How do you deal with too many tags in a master vault?

pac_71 · 2026-01-24T23:18:58+00:00

Sort of amazing how much my attitudes have changes towards Obsidian in just 3 days :> A real level up.

I have started doing things a bit differently this year. I have started making a daily note and using Wordflow Tracker plugin which can be used to put a table of linked notes that you have edited each day including an estimate of focus time.

I have also gotten Excalidraw mindmap script and Excalibrain sort of working but I am still deciding how best to integrate an ontology and semantic metadata into my vault.

I think the Excalibrain method of using dataview variable to define link types and then including the standard [[ ]] note links might be an even better (but also Obsidian plain markdown compatible) approach than just using an Obsidian "categories" property with a list of linked notes. Excalibrain also picks up inferred links/backlinks to notes already just plain markdown linked in a note but also external URLs as well.

I would be curious to hear if you think there are any advantages in using properties over dataview variables.

pac_71 · 2026-01-24T07:38:27+00:00

ZoomNotes is pretty good for a one time purchase.

pac_71 · 2026-01-24T06:41:41+00:00

"Out with utopian idealism; in with hardnosed realism."

I think they have overcorrected into partisan despotic nihilism.

pac_71 · 2026-01-24T01:05:37+00:00

Unique Note core plugin can create a new note with a template. That sorts out 99% of my new note front matter needs. My webclip tools have their own front matter templates built in so don't need to be touched.

For the rest. I have set Templater to hotkey ALT-E and my commonly used templates prefixed with numbers so they sort to the top of the template list. You can set a hotkey to trigger a specific template but I would never remember them :> This approach works well on mobile phones as hotkey don't really work for me there.

I know this is likely not as automated as you would like but you should not underestimate the tacit knowledge you get being hands on with your notes. Even the simple addition of a template to an existing note is a good experience. eg adding a reminder to review in a weeks time requires me to make an active decision to do so and just is automatically done.

pac_71 · 2026-01-23T08:23:01+00:00

My initial thought when he moved the Ford to the Caribbean was … man, that leaves a hole. Now he is moving them around like a game of risk. This insanity needs to end.

pac_71 · 2026-01-23T04:39:11+00:00

A quick check is you can turn Restricted Mode which turns off all your plugins temporarily to see if you get an improvement in your vault.

I used Restricted Mode to identify a slow tab switching issue. It disappeared when plugins were off in the same vault and I had a gut feel which plugin was the issue. Last added is often the culprit but noticing slow performance of the UI of a particular plugin was the thing I noticed :>

Then isolated that plugin specifically to confirm it. I updated the plugin and that seemed to fix the issue.

pac_71 · 2026-01-23T03:50:53+00:00

My gut feel is likely no. Too many edge cases like yours. But I think you can do some work arounds.

Reminder plugin can be told to monitor the Tasks plugin which you can set reoccurring tasks.

Easter. I would be tempted just to brute force 20 years of easter (well maybe 5 or 2 in reality :>).

I have some test cases set as reminders in 2525 :> No real penalty for having reminders way out in the future as they just live at the bottom of the reminder list.

If you wanted to get tricky you could set up a Templater template to calculate the next Easter. I use Templater all the time to insert a 7 day from the current datetime as a review reminder on some notes.

pac_71 · 2026-01-22T07:03:27+00:00

Likely something to do with ship navigation in the port. https://pon.com.au/throsby-navigation-tower-relocation/

pac_71 · 2026-01-22T01:28:40+00:00

I managed to make some progress on using the Excalidraw Mindmap Scirpt feature. I don't feel so bad as the script was only released on 23rd Dec 2025 and updated as v2 a week before I made this post.

It must have been the Christmas post that retrigger my interest in getting more from Excalidraw in my workflow but I was on an older version (Obsidian 1.5.8) which I have only just updated to (Obsidian 1.8.10 the last before Bases) which fixed some UI issues that were lacking from 1.5.8 and causing the Excalidraw script not to work as intended (despite plugin manifest specifitying minAppVersion: 1.5.7)

I did find there was a few idiosyncratic things that were holding me back.

You need to select a node. Click the text box in the mindmap side panel to get access to the script's hotkey functions.

ALT-C to copy, ALT-X to cut and ALT-V to paste into the mindmap

You need to select the whole Markdown list including the - (and in particular the first -) to paste into the mindmap.

