Obsidian as my 2nd Brain
Introduction
I used Apple Notes as my main note-taking app for a long time. As my notes grew, I started feeling its limitations, so I needed something better.
Obsidian is exactly the tool I was missing.
I am building my personal ecosystem, and it now fully covers the notes layer. 📝
What I Like
There are many reasons why I chose Obsidian over tools like Apple Notes and Notion. ✅
Reliability
Even if the app breaks or is no longer maintained, I still have all my notes saved locally and in my own cloud as Markdown files. I am completely free to do whatever I want with them.
Links
One of Obsidian's best features is internal linking. Every note can connect to another, creating an always-growing knowledge network.
Tags
I can use tags to classify notes, the idea is similar to the folders but tags are visible and well integrated in Obsidian.
Vim
Because it uses plain Markdown files, I can edit my notes with Vim.
Cross-platform
It works for me on both my phone and desktop. It only lacks smartwatch support, but I rarely read notes on my Apple Watch anyway.
Automation
I can easily create scripts to automate note workflows or use AI with full context from my vault, without writing long prompts every time.
Plugins
The community has built tons of useful plugins. I use tools like Map View, Emoji Shortcodes, LaTeX Suite, Numerals, and Relative Line Numbers.
My Current System
This is an idea of the current structure I am building and refining in my Obsidian vault.
Folders
I use the PARA method to organize my notes. 📚
I know Obsidian is not folder-based, but I like having a tidy path for every file in my vault.
For instance, if I need to check how I set up relative line numbers in Vim, I can find the note in a dedicated folder path. 🧭
Locations
I'm currently on exchange in Belgium, and I am taking a few trips around the country, so I like saving everything that might be useful in the future. I also like keeping a history of the places I have been, and later I want to use that data to create fun stats, like my most visited country over the last 10 years. For example, I was in Amsterdam, and Google Maps does not show all public toilets. Once we found one in Vondelpark, I added it to the dedicated note so next time I know exactly where to go if I need it. Am I crazy? Yes, I know. 🙃
My Goal
My notes will be the heart of my ecosystem. ❤️
Here are a few ideas I'm exploring: 💡
Contacts
A single file for each contact so I can keep the data I care about and sync it to my server and all devices.
Calendar
Connect events to notes. For example, link my Amsterdam trip note to the calendar event, so I can easily find all the details and memories from that trip in the future.
Scripts
Create automations that update notes or read from them to decide behavior. For example, instead of always calling GPS, a script could read location context from a dedicated file.
Photos
I often add images and videos to notes, so I want to connect my Immich library instead of keeping duplicated files in both Immich and the vault.
Final Thoughts
I love data and tracking everything, and I also love the idea of working directly with Markdown.
Everything feels cleaner and more powerful when your notes are just files you control.
I'm definitely still improving my system, so this is only the beginning.