In 2022 I searched high and low for a software that I could use to generate my own “wiki”. I later found out that most call this a “second brain” or “personal knowledge management system”.

Fortunately, I came across Obsidian and fell in love. As I tinker around with Obsidian, I realise that it’s powerful and flexible enough to be my task management system.

In this video, I will demonstrate how I use Obsidian to manage my daily tasks and how my Daily Notes document looks like.

Chapters

0:00 introduction 1:50 Project Notes 2:35 How I structure my Daily Notes 8:20 Summary

Obsidian plug-ins used

• Template
• Calendar
• Tasks
• Daily Notes
• Periodic Notes

I prefer keeping things simple, so I don’t use many community plugins.

The daily note template that I use

I use two methods to create my daily note:

• By clicking the Daily Notes plugin button on the left column.
• The calendar icon via the Calendar app

My daily note template contains these sections:

• Direction today
• Tasks – consists of Daily tasks, Today’s tasks and overdue tasks, Done today
• Project Shortcuts
• Notes
• Daily reflection

Direction today

In this section, I outline how I expect the day to go. At the end of the day, I reflect on how it actually went.

Tasks

Before I dive into the sectionlet me tell you about an essential document in my system called the Project Notes. It contains all the information I need for executing a project, including the task list that is found in my Daily Notes. By using the Task community app, I can instruct Obsidian to fetch tasks from every Project Note and populate them in my Daily Notes based on the day it is due.

Daily tasks – a checklist I go through every day such as checking my team’s kanban board and work calendar.

Today’s tasks – The tasks for the day are generated using a code, and there’s a section for overdue tasks as well. I also include links to the projects I’m working on.

Project shortcuts

I include links to the projects I’m currently working on here.

Notes

Where I jot down anything notable that happened that day. For example, some observation at work or random thoughts about topics of interests that I’ve discovered.

Daily reflections

This section contains journal prompts which helps me write a journal entry quickly.

So, this is how I use obsidian to plan my day. I continue to refine my system, and I may make further adjustments in the future. Currently, I find it easy and effective for keeping track of things.

Do you use obsidian for planning as well? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below.