An examination of tools and methods for managing information over a lifetime: Obsidian, Zettelkasten, spaced repetition, and plain-text archives. Includes a critique of over-engineered PKM systems and a defence of linear writing.
The Obsidian Graph Is Mostly Useless
After three years, I can confirm that the graph view looks beautiful and provides almost no insight. The real value of Obsidian is simpler: durable Markdown files that will outlast any application.
What Actually Works
- Daily notes - a timestamped scratch pad. Low friction. Most things live here first.
- Source notes - one note per active project with a clear outcome statement.
- Atomic notes - atomic, well-titled notes in the Zettelkasten sense. Expensive to create; valuable over years.
The mistake is treating the knowledge base as a product. It is a process. The act of writing is the work. A PKM system that takes more time to maintain than it saves in retrieval is a hobby.
Plain Text as an Archive Strategy
Everything important should be writable in plain text. A .md file written in 2010
is fully readable in 2026 without any application. A proprietary format written in
2010 may require archaeology.