My 2020 Comprehensive Obsidian Workflow For Zettelkasten and Evergreen Notes

[@BryanJenks]

Want to get your hands on my Obsidian templates, Custom CSS, and Mermaid Diagram code? 👉🏻️bryanjenkstech.ck.page/d4ec0713d5 0:00:00 Intro 0:01:04 My approach to Obsidian for PKM (Zettelkasten) 0:02:00 Cliff notes on what Zettelkasten is 0:04:34 How to take smart notes 0:05:09 kit.co/tallguyjenks/books/how-to-take-smart-no 0:05:23 One of my key takeaways from zettelkasten 0:08:02 Wrapping up premise 0:08:29 What my workflow looks like (and most used tools) 0:09:52 Balancing benefits of analog cards with digital viewing 0:11:48 The dangers of copy / paste 0:14:03 codifying my workflow into a flow chart 0:14:29 My Book workflow 0:15:30 Begin distracted ADHD rambling about my system and philosophy of note taking 0:18:09 What does the book workflow look like in practice 0:20:45 How i process videos 0:23:56 A youtube video note page in my system 0:25:15 Podcasts in my workflow 0:26:47 the iOS app Airr for Airr quotes from podcasts for notes 0:29:42 Academic Literature and research paper processing 0:30:59 My Zotero to Obsidian workflow for Research papers 0:32:38 The 2 plugins i use in Zotero for Markdown notes from PDF's 0:35:29 Process for articles and any other digital media 0:36:23 Raindrop io as my content inbox for filtered processing 0:38:05 Secret hack for reading Medium 0:38:38 how my raindrop tagging works 0:41:37 Everything so far culminates into literature notes 0:42:47 New insights and Zettelkasten as an active practice in spaced repetition 0:43:57 The point is creation not collection 0:44:18 How i also have technical content in my Zettelkasten beyond just ideas 0:46:08 How to curate these large note taking systems 0:47:50 How i use links for emerging MOC's that act like tags 0:48:53 Emerging MOC's from "tag" links 0:49:40 My emoji status tags 0:52:16 How i weirdly name my files for searching that causes headaches for those on Linux 0:55:05 My templates for content processing and other tools 0:55:45 Obsidian to Anki Cards 0:57:13 github.com/Pseudonium/Obsidian_to_Anki 0:57:24 Regular expressions and saved searches 0:58:22 command line one-liner for showing link count stats 0:59:13 Drawing in obsidian 1:00:05 My goals and purposes for this system 1:01:47 A closing idea about the system in Obsidian 1:02:42 Outro

[@base_2582]

The timestamping is strong - very nice, thank you for that 😊

[@BryanJenks]

@@base_2582 haha thanks, i know its essential for people. I'm not about wasting others time :)

[@hieubert134]

​ @Bryan Jenks 🐄 thank you so much for this detailed taste of your workflow!!! love peeking at your brain. timestamp hopping 💦

[@BryanJenks]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

[@ProbablePrime]

@@BryanJenks If you put these timestamps in the video description, it should hookup KZbin Chapters. which change the seek bar of the video to include the information there.

[@Hungryturtledev]

Super excited to dive into this video. Taking notes on how other people take notes. What a time to be alive

[@BryanJenks]

another layer of meta is you're taking notes on how i took notes on the book 'How To Take Smart Notes' 🤣️🤣️🤣️

[@Felewin]

fractal notetaking

[@BryanJenks]

@@Felewin note-ception

[@TheMitPitt]

just took a metanote of your comment

[@keithprice7119]

@@Felewin fractaking or frotel

[@barnabasszakal7258]

Man, this video is so much jam packed with value, hard even to believe that we can get all of it at one single occasion!

[@BryanJenks]

Glad you enjoyed it! been putting this all together for a while now :)

[@arcasgoncalves]

This was freaking incredible. Deep, knowledgeable, thorough. Keep up the awesome work

[@BryanJenks]

and this is dated, planning my updated video soon ;D

[@DontTellMyMom]

@@BryanJenks Any plans on the update video?

[@KazumiShiunsai]

I'm just starting with Obsidian and reading about Zettelcasten, your video was very informative and interesting, not everyone shares and explain their workflow in such detail like you did, thank you!

[@alejofernandez2283]

This is so underrated.. They way you explain everything and the system you developed in Obsidian combining zettlekasten and evergreen is nice, this video is a pure gold mine.

[@BryanJenks]

Thank you! The V2 has been filmed and im editing it right now ;D

[@base_2582]

Just watched it and will definitely rewatch this a couple of times! Interesting to see all these ideas/concepts/processes you have to Organize the flood of ideas that’s hammering down on everybody all the time!

[@BryanJenks]

thats the goal! in a macro view my RSS feed is the firehose i cherry pick for my true inbox or inputs i then use my content processing workflow to distill down to literature notes --> seedlings --> incubated notes --> evergreen notes it works for me which is the important things :)

[@ProductivePM]

Bryan really enjoyed this, watched it now 3 times, and able to get something new each time. Keep it coming. All the best!

[@BryanJenks]

Glad to hear it! :D

[@kamilabianchi]

I clicked just to watch something about Obsidian, ended up watching your 1h long video and getting all the apps / books you recommended. Great job. thanks for that!!

[@BryanJenks]

glad you enjoyed it! :D

[@Chaolin91]

This is just such an awesome and complete video and it’s a great guide for me and my new obsession with PKM. I can really tell, that you do this because you personally are totally into it, and that makes it so genuine and relatable. Thank you so much for this!

