Stupidly Simple Ways to Save And Format Your Notes in Obsidian (from any source)
Simple systems survive.
I’m old school.
I like Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V. But copy/pasting needs formatting.
So this is how I create and format my notes in Obsidian.
The simplest way to save notes into Obsidian
“I can’t remember how I save stuff from newsletters. Let me check another note…”
I used to do that. Check other notes so I could save a new one.
What a waste of time. That’s when I realized I was wasting time because my system was too complex. And complex systems die.
And the opposite? Well… Simple systems survive because they’re easy to use.
My goal now is to use my second brain the easiest way possible. I don’t want to think too much. And for me, it’s this:
After seeing something cool online, I go to Obsidian.
Create note. Worry about name later.
Insert template with Templates (core plugin)
Write what’s in my mind
Rename note (see below for how I do this)
Move on with my life.
I don’t think it gets any simpler than this.
How I name my notes
I name all my notes following this pattern:
<author> - <title or one line summary> (<source>)
For example, my notes on the book Daily Stoic is titled Ryan Holiday - Daily Stoic (book). I add
(book)to make life easier when using Quick Switcher.My notes on a thread from Paul might be titled Paul - 90-day system to generate content (thread). If it doesn’t have a title, I include a quick summary of what it’s about.
This is the simplest way I found to name everything the same way. You might think this is stupid. It’s OK. I won’t feel offended. Steal and adapt to your own needs.
How I tag my notes
I use tags (#) in Obsidian to describe the source.
For example, I have a tag called #scientific-study. And within that I add if it’s case-report, meta-analysis, systematic-review, etc.
Same goes for tweets/threads. they can be:
#twitter/thread or
#twitter/tweet.
Other social media content gets a tag with that social media name, like:
#quora,
#reddit,
etc.
The only exception is YouTube. I use #video for everything that is, you guessed it, a video.
I also use tags for courses, podcasts, etc. I can remember well if I read or listened to stuff. So it helps me uncover hidden notes.
I don’t use tags like #money or #life-advice. For those, I use a link ([[).
How I comment my notes
My comments follow the same formatting pattern on all notes:
> **==part of the text I liked==**
- my thoughts on itI bold (
**) and highlight (==) all quotes I save in Obsidian. I also wrap them in a blockquote (>). It makes scanning a note easier than just using blockquote.Bullet points right after the quotes also help to grab my attention.
How I save from Twitter
I create a new note for every tweet/thread I want to save.
Tweets
The top of the note looks like this:
link:: <link to tweet>
topic:: [[<whatever topic it links to]], [[Author's name]]
tags:: #twitter/tweet
---
<copy-paste full tweet>
---
# Notes
> **==part of the tweet I liked==**
- my thoughts on itI put a horizontal line to divide my own comments section.
I don’t bother with linking dates.
Threads
The top of the note looks like this:
link:: <link to tweet>
topic:: [[<whatever topic it links to]], [[Author's name]]
tags:: #twitter/thread
---
<copy-paste 1st tweet>
---
<copy-paste 2nd tweet>
---
<copy-paste 3nd tweet>
---
# Notes
> **==part of the tweet I liked==**
- my thoughts on itSame as tweets above, except the tag.
I also don’t like saving threads into a block of text. I like to keep the authors splits and formatting like on Twitter. So I divide each tweet in a thread with a blank line followed by a horizontal line.
I usually copy-paste from Twitter. No automation. No tools. This process might be slow. But I don’t mind the extra friction.
Comments are at the bottom of the file.
How I save stuff from all other platforms
I create a new note for every social media post I want to save.
The top of the note looks like this:
link:: <link to social media post>
topic:: [[<whatever topic it links to]], [[Author's name]]
tags:: #<social media name>
---
<copy-paste full post>
---
# Notes
> **==part of the post I liked==**
- my thoughts on itSame pattern from the Twitter section. Except the tag. Which will be the social media platform the post came from.
Newsletter
I create a new note for every newsletter I want to save.
And what’s a newsletter and what’s an article?
Simple. If I get an email, it’s a newsletter. Otherwise it’s an article.
The top of the note looks like this:
topic:: [[<whatever topic it links to]], [[Author's name]]
tags:: #newsletter
---
# NotesIf the newsletter is available on a website, I add
link::at the top.
Below the horizontal line, I add my comments.
Articles
The top of the note looks like this:
link:: <link to original source>
topic:: [[<whatever topic it links to]], [[Author's name]]
tags:: #articles
---
# NotesBooks
I create a new note for every book I’m reading.
The top of the note looks like this:
topic:: [[<whatever topic it links to]], [[Author's name]]
tags:: #book/non-fiction
---
<chapters and notes>The only difference is in
tags. I use#book/non-fictionfor non-fiction. And#book/fictionfor fiction.
For the rest of the note, I separate my notes by chapter. I also include the book pages. This pattern changes from fiction to non-fiction.
Fiction books
## Chapter 2
> **==this is a really cool quote==** (p. 72)
- my thoughts on itI sometimes save a passage without any comments as well. For example, when I was reading Project Hail Mary I saved a bunch of analogies I found interesting. And I didn’t feel I needed to add any comments to it.
Non-Fiction books
I usually read non-fiction to learn something.
So I want to make sure I can find stuff in the future.
And to do this I use a callout ([!NOTE] TLDR) with a summary of the chapter in my own words. It helps me remember stuff better:
## Chapter 2
[!NOTE] TLDR
> TLDR sections on chapters.
> Just to make it easier for my future self.
> **==this is a really cool quote==**
- my thoughts on it
> **==this is a really cool quote==**
- my thoughts on itNow, there are exceptions to this rule.
For example, The Daily Stoic. This book is divided into 3 parts (perception, action, and will). And each part is divided into 4 sub-sections.
Since I’m taking notes on almost every page, I make sure I include the parts and subsections. Like this:
# Part I: The Discipline of Perception
## January: Clarity
### January 1st - Control and Choice
> <original text from a dead guy>
> cool quote
- My notes on it
---
### January 2nd - Something else
> <original text from a dead guy>
> **==this is a really cool quote==**
- my thoughts on it
---
### January 2nd - Something else
> <original text from a dead guy>
> **==this is a really cool quote==**
- my thoughts on itSince this book is very particular, I also like to add the original stoic quote from each chapter that sparked a thought.
This makes everything easier for my future self. And reading a year later might also trigger different thoughts.
Each book might be different than the next. You should adapt your second brain to your needs.
In my case, I need context. And this is how I achieve it when taking notes on books.
There’s no right or wrong. If something helps you, just do it.
Courses
I create a new note for every course I’m taking.
The top of the note looks like this:
topic:: [[<whatever topic it links to]], [[Author's name]]
tags:: #course
---In the rest of the file, I make sure I divide the headings the same way the course is outlined.
# Part 1 - The Key to Success
## Lesson 0 - The 1st key to Success
[!NOTE] TLDR
> TLDR sections on chapters.
> Just to make it easier for my future self.
- Interesting idea
> **==Interesting quote from the person==**
- Thoughts on it. etc
---
## Lesson 1 - The 2nd key to success
.
.
.All together now
I’ve never found a system that fits like a glove for me.
So don’t think the above will solve all your problems.
My goal was to give you ideas on how to format and organize your notes.
I hope this is simple enough. If not, tell me in the comments!