Getting Started in Obsidian
a truly bare bones approach to creating your initial vault
My old tech days got the better of me. I was so annoyed by the unnecessary complexity of all of the setup guides and videos on Obsidian that I decided to write my own. These are the instructions that I wish someone had handed me at the start of things.
Before you begin your setup in Obsidian, it's paramount that you understand the thinking behind the approach and methodology that knowledge management tools like this help you execute. Hop over to A Profound Shift in Thinking for my take on the topic.
Once you’re up to speed with this Profound Shift in Thinking, read on for the logistics (with some additional conceptual theory thrown in for good measure.)
1. Download Obsidian
A. Obsidian is a free app (for personal use) that can be downloaded from the Obsidian website. Scroll down to the middle of the page and click the download button.
B. You will now find a copy of Obsidian on your desktop. Follow the prompts to drag it into your Applications folder.
C. Now it's time to open it and create a new Vault.
2. Creating a New Vault
A. What is a Vault?
A Vault is the term that Obsidian uses to describe the destination where all of your Notes, Attachments, and other Files associated with their application will live. It is in essence a glorified Folder.
B. Open the Obsidian application and follow the prompts to "Create local vault."
C. First you will be asked to name your Vault. Choose a "Vault name" that makes sense to you. On the back end, this will create a Folder on your computer. While the actual name technically does not matter as long as you can successfully find it again, I suggest choosing something that holds significance to your way of thinking. (If you can't come up with a name off the bat, don't worry. There are ways to do that from within the Obsidian app.)
For instructional purposes, let's name ours "Mind Palace" as a nod to all of the information and ideas that we’re planning to tuck in there.
D. Next you will need to choose a "Location" for the Vault. This is the designation for where the Folder lives on your computer. Obsidian will default the Obsidian Folder and the "Mind Palace" Folder contained within it (along with the system folders that it will automatically create) to iCloud unless you choose an alternate destination.
Some Considerations on Local vs. Cloud Storage —
Option One – Local Storage:
One of the advantages of Obsidian is that you have complete ownership of all of your files. Their Terms of service are worth a read to understand the full scope of the agreement.1 👣 Total ownership is great news, BUT it means that if you store your files locally, the only means of backup is what you have in place. You will want to set up Time Machine, or a similar set-it-and-forget-it kind of system, so that you do not need to manually backup your work as you go. Wouldn't that be a headache! [she says from experience]
Option Two – Cloud Storage:
Lots of folks already have a cloud storage system in place such as iCloud, DropBox, or GoogleDrive. If you select that location for the destination of your new Obsidian Folder, your documents will be synced through the cloud automatically by whatever mechanisms each distinct application uses. Technically this is not considered a backup, but many people us it in this way. You are also at the whims of their terms and conditions.2 👣
E. Now that you've weighed the existential advantages and perils of where to put your Obsidian Folder, click the "Create" button.
F. Tah dah!! You now have a brand new Obsidian Vault!! Aw, it's empty. Let's fix that.
3. Creating a Folder
A. On the main section of your screen, you'll see the message "No file is open" with a few hotkey commands below it. Ignore that for the moment. You currently have no Files. Soon this will change.
B. Secondly, IGNORE ALL OF THE PRODUCTIVITY BROS. Pardon my shouting. This is really important, crucial one might say. The beauty of this system (Obsidian specifically) is in the simplicity. The more infrastructure you add (by way of Folders and complexity) the less all of your ideas (represented by Notes) get to mingle together.
The moment you scroll YouTube or do a quick search looking for videos and tutorials to guide you through setting up your Obsidian vault, you will be inundated with titles espousing 'productivity' and leading you in the wrong direction. Let me repeat — ignore, ignore, ignore. Watching them will make you want to bail on Obsidian altogether.
C. Another word of warning, IGNORE ALL OF THE TECH INFLUENCERS. You do not need to change your Theme or adjust your Font Size or add Plugins. Those additions will come with time — if and when you need them. Again, the beauty of Obsidian is in the simplicity. I cannot stress this enough.
