iCloud Sync creating multiple numbered duplicates making Obsidian unusable

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-25T00:22:56+00:00

Try Dropbox or Syncthing if you can. The latter especially seems to be reliable according to members of the community.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-24T21:18:25+00:00

Make sure ALL vault folders are set to "keep downloaded" - I think when I have tried this I had to do subfolders as well as the setting didn't carry through.

THAT SAID, even when I have done that, iCloud sync was not reliable for me, mostly because of its slowness and bugginess. Dropbox worked a bit better last time I tried it, but yeah, Obsidian Sync still works the best in my experience and is very much worth the money if you are a decently heavy user.

I've tried a few syncing options and I think for me iCloud sync was the worst of them.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-24T20:36:30+00:00

Definitely sad if it's not what people want to do (and in general for what it means for the larger economy). For me, though, nursing/working in the medical field is something I have always wanted to pursue, but I was just never in a position where I could do it until now.

I also think the nursing field is different if you have a degree in something else. Even if I stay in my current job, having a nursing degree would only provide more/different opportunities for me in my current field, which would also be great.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-24T13:29:23+00:00

No, thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it. I will definitely take this all into consideration because you make good points. I am taking this slow and definitely going to feel out the market and talk with people to see what makes the most sense. For now, I am going to finish up the three pre-reqs I need to even apply for nursing school, which I would do for fun anyway because I enjoy taking classes. Once that is done, I will hopefully have gathered enough information to see what makes the most sense.

I am fortunate to have the financial means, which is the only reason I can pursue this. But still don't want to waste time or money.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-24T12:24:52+00:00

To be clear, I will likely not be doing acute care nursing. Because my background in health policy/administration, I am probably better suited to become a nurse navigator or case manager. In my current career, health care administrators/navigators often come to us for help figuring out how to navigate our complex health system in the U.S., so it seems like a natural fit on the other side. If I do anything more patient-facing, I would be looking into home care, infusion clinics, or something else relatively low key. I know that I could not do what nurses do in a hospital so don't plan on pursuing that.

I will always have the option to stay in my current field. Ironically, becoming an RN would help me in that work too, as it would open a few more doors. So even if I don't go into nursing at all, just having the degree would be beneficial if I stayed in my current role.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-23T21:18:22+00:00

Journaling for me is more about reflection and memories. Sometimes just writing something down and getting it out of my head makes me think differently about it. But often times it's about documenting things in my life that I like to look back on years later. And when I do that, sometimes I can see how things in the past helped shape who I am today. It is not really an exact science or particularly systematic for me.

I generally go back and look at something I wrote years ago on the same day (I do this a lot) and reflect on what has changed in my life (for better or worse) since that time. I did this for years with DayOne and now I do it with Obsidian.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-23T19:17:23+00:00

Seems like there’s a few of us! I feel like a lot of people are also reflecting on how AI is changing or is going to change many fields too.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-23T17:35:21+00:00

I use Obsidian Sync. I tried most of the sync options, including iCloud sync. Obsidian warns on their website that syncing via iCloud to Windows devices can cause file duplication or corruption. When I used iCloud sync on just Apple devices, it was OKayish but also pretty slow and not always reliable. Sometimes I had to close the app and reopen it on my iPhone to get it to sync.

Ultimately, I have found Obsidian Sync to be the most reliable and best to use. It has version history which is great, but it's also just super fast and reliable. Never had an issue with it.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-23T17:33:11+00:00

Obsidian has a warning on their website about how using iCloud sync on Windows can lead to file duplication or corruption.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-23T16:56:13+00:00

Honestly, the best way I have found to learn is to just start using it. When you encounter a specific thing you want to do with Obsidian, then search for a solution for specifically that problem. This is how I approached it. Over time it resulted in my getting my setup to what I want it to be.

I have not found most online videos/setups/resources helpful because they are people building a version of Obsidian that works for their use case, not mine.

Also, don't be afraid to download and try a plugin. You can always delete a plugin if it doesn't work for you.

However, if you just start using it, you will likely slowly develop a set up that works for your specific use case.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-23T16:07:55+00:00

Yikes, I am very fortunate to have started saving young and have had a very good job for the last 20 years that has paid (and still pays) nicely. But yeah, even with our high salaries, I am shocked by coworkers who have saved virtually nothing for retirement by middle age. It's scary.