[@BryanJenks]

glad you enjoyed it! wonderful to have you here :) updated video coming soon!!

[@MediNaPowaznie]

It sounds like a huge revolution to the way of thinking and working daily. Definitely will try your way of managing notes!

[@BryanJenks]

Glad you enjoyed the video! :)

[@lfegri]

Hi Bryan. I really loved this video. I spent hours watching it and taking notes and I learned a lot for sure! I just bought you some coffees as a way to say thank you! Please keep those videos about PKM, Zettelkasten and Obsidian coming! All the best for you!

[@BryanJenks]

thank you so much for the support! 3 more videos already scheduled :)

[@jessklette7685]

The sheer effort and organization of this is incredible! You have expanded my mind to what is possible! Thank you for this!

[@BryanJenks]

Wait till you see the 2021 version :)

[@jeffk8900]

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing. Would love to see the ANKI implementation workflow.

[@BryanJenks]

its coming!

[@TheErgunPascu]

Bryan, if I tried explaining to you how personally tailored to me this video is, you would not believe me. Thank you so much!

[@BryanJenks]

♥️

[@justindirose]

Enjoyed this video, Bryan! Thanks for walking us through your setup :)

[@BryanJenks]

Glad you enjoyed it! a bit long winded and with every new update the workflow adapts and mutates but overall im happy with how i got things working. Enjoyed the live stream this morning! 💯

[@thebibleproof]

Hi Bryan, this video answered most of my questions on how to use Obsidian productively. Your explanation of MOCs emerging organically, but I am still not clear on using Zettelkasten for the PKM part. I found Obsidian after it was mentioned in comments of a Ted Nelson video, but because my system is a hot mess, I can't even tell you which of his videos it was. But after seeing this, the workflow is becoming more clear to me. I subscribed, and will look you in Discord, as I still have plenty more learn from you.

[@BryanJenks]

Glad to have you here :) and welcome!

[@kenziekline2231]

All of this is wonderful, but especially grateful to hear the reco for yinote...I had no idea extensions like that even existed. This is such a game changer. Thanks for the fantastic walkthrough!

[@BryanJenks]

I stopped using it shortly after this video lol I used memex for a while but now I’m using the media extended plugin in obsidian

[@Talkietoaster14]

Hey mate, thank you so much for this. By far the clearest video i found on this method of note-taking. I stumbled across apps like obsidian and roam a few days ago, and the associated Zettlekasten method. I was blown away by the potential but honestly it did my head in.... This helped me to make sense of it and begin implementing it. great work!

[@BryanJenks]

Glad it helped! This video needs to be updated but i'm glad it has helped :)

[@ignaciocalderondelabarca4326]

Yo I've been looking for something like this for so long, thanks for the long format video it's very appreciated

[@BryanJenks]

Glad I could help

[@pitbulxdeaa]

This is probably best Obsidian video someone can watch

[@BryanJenks]

Wait till you see the 2021 version ;)

[@machinekeeper]

A fantastic overview of Obsidian and your awesome workflow. Top!

[@BryanJenks]

glad you enjoyed it :)

[@adhdraw]

0:58:35 The process is for Mac (comments say Ubuntu also) so idk about windows The link for the obsidian forum post is below forum.obsidian.md/t/link-pane-note-bash-script/4729 (fingers crossed for obsidian windows feature)

[@BryanJenks]

Good catch, not sure if it will run on WSL or not ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@osakisai675]

This helped me a ton. Mr. Bryan's contents are gravely valuable!

[@BryanJenks]

[@aleemjuma8898]

45:09 "Who remembers everything about statistics?" I'm sure there's a way to figure out what proportion of the population remember everything about statistics...

[@BryanJenks]

LOL OMFG 🤣️

[@thedog5k]

Thanks for the laugh man, what an amazing comment.

[@OtRatsaphong]

Great video! Love your workflow. Thanks for sharing 🙏 BTW you have an amazing voice for singing.

[@BryanJenks]

Thank you so much! Lol im trying to learn to sing from my sister, she's received some training and like to sing Opera style music, i'd like to sing in Norwegian some day 😅️

[@David-sg1yi]

I enjoyed this video. I particularly liked your discussion on how you name your files with a different type of character. I have just started with Obsidian and have named a few notes with my own version of date and topic but they're long note titles. I might try your method. I also like how you use the potential page links as tags until they morph into something bigger. I'm coming from a few years of using Evernote on and off and my most recent try has not been successful. Brain just shuts down on seeing all those notebooks etc. Obsidian seems to provide an easier way to link things (or not). I also like the graph. I find it helpful to see what notes are linked and I have found it easier in some instances to find what I'm looking for. I tried Roam but I bailed on my free trial. I like having my own data for one thing. I have subscribed to your channel.

[@BryanJenks]

Glad to have you! It was a big growing pin moving from structured hierarchy to top level pools of files but with the linking and graph views it’s been an absolute dream working with Obsidian. I’m glad you found the video helpful!

[@David-sg1yi]

@@BryanJenks Yes, I'm trying to figure out the easiest, simplest way of being able to retrieve stuff. I might try the daily note.

[@PaulFWatts]

This is an excellent guide on how to create the digital "2nd Brain" that complements our own brain and can move us from merely collecting and curating knowledge to using that knowledge to create new knowledge. Everything is very well explained and presented and inherently honest. It has made me very excited to learn more about how Bryan gathers and processes information and turns it into internalised knowledge that helps him, and by extension us, become a better person.

