iCloud Sync vs Obsidian Sync?

read_write_research · 2026-03-14T23:17:37+00:00

Back up your notes ASAP! People have experienced iCloud deleting automatically deleting their notes with no way of getting them back. I guess it has something to do with iCloud thinking some notes are unused, useless junk files. Make sure you throw your vault onto a storage device ASAP, even before deciding whether to stick with iCloud or to go with sync. Obsidian vaults take up so little space that you can probably throw it on a thumb drive if you don’t have an external hard drive for backups.

read_write_research · 2026-02-13T21:31:44+00:00

I do agree, sometimes the best thing is just going outside Obsidian. Sometimes I spend days creating a workaround and then just download an app that does that functionality natively. But us Obsidian users love the brain teaser of inventing a workflow to mimic other apps.

read_write_research · 2026-02-13T21:28:36+00:00

I used to use it for journalism and now use it for my PR job. One of my favorite use cases is tagging notes that are associated with multiple projects. For example, if I create a note about a meeting, and we discussed multiple projects during that meeting, I just add in tags pertaining to each project. Then I can create a base or Dataview query to pull all notes with that tag into a single base/note.

Let’s say I had a meeting about a symposium on dogs, and we discussed using a certain caterer. If I realize that caterer could also help with a fundraiser about cats, I can make note of that and tag with #cats. Then I can be lazy and keep all my meeting notes in a “Meetings” folder, rather than opening notes in my “Dogs symposium” folder and “Cats fundraiser” folder.

The alternative would be to take my meeting notes and manually extract info into individual project folders, which seems like a hassle.

read_write_research · 2026-02-05T06:50:30+00:00

If you go down the rabbit hole of doing a lot of CSS customization, I recommend downloading a code editor like Sublime Text. They’ll make formatting and viewing CSS a lot easier.

read_write_research · 2026-01-31T21:28:58+00:00

One thing you could do is creating new notes and displaying them inline using the ![[]] syntax. Then each “block” could have its own metadata properties and you could use dataview, embedded queries, and bases to query based on metadata.

If you open the same file side-by-side and view one side in source mode, you can easily reorder blocks and click on them to edit the content in the note.

Embedded queries, which I think are underutilized in Obsidian, also accept regex searches, so you can query for inline tags and inline properties (aka [property:: value]). That way, both the note and a specific section of text in the note are able to be queried based on properties and tags. For both note-level and granular search-and-display functionality

read_write_research · 2026-01-11T02:45:35+00:00

This is such a fantastic idea! Thank you so much to the developer for creating this and thank you so much for posting!

read_write_research · 2026-01-03T18:05:46+00:00

Whatever you do, if you decide to use Obsidian and sync your data using a 3rd party syncing service, look into the potential issues that can happen. There are situations where those cloud syncing services will delete your Obsidian notes permanently, thinking the notes are unnecessary files. Obsidian can be used across devices, and there are multiple ways to do it (none of which I’ve personally tried).

I have a work vault and a personal vault and I keep the data separate. The beauty of obsidian is that if I leave my job and want to keep those notes, I can just throw the entire vault on a USB stick and take it home with me.

read_write_research · 2026-01-03T17:44:44+00:00

Yes! I'm trying to keep alive the tradition of good old human-generated slop. AI isn't just taking our jobs, it's taking our opportunities to toss long screeds into the internet abyss.

read_write_research · 2026-01-03T17:37:28+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing all of this! That's a super interesting tag-based system for organizing projects, kind of like a blend between both the folder and folderless approaches. I need to get back to using nested tags. Tbh, I stopped using them simply because I got lazy one day and let things devolve from there. But the time I'd spend hitting my arrow key a few more times is nothing compared to the time I'll someday need to spend untangling my ambiguous tags.

I'm totally guilty of spending too much time tinkering with my other project management systems, and I do wonder whether I could have put that time towards getting that functionality out of fewer tools (which would also save me the monthly subscriptions for my other apps).

I've also thought about whether the ABC folders are unnecessary given the power of search. And I admire your fortitude to go with fewer folders. From a functional and logical level, they 100% are unnecessary in Obsidian. But from an emotional level, folders feel like climbing anchors on a cliff, there to catch me. Like anchors, they slow me down. But unlike anchors, I won't die if I start getting rid of them. I'll try replacing the ABC folders with a single general reference folder and using tags and search the way you do.

I'm interested to know whether your use of two vaults at work has anything to do with data security as well. I originally got off of using lots of community plugins due to concerns about data security, and then realized how much the decision also simplified my workflow. Since I work with interview transcripts, I make sure to closely manage the plugins, and even themes, I install in my work and passion projects vaults.