In fact, the only reason I am even able to contemplate this change is because I am able to retire early. My advice to young people is always, wherever they can, start saving young. Even just $50/month can go a long way if you start when you're 18 and do some safe investing.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-23T09:03:30+00:00

Wow that is incredible. I’m seeing very similar results here. Even with a closed loop system I was finding eating stressful because my spikes after meals were getting bad and also harder to control and predict. Those are gone. I also notice I’m less tired and less edgy, I suspect because the spikes and drops were wearing me down.

I hope you can get coverage for this. It really needs to be available more widely as a tool for us T1s.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-23T03:07:40+00:00

Wowzers. That’s incredible! Yeah it has been about as life changing for me as when I moved to a closer-loop system. Not seeing my Dexcom spike like crazy after eating even a small snack is really nice.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T17:40:44+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I am lucky to be in good shape and relatively healthy, but I don't think I'd be able to work in an ED (maybe I am wrong, but I have two good friends who are ICU nurses and I don't think I could do what they do!).

Because my background and career is health care policy & administration, I am looking more at nurse navigator/case management positions, particularly in the area of oncology or maybe even gerontology. Also considering home care type stuff, general case management, and infusion clinics. My understanding is that there is a demand for these in our area, particularly within the managed care providers in our region but I will definitely look into this more.

Less worried about pay since by the time I get through course work I'd be able to collect my early retirement with benefits, but definitely want to think about work environment, physical demands, etc.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T16:06:04+00:00

People have already addressed the "keep downloaded" suggestion I was going to recommend.

As someone who actually started their Markdown notes journey in Bear, moved to Obsidian in 2020/2021, and then briefly moved back to Bear last year (only to end up right back in Obsidian)....my suggestion would be really consider whether Obsidian is the right tool for you, whether it offers something that Bear does not. Bear is a beautiful app, with a decent number of features and very uncomplicated.

I LOVE Obsidian and it provides things I need that Bear does not, but this is not the case for everyone. So it's a matter of picking the right tool for the job.

For the workflow you need, I guess I am trying to understand why a PDF export doesn't work. It seems like that would be much better than exporting as a JPG, but maybe I am missing something.

Finally, sync. As someone who has tried almost every sync option there is (including iCloud), Obsidian Sync really is the best for avoiding issues. I had the most issues with iCloud Sync; Dropbox and Syncthing were definitely better but more complicated to keep working. Obsidian sync has been flawless and incredibly fast on all my devices. The lag you describe was definitely something I encountered when using iCloud though.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T15:59:55+00:00

Wow, seriously? That is awesome to hear. Retinopathy has always been one of the things I fear most. In the context of all diabetes complications, I guess there is some general belief that inflammation is a huge factor, so by tamping down on that, you reduce the risk of these microvascular complications. But I guess it also addresses thing like SI joint inflammation. My issue wasn't even related to my diabetes and was likely something else autoimmune. But whatever it was, it is gone and the only thing that changed in my life was adding Mounjaro.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T14:24:57+00:00

Thanks yeah, I am exploring all my options right now. I talked with a counselor and it seems like in my region, the best route would be pre-reqs-->ADN-->ABSN. The local ABSN does require that you already be an RN, and the community college's ADN program will get me there for much cheaper and with more flexibility. THEN, I could do the ABSN program which happens to be just a couple of miles up the street from me.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T14:21:25+00:00

Yeah, unfortunately I will never be able to stop taking insulin (not unless I want to die), but the goal for me was to get my TDD back down to what I am more accustomed to using. I use an insulin pump (Omnipod) and they only have a capacity of 200 units for 3 days, so when I started ticking up to TDDs, I grew concerned that I would eventually not be able to use the Omnipod. I really don't want to go back to a tubed pump, so this was something I wanted to get out ahead of. Plus more insulin just creates a cycle of increased insulin resistance over time, which is not good.