D. Now it's time to Create a Folder.
In the left pane of the Obsidian application you will see two Folder icons. The hover text over the one at the very top will say "Files" and the one below it with a little plus sign will say "New folder." You guessed it. Click the icon with the plus sign to create a new Folder.
E. A Folder with the default name "Untitled" will appear in the lefthand pane below the two icons we just identified. Before we go crazy making all sorts of folders, let's discuss the considerations to bear in mind while architecting your Folder Structure.
4. Setting Up a Folder Structure
A. The Cow Paths of Digital Technology
You want to give yourself just enough structure to navigate Obsidian effectively but not so much that you rob yourself of the value of the tool itself. What do I mean by that? An overly rigid Folder approach (such as what I've seen with those implementing the PARA method) recreates the Folder hierarchy we're all used to with our desktops.
That system is built off of the real world (not digital) restrictions of a physical folder, like the super generic manilla ones you know and love. Because of the constraints of time, space, and physical matter, if you put a piece of paper in Folder A, that same piece of paper cannot also exist in Folder B. You must remove it from one and transfer it to the other.
If you want that document to live in two places, you trot over to your photocopier and make a copy. Hopefully you have your red stamp handy to mark "COPY" on one so that you are able to distinguish the original from the secondary. If you make a notation on one piece of paper, it is not reflected on the other. Again, these are inescapable limitations of the physical world.
Digital documents do not need to have these restrictions imposed on them, but many of them do. The computer desktop mimics the age old piece of paper in the manilla folder approach. In many ways it needed to do this in the early days in order to fuel adoption. This was the path of least resistance in the same way building roads where there were preexisting cow trails made sense.3 👣 (Adoption of computers in the home and workplace is an entirely different discussion for another day.) As a result, what you predominantly see in document storage applications is a digital file cabinet. The whole point of a tool like Obsidian is to intentionally break away from that.
B. Suggested Folders to Create
What that means practically is that we are going to create the bare minimum of Folders — I repeat bare minimum.
I am going to explain this setup using the names that I have chosen within my Vault, but again, choose terminology that makes sense to you. I'll explain the use of each folder as we go so that you understand the intended function. You can rename these at any time when a more descriptive term pops into your head.
There are six primary Folders that I recommend — Scratch Paper, Source Material, The Threads, Concept Index, Templates, and Brain Contents. Again, this is my naming system that makes sense to me. Don't feel locked into it. Let's discuss each Folder individually before you create anything.
If you want to jump ahead to gain a more robust understanding of each Folder and its suggested use instead of this general overview, I've linked the corresponding tutorial below the brief descriptions. There's a bit of a Choose Your Own Adventure element to these instructions so that you can tailor them to your needs and how you learn best. The path might not lead where you think it leads. Sadly, there are no dragons.
C. The Scratch Paper Folder
Think of this like the scratch pad that you keep on your desk to collect all of those pieces of information that don't tidily fit anywhere. For me these tend to be running lists where I can easily add ideas or thoughts from time to time.
For instance, I keep a Note titled "Formatting Cheat Sheet for Substack" to capture the standard formatting I use when citing books, movies, podcasts and such in my Substack essays. I use it frequently as a reference document that is always in a state of flux as I encounter one more format to cite that I've never needed previously.
Another Note catalogs all of the shorthand I use in Obsidian so that I don't constantly have to reference the Obsidian Help documents on their website.
D. A Source Materials Folder
The idea behind a knowledge management system like Obsidian is that you're capturing information as you come across it and find it interesting. Chances are you're going to amass quite a cache of Notes relating to books and articles and even movies or conversations. This is where you'll put them.
My criteria for what goes in here is that it is static and does not change over time. The book you read or the lecture you attended is a fixed item. Your thoughts and reactions to that might evolve, but the origin of them remains the same.