[@BryanJenks]

you are too kind :)

[@ryanwhite6381]

Brilliant video. Dense with great information, ideas, and strategies. Bravo! And thank you! Especially loved the insight on using backlinks as tags to support emergence of structure.

[@BryanJenks]

glad you enjoyed it! wonderful to have you here :)

[@guthrien]

This was a great video, you packed a ton into an hour. Nicely done.

[@BryanJenks]

Thank you! this is why i need scripts lol so much to pack in and i tend to ramble hence the need also for timestamps 🤣

[@kevinzeng8073]

Amazing! Finally a real master introducing a complete workflow in obsidian, I will watch this video again and again. As a beginner and a non-native English speaker, I have a very small question to ask you. Why is there a link in the title of each card, if it is the author of the book or some Tags I can understand, what is the purpose of create a link to the title (in the text)? Since each card (file name) already shows the title, why is it still mentioned in the card text? Also, the way the files are named really stood out to me!

[@BryanJenks]

Hey Kevin, Thank you for the kind words! 🙇🏻‍♂️️🙇🏻‍♂️️🙇🏻‍♂️️ I liked your question enough to make a permanent answer for it here: github.com/BryanJenksCommunity/FAQ/issues/19 Glad you like the file naming, there was a strategy behind it ;) Cheers!

[@tedblizzard100]

Outstanding video. I also like your focus on results not playing with shiny things in the note-taking applications. Thank you. I would love to see the Obsidian to Anki python script working. I tried and it looks fantastic but no cards show up in Anki :-( .

[@BryanJenks]

Thank you! The ultimate goal is using tools and their features in a way that actually helps me achieve my goals, shiny things are nice but if they don't help me achieve goals then its a distraction to me :) The python script can be a little tricky to configure, or at least it was when i did it last, i may do a video on it soon we'll see i have a few more videos already in the queue and loaded at the moment

[@Smarandii]

im gonna leave this comment just for ur support, system looks great thanks a lot for letting in!

[@BryanJenks]

Much appreciated!

[@SirSpinach]

Very inspiring video! This sold me on moving from physical Zettelkasten to digital.

[@BryanJenks]

the power of search and scalability is a massive draw

[@lisamclewis]

I have been using Evernote for years to gather my blips and thoughts...any ideas for moving, or better yet linking to my evernote content? Thanks for the video..subscribed

[@BryanJenks]

I havent used evernote to much of any degree. I've heard from others in the Obsidian forum that the transition can be a pain. One potential avenue that may reduce the pain is to download an app called joplin which is free and open source. Joplin can import Evernote exports and Joplin also keeps files as plain text. thats said if you plan to follow the zettelkasten route, it may be best to review all your notes in a once over and decide methodically what is actually worth converting over and what holds value versus taking a mess from one app and putting it into another. Glad you have you! :)

[@tjex]

Really, such a good video Bryan. Really great insightful content and presented super well. Also great app recommendations. Really appreciate how you were able to balance out the technical side of things by still making clear the idea of the end goal of output/synthesis of ideas, the natural way to think and to not get stuck in content consumption etc, and what the core ability and benfits of the app are. For those who don't get so far initially, he sums it up super concisely at: 48:53 . bravo mate! Happily subscribed.

[@BryanJenks]

Glad you enjoyed the video! :D

[@patrickprucha5522]

Thanks very much. I have been switching between note taking applications. I realized one thing, keep it simple format that is universal such as text. So finally i have decided to use vscode because its very flexible. I can script in bash/perl/python and take notes in the same window. I find that vscode if very useful. However, I heard about obsidian and am looking of transferring all my text documents and notes into obsidian. I like your approach or letting the vault emerge and not so worried about the folder hierarchy, which is the right way. Our computers should be make to take care of that easily and get access to it just as easily. I think im going to ask my son to look at obsidian as a mean of organizing his thoughts and ideas into a single system. I my self am going to adopt obsidian as a pkm system. Again, thanks for your work and now to go watch your 2021 video :) . Keep up the good work!!!! your video's are very well done too!!!! 👍

[@BryanJenks]

Glad you find them so helpful! :D

[@TruSam]

Can you please share that code and explain how to use it: 0:58:22 command line one-liner for showing link count stats this video is gold!

[@BryanJenks]

i dont have it anymore and there many better options like obsidian42 strange new worlds plugin

[@10e999]

Still watching the video: but it's already great at @8:42 you use a keyboard shortcut to open the search window. What is it? I'm looking everywhere and I'm not finding it ^^

[@BryanJenks]

glad you're enjoying :) if it wasnt already set in keybindings i have the file launcher opened with CMD+O :)

[@10e999]

@@BryanJenks Thanks ! Not finish the video yet, but it's great.

[@GeFlixes]

Interesting point about Raindrop.io. Currently, I'm using Pocket as a Read-it-Later-and-Bookmarks service and actually Zotero also for web articles that I want to read and annotate - with all the plus points that you mention for Papers; I use a 'save this webpage to PDF plugin for that). Problem with my set-up: I can't read in Pocket and annotate the article, then when I decide to use the article further export to a PDF with those annotations if that's interesting. Pocket doesn't let you export to PDF and the highlights don't show with a few webpage-to-PDF converters I tried. So, does Raindrop let you annotate stuff? Can you export the annotated webpage to PDF? Further testing is required, I shall find this out...

