iTranslated by AI
Seriously Considering Whether to Adopt Obsidian
Introduction
The Markdown editor Obsidian has been trending lately.
It is attracting attention for its use in combination with Generative AI.
I tried jumping on the bandwagon and installed Obsidian, but I didn't quite understand the benefit of linking notes together. Upon research, it seems Obsidian is an application designed for practicing a note-taking method called Zettelkasten.
Here is an excerpt describing Obsidian from the official page.
From personal notes to journals, knowledge bases, and project management, Obsidian provides the tools to ideate and organize your ideas.
Links: Connect your notes and create your own personal Wikipedia.
Graph: Visualize relationships between your notes and find patterns hidden in your thoughts.At its most basic, you can use it for editing and previewing Markdown files. However, its true power is realized through densely networked knowledge base management.
After researching this far, I realized a few things.
- You can't understand the true value of Obsidian without knowing about Zettelkasten.
- I don't know much about existing note-taking methods in the first place.
- I don't know what other note-taking applications are available.
I thought I didn't get the point of Obsidian because I had never seriously considered note-taking methods before. Therefore, I want to research various note-taking methods and tools to compare the benefits of Zettelkasten and see if there are alternatives in other tools.
For those interested in Obsidian, you can download it here.
Target Audience
- People who have installed Obsidian but aren't sure how to use it
- People interested in note-taking methods
Defining Evaluation Criteria
Before looking into note-taking methods and applications, let's establish evaluation criteria.
Timing and Purpose of Note-taking
First, let's organize the situations where we usually take notes.
| Primary Scenarios | Specific Examples |
|---|---|
| Learning & Knowledge Retention | Classes, reading, research |
| Business & Work Records | Meetings, daily reports |
| Organizing Thoughts & Emotions | Expressive writing, diaries, journaling |
| Planning & Goal Setting | TODO lists |
| Creative, Hobbies & Recording Ideas | Idea logs for novels/blogs, brainstorming notes |
There may be others, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind. Organizing these, the purposes of taking notes can be broadly classified into the following four categories:
- Taking notes to remember
- Taking notes to gain ideas
- Taking notes to record
- Taking notes to organize
Evaluation Criteria
In recent years, with the rise of Generative AI, recording and organizing have become easier than before. Business and work records can be done mechanically using tools and AI. Therefore, I believe there are two main points we should really focus on when taking notes:
- Ease of remembering
- Ease of idea generation
However, achieving these depends more on note-taking methods (techniques) rather than the tool's features. Conversely, digital tool selection should be fine as long as it satisfies at least the following two points:
- Ease of recording
- Ease of organizing
Given that, wouldn't it be best to choose a tool that makes it easy to practice a note-taking method that enables "ease of remembering" and "ease of idea generation"?
Note-taking Methods and Applications
List of Note-taking Methods
Below is a summary of the note-taking methods I've researched.
| Name | Overview |
|---|---|
| Sentence Method | A method of organizing information by writing down key points concisely, one sentence at a time. |
| Outlining Method | Organizing information in a hierarchical structure (headings, subheadings, bullet points). |
| Flow Method | Writing down thoughts or learning content in chronological order. |
| Charting Method | Organizing information in diagrams or table formats. |
| Mapping Method | Writing down ideas or information radially from a central theme. |
| Box Method | Surrounding related information with boxes and describing details. |
| Sketchnoting | Using not just text but also many diagrams and illustrations to take notes visually. |
These are methods that most people have probably tried at least once.
The following are slightly more advanced note-taking methods.
| Name | Overview |
|---|---|
| Cornell Method | Dividing notes into areas for notes, keywords, and summaries. |
| Rapid Logging | Recording quickly using symbols (bullets). |
| Bullet Journal | An analog task management method using rapid logging. |
| Zettelkasten | A method of linking knowledge by writing one idea per card and connecting cards together. |
In addition, I found some independently created note-taking methods. Now, let's take a closer look at Zettelkasten, the main subject of this article.
Zettelkasten
Zettelkasten, which means "slip-box" in German, is a note-taking method for intellectual production devised by the scholar Niklas Luhmann. The most significant feature is writing one idea or piece of knowledge on a single card (zettel) and linking (referencing) them to each other to build a network of knowledge.
Note: In English, Zettelkasten is apparently called "Slip-Box".