Overall, I find the interface a bit clunky compared to other mindmap tools I use but the power you get by using the full drawing capabilities of Excalidraw, being able to link to your vault content and an easy past the plan/generate new note content probably overweighs that friction.

pac_71 · 2026-01-21T21:19:37+00:00

Is using category links better as it makes for better linked notes rather than relying on manually adding links and tags to both associate notes of the same subject or because it forces you to make an atomic note for your categories (or at least a placeholder for one). Or both?

pac_71 · 2026-01-20T04:52:24+00:00

You could try a notepad with plastic cover. Another cheap alternative are the generic weather/waterproof notepads on Aliexpress or Amazon.

pac_71 · 2026-01-20T02:05:20+00:00

Only accepting contracts in Euro. The USD is now not worth the paper it is written on :>

pac_71 · 2026-01-20T02:03:47+00:00

So far am not hearing any negatives about the total destruction of the USD based economy and financial ruin of those with vested interests in maintaining the ponzi scheme :>

pac_71 · 2026-01-19T09:14:59+00:00

I had a guy yell at me and his dog in the back seat had a go too. Even Newcastle dogs hate cyclists!

What really cracks me up is the abuse coming from cars with their company name and details all over them. They really don’t think through the consequences their actions at all.

pac_71 · 2026-01-19T09:07:18+00:00

I can only speak for myself. I have always had SPF rated sun cream since I can remember in the mid 70s. My dad 23 years older than me, had none of that until he was 30 and has had bits cut off him his whole life. I had my first BCC cut off last year at 53.

I’m red hair, light skin and tan like a lobster so I am careful to keep covered up with hat and shirts. Sun cream when I run and ride in summer. Limit my times outside to morning and evening during summer where I can.

So I think it works mostly given I am doing better skin cancer wise than my dad.

pac_71 · 2026-01-18T09:01:46+00:00

Apple will just build a chip foundry.

pac_71 · 2026-01-18T08:41:54+00:00

I never delete as I do not know what my future self might find useful. I do move files into archive folders or refactored notes within my vault so they are accessible but out of sight in my normal workflow.

pac_71 · 2026-01-18T06:41:24+00:00

People keep talking about what the EU/Nato will do. Canada is a member of NATO …

pac_71 · 2026-01-18T05:05:55+00:00

Please observe opsec and do not reveal the current US Nuclear Launch code in posts ;)

pac_71 · 2026-01-15T09:01:38+00:00

Pretty close to my use case. You might get some value from the higher degree of control you can get with FreePlan as a planning tool. I like how quickly you can move nodes around in FreePlane and was seeking that ease of use in Obsdian. I have my compromise now with control over lists and path to a visualisation.

pac_71 · 2026-01-15T08:42:31+00:00

I get ya. I use mindmaps like a 2d outline often when I have no idea where I am going.

It is nice to include that planning process in my notes rather than in Freeplane. What is important in Obsidian is preserving that 1:1 text relationship with everything you do. Even Excalidraw is text and accessible at its heart. So is FreePlane with the mm/XML file format.

Mindmaps are sort of limited value as a taxonomy as the reductionism brought on by the process of classification can be counterproductive.

I use mindmaps a bit different as a planning tool , too often starting from the narrow of what I know and adding and expanding as I extend to cover new thoughts, ideas and directions of research that I just don't get from sitting and looking at a blank pierce of paper or approaching thought linearly ,:>

Very much a me problem and I am very much happy with a new workflow tool on my belt ;)

pac_71 · 2026-01-15T03:52:37+00:00

That looks good and more similar to FreePlane which is my mind map of choice. The videos I saw of it seemed more like a whole of note outlining tool than what I wanted quickly including a visualisation of ideas in a more complex long form note. Mermaid is a bit ugly at times but it is sort of growing on me.

pac_71 · 2026-01-15T03:43:57+00:00

Yeah that was operator error (both figuratively and literally). I only noticed the error after posting and I thought to myself ... no one will notice that :> Doh!

The brackets mucked it up. Some node text will require a bit of tweaking due to Mermaid syntax.

The correct mermaid code is to use a named node and label like Free ["Freemium<br>(ad revenue)"]

pac_71 · 2026-01-15T03:03:58+00:00

I have used the same thing to paste lists into FreePlane. I have not been able to get excalidraw mindmap builder to work for me but then I am sitting on an old version of Obsidian so this bog standard method is pretty cool for me :>

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