[@BryanJenks]

AFAIK Raindrop doesn't do annotations but you could potentially combine memex annotation with that if you wanted everything in the browser and to just grab a final product for obsidian. Personally i just have raindrop and obsidian open side by side to write my notes thus far. If memex can one day compete with raindrop i may completely move over as the template exports in memex could be super powerful and replace many of my obsidian templates but it's not there yet. personally I just lik Raindrops interface for saving webpages and bookmarks, and not Zotero plus i like the separation of concerns, zotero to me is for papers and bibliography generation and raindrop is for all web inputs that need to be bookmarked. The archival of webpages is nice though in regards to Zotero if something needed to be cited. lots of ways we can use these interwoven workflows!

[@GeFlixes]

@@BryanJenks Ah, thanks for the mention of Memex. I'll try that out - it has in fact a YT annotation feature as well as far as I can see.

[@BryanJenks]

@@GeFlixes yes! thats what im using it for right now actually, its better than the prior mentioned yinote workflow

[@nikkujj]

Hi Bryan, BTW, this was a great video. Thank you for taking the time to walk through your setup. There are several things that I plan to use in my Obsidian workflow as I get started. Towards the end of your video, you mentioned something about wanting to be a better writer, hopefully someday in the academic field. I admire that desire and suggest your read the book "Writing Science" by Joshua Schimel. I just went through it for this first time over the last couple of months, and it was an excellent book!

[@BryanJenks]

Thanks for the tip! i'll check it out :)

[@alsokai]

I want to know more about the social contract of the returned shopping cart. I am so interested in whether, by not returning the car, I am contributing to job creation (in Australia, this job is very often undertaken my adult migrant males)... and one of my most notable moments of my second pregnancy was being so exhausted by the shopping that I couldn't not fathom the walk to return the cart (I do return carts when leaving them would make other shoppers lives difficult), and a trolley-man walked past and took it. I don't think he ever had any idea how much I needed that.

[@alsokai]

(I should add. This is a conversation I have with my friends all the time. To return or not to return. which serves the greater good).

[@BryanJenks]

i dont think its a cut and dry thing. I thing the undertones are the better indicators. i.e. less of "the actual act of returning a cart or not determines If im an asshole or not" and more of "am i the type of person who does things for the collective benefit of my community and others besides myself even if it does not directly benefit me. A great discussion point around the juxtaposition around collectivism and American individualism

[@sudoLife]

at 38:23, you say "eventually, all this stuff will get processed". While raindrop seems to be an incredible tool, it also makes for a super easy one to mindlessly add information that's not really valuable. Shouldn't one be a little more cautious when choosing a toolkit so as not to end up with a clogged brain (be it the first or the second). what are your thoughts on that?

[@BryanJenks]

that is why i am cautious about what i put into raindrop

[@somefrenchdude9439]

Such a great video, thank you. Which other video / posts / resources would you recommend to someone who just discovered Zettelkasaten and Obsidian to quickly learn how to best structure & write a note?

[@BryanJenks]

i have a whole PKM playlist and livestreams for Zettelkasten. There's also Nick Milo and Effective Remote Work

[@alexjosh3630]

Watching this video was really worth the time. Keep up the good work! :)

[@BryanJenks]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@PropaneFitness]

This is fantastic Bryan, thank you for sharing. Are you using a green screen here?

[@BryanJenks]

You are most welcome, yes at the time of this filming I was still using my green screen a lot

[@cornifigo]

Thank you! I'm so proud of this community of Obsidian

[@BryanJenks]

It is a great community :)

[@vincit1602]

Ty for this very informative video, could you list the applications that you are using? Cannot find the Gnotes extension you mentioned!

[@BryanJenks]

im glad you enjoyed it :) the extention for the video notes with timestamps i mentioned is yinote: chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/yinote/fhpgggnmdlmekfdpkdgeiccfkignhkdf

[@yeders]

Hi @Bryan I tried to connect my google docs to YiNote, but google says that its not allowed: Sign in with Google temporarily disabled for this app This app has not yet been verified by Google in order to use Google Sign in.

[@BryanJenks]

strange. i just tested the whole workflow and it works for me just the same as always.

[@chrisaalid]

Would you ever post a cleaned-up version of your Obsidian vault as a starting point?

[@BryanJenks]

probably not, jsut because a true zettelkasten is inherently personal. I'd basically have to make faux information and notes. I personally found it helpful to start completely with nothing. import nothing, and start completely from scratch and over time build it up using the various methods. if you really want a great starting vault to paly around with @Nick Milo has the LYT kit available if that's more up your alley: www.linkingyourthinking.com/lyt-kit personally all i really give away is my CSS, my templates, and depending on what is asked for, a few notes on technical content that isn't inherently personal :)

[@hjl]

11:48 this is the biggest drawback fundamentally keeps me wandering in front the door to digital world.

[@BryanJenks]

IMO the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks

[@beckymcloughlin4951]

This is brilliant! Excellent advice and really well presented. So glad I discovered this near the start of my PhD. Last time I was at uni we didn't even have computers (shows hold old I am). Mind you, Niklas Luhmann did pretty well with his little pieces of paper and I like your point about not letting the cutting and pasting option make you lazy. I'm putting it all into practice right now - research rabbit, zotero (finally landed on this after considering mendeley and endnote), obsidian, evergreen notes, YiNote etc. Really hoping lots of connected and original thoughts will flow - a little stream has begun at least. Thank you so much. Are there any key updates or extra tips based on Obsidian v1.0.3?

[@BryanJenks]

Definitely check out my more recent workflow video :)

[@roger-jay]

The Zotfile plugin does not seem to work anymore. on the other hand it is possible to add an annotation file to the folder containing the paper, then right click on the annotations and export as markdown. The file can be directly moved into Obsidian where it will appear as a link, which if opened, will create a note with the annotations as content.

