Processing Notes
Capture ideas and connect notes
When you encounter sparks for new ideas related to your efforts or interests, it's important to capture notes quickly.
Then, connect these ideas to existing notes to build a network of information and knowledge. It's easy creating an internal Obsidian link to connect a note to another using double-bracket Wikilink syntax ([[name]]), or any external web link with a Markdown link ([title](url)).
Note workflow
Ideas flow through my PKM system in a LYT pipeline from initial capture to final output. It's based on LYT frameworks learned from Nick Milo and LYT Workshops.
Workflow categories
I use Obsidian and other apps to create notes for my efforts and interest topics to produce outputs for sharing.
- App notes: Information about apps or tools
- Topic notes: Information about a topic
- Effort notes: Ideas and actions for areas, interests, and projects
- Output notes: Published works
LYT frameworks
I like to think about idea emergence like a LYT Pipeline for the flow of my ideas based on the LYT frameworks of ACE organization and ARC workflow.
My ACE organization (Atlas, Calendar, and Efforts) supports mental orientation of notes based on knowledge, time, and action. With ARC ideation, I Add new ideas, connect and Relate them to existing notes, and Communicate by sharing my outputs with others.
ARC workflow
It's also necessary to have Add views in your ARC ideation workflow to process these new, recent, and focus notes. I separate source and idea notes by keeping my notes in Atlas/Dots and external information from others under +/+Sources.
Integrating notes
[[Notes - Integration|Integrating]] multiple applications with Obsidian to support PKM workflows blends the best of the best without trying to make each app do everything.
I have focus spaces with each app and the combination is much more powerful together: exploring (Arc Browser), reading (Reader), capture (Drafts), notes (Obsidian), actions (OmniFocus), events (Fantastical), and support (DEVONthink).
For example, Arc Browser supports a key part of my thinking workflow. It helps me collect and cluster links encountered from browsing, email, or social media, and then I can copy a tab folder of Markdown links to an Obsidian map or note.
Views
Views notes containing Dataview queries are critical to help me manage workflows in my PKM system as I create, develop, and share my ideas, information, and knowledge via a published Obsidian digital garden vault and Ghost website.
Views support workflow processing and periodic practices with dynamic metadata queries of notes, apps, categories, efforts, and outputs.
- Note view: Supports ideation workflow from spark to story
- App view: Information about notes and efforts for apps
- Category view: View categories, topics, and groups of notes
- Effort view: Dashboard for efforts, areas, interests, or projects
- Output view: Status of candidate, focus, and published notes
Basic queries
These views offer dynamic lists or tables of notes and metadata from folders and/or tags that can be filtered by properties, and sorted for display.
Advanced queries
Dataview JavaScript queries offer more advanced views with additional flexibility, features, and formatting options. This is especially helpful for analysis and maintenance views to manage and edit metadata across my notes.
Publishing views
Since Obsidian Publish does not support dynamic DataView queries for my published digital garden vault, I'm exploring alternatives that generate static tables from my Dataview queries for display on my site with the query results.
Review and reflection
It's also important to have a periodic practice for review, reflection, and planning in your PKM system.