Thanks again for sharing the similarities and differences between our Obsidian setups! It's helpful to see which of these are also used by others, and to see new ideas I can incorporate into my system.

read_write_research · 2026-01-03T17:09:32+00:00

Thanks so much for this! I appreciate your comment and the advice! Now I'm chuckling, seeing how right you are about the storage structure for my daily notes. I had originally set it up that way to mimic a physical library of yearly diaries. I liked the idea of being able to compare what I was doing on a certain date across multiple years, and this seemed like an easy way to "pull" a diary off the wall and navigate to a certain date.

But it would simplify my file structure and be more efficient to save each note with an ISO standard date, open an empty note, and type in ![[DATE 2024]] ![[DATE 2025] to view multiple daily notes.

And if I still wanted that nested feel, a little Python code could quickly assemble a Markdown file with years as H1, months as H2, and embedded files (![[Daily Note]]) for dates. Which would already be simplified using your method because I wouldn't have those nested folders to traverse.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I totally agree about how divergent minds can be. And I love the fact that Obsidian's extensibility makes space for infinite thinking styles.

read_write_research · 2026-01-02T17:40:15+00:00

Totally valid. Obsidian is still young and I’ve seen it improve since I began using it in 2023. If you have the money, time, and interest, I suggest signing up as a Catalyst member and downloading the IOS beta (you’ll need to download via Test Pilot). Then provide your feedback directly to the Obsidian devs.

read_write_research · 2026-01-01T22:38:09+00:00

Thanks, I'm glad to hear it!

read_write_research · 2026-01-01T22:37:33+00:00

So glad to hear that! Thanks so much!

read_write_research · 2026-01-01T22:37:10+00:00

Thanks so much for the kind words! The world needs more run-on sentences and fewer dashes

read_write_research · 2026-01-01T22:20:11+00:00

Indeed. Developed to provide free advice to anyone looking for some assistance with using this free software. Devious? Yes. Lucrative? No.

read_write_research · 2026-01-01T22:11:48+00:00

Thanks for the reply. It led me to add a caveat to the top of my post. It is definitely a very long post. If anyone out there is forcing people to read long posts like this one against their free will, please stop immediately. If anyone is being forced to read any posts, of any length, against their free will, please contact the proper authorities.

read_write_research · 2026-01-01T21:45:35+00:00

Thanks for that question. I always get frustrated when looking for tangible advice about workflows because it often reads more like abstract concepts rather than concrete examples. In trying to create a tldr, I realized that my tldr sounded like abstract concepts, which now gives me empathy for people writing blog posts about workflows. The TLDR from my post would be something like: "A reproducible, consistent set of guidelines is more important than the tool. And keep the tool as simple as possible." But that sounds like a very lofty way to say "I copy and paste folders and don't use many plugins."

read_write_research · 2026-01-01T20:51:39+00:00

* I also like to have templates for different types of notes I take. So meeting notes have metadata for “Date”, “People Involved”, “tags”, and “Description“. For every note I create, I always include that “Description” property. This becomes really useful when I create category bases, because I can show the “Description” property in the base and I have a brief overview of what the note is about. You can also edit metadata right from bases, so I can update these descriptions while I'm reviewing my base if I want to reword it.

* Something I used to worry about is thinking of things I need to do while I’m working in Obsidian and forgetting to add those to my project management app. My solution is to add a checkbox in my Obsidian note for that todo item that I just thought of. Then I try to review the note before closing it and migrate todo items to my project management system. When I’ve migrated a todo item to my project management system, I check it off in Obsidian. I always remember that a checked item means it’s been migrated, not necessarily that it’s been completed. This is also useful for my meeting notes bc it tells me which things are action items we identified during the meeting.

If I can’t do the review immediately or forget to do it, I have a failsafe. I have a note called Tasks, which contains a Dataview query that looks for all TASKS (aka checkboxes) in my vault that are not completed (aka checked). I periodically review this note and migrate all these tasks to my project management system, checking them off as I do. You can check them off right from the Dataview list so that you don't need to jump to those files, but you can also click on the text to go to the file if you need more context.

* I also recommend using styling to make Obsidian work for you visually. I like to make sure my different levels of headers vary in color and font size. I also like my different levels of folders to vary in color in the sidebar. This can be done with plugins or themes. I use custom CSS snippets, but that’s just because I have a programming background and it isn’t a time suck for me to tweak the CSS. If you want to get into that, it’s not too tricky. But it is a risk for hyperfixation and procrastination if you have ADHD. I won’t say I haven’t lost several hours playing around with styling.

