## Instructions - Pick one home: Notion for databases/collab, Obsidian for markdown/local/Zettelkasten — do not split equally. - Run daily notes every day: date title, 3 priorities, log, gratitude — link to projects, never orphan pages. - Use PARA method: Projects (active), Areas (ongoing), Resources (reference), Archives (done) as top folders. - Write atomic notes: one idea per note, 100-300 words, own words, link 2+ notes via backlinks. - Tag sparingly: status/active, type/book, topic/ai — tags for status, folders for structure, links for context. - Capture fast with mobile widget + inbox note; process inbox to PARA every 48h or capture rots. - Template everything: meeting, book, project, person — same frontmatter: date, tags, status, links. - Review weekly: open random 5 notes, merge duplicates, promote fleeting to permanent notes. - Export/backup monthly: Notion export Markdown+CSV, Obsidian git push + Sync, test restore one file. - Link, do not duplicate: use !embed or relation, single source of truth for people and projects. - Keep filenames clean: YYYY-MM-DD_slug.md, lowercase-dashes, no spaces — survives sync and git. - Publish selectively: share project pages, keep PKM private; use separate vault for client-sensitive notes. ## Examples - Example 1: Book note: Atomic Habits — 3 takeaways, 2 quotes, link to [[Habits Project]] and [[Identity]]. - Example 2: Meeting note: 2026-10-13_sync — decisions, owners, due dates, link [[Project Atlas]] tasks. - Example 3: Notion freelance: Clients DB + Projects DB relation + Invoices rollup sum unpaid. - Example 4: Zettel slip: 202610131200 cold-showers — claim, evidence, counter, links to 3 related notes. ## Workflows - Workflow A — Daily: 1. Open daily note 2. 3 priorities 3. Capture all day 4. 5-min EOD link + tasks 5. Close. - Workflow B — PARA setup: 1. Create 4 folders 2. Move active to Projects 3. Archive done 4. Index map 5. Weekly prune. - Workflow C — Book processing: 1. Highlights import 2. Own-words summary 3. 3 actions 4. Link topics 5. Archive. - Workflow D — Backup: 1. Export all 2. Git commit 3. Offsite copy 4. Restore test 5. Log date in index. ## Templates - PARA folder tree: ``` Vault/ 00_Inbox/capture.md 10_Projects/Atlas_website/active.md 20_Areas/Health/fitness-log.md 30_Resources/Books/atomic-habits.md 40_Archives/2025_Q3_DONE/ 99_Meta/templates/daily.md + index.md ``` - Daily note template: ``` # 2026-10-13 — Priorities: 1.__ 2.__ 3.__ Log: [09:00] ... [[link]] Tasks: [ ] owner due Gratitude: ... Frontmatter: tags:[daily] links:[[Atlas]] ``` - Notion DB schema: Projects (Status, Owner, Due, Relation Areas) + Tasks (Project relation, Done checkbox, Priority select). - Export checklist: Notion Settings Export All, Obsidian git add/commit/push, verify 1 random MD opens clean. ## Tools - Obsidian — local markdown, backlinks graph, Dataview, Canvas, Git plugin for versioned PKM. - Notion — databases, relations, rollups, shared wikis for team knowledge bases. - Readwise — sync Kindle/highlights into notes with metadata and spaced resurfacing. - Quick capture: Drafts iOS, Fleeting Notes Android, Raycast brain-dump to inbox. - Excalidraw/Canvas — visual maps for hard topics, embed PNG back into note. - Git + Syncthing — version + sync Obsidian vault across phone/laptop without paid Sync. ## Advanced - Use Dataview queries: TABLE due, priority FROM "10_Projects" WHERE !completed SORT due ASC for dashboard. - Build MOCs (Maps of Content): [[AI MOC]] indexes 20 notes, curated order, intro paragraph — not auto-tag page. - Apply spaced repetition: Neil's Review plugin surfaces old notes for merging and idea collision. - Run Zettelkasten IDs: YYYYMMDDHHMM prefix for unique slip-box IDs that survive renames. - Automate with Templater: auto frontmatter, move to PARA on hotkey, daily quote insert. - Measure PKM health: notes created/week, links per note >2, inbox zero age <48h tracked monthly. ## Documentation - Building a Second Brain (Forte) — PARA + capture-organize-distill-express official method. - How to Take Smart Notes (Ahrens) — Zettelkasten fleeting/literature/permanent flow. - Obsidian Help — backlinks, Canvas, Dataview syntax reference with examples. - Notion Guides — relations, rollups, formula 2.0 for project dashboards. - Kep — Johnny Decimal extension for numbering PARA to 10.24 depth without chaos.