[@BryanJenks]

zotero 6 threw a big wrench into this workflow >.>

[@svenluebke]

Do you know how to backlink to Zotero like it was in the workflow before?

[@skysaan7018]

Hi Bryan n fellow Productive-rs! What to use to make an obsidian .md into rstudio .rmd? And vice versa? Appreciate any attempts made, requesting links to github scripts or apps or add-ons to do the same.🙏

[@BryanJenks]

all you really need to do is add the `R` in .Rmd to the end of the file name. the main difference between the markdown files obsidian uses and R uses are the fenced code chunks and how .Rmd uses the YAML front matter :)

[@PieroCascio75]

I'm very new to all of this and even though it was a bit overwhelming :D, this video is just amazing. Bravo!!

[@BryanJenks]

thank you :)

[@SirSpinach]

Yesss I think of Zettelkastening as gardening for my ideas too

[@BryanJenks]

Evergreen knowledge :)

[@JS-mq6ve]

Gonna try and dive into your videos more in future.. need to hold back atm with other priorities. But was specifically wondering if you cover analog note-taking and how it could integrate with digital, or at least handwritten digital (tablet)? I feel such a strong need for at least some handwritten experience but also feel need for digital integration. Trying to figure out a workflow. Just dipped my toes into Obsidian so far, but exploring how that could integrate with handwritten as well.

[@BryanJenks]

i try not to do analog personally, its a lot more work to transfer those notes. if you had to do it though there is OCR scanning to convert images of written text to digital text

[@adhdraw]

You mentioned "Andy Mode", is that horizontal slide for your notes part of a Community Theme or custom CSS? edit: forum.obsidian.md/t/andy-matuschak-mode/70 thanks Bryan!

[@BryanJenks]

Yes! The slide is Andy mode from Andy Matusak’s evergreen notes. It’s custom css and/or an unofficial plugin

[@dr.braddavis1710]

@@BryanJenks Hi- Thank you so much for the content it is really helpful. Where in the CSS file do you place the snippet for ANdy mode- I have the code but I'm not sure where to insert it

[@BryanJenks]

I put all my custom css at the bottom of my community theme css file, I heavily comment it to make it dostinct and usually also hyperlink to the discord post or forum post where i got it from originally in case it breaks and I want to inform the original person

[@dr.braddavis1710]

@@BryanJenks is there a special keystroke used to slide the panes. sorry total newbie when it comes to coding

[@BryanJenks]

No worries! You should be able to use the left and right arrow keys to scroll, personally I use my MacBook touch pad and recently the magic touch pad for the side scrolling :)

[@kevinelwell8151]

Bryan, Great video. Can you please explain more about the INDEX file? I downloaded your templates but do not see that one. Thanks!

[@BryanJenks]

the index file is included in the template vault i give out, but its really just the "home screen" of your vault, providing a few jumping off points into your vault from there is a great way to use the note so others can explore your notes more easily

[@nikkujj]

Hi Bryan, at around 10:00 you flip through some of your notes. I noticed that self-reference with the "Title" field. Why do you do that?

[@BryanJenks]

i answered that here: github.com/BryanJenksCommunity/FAQ/discussions :)

[@nikkujj]

@@BryanJenks oh great! Could you direct me to the exact post? I am having difficulty finding the relevant thread

[@triyasmith4519]

Can you explain more about your #🗺 MOC's? Is this where your #🏷 get their statuses promoted? Is that when you "activate" the link?

[@BryanJenks]

i replied to your other comment with this link that answers these questions kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHrLYoZtp8Zml6s

[@nobsreviews8814]

Wow, this is one heavy process. Which is exactly my flavour.

[@BryanJenks]

glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@Geemeel1]

eh... Wow.. SO impressive how you do this. You are very knowledgeable and very well presented, Love and Light from Europe 💞

[@BryanJenks]

[@AlexanderTurkhanov]

I finally came up with a simple workflow, where I have three types of entries - Ideas (article or essay genre), Concepts (definition/wiki genre), and daily notes (memo genre). The main source for evergreen notes is the discussion section in articles, where you're trying to summarize theses for future articles. So evergreen notes don't come in single, they come in packs, already connected. And concept entries just contain my definition and are a plain and simple label for some conceptual space along with the articles/essays with examples and counter-examples. Once you understand that every thought you came up with is either a potential thesis for an article or a supporting argument, your workflow is straightforward.

[@BryanJenks]

awesome!

[@angelinebrown1432]

Great video, currently just keeping head above water re research data for phd after adhd diagnosis so this is a great illustration of the overwhelming tech tools which look so sanity saving (esp as not super techy, barely understand what plug-in is, ha). One question re ref papers, coukd u suggest an app for Endnote and pc (rather than zotero and mac) pls? I could google it but am always waaaay behind and fall down a rabbit hole whilst searching. Thanks for the great help, Angie

[@BryanJenks]

zotero for sure and i have many videos on it

[@PetriusLima]

Someone present me to zettelkasten two days ago and i'm laying in it trying to use with Obsidian. Amazing Video! A little question: at 11:11, how did you overlap your main content with those new preview panels? Is it a css config?

[@BryanJenks]

Sliding Panes Plugin :)

[@andriizahr448]

The whole idea of taking notes with such precision and structuring them so you can come back later and write an essay or make a research - is amazing. But what about the case, when you move forward, explore and learn new things with a high velocity: what about the whole knowledge, that is not in use anymore? Let's say I am working, studying, trying to live healthy life, etc. at the same time. Doesn't it mean that I should only make notes for few, but very important things in my life(e.g. career success, finance, family, relocating...) or only for the materials which I will be using in my future scientific work/diploma?

