There are many applications to take notes and organize our daily lives, both in the professional field and in our personal lives. However, none comes even remotely close to what it offers us. Obsidian. This software aspires to be a "second brain" for the user. A tool that increases our organizational capacity and, therefore, also shows productivity. In this post we are going to explain to you what are the advantages of using Obsidian when it comes to organizing your notes.
If you're looking for a simple app to make some notes from time to time, there are better alternatives. But if what you want is a powerful and precise tool to organize our activities, this is without a doubt one of the best options you will be able to find.
Light, Google Keep, Evernote... It can be safely said that Obsidian is a step above all those applications. It is also true that it is a much more complex tool, despite its simple appearance.
Visually, it is presented as a classic notes manager, with the typical notes panel that is written with plain text, quite similar to the Memo pad of Windows. But What is really valuable about Obsidian is the way we manage this information and everything it allows us to do.. It is worth spending some time learning the secrets of this software and learning how to use it, because the reward is great.
Download and install Obsidian
There are versions of Obsidian for Windows (Standard, ARM and Legacy), Linux and Macas well as for mobile devices iOS y Android. If we are going to use the program for personal use, we can have it for free, without accounts or registrations. For professional use you must opt ​​for the paid version, which has specialized support and a commercial license. This modality costs $50 per year, with a free two-week trial period.
There is also a supplementary service called Obsidian Sync, which makes it easy to synchronize notes on all the devices on which we use the software. Its price is $10 per month or $96 per year.
Installing the program is simple, you just have to follow the steps of the virtual assistant, and it only takes a few minutes. Once done, we can now enjoy all the advantages of using Obsidian.
How does Obsidian work?
When we open Obsidian on our computer, the first thing we see is a large center panel with several notes (vaults) open, one in the foreground and the others behind. The left side panel shows all the notes, as well as the buttons that allow us to perform different functions; In the right column we find another block with a series of graphics (one of the features that differentiates Obsidian from other similar applications).
If we open Obsidian in the mobile application, this layout appears smaller, in the form of a task list.
Create a new note
In Obsidian language, notes are called vaults. To create a new one, you must give it a name, choose the language and choose the place where you want it to be stored. By default, all notes are saved in the same file called «Standard Project», visible in a list.
Once the parameters are selected, we can create the new note by clicking on the corresponding button or by using the key combination Control + N.
Using the Markdown language
One of the most interesting aspects of the application is that it uses Markdown language for your notes. The great advantage of this is being able to insert links to other notes in a simple and fast way. It is true that learning to use and master Markdown completely can take some time, but learning the most basic functions is relatively simple.
An example: to insert a link in the note you only have to place the anchor text in brackets. With this, a new note is created that we can edit and thus build a network of interrelated notes that we will be able to organize and prioritize in the panel on the left.
Graph view
Another of the most striking advantages of Obsidian is the ability to be able to visualize this organization of notes in the form of a network of nodes. To see it, you just have to press the button with the molecule icon in the left panel.
If we only have a couple of linked notes, the image displayed is not too spectacular, but as the network becomes more complex, it can lead to images as spectacular as the one shown above.
Plugins and add-ons
And to further expand Obsidian's horizon of possibilities, we have a ton of plugins and add-ons that can be added. We can install them through the button Settings displayed on the left side of the screen. A list of plugins will appear ordered by number of downloads, with their name and a brief description.
To use them you just have to select the plugin, install it and press the "Enable" button. Although all of them are completely safe for our computer, the download runs automatically in safe mode. Installed plugins can be uninstalled at any time.
Conclusion
With all the features and benefits outlined here (and this is just a small sample), it's easy to understand why Obsidian is much more than just an app for creating and saving notes. The ability to compile a comprehensive knowledge base of all our notes is something impossible to achieve with a normal word processor.
In this way, Obsidian becomes A very useful tool for creative projects with ideas or elements that branch out. For example, it is an ideal resource for someone who is structuring and planning a novel. Or for those who want to control all aspects of a business organization or business. There are actually many practical applications that can be taken advantage of what Obsidian offers.
In addition to this, we must not forget that it is a completely free and local application, where the files are stored on our own computer. Security and privacy are absolute.