Table of contents
Welcome to part two of a four-part series where I share with you how I use Obsidian as a creative.
It's an extensive look at how my Obsidian vault is set up and how I use it to store my thoughts, learnings, and ideas.
Today we're going to talk about the following two directories: inbox and life os.
00-inbox
The inbox directory is where all the random uncategorized, unfinished notes live.
This can include:
- drafts for articles I'm writing (like this one)
- ideas for future articles
- concepts I'd like to learn more about
- whatever random stuff crosses my path throughout the day
If you're familiar with the GTD methodology you'll recognize this as one of my content inboxes. I use it along with my Bullet Journal and Todoist to capture any stray thoughts or ideas that come into my head.
I try to review this directory once a week (during my weekly review) to clear it out and move notes to the right location.
Sometimes I'll add a tag #inbox or #towrite to these notes to further categorize them but I'm not sold on the value of this so I don't always do it.
For me, it's enough to have all of these items stored in the Inbox directory itself.
01-life-os
The Life OS directory is where I keep notes relating to 'big picture' items like goals, projects, and weekly reviews.
This is where a lot of templates and other fun tricks start to come into play.
This directory contains the following sub-directories:
- 01-years
- 02-quarters
- 03-goals
- 04-projects
- 05-weeks
01-years
The Years directory contains a note for each year. There's not a lot in here yet but as I continue with this process I'll have a lot to show for it over the next number of years.
Naming Format
The naming format for year notes is: Y-2021. Y denotes this is a year note and then the year shows me which year it belongs to.
Years Index
The first note in this directory is years-index which is an index of all my year notes.
This is generated using the Dataview plugin which queries the metadata/frontmatter of each note like querying a database.
Note: the code/syntax is written in Edit Mode, then when I switch to Preview Mode, I can see a list of all relevant notes.
years-index Dataview Syntax:
list
from "01-life-os/01-years"
where contains(file.name, "Y")
sort file.name desc
Year Note Template
Each year note itself is generated from my Year Note Template. When I start a new year note, I simply press CTRL + T, then select Year Note Template and my note will auto-populate with everything I need.
The first section of the template contains the file name.
I also like to have a yearly theme so I put that right underneath the title.
# {{title}}
Theme:
The next 3 sections are lists of my Quarter, Goal, and Project notes. These are all automatically pulled in using the Dataview plugin once again.
Quarters:
list
from "01-life-os/02-quarters"
where contains(file.name, "2021")
sort file.name asc
Goals:
list
from "01-life-os/03-goals"
where theYear = 2021
sort file.name asc
Projects:
list
from "01-life-os/04-projects"
where theYear = 2021
sort file.name asc
Following this, I have my year end review section.
These questions have been added over time as I continue to use this template and research other ways of doing yearly reviews. This is what I've settled on for now.
## Year End Review
### Review Of The Past Year
- How did my yearly theme help me this year?
- What went really well this year?
- What surprised me?
- What am I most proud of accomplishing?
- What challenged me?
- What am I most grateful for?
- What have I learned this year?
- My top 5 favorite things from this year
- Describe this year in 3 words
### Looking Ahead To Next Year
- What is my yearly theme and why?
- What am I most looking forward to next year?
- What am I feeling apprehensive about?
- What do I want to do differently?
- What area of y life to I most want to develop?
- What do I want to accomplish next year?
- What challenges am I likely to face?
### Taking Action
- I will make more time for:
- I will learn about:
- I will say NO to:
- I will say YES to:
At the end of each year, I review this note and perform a yearly review.
This might sound really daunting but once you see everything in the quarters, goals, and projects sections, you'll realize there is a lot to work from.
02-quarters
The Quarters directory contains a note for each quarter.
I try to follow The 12 Week Year process as I have found it helps to keep me on track towards my goals and projects.
You can check out my book notes for that book here: The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran - Book Notes, Summary, Review
Naming Format
The naming format for quarter notes is: Q1-2021. Q1 for example denotes the quarter (quarter 1) and the year shows me which year it belongs to.