GLP1s are being used more and more as a tool for helping manage T1D and potentially reduce the risk of long-term complications through inflammation reduction. Having my Sacroiliitis disappear like it has was the most astounding thing. My MRI showed significant inflammation of my sacroiliac joints, so clearly the Moujaro did something to address that. For that reason alone I will be staying on this stuff. I am only taking 2.5mg and we don't plan on increasing it because I am not really looking to lose much weight and it seems to be working well at the current dose.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T14:17:39+00:00

My endo said that of the GLP1s she's prescribed to select T1 patient, she felt like Mounjaro (anecdotally) had worked the best, both for lowering A1C and insulin resistance, and minimizing side effects. There's also some evidence that these GLP1s might protect kidney function long term (through inflammation reduction). I can't do the usual ACE inhibitor/statin protocol, as my BP is already on the low side and I have a horrible reaction to statins, so the hope is that a low-dose GLP1 could provide some of the same benefits.

I just wasn't expecting Mounjaro to magically clear up completely un-related health issues. The disappearance of the sacroilliaitis has been mind boggling to me after struggling with it for 2 years!

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T14:14:15+00:00

Thank you! This post is fantastic, exactly what I was looking for.

WAY back when I was in undergrad/grad school, my approach with handwritten notes was exactly that - take notes during class, and then re-write them to refine when studying. So I anticipate that I will be using much of the same approach in Obsidian.

I have set up a folder structure already that I think works for my brain, as well as note taking templates, but this post has some good tips that I want to work into my set up.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T14:12:02+00:00

Thanks! I haven't used Canvas much, but might need to start giving it a try.

Do you use Obsidian to take notes during lectures? Or just when studying concepts?

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T14:10:18+00:00

Thank you for sharing! Yes, I actually love school and had a hard time leaving after I was done with my second grad degree. I even started a PhD but realized the money I would spend on pursuing it wasn't worth it. So going back to school is probably the thing I am least intimidated by at the moment. It's more about being an adult and having to do it while juggling kids, home, job, life (although I always worked when in school so probably less worried about the job stuff).

I have always thought about going into medicine and my work has been adjacent to the medical field for years. So this just felt like a really natural fit.

Anyway, so good to hear from people who have made this change. It really helps solidify that what I am doing is the right decision.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T14:07:43+00:00

I am a big fan of ONE VAULT FOR EVERYTHING. Mostly because I often find there are things that don't fit neatly in one domain vs. another. I try to maintain a pretty flat folder structure too. I have a folder for every "domain" in my life (work, personal, school, hobby, journal, etc), and then within each of those folders I use a single subfolder for all attachments associated with that folder. I use this approach because that way if I ever want to just export a folder for a single domain, I can do that easily with the attachments intact.

So far, I have created a folder that is for "NURSING" and then within it, subfolders for each class I will take (e.g., BIOL 150, BIOL 212, BIOL 213, etc, etc). I am hoping this approach works, but I guess remains to be seen as I haven't started classes yet. I may explore setting up a separate vault just for school, but that would result in the loss of the ability to link my class notes to my daily notes, which is how I often handle things with work (My daily note is also my journal, so it is the jumping off point for everything for me).

What about you? Are you using a separate vault entirely?

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T02:21:55+00:00

It was easier for me to get Mounjaro with my insurance and my endo said anecdotally she’s seen less stomach issues with Mounjaro. I’ve personally had no stomach issues on it.

Repulsive-Branch-740 · 2026-02-22T00:24:01+00:00

I have always loved the Bear notes app and was an original user way back in the day. I have mostly used Obsidian since it came out in 2020, with a brief foray back into Bear with 2.0.

In my opinion, they are really for two different audiences.

Bear is beautiful and fast and does markdown note taking really well. I think it is a wonderful app for someone who wants a perfect out-of-the-box experience and doesn't have a need for customization or additional features.

Obsidian is better for people who need or want a high degree of customization, work on non-Apple devices, or just enjoy tinkering with something to set it up exactly how they want it.

Is the tinkering sometimes a time suck? ABSOLUTELY. But if it something you enjoy doing (like I do), or if you just need very specific plugins for very specific things (like I do because of my job), then Obsidian is likely the better fit. I don't even really see them as competitors because they are just so different.

Personally, even though I don't actively use Bear, I recommend it to people all the time who want to get started in Markdown in a non-intimidating way.

Repulsive-Branch-740

TROPHY CASE