I'm getting setup with Obsidian. I've heard of things like PARA, Zettelkasten, etc. and I'm a bit lost. Where should I start?

I've tried basically all of the popular note-taking systems out there, and if there's one thing they all have in common: they're usually way too complicated for most people to start with. While people find comfort in an opinionated system, I personally believe the best way to get started with Obsidian is not to have any system at all.

There's a reason a robust note system is often referred to as a "digital garden." It's because it should be grown organically, and that's exactly how to create the best note-taking system for you.

Top 5 tips for getting started

So, to practice what I preach, here are the 5 things you should learn before you get started with Obsidian:

  1. Get comfortable with the double square bracket link syntax. Example: [[My Note]]
  2. Whenever you feel like linking, just do it. Don't overthink it and use them sparingly as if they are only a certain amount before you get charged money.
  3. Learn to use the aliases frontmatter property. It's by far the most useful property to help with recall. (Bonus: You can easily add a property to your note with the hotkey Cmd/Ctrl + ;)
  4. Don't worry about complicated folder organization. It makes you feel organized at first, but it'll eventually give you a headache because you'll realize notes belong in more than one folder.
  5. Avoid plugins unless you know it's going to solve a very specific problem. I'll cover this in more detail in future posts.

Bonus tip for those who like keyboard shortcuts, if you're used to creating new notes with Cmd/Ctrl + N, customize your hotkeys with the following:

  1. In the Settings panel, go to Hotkeys under Options
  2. In the upper right, search for new note and you should see Create new Note in the list
  3. Click on the ❌ to delete the default key binding for it
  4. Go back to the search input and clear it so you can search for Quick switcher. You should now see Quick switcher: Open quick switcher in the list
  5. Click on the ➕ button to add a new hotkey
  6. Press the corresponding hotkey Cmd/Ctrl + N that you'd use for creating a note.

Closing thoughts

At the end of the day, the key to a successful note-taking system is longevity. While I love Obsidian and have used it for many years, there are a lot of pitfalls that can result in burnout. Yes it can configured in seemingly infinite ways, but you don't need to worry about that now. In fact, I implore you not to worry about complexity.

Just focus on taking notes and before you know it, your little digital garden will be ready for the next stage: customization.