sheet
          A twitter thread saved into evernote using the IOS share sheet

          What about using the Android Share Sheet?

          I’m afraid I don’t currently have an android phone, so I can’t say what if any difference there is with the android share sheet.

          If you are an android user, perhaps you can test it out and let me know.

          Saving Tweetstorms using an app like Threader

          Apps like threader or threads provide services to save threads for later reading with only the content from the post’s writer.

          A twitter thread saved into the the threader app
          A twitter thread saved into the the threader app

          For some people, a service like this would be enough. Threader removes distractions and allows you to save threads to read later. It also features collections of popular threads from other users.

          If, however, you like to bring everything into one place, then these services can be a temporary storage, and triage on your journey.

          Once saved to threader, you can access it on the desktop and use the Evernote web clipper browser extension. This gives you the same options as before with article, full page and simplified article saving the whole thread. In this case, the whole thread will be saved and visible in Evernote.

          A twitter thread saved to evernote from Threader app using the desktop web clipper
          A twitter thread saved to evernote from Threader app using the desktop web clipper

          If you use the iOS share sheet extension from the iOS threader app, it will only take the start of the thread. You won’t get the whole thread.

          A tweetstorm saved to evernote using the iOS threader app and iOS share sheet
          A tweetstorm saved to evernote using the iOS threader app and iOS share sheet

          Personally, I am surprised that saving to Evernote, notion or roam research isn’t one of the premium features. However, the fact that Threader is an indie project powered by two developers might explain this omission.

          Regardless, adding this functionality would be a great idea.

          Trurn a thread into markdown with The.Rip

          The rip promises to turn twitter threads into markdown, so they are easily imported into Evernote, Notion or Roam.

          Unfortunately I was unable to get the rip to work. Whenever I tried to log in to the site, it revealed an error message.

          Error message from The.Rip when trying to log in.
          Error message from The.Rip when trying to log in.

          This was a real shame as it seemed like a great, flexible solution.

          Saving twitter threads with Readwise

          Readwise is a service that helps you save highlights, review what you’ve saved, and then share or store your highlights. It includes features like automatic import for Kindle book highlights and has export functionality for Evernote with Notion and Roam Research in beta.

          Readwise can also save tweets and twitter threads. All you need to do is reply to (or better DM) @readwise and say “save” (to save a tweet). Alternatively you can message “Save thread” to save a thread. You can read more details on the readwise help page.

          Now, the tweet or thread is saved to your readwise highlights to review and it can be automatically or manually exported to Evernote. This is by far the simplest way to save threads and you can still review items you save before you export them.

          Saving Tweets with IFTTT

          IFTTT is an internet service that connects multiple services. It follows simple programming logic of “If This, then that”. One common actions is to save tweets you star to Evernote (or another service). You can even set a specific notebook and tags with static and dynamic characteristics.

          Unfortunately, IFTTT only works with the first tweet, so it can’t save a whole thread. IFTTT will, however, save a link to the thread. Not an ideal solution, but certainly easy to use.

          What is the best way to save Twitter threads to Evernote?

          It really depends on your needs but personally, I’m sticking with readwise. I already use it to save and review other highlights and notes so applying it to twitter threads makes sense.

          The easy, universal nature of its functionality is another plus. As long as I’m logged in to my twitter account, I can save a thread easily.

          If you’ve settled on a different choice or found an alternative method, I’d love you to leave a comment, so I can know why.