ObsidianMD for ADHD and Real-World Use Cases: My Custom Setup
Introduction
Hello, I'm Simo, a teacher and content creator from Morocco. I focus on ADHD productivity tips, personal organization, and leveraging tools like Obsidian to simplify life. As someone managing ADHD, both medicated and unmedicated, I've designed my workflow to prioritize flexibility and ease of use. In this blog post, I'll walk you through my Obsidian setup, tailored to my specific needs.
What is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a powerful, free, and open-source note-taking app that revolves around the concept of linked notes. It acts as a second brain, allowing you to organize ideas, connect them, and create a personal knowledge base. While the default version is robust on its own, its true power lies in its customizability, making it adaptable to each user's workflow and preferences.
My Obsidian Setup
The Core Philosophy
My Obsidian setup is designed to help me manage my ADHD, teaching job, and personal life. I use it for task management, organizing thoughts, and conducting research. The core philosophy behind my setup is to store any knowledge or information that I can later retrieve using technology. This way, I free up mental space for what truly matters in the present moment.
The Structure of My Vault
My Obsidian vault is organized into several key folders, each serving a specific purpose:
- Journaling: Daily Journaling: I use the Calendar and Periodic Notes plugins to create daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly journal entries. This helps me reflect on my thoughts, tasks, and experiences.
- Negative Journaling: A space to document challenges and setbacks, which aids in processing emotions and learning from mistakes.
- ADHD: Books, Articles, and Research: I categorize resources related to ADHD into subfolders for easy access.
- Tools and Strategies: Notes on tools, techniques, and strategies that help me manage ADHD symptoms.
- Read and Listen: Books, Articles, Podcasts, and Videos: I keep summaries and thoughts on what I read or listen to, making it easier to revisit key ideas without re-consuming the content.
- Teaching: Curriculum, Legal Documents, and Student Notes: Organized for quick access to teaching-related materials.
- Entertainment: Anime, Manga, Movies, and Gaming: A place to track and organize my entertainment interests.
- General Useful: Bookmarks and Useful Links: A catch-all for general resources and bookmarks.
- Business: Ideas, Brainstorming, and Contacts: For tracking business ideas and contacts.
- Other Languages: Language Learning Resources: I document my language learning journey here.
- Z-Archive: Templates, Attachments, and Miscellaneous Files: A place to store templates, PDFs, images, and other files.
Plugins and Customizations
My Obsidian setup is enhanced by a variety of plugins that streamline my workflow:
- Data View: Allows me to create tables and queries to organize and filter my notes.
- Iconize: Changes the color and icons of folders and notes for better visual organization.
- Dashboard++: Created using CSS snippets and the Home Page plugin, it serves as my go-to starting point.
- On This Day: A plugin that shows random notes from specific dates, helping me remember past thoughts and experiences.
- Editor Toolbar: Adds a toolbar for quick access to editing functions.
The Power of Customization
Obsidian's true power lies in its ability to be customized to fit individual needs. By leveraging plugins and customizations, I've created a setup that suits my ADHD-driven workflow. Whether it's through the use of calendars, periodic notes, or custom dashboards, my Obsidian vault is a living, breathing extension of my mind.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining me on this journey through my Obsidian setup. If you're interested in productivity tips, especially for those with ADHD, or if you want to learn more about how to leverage tools like Obsidian, be sure to subscribe to my channel and follow my blog. I'll be sharing more tips, tutorials, and insights in the future.
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