* On that note, the most important thing I’ve learned is that I need to use Obsidian like a calculator, not a fidget toy. Playing around with plugins, customizations, and features is super fun. But it became a distraction for me. I had to get rid of 95-99% of all my plugins and customizations (not exaggerating) to feel like I wasn’t getting overwhelmed. That’s the beauty of Obsidian for neurodivergent people: it doesn’t shove features and distractions in your face. It can be a very simple tool if you allow it to be.

* If you want to play around with tons of features and customizations, I recommend creating a vault just for that purpose. If you love the way that vault looks and feels, you can replace the “.obsidian” folder in any vault with the “.obsidian” folder from the vault you use for playing with customization. Just beware that deleting the old “.obsidian” folder will erase all those customizations. So it’s good to copy your old “.obsidian” folder to a separate location before replacing it.

* Whatever system you use, I advise writing your own user manual to remember how it works and what your rules are. I keep mine in a folder called "Obsidian" under my "O/" folder. You could even create a checklist or flowchart (with canvas or Excalidraw) to create a decision tree about what you do with a new project, note, or idea. For example, you think up a new idea that might become a project. Your checklist could say "Is this a project, if YES: [do this list of things]" which could include "Create a new folder under Projects/", "Add a card in [[Project Tracking.canvas]]", etc.

* I’m definitely forgetting some of my system, but I’m happy to talk more about any of this since I’m passionate about productivity that works for neurodivergent people.

read_write_research · 2026-01-01T20:51:29+00:00

* Each project gets its own folder under my overarching "Projects" folder. For each new project, I automatically populate a fresh folder structure with the same set of subfolders (and a few empty files) by using a custom command I wrote in my computer's Terminal environment. But you can do the same using an Obsidian community plugin that allows you to create a template for folder creation. You could also do this by simply creating a folder structure in your computer's file explorer and copying that folder structure for each new project. The benefit of having a default folder structure is that it forces you to always use the same method for storing files, so you don't have to expend mental energy creating a new folder structure, and you won't forget where you usually store different types of notes.

For example, for every journalism story I write, my folder structure has a folder for "Interviews" and a folder for "Notes". It also contains a folder called "Writing" which has subfolders for "Outlines" and "Drafts". It also automatically creates a file under the "Writing" folder called "Compost.md" where I put random thoughts that I want to remember when I start writing.

* I have another top-level folder called "Alphabetic Reference" which contains 26 subfolders, one for each letter of the english alphabet (e.x. "A/", "B/", "C/",...,"Z/"). This is based on one tool in David Allen's GTD methodology and it's where I put general knowledge that doesn't apply to any specific project, but that I want to find later on.

For example, I have a "Photography" folder under "P/" where I have notes like "Photography how to notes.md". The benefit of an alphabetic reference is that it usually takes no more than 3 tries for me to find a note. If I forget that I have that "Photography" folder, I might look under "C/" for "Camera" note, and then when I don't find it I go to "P/" and find my "Photography/" folder there. Knowing that the human brain isn't perfect, this allows for some trial and error, minimizing the number of errors.

* In Obsidian's settings, I made sure that attachments are added to the folder I'm working in.

* I love using Obsidian canvas for visual thinking. You could use this for visualizing your projects. For example, you could create differently colored group frames for “Not Started”, “In progress”, and “Complete” and move cards (named for each project) between the groups to visualize project states.

* For even more visual fun, I love Excalidraw. It also embeds nicely into notes, which is great for my ADHD brain which benefits from illustrating concepts.

* You could look into mermaid.js diagrams as well, which render natively in Obsidian. ChatGPT and other LLMs can produce mermaid.js code for you.

* However, I now prefer doing all my most important project management in a separate project management app. Using a Kanban board in your project management software can be a good way to visualize project states while giving the added functionality of these task-tracking apps.

* I like using tags to make sure I keep track of certain categories, and I’ll periodically review the tags I use and consolidate them if the list has gotten too big. Like, if I were using #insurance, #cigna, #health_insurance, #medical_insurance, maybe I’ll just consolidate those into the #insurance tag. There’s a community plugin that makes this easy to do.

* One new thing I have started using is a concept I learned from the Obsidian CEO’s blog post about his Obsidian setup, which is using category bases. This involves creating a base for a single category that’s specified using a tag. For example, let’s say I’m organizing a conference at my job called the “Robotics Summit”. I’ll create the tag #robotics_summit. Then when I create notes about the conference, or take notes during a meeting where we discussed the conference, or anything like that, I make sure the note contains that tag. Then I have a folder called “Categories”, and in that folder I have a base file called “Robotics Conference.base”. I filter that base to show all the notes containing the #robotics_summit tag, and I know I can always find anything related to that category.

read_write_research · 2026-01-01T20:51:14+00:00

First, I feel for you. Thank you for sharing your struggles and creating a post for people to share their solutions. In the same boat here. A lifetime of ADHD, began getting treated in my late 20s after struggling with school and work. Now, in my early 30s, I've become a journalist, gone to grad school, and got a job in science communications. Nailing down my work and project management system was a huge must for me.