Quarters Index
The first note in this directory is quarters-index which is an index of all my quarter notes.
This is automatically generated using the Dataview plugin which queries the frontmatter of each note like querying a database.
list
from "01-life-os/02-quarters"
where contains(file.name, "Q")
sort file.name desc
Quarter Note Template
The first section of the template contains the file name.
Underneath that, I link the quarter to the appropriate year with a backlink. This allows me to easily navigate to the correct year from inside the quarter note.
The next 3 sections are lists of my Goal, Project, and Week notes. These are all automatically pulled in using the Dataview plugin.
Goals:
list
from "01-life-os/03-goals"
where theQuarter = "Q1-2021"
sort file.name asc
Projects:
list
from "01-life-os/04-projects"
where theQuarter = "Q1-2021"
sort file.name asc
Weeks:
list
from "01-life-os/05-weeks"
where theQuarter = "Q1-2021"
sort file.name desc
Following this, I have my quarterly review section that I fill out at the end of each quarter.
## Quarterly Review:
### Review Of Goals
- Look back at the goals I set for the quarter
- What were the themes/buckets associated with these goals?
- Did I achieve my goals?
- If not why not?
- Will any of these goals carry forward into the next quarter?
- If so, what needs to change to ensure success this time around?
### Review Of Projects
- Look back at the projects I undertook in the last quarter
- What were the themes/buckets associated with these projects?
- Were these linked to any of my goals?
- What one thing did I learn from each project?
- What one thing would I change if starting each project again?
### Review Of Weekly Reviews
- Look back at the weekly reviews from the last quarter:
- What were the 3 most important lessons I learned
### Start Stop Continue
- What should I start doing next quarter?
- What should I stop doing next quarter?
- What should I continue doing next quarter?
### Setting New Goals
- Pick 1-2 new goals to work on for the next quarter
- Fill them out in the Goals DB
- Define any related projects that need to be created to accomplish the goal(s)
03-goals
The Goals directory contains a note for each goal I set for myself. These will usually come from my quarterly and yearly reviews.
The process if picking goals during my quarterly + yearly reviews helps to keep me focused and prevents me from trying to do too much at once.
Naming Format
I use icons at the start of the note to denote the goal's status:
- ⚪ - To Do
- 🟠 - In Progress
- 🟢 - Complete
- 🔴 - Failed
Yes, believe it or not, I fail at some of the goals I set for myself.
I still like to keep those goals in my Obsidian system to review every once in a while. I definitely try to learn from my failures and this is a big part of that process.
As for the actual note name, I try to keep the name of the goal concise and understandable so I know what it is at a glance.
Goals Index
The first note in this directory is goals-index which is an index of all my goal notes.
This is generated using the Dataview plugin which queries the frontmatter of each note like querying a database.
list
from "01-life-os/03-goals"
sort file.name
I also keep a list of potential goals I might like to work on in the future in this note.
Goal Note Template
This template starts with the front matter which is used by the Dataview plugin.
I have the year (theYear) and the quarter (theQuarter) which is what most of my Dataview queries look for.
theYear: 2021
theQuarter: Q3-2021
Next, I have some more note data including the title, status, year, quarter, and project.
I realize that I'm duplicating the Quarter and the Year but this way I can use backlinks as well as the Dataview functionality.
# {{title}}
Status:
Year: [[🔄 Y-2021]]
Quarter: [[🔄 Q3-2021]]
Project:
The next section relates to defining the goal itself. What it will entail, and what success looks like.
## Goal Background
## Goal Outline
**_Specific_**
**_Measurable_**
**_Achievable_**
**_Relevant_**
**_Time-Bound_**
## Definition Of Success
## 3 Reasons For Failing
What are the top 3 reasons why I might fail at this goal?
## How To Stack The Deck In Your Favor
Based on my reasons for failing, what strategies can I make use of to achieve my goals?
## Action Plan
Include the next actionable task I can do right now to start working towards my goal.
The final section is for my goal review.
When I have accomplished (or failed) at a goal, I reflect on what went well and what I could improve on next time.