[@BryanJenks]

i'd say "the knowledge thats not in use anymore" might not be pertinent right now, but down the line it can still be useful. It's always useful to store and externalize your thoughts for posterity. Part of this PKM idea is creating a literal second brain where all of your thoughts are stored, external, linked, and curated over time

[@familiekontoen1955]

At 34:00 you export the Exported Annotations to Markdown, and then copy the text into Obsidian. Why not just Copy and Paste the annotations from Zotero directly to Obsidian? The links are still working. Any other reasons for the export?

[@BryanJenks]

in my updated zotero workflow video, you CAN extract the annotations directly to a markdown file to your vault, but im very particular with naming conventions and my templates so its a matter of preference

[@Catcorner72]

Hey Bryan, you have such a fantastic graphic on all your topics. It looks like a solar system. With me, I only have gray dots that are always the same size. Since I am a visually driven person, I would also like to have this view with different sizes and colors. Is there an automatism behind or are the points manually adjusted?

[@BryanJenks]

There are graph groups you can set for the colors :)

[@david_fox]

Hi Bryan, I found this really useful so thank you. I was wondering how you make the numbered citations at the 00:20:10 mark?

[@BryanJenks]

markdown footnotes! add this to an obsidian page: ^[this is a footnote]

[@itsvishnukumar]

Hi Bryan! Love this. How did you get your tags (corresponding to tag searches) + the counts to show up in the bottom left pane?

[@BryanJenks]

you can drag the panes around by click/dragging on the icon for that window, and its the tag pane core plugin in obsidian :)

[@ericlightheart201]

Really awesome video, thank you Bryan! I'm just getting started with Obsidian and really love the basic instructions in adding custom code information and templates which are new to me.

[@BryanJenks]

Glad it was helpful!

[@midvok3918]

As I can see your Obsidian screen with the looong list of filenames, I realize I always used a completely different approach when trying to organize everything into structured directories. So, you don't believe (or find useful) in organizing files in folders?

[@BryanJenks]

Everything depends on context, intention, and desired outcome. My vault is meant to be primarily a zettelkasten that uses influences from Evergreen notes. Because of the search capability in Obsidian, the way files are linked, and the organization uses MOC's not a rigid nested folder hierarchy, i find it more effective to not use folders in this instance. I instead prefer the emergent structure to the frontloaded rigid taxonomy of folders and making everything fit into folders even when its a square peg to round hole type of scenario. I'll make a more detailed response to this here: github.com/BryanJenksCommunity/FAQ/issues/18 as i feel it merits a longer post

[@midvok3918]

​@@BryanJenks Thanks for the detailed response. I'm just in the process of organizing my notes and found the Obsidian app, which is really nice and practical. However, I think I will still continue to use VSCode alongside, because some of my notes are also AsciiDoc or other file-types.

[@BryanJenks]

@@midvok3918 end of the day it comes down to what works for you, with your goals, and gets you closer to your desired outcome!

[@LWBrown]

🐄 would love to see some (or all) of your saved searches, and other tools!

[@BryanJenks]

I honestly dont use them too much the only one i may actively use is the one that lets me use smart random note while avoiding private notes: path:-"Journal" AND path:-"Templates" AND -tag:#⚙️ AND -tag:#🗺️

[@ppgogo]

Thanks so much for putting this together, it is quite incredible! 🐄

[@BryanJenks]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🐄

[@mattiasovesson4447]

22:45 Anyone else having trouble signing into google docs when trying to export from YiNote? I get a pop-up saying 'this app is blocked' by google.

[@BryanJenks]

i've heard of people having issues with yinote, im using memex / worldbrain.io for video notes now :)

[@mattiasovesson4447]

@@BryanJenks Excellent, thanks!

[@lianglaw6923]

Bryan, thanks for your lovely video. Would like to ask what theme did you use?

[@BryanJenks]

gruvbox with a lot of custom CSS added :)

[@lianglaw6923]

@@BryanJenksNoted, thanks Bryan.

[@expeditioner9322]

Mr Jenks, Thank you for making this video. I was wondering which tool do you use to highlight and annotate PDFs. Cheers

[@BryanJenks]

I use the default pdf viewer on macOS: Preview :)

[@AndreyAdadurov]

I tried to do it the same way as in the video, but it didn't work on windows 10. I installed in zotero zotfile and mdnotes. Then right click on PDF icon in zotero -> manage attachments -> extract annotation. I got links to a page in PDF. But when clicking on this link, the PDF document was always opened on the first page.I tried to install three different apps from the store windows 10. I tried to install the EDGE browser on the system as the default program for opening pdf files. But the picture was the same. Then I tried to download the free pdf viewer from this link www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf-reader/ And I did it

[@robcurrey2129]

Xodo is the best I've found.

[@zaphbeeblebrox5333]

I need something like this for work, but unfortunately the work IT don't allow us to install Obsidian or Roam. Any alternatives?

[@BryanJenks]

Obsidian can be installed portably if that helps, if not, then if you have vs code you can use FOAM or completely in browser and still secure is logseq

[@zaphbeeblebrox5333]

@@BryanJenks Sadly both Obsidian and Roam websites are blocked by my workplace. That's why I was asking for alternatives for managing the team's knowledge at work. We have Confluence, but it's bloated and slow and terrible.