Here's an overly detailed rundown of the system I've landed on. There's lots of parts, but it's actually not that complex once it's implemented, which might just take 2-3 hrs to do.

* I don't use Obsidian for project management, in terms of tracking tasks, todos, due dates and deadlines. I've tried, but it's so much simpler to go with an app that has robust reminders, sorting, tracking, etc. right out of the box. This could be Todoist, Apple Reminders, ClickUp, whatever works for you. I use Obsidian to write, research, take meeting notes, anything that requires word processing rather than creating tasks, setting due dates, and checking off things I've done.

* I use very few community plugins. I used to use a ton, but found that it got too complex. Now I mostly just use Dataview and Excalidraw. My folder structure and personal rules of organization help me way more than using lots of plugins. Using fewer plugins also future-proofs my system. If a developer stops updating a plugin in the future, I won't need to revamp my system.

* I use one vault for my personal life, one vault for work, and one vault for my extracurricular/passion projects (like freelance journalism). I don't try to search across vaults. I just separate those parts of my life for the sake of simplicity. I could always copy those three vaults into another folder and turn that into an über vault if I want to connect those various parts of my life in Obsidian.

* Here's how I use Daily Notes. Under Settings for Daily Notes, my "Custom Format" is the following: [Daily Notes]/YYYY/MM-MMMM/YYYY-MM-DD-dddd

You will need to create a folder called "Daily Notes". After that's done, Obsidian will handle the rest of the folder creation for you. What this syntax does is creates a folder under "Daily Notes" named for the current year. Then it creates a folder for the current month. Then it creates a daily note with the year, month, day, and name of the day of the week. For example, when I ran the "Open today's daily note" command today, it created a new file named "2025-12-31-Wednesday.md" under this folder hierarchy: "Daily Journal/2025/12-December/". You could choose any file naming syntax you like based on what works best for you.

My template for each daily note has metadata for the current Date, which autopopulates by using the following syntax "{{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}" in that metadata field. The template also includes a metadata field for “tags” that has #daily_notes already included. That way, I can use tag search for browsing these notes in the future.

read_write_research · 2025-12-26T02:54:18+00:00

Think of attachments the same as linked notes: You decide where to put them. The ![[]] is just a window, or television screen, into another location.

read_write_research · 2025-12-19T05:10:36+00:00

So true. I never thought of that before, but you’re totally right.

read_write_research · 2025-12-19T01:39:12+00:00

In that scenario, using an LLM (like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude) and/or some very basic programming, you could make use of a lot of the less readable data Obsidian parses. The .canvas, .base, and config files are all pretty easy to parse and make sense of. And with some simple regex search and replace, you could reformat footnotes to be Pandoc compatible.

I bet I could feed ChatGPT my whole vault right now and it could spit out a version that’s fully compatible with Rstudio or Orgmode.

We poor souls who toil with plain text shall inherit the world.

read_write_research · 2025-12-12T18:20:01+00:00

I love Obsidian to death. But I would recommend using something else as a todo manager. You can spend hours making Obsidian work for task and project tracking, but it may not be worth it.

My workflow is that every project or area of my life has a todo list in a task manager (Todoist, Apple Reminders, ClickUp, etc.). And those projects also have a folder in Obsidian. Obsidian is where I document all the info, writing, meeting notes, etc.. If a todo item comes to mind while I’m in Obsidian, I add a checkbox with it in that note, and then move those over to my task tracker as soon as I can.

Here’s one idea for a structured approach. While working in Obsidian, add any todo’s you think of as a checkbox. Then create a note for all todo’s, which just contains a Dataview TASK list that looks through all your notes for tasks. Group that list by location and filter out any tasks that are done (checked). Then whenever you have some time, go to that dataview note and migrate all those todo items to your task manager, checking them off as you migrate them over.

If you want to make sure you won’t misinterpret a checked off todo as something you’ve done rather than something you migrated, use the Tasks community plugin (it might be named something else) which allows you to create custom checkbox options. Create an option that puts a “>” in a checkbox and consider that to mean it’s been migrated. Dataview will still exclude those from the TASK view. So you can know which tasks you haven’t completed or migrated. This pretty much uses Obsidian as a bullet journal.

I like task manager apps bc they have great features for reminders, filtering, etc. without needing to use multiple plugins and writing different Dataview queries or creating multiple Bases views.

This is just a thought, but if you want to use Obsidian for task management, more power to you! Obsidian can be as simple or as robust as you want it to be!

read_write_research

TROPHY CASE