With the recent destruction of My Obsidian Daily Notes Journal, I needed something to take its place. No small feat considering I have been working on some life management models since before 2005. I know this because I purchased my first digital software on December 30, 2005, from TheBrain. Before 2005 I used all the analog devices of Stephen Covey, including Franklin Planners and index cards for notes. I wanted to work, create and build and yet have a system to help me track the flow of dates, numbers, and people moving through my life. [^1] Along with a working format for projects, plans, and to-dos.

TheBrain was an exciting mind-mapping system; however, it could have scaled better and eventually bogged down at about the 30,000 entry level. It became impossible to follow a string of thoughts, and often the thread circled back, forming an endless loop. I have spent five years reviewing note-taking systems, including Notion, Workflowy, and Roam Research.

An article on Roam Research [^2] allowed me to visualize other forms of information flowing through systems, and I settled on Notion and attempted to switch from TheBrain to Notion in 2019. I spent several months moving 500 notes before the futility of such an endeavor became obvious. The Notion software is primarily a database manager, powerful in its ability to present data through specific individual designs, and I loved Notion's dashboards and workflows. However, I was using a notes manager system, and transferring all the notes, one by one, was taking too long.

TheBrain updated its system to include a robust suite of hyperlinks and backlinks, so I continued using TheBrain and discovered The Zettelkasten Methodology along the way. After three years of trying to force the Zettelkasten Methodology to fit TheBrain's hyperlink system, I finally gave up. I continued to limp along, using an assortment of techniques that took more time to maintain than increasing my creativity and productivity. (3) In early 2022, TheBrain crashed again, and I determined to move my material to Obsidian.

I wasn't looking for a "second brain" (4), and I was pretty sure the crowded "Maps of Content (MOC)" presented by Nick Milo's "Linking Your Thinking" wasn't what I wanted either. I had put pieces of both programs to the test, and they needed something. However, I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Simplicity for one, but primarily flow for another.

Then in mid-December 2022, I discovered an Obsidian plug-in called Graph Analysis. I'll write an essay later describing the software and its algorithm as a second-level backlink processor. Graph Analysis wasn't the solution; it was, however, the first of several missing puzzle pieces that would fall into place. On December 28, 2022, at 6:15 pm, I rolled up the last major hurdle to my life operating system. [^5] I'll continue to hang bells and whistles around on the scaffolding; however, the primary outline is complete.

The system is dashboard driven with buttons and banners. I keep it as simple and elegant as possible, only displaying the buttons I need available on any dashboard and hiding everything else until required.

I separated my Timeline (Bullet Journal) entries and created a button (Timeline) accessing the QuickAdd plug-in to enter timestamped notes. Another button, Timeline 2023, allows me to review and amend the file as needed.

With "Journal Thread," I can capture my quickly passing thoughts. "Articles-Blogs" populates my Reference Material database, while "People" and "Task" are self-explanatory. If I am reading and want to capture a "New Zettel" note or I have a flash of inspiration, I can quickly grasp the "Blog-Idea" to be reviewed at a later time using "View Blog-Ideas."

Because my most effective time to write is in the morning, I've included a button link to the Blog Dashboard from My Morning Routine Dashboard. Including buttons that also populate my Timeline file; however, I named them something different to remind me to make a note. Purple backgrounds link to additional dashboards or information files, while a transparent background indicates I will require data input.

banner photo by sagui andrea @ pexels.com

I included a "Button Vault" where I can store all my buttons, utilizing the "in-line" feature of the Button plug-in to scatter buttons wherever they are needed. And using the Dataview plug-in, I can list and sort my buttons for easy access to command lines.

Most importantly, my dashboards and databases are all rolled up into a nice Obsidian Vault that can easily manage my growing needs.

It is hard to imagine a better setup for me, and thankfully I won't have to be looking for years to come.

Written January 8, 2023

Footnotes

E. R. Haas, *ThinkTQ* Nine to Five ScreenGems, Inc. (Factor 5f)
Eliason, Nat. "Roam Research: Why I Love It and How I Use It." *Nat Eliason*, 1 Dec. 2020, www.nateliason.com/blog/roam.
Allen, David. *Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life*. Piatkus, 2011. p.95.
Tiago Forte, an author at Forte Labs, uses the term "Second Brain" for their flagship personal knowledge management system.
https://writing.bobdoto.computer/zettelkasten-linking-your-thinking-and-nick-milos-search-for-ground/