Towards the end of 2023 I decided to try learning markdown as a way to make my notetaking more efficient. Part of this effort was trying out the various markdown editors for Windows and Linux, and there are dozens of good ones. One of the most often recommended programs is Obsidian, which I have really grown to love over this time.
Calling Obsidian a markdown editor is really underselling it; it is really a Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system. Without diving too deep into a field I am still very new too myself, Obisidian allows you to link notes and knowledge together in customizable ways.
This organizational methodology forms Obsidian’s foundation, and on top of that is built a robust markdown editor, with a very capable plugin system available.
To put it more succinctly, Obsidian is an organizationally focused note taking app that uses the markdown language that is flexible enough to be used in almost any situation. For example,
- I have a plugin that creates a daily note with predefined format, that allows me to plan out my day.
- I have note taking templates pre-defined for the things I have a solid outline for. This has been extremely useful for me as I study IT certifications. Right now I am working on my Cisco CCNP, and I can create templates that…
- Make it easier for me to take notes on complex topics
- Save time when starting new chapters or topics
- Help document the lab and test environments I’ve been creating