Why I Use Obsidian, My Personal Notes Workflow

I’ve tried a lot of note-taking tools over the years, but none of them stuck with me the way Obsidian has. What started as a small experiment quickly became the place where I write almost everything: ideas for projects, things I learn, personal notes, and even drafts for this blog. It feels natural in a way other tools never did.

Part of it is that Obsidian fits how I already work. I’ve been writing Markdown for years in GitHub READMEs and blog posts, so using the same simple format for my notes just makes sense. And because everything lives in plain text on my device, it feels lightweight, fast, and easy to trust. I can open it on my laptop, continue on my phone through iCloud sync, and everything stays seamless.

But what really made me stay is how flexible it is. You can keep things minimal, or you can personalize the app with themes and plugins thanks to the huge community behind it. You can organize your notes in folders, link them together, and even render diagrams or code blocks when you need them. It’s powerful without getting in your way.

I’ve used Notion too, and while it has incredible features, I always felt like I had to learn the tool before I could actually take notes. I prefer something that lets me write first and think about structure later. For what I need, Obsidian is simply a better fit.

Why Markdown Works for Me

Markdown is a big part of why Obsidian feels so natural to me. I’ve been using it for years in GitHub READMEs, documentation, and now in my blog posts, so writing in it already feels like second nature. There’s no toolbar to fight with or formatting to worry about, I just type.

What I love most is how simple and predictable it is. Headings, lists, code blocks, links… everything stays clean and readable even without Obsidian open. I always know that my notes are just plain text files I can open anywhere, without depending on a specific app or format. That gives me a sense of long-term safety that I never felt with more complex tools.

And when I want to do something slightly more advanced, like add a diagram or embed a snippet of code, Markdown handles it gracefully. It keeps the whole process minimal and fast, which is exactly how I like to take notes. Markdown makes writing frictionless, and Obsidian makes Markdown enjoyable.

How I Organize My Notes

My setup in Obsidian is intentionally simple. I don’t have a huge vault or a complicated structure; I keep things organized in a way that feels natural and easy to maintain. Most of my notes fall into a few main folders, which is enough for me.

For example, I have a folder for each project or big concept, like Master. Inside some of these main folders, I sometimes create subfolders, for instance, in the Master folder, I have one subfolder per course. This lets me group related notes together while keeping the structure clean and navigable.

What makes this setup powerful is how easily everything connects. I can link a note to a project, connect related concepts, or reference a subfolder, and navigate my ideas quickly without losing context. The simplicity also helps me focus on writing rather than managing a complex hierarchy.

This approach keeps my vault minimal, functional, and intuitive. It grows naturally as I add notes, which is exactly how I want my personal knowledge system to work.

The Features That Make Obsidian Enjoyable to Use

One of the reasons I’ve stayed with Obsidian for so long is that it manages to stay minimal while still giving me the features I actually care about. It’s simple out of the box, but it grows with you in a way that never feels overwhelming.

Personalization is a big part of that. You can change the look with community themes or keep it clean and plain, whatever matches your style. And because there’s a huge community behind Obsidian, there’s always someone building a plugin that solves a small problem you didn’t realize you had. I don’t use many of them, but knowing they exist gives me the freedom to adapt the app to my workflow instead of forcing my workflow to adapt to an app.

Syncing my notes across devices is also effortless. I keep everything stored locally and use iCloud to sync with my phone, so I can capture ideas anywhere. It feels almost invisible, which is exactly how syncing should be.

What really makes the experience powerful, though, is how Obsidian handles connections. Linking notes is as easy as typing a few characters, and those links slowly create a network of ideas that’s easy to navigate. Combined with a simple folder structure, it helps me find things quickly without overthinking where they belong.

And when I need to go beyond plain text, Obsidian handles that too. It can render mermaid diagrams, code blocks, and other elements directly inside my notes. I don’t use those features every day, but when I do, it’s great having them built in without complicating the interface.

All these small things add up to an app that feels personal, flexible, and enjoyable to use; exactly what I want from a notes tool.

Obsidian vs Notion: When Each One Makes Sense

I’ve spent time with both Notion and Obsidian, and even though I personally lean toward Obsidian, I don’t think there’s a universal best app. They’re built with very different philosophies, and depending on what you need, either one can be the perfect choice.

Notion shines when you want structure. It’s incredible for databases, shared documents, project management, or anything that needs collaboration. The templates are impressive, and once you learn how everything works, it can become a powerful productivity system. The downside is that the learning curve is real. It takes time to understand pages, blocks and databases, and sometimes the interface feels heavier than what I need for simple note-taking. I often felt like I had to click through several layers just to get to the place where I wanted to write.

Obsidian, on the other hand, stays closer to plain text. It’s fast, minimal, and feels more like a writing tool than a workspace. It’s great if you mainly want to take notes, think on paper, and connect ideas in a simple and flexible system. But it’s not perfect either. If you need complex databases, real-time collaboration, or a polished team environment, Obsidian won’t give you that out of the box.

For me, the decision comes down to intention. If your focus is personal notes, quick writing, and a minimal workflow, Obsidian fits naturally. If your focus is structured work, team organization, and building systems that look and behave consistently, Notion is hard to beat. Both tools have their strengths, it’s just a matter of matching them with what you actually need.

Why I Recommend Obsidian

I don’t think Obsidian is perfect, and I don’t think it needs to be. What I appreciate about it is how natural it feels for personal writing. It gets out of the way, stays fast, and lets me focus on the content instead of the interface. The flexibility is there if I want it, but it never forces me into a complicated setup.

What makes me recommend it is simply that it supports the way I already think. Plain text, quick links, simple structure, and no unnecessary friction. It respects my notes instead of trying to turn them into something more complicated. For someone who just wants to write, capture ideas, and revisit them later; that’s more than enough.

My Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, I use Obsidian because it matches the way I like to take notes: simple, fast, and focused on writing. Notion is great in its own way, and I still think it’s an impressive tool, but it never felt as natural for my personal workflow. What matters most is choosing the tool that supports your thinking instead of slowing it down.

Also, as a Software Engineer student, I appreciate that Obsidian let me keep my notes in plain text files using Markdown. This gives me the freedom to access, edit, and back up my notes without being locked into a specific platform or format. Furthermore, some documentation I started writing in Obsidian and then added to GitHub repositories seamlessly. Last but not least, being able to render code blocks directly in my notes is a huge plus for me as a developer.

For me, Obsidian does exactly that. Happy note-taking!