[@poojasunilpharande7219]

I am a student and I am taking my literature notes on my apple ipad with apple pencil.I have made many notes on good notes,evernote and have underlined pdf material in my ipad.I found obsidian the most productive app in terms of organizing the notes and also for connecting the ideas.But the problem I am facing is I am unable to migrate my notes from ipad to the obsidian.Can you please help me with this.

[@BryanJenks]

with using hand writing notes like that, i don't know. if you used highlights and annotations on PDF's then you can try this workflow forum.obsidian.md/t/zotero-best-practices/164/57 but if its just writings in the margin, i don't know of a solution off the top of my head. if you can export the files and import into OneNote and separate the markup MAYBE the OneNote ink to text feature could help but if thats even possible its hacky at best.

[@poojasunilpharande7219]

Okay I will try this!! Thank-you

[@surendergrover4146]

A great watch !. I am not a developer so I don't know how you made those advanced templates . Can you provide some of those template in markdown format. Thanks.

[@BryanJenks]

The templates are all markdown, thats they only way they work, so no developer skills needed, I'm studying at the moment, but for a reminder and for future reference for others, add an issue to this repo asking for my templates and ill get those to you and others who ask: github.com/BryanJenksCommunity/FAQ

[@MarcKoschel]

Thank you Bryan for this excellent video. So much information in one video. I have to questions: 1. Can you provide a link to that video note taking software? 2. Do you provide your workflow maps? Not that I want to copy them, but I prefer to adapt things to my own needs and build on them instead to start on a green field. Thank you so much for all this information and I am looking forward to watch all your other clips.

[@BryanJenks]

1. Yinote: github.com/shuowu/yi-note 2. i dont mind providing it at all if you want it :) here you go: gist.github.com/tallguyjenks/4208080de018dd3fce8f22bc5293cf1a glad to have ya! :)

[@MarcKoschel]

@@BryanJenks Thanx a bunch! I am really interested in the workflows for I am on the quest for my "optimized complete workflow". Obsidian is set as desktop version. But I am still looking for the optimal workflow on mobile. So far it is a combination with "1Writer", "Draft" and "Shortcuts". Most ideas are coming while driving in the car (I drive a lot for my business), So Siri Shortcuts must work, but it is limited to selected folders on icloud drive that I do not want to use. Other US cloud solutions are not possible for me because of the GDPR. The other "place of ideas" is the shower, however, my wife will kil me if I do any "tech stuff" in the bathroom. :-) So I am really looking forward to dive into your workflows and I hope that I can adapt some parts for my own workflow. Thanx again Bryan!

[@BryanJenks]

@@MarcKoschel im glad you enjoy what im doing :) the quest for the perfect system never ends 🤣️

[@AlexKahl]

@@MarcKoschel hey marc - please do Not laugh but one of the main reasons I bought an Apple Watch was using Drafts while driving and: Under the shower since the newer versions are waterproof

[@MarcKoschel]

@@AlexKahl Never thought about using my apple watch in the shower. In the car I use car play, siri shortcuts & Draft. for I wear my watch in bed for sleep tracking, I do charge my watch while I take a shower and be in the bathroom. Maybe I do reconsider this. Thanx for the idea!

[@andrewobuchow]

Great video :) I have two beginner questions: 1. how did you get your pages to show their contents on link hover? Is that a plugin? I don’t seem to have this on Linux 2. How are you doing the fuzzy search? Is that the same as “search all files”? It seems to look different on my Obsidian but maybe it’s just a UI update. Thanks so much !

[@BryanJenks]

previews on hover i believe is a setting you might have to turn on, and then i hold ctrl/cmd and hover the cursor over the link fuzzy search IS the search feature. fuzzy search is just the native search functionality :)

[@andrewobuchow]

@@BryanJenks thank you sooo much !!!

[@chinoquant]

Thanak you! Very helpful video. How do you have the nested or folded panes in Andy mode? I was able to enable Andy Mode but it's just endless scrolling horizontally. I'd like to use it how you have it enabled in your video. Thank you!

[@chinoquant]

Do you have a link to your CSS file?

[@BryanJenks]

What do you mean nested panes? Do you mean the trans liaison where you embed a file within another file? As for my css it changes all the time so I can get an updated link if you want

[@chinoquant]

@@BryanJenks Thanks for your reply. Actually, I was able to find a CSS file that made it function as your video. Sorry, I'm new to all this stuff... It would be nice to be able to adjust the main pane width but it seems to be locked to a minimum width. Thanks again! Great content!

[@BryanJenks]

@@chinoquant the insiders build has plugin support and the API release, video coming on Monday about it, but with that you can actually change the width of the panes and not have to configure css :)

[@Dryice555]

@Bryan_Jenks thanks for the YiNote suggestion! Could you help me by sharing some of the Templates you have created? especially the ones. And a copy of your Mermaid workflow would be fantastic - I spent some time learning it today, but I couldn't create anything as complicated as yours from scratch. thanks in advance. ps i joined your discord, if you plan on sharing them on there. thanks again

[@BryanJenks]

ah yes, i see your name on there, yeah just post a message in my knowledge management channel and ill hook you up :)

[@pspicer777]

Thanks for the video. Having to use the mouse and not just keep the hands on the keyboard, breaks the chain ... Is there a way to use vim or Emacs key bindings and do all operations with the keyboard and not have (at all) a mouse?

