#scotis studyblr

My little planner that is cute and that I love/use very much VS my whole desk I need to clean since 3weeks ago

Ref: https://youtu.be/hSTy_BInQs8?si=Uijjz2tutrtFwqTn

Also known as "knowledge network", "zettelkasten"(slip-box) or "second brain", Obsidian help you transform your note-taking system into a streamlined, efficient process that enhances your reading, writing and thinking.

Before you begin

Keep it simple (and stupid):

Don't strive on a perfect setup, it will improve with time while adapting to your need/usage

Avoid overcomplicating your system, start and keep a minimal setup focused on essential features (no complex plugin or features that do not contribute to your core objectives)

Embrace the slow process and you should keep it that way for better learning (speed reading is not a good mix for learning and analysing)

It boost memory

Help ideas make more sense over time

Why use Obsidian

Understand more of what you read:

Connect ideas, linking related concepet so you understand all the sides/context/informations of an idea

Avoid isolation, store ideas in a way that relate them to others, creating a cohesive system

Easily search your knowledge, all your ideas/notes are in the same place, making it easier to search within them and revisit them

Have an easier time writing:

As you read/watch/take notes of stuff, you see topics coming naturally forward, so you know what interest you to write

You have an easier time rearranging the topics to help you make a book or essay

You can reuse your notes as many time as you want, they're not contained within one only project

It's like you're making yourrself a personal assistant that only got better with time and enhances your thinking

Setup guide

Download and install Obsidian

Choose a name for you vault and a place (folder) for it:

A vault is the folder of all your notes, tags and other files

If you choose a Gdrive (or any other cloud storage) folder and have a syncing tool, you can haveacces to your vault on multiple device

Create folders to organize your vault:

Notes (where all your notes live, including brainstorming, to-do list to research or notes on source material)

Index (when a tags become too big to really navigate easely, you make an index files where you link your notes in a logical order, alike a book index)

Templates (for reusable templates)

Create some useful starter files:

Tags reference (a list of all the tags you use and their description)

To-do list (to track your progress on a subjecs or topics you're studying, you can add checklist and progress trackers)

Adjust settings for efficiency:

Default note location: go to Settings > Files and links > Default location for new notes > and set your main Notes folder

Appearance: cuztomise the way Obsidian look, go to Settings > Appearance > Play with the setting here if you want

Templates : enable the core Template plugin and set up the folder for templates under Settings > Templates

Hotkeys : assign custom hotkey for frequently used action, like inserting template (CTRL+T for example)

Tips for using Obsidian

Tags:

Keep them focuced: don't make them too vague or too specific

Think about reuse: if you won't use a tag again, don't create it

Personalize: keep them oriented around your interest and goal (it's YOUR system)

Notes:

Make them easy to read: use white space and formatting to keep notes organized and visully appealing for easier reading

Use Markdown: formating faster inside Obsidian (https://facedragons.com/personal-development/obsidian-markdown-cheatsheet/)

Prioritize connections: link notes to related ideas or topics as much as possible

Learning mindset:

Experiment: your system will evolve as you get comfortable with Obsidian

Start small: focus on capturing ideas and connecting them, advanced feature can come later

Plugins:

Community plugin:

What I changed

Striking the dates when it's past => Let me see at which day I'm at without needed to open my phone to check the dates

Used icon as the last line of a day to track my routines => I don't have to have my quest-screen open to do them and I see them at all time ; in order they are 'cleaning myself', 'brushing my teeth', 'cleaning my house', 'walking', 'yoga or sport', 'cleaning my obsidian vault' and 'reading'

Used the "free day space" to write what need to be done this week, but don't have a real deadline or day to be done => like my driving licence theory that I need to study a certain amount of time each week

Used the far-right of the spread for my reflection of the week

Week 3 spread

What worked: - Better way to track which day we are - Using a multicolored pencil to color in is fun and I love that - Having a real visual way to track things that need to be done

What did not work: - With all the lines filled, it's hard to see when a day finish and when another start, in term of lines - Starting the week with shorts-editing is not fun and it make me lag in my to-do list, moving it elsewhere in the week would be better

Closing notes

Today was a fun-day: my brains did a lot of fun associations and outputs for work. I did so many graphic elements for our LUG (that I don't show here). And some word-art because I could.

After a weekend of working for REVOL and dying (thank you uterus, I hate you too), I was so energetic this morning!

I did the full editing of a YT short (I'll show you tomorrow) and a lot of accountant-things. I hated it a lot when I started, but now that I learned a lot and have experiences? It's almost soothing. (yes, you can quote me on this in the future, when I grumble that I don't have enough creativity-time).

This book was so nice to read! Okay, it was about economy, french laws, some european and american stat about economy ; some laws where old and France made an update so I had some *lovely* time on LegiFrance. So, not so fun. BUT the layout was simple and nice (for an economy book I was so happy to be able to gush on the design) and it was well researched. So many ref' I need to look up! And it was well written, the points where well made and it was really nice to read, even if it took me one full month on it.

I have SO MANY NOTES. I shared a lot of them with my REVOL' friends, we had some nice discussions about it and some answer to our question.

Starting point

Like a lot of people, I have a lot of project and things to track, so a lot of to-do list. I track all my projects with my quest-screen (a DM-less 3 fold screen that I need to share with you), but seeing ALL the to-do list is overwhelming and not great to take with me. Sure, I use GCalendar for appointment and recurring things I need to keep an eye on, but it's not flexible at all and it's been since 2024 that I found that sometime, paper is the most flexible and easy thing to set up (I fought GCalendar and hacked it too many times to not be bitter about the way it was not working for me).

I tried a mural calendar, quest board (still kind of using it), paper to-do list, video game, paper tacked on my phone, productivity games and doing digital list in diverse software. None were working for me.

So my next ideas was to still use my quest-screen to track all my projects and things I need to do, then each week pick and choose what I need to really do.

The planner

I was not looking for a planner back in november, but I was looking for a new to-do list block when I saw those tiny year-planner. It's smaller than my phone! And it came in red, pink or blue, so even if I don't particularly like the ocean, it's blue so it's enough for me. And! It has only 4 lines per day! I can really choose my top-3 items and mark an appointment!

It feel like a good sign to try my hand of using a regular planner. I have not used a physical planner since lycée, so let's go!

Week 1 spread

Nothing fancy for this week, it's just a regular to-do list for the moment, with deadline stuffs. I need to start somewhere to see what work and what doesn't ^^ !

What work: - It let me prioritize up to 3 items to do - I can clearly see what items can be done what day, so I know when I'll do something - It does not show all the to-do list of my quest-board, so it's less overwhelming