## Goal Review
### Did I Achieve This Goal?
### Why or Why Not?
### What 1 thing would I have done differently?
### What 1 thing did I learn from this experience?
04-projects
The Projects directory contains a note for each project I want to work on.
These typically stem from the goals I'm currently working on.
I also create projects that aren't directly tied to my goals but I try not to do this too often to prevent working on too much at once.
You might be noticing a trend here of trying to prevent overwhelm and only focus on the most important stuff.
Naming Format
I use icons at the start of the note to denote the project's status:
- ⚪ - To Do
- 🟠 - In Progress
- 🟢 - Complete
- 🔴 - Failed
I then use a key: MXP21001
- MXP - Mishacreatrix Project
- 21 - the year (2021)
- 001 - the project number
Following the key I have the name of the project itself: "blank-page-as-a-creator-ebook".
Here's what an example note name looks like for a project: 🟢 MXP21011-blank-page-as-a-creator-ebook
Project Index
The first note in this directory is project-index which is an index of all my project notes.
This is generated using the Dataview plugin which queries the frontmatter of each note like querying a database.
list
from "01-life-os/04-projects"
where contains(file.name, "MXP")
sort file.name
Project Note Template
This template starts with the front matter which is used by the Dataview plugin.
I have the year (theYear) and the quarter (theQuarter) which is what most of my Dataview queries look for.
theYear: 2021
theQuarter: Q1-2021
Next, I have some more note data including the title, status, year, quarter, and goal.
# {{title}}
Status:
Year: [[🔄 Y-2021]]
Quarter: [[🔄 Q1-2021]]
Goal:
The next section relates to defining the project itself. What it will entail, my workings and what I learned from the project once it's completed.
## Project Background
## Proposed Implementation
## Time Frame
## Notes
## Daily Notes
## What I Learned
## What Could Be Improved Next Time
Project Ideas Kanban Board
I have recently been playing around with the Kanban Board plugin and have found it to be extremely useful.
So much so that I created a Project Ideas kanban board note.
Any time I think of a potential new project idea, it gets a note on the Kanban board. I currently have each note grouped based on the type of project.
For example:
- Websites - ideas for websites to build
- Notion Files - ideas for Notion files + templates
- Figma Files - ideas for Figma files + templates
- eBooks, PDFs, Guides
- Needs more research - not yet sure what the implementation will look like so needs more thought.
When it comes to my quarterly and yearly reviews, I look at this board to pick what projects I can work on next.
05-weeks
The Weeks directory contains a note for each weekly review I do.
I do my weekly review on Friday afternoons but quite honestly I've missed the last couple.
This article will serve as a reminder for me to get my butt back in gear and do my weekly reviews!
Naming Format
The naming format for these types of notes is:
- W10 - the week number
- 20210319 - the year (2021), month (03), and date (19)
Weeks Index
The first note in this directory is weeks-index which is an index of all my week notes.
This is generated using the Dataview plugin which queries the frontmatter of each note like querying a database.
list
from "01-life-os/05-weeks"
sort file.name desc
Week Note Template
This template starts with the front matter which is used by the Dataview plugin.
I have the year (theYear) and the quarter (theQuarter) which is what most of my Dataview queries look for.
theYear: 2021
theQuarter: Q1-2021
Next, I have some more note data including the title, year, and quarter.
# {{title}}
Year: [[🔄 Y-2021]]
Quarter: [[🔄 Q1-2021]]
Next, I have the main content of the weekly review:
## Get Started
- Clear Desk space
- Zero Inboxes
- Review last week's entry
- Review daily reflections
## Reflections
### What Went Well This Week?
### What Should I Start Doing?
### What Should I Stop Doing?
### What Should I Continue Doing?
## Work Log
## Planning
- Review next week's time blocks
- Add & schedule tasks for the next week
## Shut Down
"I am finished work for today"
That's it for this part of the series. The next post will be released next Monday.
In the meantime, you can read the original article I wrote over on my website: A Walkthrough Of My Obsidian Setup