[@BryanJenks]

ALL operations... i dont know i doubt it. but a great amount of the functionality can be done from the keyboard and a lot of the keybindings can be remapped. There is also a vim emulator mode that allows for macros and general vim commands but i do not believe there is support for a vimrc or plugins yet. i happen to make use of a lot of the keybindings myself.

[@pspicer777]

@@BryanJenks Many thanks for the response. Perhaps I was being a little ambitious about the "all" statement .. your comment was most encouraging though. Having used vi/vim (and now nvim) for the last 40 years, touching (yuck) a mouse is just, well you know, - icky. Laying it on pretty thick .. 😊 … Again, thanks for the time you put into your content and videos. Be safe Bryan. Be safe all.

[@BryanJenks]

@@pspicer777 im definitely a keyboard junky as well, so i get it xD glad you enjoy the videos! :)

[@camsoza]

Bryan, very useful. Many thanks!!. What is the code you got to build Index of Links & Counts?

[@BryanJenks]

There’s actually a plugin for it now that is a much more robust solution for that :)

[@camsoza]

@@BryanJenks ok, thanks. I will look for it. If you know how is called, happy to hear. Many thanks

[@BryanJenks]

@@camsoza i think it might just be "link indexer"

[@camsoza]

@@BryanJenks thanks !!

[@deanj6722]

The moment you said you have ADHD..i felt like thats my homie lol..i am trying to organize my life/everything..great video bryan! may be some total beginner videos about obsidian in future?

[@BryanJenks]

ADHD brains Unite! 🧠️ better place for questions would be my FAQ repo so others can benefit from the answers: github.com/BryanJenksCommunity/FAQ or my discord: discord.gg/MxCVshN :)

[@jahdielmartinez6300]

How do you set up the Andy method of notes, where it enables you to layout all your notes on ‘your desk’?

[@BryanJenks]

it's a community plugin you need to install and activate :)

[@natashasofias2]

Hey, it might help you with YiNote: if you just copy all the notes with timestamp including the images and then Ctrl-Shift-V in Obsidian you get the same result as if you copy and paste them for Google Drive

[@BryanJenks]

i actually stopped using yinote a few weeks after this video posted 🤣️i use memex now and its much easier to deal with

[@yyyyyyyay]

How did you get those lines that run down from a bullet point? like at 19:00

[@BryanJenks]

It's some custom CSS in my Theme :)

[@TheBradPicklerChannel]

I don't know, I have heard that copy pasting is not very how the Zettlekasten works.

[@BryanJenks]

Correct

[@swisspeedy]

This is awesome Bryan. I'm a Obsidian VIP as well and I'm totally loving the experience. I use Zotero as well. Your Zotfile→Mdnotes workflow is great. But you mentioned iCloud for your Zotero db. I'd like to do this as well but everywhere ppl tell me the db will get corrupt if using it like that. Have you had issues with that?

[@BryanJenks]

i should say i dont have my live Zotero DB on cloud i occasionally make a copy and put it on there. i guess i could also just write a script to automate this but yeah i don't have my live DB on icloud

[@carlosguevara.realtor]

So I Have ADHD and you inspired me to make my vault. At first I learned basics and plugins but used in my own way but now I'm trying to take notes and organize like you. I started by trying to make a Hierarchy but in reality my notes are everywhere now with no real structure or connections, and with adhd the "cant see it, don't have it" in my brain makes my notes very useless. I've been Hyper focused on production but don't get anything actually done. One question I have is do you have a video on how you can link your obsidian from windows and mac? is that even possible? I use an I phone and have MacBook but my vault is on my windows PC. Also any tips on how to structure notes faster? I'm so far in I want to find a faster way to go through all my notes to make my "Garden"

[@BryanJenks]

i use obsidian Sync their paid service but i also used my own github sync workflow to sync between machines running differing OS's

[@giannisozo7928]

Thank you for taking the time to record this. It really helped get a grasp of how to fit Zettelkasten method into a digital workflow. How did you get the graph view to appear as a flow chart?

[@BryanJenks]

The flow chart is not the graph in obsidian the flow chart is written with mermaid.JS in a markdown document and rendered in a document inside of obsidian ☺️

[@Tima-nn2wz]

I downloaded the zip file from your newsletter but how do I import it into obisidian? Sorry I am pretty new to all of this 😓

[@BryanJenks]

github.com/BryanJenksCommunity/FAQ/discussions/104 :)

[@trungduong3009]

hi Bryan, This is awesome thank you Bryan. I use you templates file and see that you have year in Pixels. Could you please share with us how you create a year in pixels in Obsidian?

[@BryanJenks]

I dont use it anymore, but it was a markdown table and some emoji :)

[@skbae-k]

This is gold. Thank you for sharing.

[@BryanJenks]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MrAPcontrol]

Hi Bryan, I am trying to implement Obsidian and the Zettelkasten system in my daily workflow. As a PhD candidate I have to read quite a lot, but I often find this effort quite unfruitful because I will forget everything I read after a while. Your video was the first to actually present a complete overview of a workflow, that was super helpful! I have one question though. In his book, Ahrens writes that you should store your literature notes in a different folder altogether (like in a reference system), so they won't really impact your slip-box directly. What is the reason that you store these notes in Obsidian and do you actually link them within the same vault as your permanent notes?

[@BryanJenks]

i answered your question here: github.com/BryanJenksCommunity/FAQ/discussions/27 hopefully this is satisfactory :)

[@charliehahn3183]

Hey Bryan, thanks for this amazing content. Do you have suggestions for automated note transfer / page number tracking from physical books?

[@BryanJenks]

I do not at the moment, sorry!