Within this Folder I have Sub-Folders that contain each type of Source Material. We'll discuss the specifics of this in a minute as well as what to consider when designing this for yourself.
E. The Threads Folder
I think of my work like a giant conspiracy board covered in red yarn, thus the name of this folder. These are the granular people, things, and events that make up my broader opinions and thinking. I'll discuss this more in depth when I describe the concept of Labels.
F. The Concept Index Folder
If we stick with the conspiracy board metaphor, this is the board itself. It's the big themes that I'm tracking or complex thoughts ruminating in my mind. The Notes contained here are aggregation points for umbrella topics that are of interest to me. This also pertains to how I am leveraging the concept of Labels so we'll discuss it extensively in a bit.
G. The Templates Folder
Obsidian has the core function of inserting a Template into a Note. This is pretty awesome and will save you a ton of time. It also aids in creating standard formatting for your Notes. While this is not essential, it will serve you well in the long run. We'll address creation of Templates after we set up Folders and learn to create a Note. The Templates themselves will be stored here.
H. The Brain Contents Folder
Everything that I generate from my brain goes in here. It's the companion to the Source Material Folder. Where those works were static, these are Notes where my thoughts are in various stages of development.
This Folder is going to fill up quickly. That's a good thing. Your initial reaction will likely be to desire more structure almost immediately. Try to resist. Doing so will allow the magic of Obsidian (and your thinking) to emerge.
It can feel like having thirty tabs open in your browser at times, but there are many other ways to create structure and organization here that do not require additional Folders. Hang tight. We will discuss them at length.
I. Actually Creating Your Primary Folders
That's it! Those are all (well most) of my thoughts on which Folders you need and why. I have every intention of sounding like a broken record when I tell you that you need to find names for these Folders that reflect the gears of your mind.
One quick note. These will sort alphabetically by default. If you wish for them to appear in a certain order put a number with a dash (optional) preceding the Folder name (e.g. 1 - Scratch Paper).
Create away! Use the directions that we covered in Step 3 to create these Folders for yourself.
Well done!! We're one step closer to having you up and running.
5. Creating a New Note
We're going to create a new Note to understand the mechanics of it prior to addressing how they can be used. There are a few ways to go about Note creation. I've ordered them based on the frequency I find myself using each method.
By default all Notes will be named "Untitled" until you alter the name. Naming Conventions are your friend. You can read my excessive thoughts about the value of them accompanied by suggests in The Importance of Naming Conventions (coming soon).
The default location of where that Note is created is customizable. This warrants its own discussion. For now, let's leave the default location for new Notes as the Vault Folder. This will put them below the Folders that you just created.
A. Create a Note Using Hotkeys
Hitting ⌘+N [Command+N] will create a new Note. You're likely familiar with this as most web browsers use this function for creating new windows and most desktop publishing software use it for creating new documents.
B. Create a Note From the Search Feature
Hitting ⌘+O will open a panel for the Search Feature in which you can type. You can create a new Note directly from here by typing in the desired Note name and hitting shift+⮐ [shift+return] on your keyboard.
If you think a similar Note might already exist, you can leverage the Search Feature in this approach to Note creation. Begin typing whatever you think you might have named the existing Note. The Search Feature is not case sensitive so as you type, it will present results with any of the characters you use, ordering them from most relevant (or likely) to least.
If a similar Note does not exist, simply hit shift+⮐ [shift+return] on your keyboard to create your new Note.
C. Create a Note From the Icon
Similarly to how we created the Folders from the icon in the top left corner, we can do the same with Notes. Clicking on the icon that represents a paper and pencil (the hover text will read "New note") will create a new Note.
D. Create a Note From a New Tab
If you have a New Tab that is displaying the message "No file is open," you will see underneath that text the option to "Create new note." Click the text and your new Note will appear on the screen.
E. Create a Note From the Dropdown Menu
In the navigation bar at the very top of your screen, you can click "File" then "New Note," and a new Note will be created.