Basic Rules
| Rule | Content |
|---|---|
| One note, one idea | Write only one idea per card |
| Link notes together | Connect knowledge by mutually linking related notes |
| Unique ID or title | Manage each note by giving it a unique ID or title |
Benefits
| Benefit | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Knowledge Networking | A system where notes are linked and knowledge is organically connected. |
| Easy Rediscovery | Easier to trace back to past notes, making it easy to reuse ideas. |
| Useful for Writing and Research | Making it easy to compose papers or articles by combining related notes. |
Zettelkasten-Derived Note-Taking Methods and Applications
While researching Zettelkasten, I found several note-taking methods that evolved from this technique, as well as applications influenced by it.
Note-Taking Methods Based on Zettelkasten
| Name | Overview |
|---|---|
| Smart Notes | Faithfully inherits the basic Zettelkasten workflow (Fleeting → Literature → Permanent Notes). Furthermore, it strengthens "Permanent Notes as triggers for writing and thinking". |
| Digital Garden | Views half-baked ideas and unfinished concepts as valuable, proposing a "living space" for growing knowledge, whether public or private. A dynamic approach that continues editing and updating, in contrast to Zettelkasten's completion-oriented nature. |
| Antinet Zettelkasten | Re-evaluates paper cards and physical boxes—the origin of Zettelkasten—rather than digitization. Emphasizes the stimulation of thought and simplicity unique to analog. |
| LYT Framework | Goes beyond simple note storage in Zettelkasten, strengthening the organization of knowledge centered on "hub note" structures using Maps of Content (MOC) and links. |
| Evergreen Notes | A style where notes are "mutable and clear conceptual units" that grow dynamically through links. Focuses on knowledge that grows over time, rather than Zettelkasten's fixed or immutable nature. |
Note: There may be errors in the overviews. Please check official information or specialized books for details and accurate content.
Applications Incorporating Zettelkasten-like Thinking
| App Name | Overview | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | Page-based knowledge management tool | Partially paid |
| Logseq | Outliner-style OSS PKM tool | Free |
| Roam Research | Outliner-style knowledge management tool | Paid |
| The Archive | Simple tool specialized for Zettelkasten | Paid |
| Zettlr | OSS optimized for academic writing and research | Free |
| RemNote | Notes that maximize learning efficiency with integrated flashcards | Partially paid |
| Tana | AI-powered next-generation note and task management tool | Paid |
| Heptabase | Knowledge management tool for visually organizing thoughts and information | Paid |
| Scrintal | Mind map-style note tool for visually organizing ideas | Paid |
| Athens | OSS knowledge graph tool. EOL | Free |
| ZKN3 | Free note app specialized for Zettelkasten. Popular in German-speaking regions? | Free |
Note: I did not include a link for ZKN3 as the destination seemed suspicious.
While it may be difficult to study all of these in depth, it is clear that Zettelkasten has influenced many note-taking methods and applications and is widely used.
List of Other Note-taking Applications
I also looked into other applications commonly used outside of Zettelkasten.
| App Name | Overview | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Notion | Multi-functional all-in-one workspace with AI | Partially paid |
| Evernote | Note app for easily recording, organizing, and searching information | Partially paid |
| OneNote | Microsoft's digital note app with enhanced AI and handwriting features | Free |
| Workflowy | An outliner specialized in hierarchical list management | Partially paid |
| Dynalist | A multi-functional outliner created by the original developers of Workflowy | Partially paid |
The more I look, the more applications of this kind I find. I haven't tried any of them except Notion.
Selecting a Note-taking Method
Comparison of Note-taking Methods
Let's compare the note-taking methods mentioned so far from the perspective of "ease of remembering" and "ease of idea generation."
While it's a very mundane conclusion, I think it's best to try various note-taking methods based on your preferences and goals and choose the one that suits you.
In particular, for those engaged in intellectual production who want to generate new ideas, Zettelkasten would be a very powerful option.
Note: Personally, I felt that the "3-word note-taking method" is a very simple and effective method for memory retention and idea generation. This method was explained by Mentalist DaiGo, but I haven't included details here because I couldn't find the source.
Selecting an Application
Evaluation Criteria for Application Selection
Here, let's reorganize the evaluation criteria for selecting an application. At the beginning of the article, I listed the following four perspectives:
- Ease of remembering
- Ease of idea generation
- Ease of recording
- Ease of organizing
"Ease of remembering" and "ease of idea generation" depend to some extent on the note-taking method used. The extent to which features other than text input are provided seems to be the key to expanding the range of compatible note-taking methods. Therefore, "Abundance of features and plugins" will be an important perspective.
I'll omit "ease of recording" here as there doesn't seem to be a significant difference between the apps.
For "ease of organizing," the presence or absence of AI features will be a key point. Since even messy notes can be easily organized with AI, it can be considered an essential feature in this day and age.
