Design a practical Obsidian workflow for my situation. Prioritize retrieval, low maintenance, and notes I will genuinely create. Do not invent plugins, plugin features, file paths, integrations, or Obsidian syntax; if something may depend on a plugin or version, label it "verify" and give a core-Obsidian fallback. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing. What I use Obsidian for: [USE CASES] My current vault, tools, and habits: [CURRENT SETUP] The information I need to capture and retrieve: [INFORMATION TYPES] My constraints and preferences: [CONSTRAINTS] Example notes or workflows that matter: [EXAMPLES] Produce: 1. A vault map with a small set of folders, note types, and a clear purpose for each. Avoid folders that duplicate a property or tag. 2. A property schema for each note type, including property name, expected value, and when not to use it. Use only fields that support a real retrieval, review, or workflow decision. 3. Three copy-ready note templates in plain Markdown: a daily note, a project note, and the most important domain note for my use case. Include prompts inside templates that make capture easy, not decorative fields. 4. A linking and naming convention with examples, plus a 10-minute weekly maintenance routine. 5. A migration plan for my existing notes: what to leave alone, what to rename or tag gradually, and what not to reorganize yet. Explain how I would find a current project, a past decision, and a useful reference note in under one minute. Keep the system to the minimum viable structure; do not recommend a database-like setup unless my inputs require it. Self-check that each property, folder, and template section serves a stated use case, and flag any recommendation that relies on unverified plugin functionality or personal information-management assumptions.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [USE CASES] | Describe the main work, study, personal, or creative uses you want Obsidian to support. | Manage freelance design projects, meeting notes, reading notes, and personal learning goals. |
| [CURRENT SETUP] | Describe your current folders, plugins, devices, capture tools, and habits if you have an existing vault. | About 900 notes in folders named Inbox, Work, Personal, and Archive; use Obsidian on Mac and iPhone; capture ideas with Apple Notes first. |
| [INFORMATION TYPES] | List the kinds of notes, projects, references, tasks, decisions, and records you need to manage. | Client briefs, project plans, meeting decisions, design references, book notes, invoices, and weekly priorities. |
| [CONSTRAINTS] | State your available maintenance time, privacy needs, preferred complexity, and tools you do not want to use. | Ten minutes a week for maintenance; prefer built-in features; client details must remain easy to separate and find. |
| [EXAMPLES] | Paste a few representative note titles, note excerpts, or workflows that should work better. | Notes include "Acme homepage kickoff," "Book - The Design of Everyday Things," and "2026-09-18 weekly planning." |
How to use
- Describe the notes you must find quickly, not just the folders you wish you had.
- Paste a few real note titles so the naming and migration rules fit your vault.
- Test the proposed templates by creating one active project note and one reference note before restructuring old files.
- Follow up with: "Using this design, show me the exact contents of a project dashboard note for Acme homepage work."
Variations
Research vault
Use this when sources, claims, and literature notes are the main problem.
Design an Obsidian research workflow for [RESEARCH TOPICS], [SOURCE TYPES], [CURRENT VAULT], [CITATION METHOD], and [OUTPUTS I WRITE]. Create a small folder map, a source-note and claim-note property schema, and copy-ready Markdown templates for literature notes, claims, and synthesis notes. Show how to preserve source location, page or timestamp, and confidence without inventing citations. Include a process from capture to draft and a weekly maintenance routine. Use core features where possible and label plugin-dependent recommendations for verification. Check that every claim can be traced back to a source note.
Project dashboard
Use this when several active projects need clear next actions and status.
Create an Obsidian project-management setup for [ACTIVE PROJECTS], [PROJECT FIELDS], [TASK TOOL OR METHOD], [REVIEW RHYTHM], and [CURRENT NOTE EXAMPLES]. Output a project-note template, a weekly review note, naming rules, and a way to separate project status, decisions, references, and next actions without duplicating tasks across notes. Do not assume a task plugin or query feature exists; include a core-Obsidian fallback. Check that every proposed field helps identify status, next action, owner, or deadline, and flag dependencies on plugins.
Daily notes system
Use this when you capture plenty of notes but rarely connect them to ongoing work.
Build a daily-notes workflow in Obsidian around [DAILY ROUTINE], [CAPTURE SOURCES], [PROJECT TYPES], [REVIEW TIME], and [CURRENT DAILY NOTE]. Produce a copy-ready daily-note template with sections for priorities, appointments, quick capture, decisions, and links to active work. Explain an end-of-day triage process and a weekly review that moves only actionable or reusable information into other notes. Keep it under [MAXIMUM MINUTES] per day. Do not assume plugins are installed. Check that the workflow prevents orphaned notes and does not create duplicate task lists.
Tips
- Use folders for broad, stable boundaries such as attachments or archived material; use note links and a few properties for relationships that change.
- A property earns its place only when you will filter, search, review, or act on it; remove fields that merely describe a note.
- Keep original filenames for old notes during migration unless a broken naming pattern is actively preventing retrieval.
- Link to the note where a decision was made rather than copying the decision into every related project note; one authoritative record is easier to maintain.
FAQ
Do I need many plugins for a useful Obsidian vault?
No. Start with folders, links, search, templates, and properties that solve a specific retrieval problem. Add a plugin only after its absence repeatedly creates friction.
Should I use tags or folders?
Use folders for a note's broad home and tags sparingly for cross-cutting labels you will search. Links usually express project, source, and topic relationships more clearly.
How do I organize an existing messy vault?
Do not rename everything at once. Create a workable structure for new notes, migrate active material first, and let inactive archives remain searchable until you have a real need to touch them.