F. Create a Note From a Hyperlink
This actually isn't my least used method of creating a new Note, but it is the one with the greatest added complexity so I saved it for last. By typing double left brackets (that will likely populate the right brackets for you) around text, this will create a link that if clicked will become a Note. It looks something like [[New Note Name]] when you type it.
Creating a Note in this fashion will link the existing Note to the new Note. There's loads to say about this. It's the superpower of Obsidian. We’ll get there.
G. Deleting a Note
Don't worry too much about creating unnecessary Notes. You can delete them by right clicking on the desired Note in the left hand navigation bar and choosing "Delete" or by selecting the meatball in the top right corner and selecting "Delete file" with Note open on your screen.
While we're not looking to create a bunch of junk, some amount of experimentation is necessary to strengthen your understanding of the tools. You can also delete a file from your desktop, but I wouldn't recommend this. You'll skip the warning telling you how many links are pointing to that Note.
Now you're off to the races!! But where do you want your new Notes to live by default?
6. Defining the Default Location for New Notes
Colloquially, I refer to where files will live within Obsidian (and in turn your computer) in the same way I would my sweaters living on the top shelf of my closet or the measuring cups living in the kitchen drawer. There are far more technical terms for this concept, but I find they can bog down the thinking. Here's what you need to consider —
Where do you want to find your new Notes?
and
How do you want to interact with your new Notes?
They're similar but different questions. My preference is to have new Notes default to the main Obsidian “Vault folder” as they do from the start. It gives me a visual indicator that I need to attend to that Note in some way. It's my work surface, in essence. If this were a physical desk, these notes would be on it.
Others prefer to have all of their notes go into the Brain Contents Folder from the start. I find this less than ideal. Not every Note that I create belongs there. I create a lot of Notes for Source Materials. Digging through the Brain Contents Folder to find the Note I created for the book I recently finished or an article that I wish to capture creates friction where there needn't be any.
Whatever you choose as your default location for new Notes, there is a workaround to all new Notes starting there which is to create a Note within the Folder that you wish it to live. I find this tedious and would rather have them default to the Vault Folder and file them away as necessary — personal preference.
A. Creating Nested Notes
If you do wish to create a Note within a specific Folder, hover your cursor over that Folder. You will see a grey overlay appear. Right-click or hit control-click to display the dropdown menu. Listed at the top is the option for "New note." Chose it. Your new Note will be housed in that Folder.
B. Changing Your Default Location for New Notes
If you do desire to change your default location for new Notes, click the gear icon at the bottom of the left panel. Select "Files and links." The fourth option down (at least at the time of writing) reads "Default location for new notes." Choose the option from the dropdown list to the right.
Choosing "In the folder specified below" will prompt you to select a Folder for your destination. Select the corresponding Folder, and you're set to go.
That's it!! (For now.) You're up and running!!
There are a number of other things to consider, but this is the baseline. The rest has to do with how you intend to organize your Vault. That will likely evolve over time to accommodate your shifts in thinking and work.
For now, pat yourself on the back, take a break, and grab a cup of coffee. Go wave at some birds or say hi to a tree. You've been staring at your screen for quite some time.
It's wise to always read the Terms and Conditions for these services as many of them have a component where you do not exclusively own your work. reMarkable, the note taking tablet sneakily did this for awhile. I'm not sure whether or not they still do. I was dissuaded from using it for those very reasons thanks to the keen eye of Dani Katz.
Yes, I'm highly suspect of this in this day of Big Tech overreach and censorship.
If you want a really fascinating tangent, I suggest listening to the 99% Invisible episode on Cow Tunnels.
I always love to hear how others are thinking. Share what works for you!
Your article on structuring Obsidian folders was incredibly insightful. While most resources simply explain how to create folders, your piece stood out by diving into the hierarchical concepts behind folder organisation. These foundational principles made a real difference in how I approach my note structure. Looking forward to reading more of your insights on productivity and note-taking. Thank you for sharing your perspective & experience!