In this digital age, our brains are constantly exposed to a never-ending stream of information and ideas. However, with the rapid pace of this bombshell, it can be hard to remember each and every one of them. Too often, an idea or notion that we promised to pursue can slip by.
That’s why taking notes is so important. Notes create a permanent record of thoughts and ideas you don’t want to forget. Obsidian provides the perfect platform for you to do just that – you can easily format your notes, link them together and store them in your vault.
What is obsidian?
Obsidian is a powerful note-taking and knowledge-management app. It offers a unique way of organizing information as the Obsidian is based on the Zeitelkasten concept: a vault of interconnected and dynamic notes. With this method, you can easily explore and manage your notes. It can also catalyze new ideas.
Obsidian is built on a distributed version control system called Git, which allows you to keep track of all the changes made to your notes. This makes the app incredibly flexible, as you can modify and reorganize your notes whenever your needs change.
On top of that, Obsidian’s graph view shows all your notes and the connections between them with a single click. You can filter and customize this graph to see connections between specific notes or to get a quick overview of your vault.
With its dynamic structure and combined graph view, Obsidian turns your notes into much more than just scribbles: they become a dynamic part of your second brain.
An Integrated Approach to Markdown with Obsidian
Obsidian is an app, quite unlike your brain. Apps have their own file formats, and they require regular updates to work on the latest systems. Obsidian only becomes practical after being used for a while, and the more you invest in your vault, the more it can serve as your second brain.
So, here stands a conflict. Your Obsidian Vault is a long-term investment, and yet Obsidian is one app that could go out of service at any time. What if obsidian dies suddenly? Would you rather lose years of knowledge locked away in your obsidian vault forever?
This conflict resolution is probably Obsidian’s best feature. Obsidian Notes uses Markdown, and they are stored in plain text as Markdown files (MD).
Markdown is a simple, plain-text syntax that allows you to write and format your notes in a coherent and organized way. Through Markdown, you can easily format text, add images to your notes, and link your notes together.
Obsidian Notes are stored as md files. As a result, you can format your notes faster with Markdown and view and edit your Obsidian notes with other Markdown editor apps.
How to use obsidian for notebooks
There are two sides to the obsidian notebook. The technical aspect of it is installing the app, creating Vault and Notes, and formatting and connecting the notes using Markdown. The other aspect is less technical. This is the methodology you use to store your notes. Truth be told, no one note-taking method works for everyone.
You need to get a feel for what you want from Obsidian, and then see which method suits you best. Generally speaking, the Obsidian isn’t the best instrument for fleeting notes. Your Obsidian notes require structure and connection to store information efficiently, and formatting the notes requires time and peace of mind.
So if you’re sitting in class and the professor is teaching at a fast pace, it’s a challenge to type and format everything on the go. You can also use simple note-taking apps or a piece of paper to write down large amounts of information. Then, transfer the essence of your new information to Obsidian.
Remember that your obsidian vault is a long term investment. The more effort you put into organizing information efficiently, the better obsidian will do its job. With that out of the way, let’s get into installing and using Obsidian.
1. Download and Install Obsidian
The first step in using Obsidian is to download and install it. Obsidian is available for free on the official website, and you can install it on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is also available for free on the Play Store and App Store.
2. Create a New Vault
Once you launch Obsidian for the first time, you will be presented with a startup window. Here you can create a new vault, or open an existing one. Click on Create New Vault to get started.
On the next screen, give your vault a name and choose a folder for it. The location you choose is where all the notes and files in that vault will be stored.