In addition to the perspectives organized so far, another point I'd like to mention is "portability." To utilize information over a long period, a system that doesn't depend too heavily on a specific app is also important. In this article, I will use "Markdown support" as a criterion. Markdown is supported by many apps, making it easy to reuse or migrate data, which provides peace of mind for long-term operation.
In summary, the evaluation criteria can be distilled into the following three points:
- Abundance of features and plugins
- Presence of AI features
- Markdown support
Organizing it this way, the points to choose from are surprisingly simple.
Comparative Analysis of Applications
We will compare the applications based on the criteria organized above. Since the focus is on personal use, paid tools are excluded from the comparison.
| App Name | Feature/Plugin Abundance | Presence of AI Features | Markdown Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | ✅ Abundant | ✅ Plugin Support | ✅ Full Support |
| Logseq | ✅ Abundant | ✅ Plugin Support | ✅ Full Support |
| Zettlr | ⚠️ Moderate | ❌ None | ✅ Full Support |
| RemNote | ⚠️ Moderate | ✅ AI Features Available | ⚠️ Limited Support |
| Notion | ✅ Abundant | ✅ Notion AI | ⚠️ Limited Support |
| Evernote | ⚠️ Moderate | ✅ AI Edit | ⚠️ Limited Support |
| OneNote | ⚠️ Moderate | ✅ Copilot | ❌ No Support |
| Workflowy | ⚠️ Moderate | ✅ Workflowy AI | ⚠️ Limited Support |
| Dynalist | ⚠️ Moderate | ❌ None | ⚠️ Limited Support |
Please refer to the following for details on the selection criteria.
Details of Selection Criteria
Feature/Plugin Abundance
| Evaluation | Meaning / Criteria Example |
|---|---|
| ✅ Abundant | Many official and third-party plugins, multi-functional. High customizability. |
| ⚠️ Moderate | Official plugins exist, but types and numbers are limited. External integration and extensibility exist but are not extensive. |
| ❌ | Few or no plugins/extensions, or practical functionality is limited. |
Presence of AI Features
| Evaluation | Meaning / Criteria Example |
|---|---|
| ✅ | Supported via plugin or natively |
| ❌ | Not supported |
Markdown Support
| Evaluation | Meaning / Criteria Example |
|---|---|
| ✅ Full Support | Full editing in Markdown. Storage format is Markdown. Export and import are smooth |
| ⚠️ Limited Support | Partially supported (import only, incomplete export, different internal storage format, Markdown-like syntax only, etc.) |
| ❌ No Support | Markdown writing is impossible. Unique format only, conversion required when copy-pasting, etc. |
The applications that satisfy all these criteria seem to be narrowed down to Obsidian and Logseq. Also, since Notion allows exporting in Markdown format, it is generally considered acceptable in terms of "portability." In terms of practicing Zettelkasten, Obsidian and Logseq are superior; if you prefer an outliner-style user experience, Logseq might be more suitable.
Summary
Through this research, I was able to learn that there are many note-taking methods in the world and various applications that support them.
In selecting an application, I established the following three criteria:
- Abundance of features and plugins
- Whether AI features are available
- Markdown support
As a result of considering these points, I have decided to adopt Obsidian once again.
To be honest, I still don't fully understand the essential benefits of Zettelkasten. However, even without fully utilizing it, I felt that Obsidian is a sufficiently valuable application. I plan to start by installing Obsidian and gradually getting used to its operation, while incorporating the Zettelkasten way of thinking when I have the time.
Next Steps
Nick Milo, the creator of the LYT Framework, is actively involved in the Obsidian community. He has an official YouTube channel where he uploads videos about Obsidian, so I would like to study them.
Remarks
Previously, I attended an event where Mr. Masui, the author of "The Ultimate Note-Taking Method to 'Grow' with Obsidian," was a speaker, so I'll leave some brief impressions here.
In Mr. Masui's talk about how to use Obsidian, the policy of "basically not using folders" was particularly impressive. I was very surprised to hear that he manages most information using tags. Also, the utilization method combining Dataview and AI search was interesting, and I felt the potential for notes to become more than just simple memos. Recently, a new database feature called "Obsidian Bases" has appeared as a core plugin, apparently making it possible to easily create database views on a GUI. I'm looking forward to the future evolution of Obsidian even more.
References
- Obsidian Official
- Obsidian Japanese Help - What is Obsidian?
- Niklas Luhmann Official Archive (Posthumous materials including Zettelkasten)
- LYT (Linking Your Thinking) Official Site
- Zettelkasten, Linking Your Thinking, and Nick Milo's Search for Ground
- Concepts of "How to Take Smart Notes"
- Andy's working notes - Evergreen Notes
Discussion