This is notes of the YouTube video [Obsidian: The King of Learning Tools](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSTy_BInQs8). # Intro & Motivation Everything changed when the speaker read _How to Take Smart Notes_ by Sönke Ahrens. The main takeaway is the [[Zettelkasten]] note-taking system. The speaker emphasizes the importance of _slow_ learning, metacognitive assessment (instant feedback), and the freedom to connect ideas— producing true knowledge and wisdom. The author likes his tagging system because it provides the organizational structure of folders but also enables interconnection of ideas. # The Main System In essence, the speaker creates a system of organizing Obsidian notes by using links as "tags." Each note will create some metadata at the top of the page, including a list of relevant tags (links). ## Tags In brief, the speaker recommends using "tags" to organize notes, rather than folders. Scare quotes were utilized because the tags in his system are actually links to notes that serve as both a tag and index page. For example, say you're writing a note on cellular biology. You'd create a field at the top of the page called "tags:" and then supply a list of relevant tags: ``` tags: [[Web Development]] ``` Now a linked mention is created from that note, to the "Biology" note. #### Effective tags - Avoid being either too vague or too specific. - Tags should serve _you_, not necessarily others. - Use tags judiciously. ## Folders This seems like an optional feature of his system but it still seems useful. The speaker uses six folders to broadly classify notes. 1. Rough Notes: A folder for a bunch of scrap notes. 2. Source Material: Insights from videos, articles, books, podcasts, etc. 3. Tags: This folder seems the most crucial. It contains a note for every tag. 4. Indexes: Once a tag has enough links, he gives the note more structure by creating a map of content. 5. Templates: Stores template for main notes. Use this when you want to create a new note. 6. Main notes: This is where every typical note goes— all in one folder. The organization is derived from the note / linking system instead. ## Source notes versus Main notes The **source notes** are notes directly about the source. - For example, the source note for a book might be a chapter-by-chapter outline of the books. Then a **main note** is created by extracting any insights from the source note. - For example, the speaker creates a main note titled "Criminal gangs are united by loyalty and belonging" after taking source notes on a memoir about criminal activity This separation of source note from main notes makes the insights of the main notes be almost independent of the source material and more freely connect to ideas from other sources. ## Indexes Once a tag (i.e. note) has enough links, give the note more structure by creating a map of content. For example: ``` # Web Development A tag / index for all notes related to web development. ## HTML [[History of HTML]] [[Basic HTML Template]] ## CSS [[CSS Resets]] [[CSS Flexbox]] [[CSS Grid Layout]] etc... ``` ## References section At the end of the note, the speaker adds a "References" section and links to any relevant notes as well as to the source note. ## Templates This will be a template (or templates) for creating notes. This is for productivity and standardization. Here's a simple template the speaker recommends: ``` # Note Title {{date}} {{time}} Status: Tags: # {{Title}} # References ```