obsidian-starter

Obsidian Starter

A clean, minimalist Obsidian vault template for distraction-free note-taking and knowledge management.

Philosophy

This starter vault embraces the idea that the best knowledge systems grow organically from your own thinking patterns. Rather than adopting someone else’s complex system, start with this minimal foundation and build exactly what you need.

Don’t start with other people’s clutter and cruft.

Features

• Minimal: No plugins, themes, or configurations that get in your way
• Clean: Start with a blank slate, not someone else’s organization system
• Flexible: Perfect for both beginners and advanced Obsidian users
• Intentional: Designed after extensive Obsidian experience

What’s Included

This template provides:

• MIT License file
• This README (remove it after setup)

What’s NOT included:

• No community plugins
• No custom themes
• No pre-defined folder structure
• No sample notes or templates

Prerequisites

• Obsidian installed on your device
• GitHub account (for using the template)
• Git (optional, for cloning)

Quick Start

1. Click the “Use this template” button
2. Name your new repository
3. Clone your repository or download as ZIP
4. Open the folder as an Obsidian vault:

• Launch Obsidian
• Click “Open folder as vault”
• Select your cloned/downloaded folder

1. Start creating your first note

Next Steps

After setup, consider:

• Creating your first daily note
• Exploring Settings → Options to customize appearance and behavior
• Adding community plugins only when you identify a specific need
• Developing your own folder structure as your notes accumulate

Who This Is For

This starter vault is designed for:

• Minimalists who want a clean foundation without unnecessary complexity
• Intentional users who prefer to add features as needs arise
• Experienced Obsidian users tired of inheriting others’ organizational clutter
• New users who want to develop their own thinking patterns from the start
• Anyone seeking a distraction-free note-taking environment

If you’re overwhelmed by complex vault templates or want to escape from an over-configured system, this minimal approach helps you build exactly what you need—nothing more, nothing less.

Core Plugins Guide

Obsidian comes with built-in core plugins. Here’s guidance for minimalism and simplicity:

Essential Core Plugins

Consider keeping these enabled:

• File explorer - Navigate your vault
• Search - Find your notes
• Quick switcher - Fast file navigation
• Graph view - Visualize connections (optional, but useful)
• Backlinks - See what links to the current note
• Command palette - Access commands quickly

Core Plugins to Disable Initially

Disable plugins you don’t plan to use immediately. You can always re-enable them later:

• Audio recorder - Unless you need voice notes
• Bookmarks - Unless you prefer simpler navigation
• Canvas - Unless you work with visual boards
• Daily notes - Until you establish a daily note practice (see Daily Note Style Guidance section below)
• File recovery - Unless you have external backups
• Format converter - Unless importing from other apps
• Note composer - Until you need to split/merge notes
• Outgoing links - Unless backlinks panel is insufficient
• Outline - Unless you write long-form content
• Page preview - Unless you prefer clicking through
• Properties - Until you need metadata/frontmatter
• Publish - Unless using Obsidian Publish
• Random note - Unless you have a specific use case
• Slash commands - Unless you prefer typing naturally
• Slides - Unless presenting from notes
• Sync - Unless using Obsidian Sync
• Tags - Until you develop a tagging system
• Templates - Until you identify repeated patterns
• Unique note creator - Unless you have a specialized workflow
• Word count - Unless you track writing metrics
• Workspaces - Until managing multiple layouts

Recommendation: Start with the essential plugins enabled, disable everything else. Re-enable features when you discover you need them.

Daily Note Style Guidance

If you choose to use daily notes:

Minimalist Approach

• Keep it simple: One note per day with date as filename (YYYY-MM-DD format)
• Freeform content: No rigid template—write what matters that day
• Natural linking: Reference other notes organically as you write
• Location: Store in root or create a simple /daily folder when needed

When to Enable Daily Notes

Enable the Daily Notes core plugin when you:

• Want a consistent place to capture thoughts each day
• Need a chronological record of your work or life
• Find yourself creating dated notes manually
• Want a default landing place when opening Obsidian

Daily Note Alternatives

Don’t feel obligated to use daily notes. Alternatives include:

• Creating notes as topics arise (topic-based instead of time-based)
• Using a single ongoing “scratchpad” note
• Writing directly in project or topic notes
• Journaling in a dedicated notebook outside Obsidian

Other Note Styles

While this starter emphasizes minimalism, Obsidian supports many note-taking approaches:

• Zettelkasten: Atomic notes with unique identifiers and connections
• PARA: Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives organizational system
• Johnny Decimal: Numerical categorization system
• MOCs (Maps of Content): Index notes that link to related content
• Topic-based: Simple folders organized by subject
• Flat structure: All notes in one folder, rely on links and search

Guidance: Don’t adopt a system upfront. Let your natural workflow emerge, then formalize it if helpful. Many users find success with a hybrid approach that evolves over time.

Learning from Maximalist Vaults

You might encounter elaborate vault templates with dozens of plugins, complex folder structures, and extensive templates. Here’s what to learn from them:

What to Observe

• Plugin solutions: Note which plugins solve real problems you have
• Workflow patterns: Identify useful processes, not entire systems
• Template ideas: Extract specific templates when you repeat similar notes
• Organizational concepts: Understand the thinking, but implement minimally

What to Avoid

• Copying entire systems: Someone else’s system rarely fits your brain
• Plugin overload: Each plugin adds complexity and maintenance burden
• Premature optimization: Don’t organize notes you haven’t created yet
• Feature accumulation: More features don’t mean better thinking

The Minimalist Mindset

Start simple. Add intentionally. Remove ruthlessly. Your vault should serve your thinking, not showcase features.

My Rules

Personal principles for maintaining this minimal approach:

1. Add friction to adding complexity: Before installing a plugin, use Obsidian without it for a week. If you still want it, then install.
2. Delete before organizing: If you haven’t referenced a note in 6 months, delete it. Organization should serve active use, not archival anxiety.
3. Links over folders: Prefer connecting notes through links rather than elaborate folder hierarchies. Search and links are more flexible than folders.
4. Templates when repeating three times: Don’t create a template until you’ve manually created the same note structure three times. Then you know it’s actually useful.
5. One inbox, process daily: Capture quickly in one place. Process and connect daily or weekly. Don’t let unprocessed notes accumulate.
6. Review quarterly: Every 3 months, review your plugins, settings, and structure. Remove what you’re not using. Simplify what feels complex.
7. Mobile-first design: If it doesn’t work on mobile, reconsider if you need it. Complexity often fails on smaller screens.
8. Write for tomorrow: Write notes you’d want to find in 3 months, not perfect notes that take 3 hours to create.
9. Trust search: Build trust in search functionality. Don’t over-organize because you’re afraid you won’t find things.
10. Your vault, your rules: These are my rules. Develop your own based on how you think and work.

Compatibility

• Works with Obsidian (tested with latest versions)
• Compatible with Visual Studio Code + Foam plugin
• Supports desktop and mobile Obsidian apps

Documentation

Visit the project site for additional information.

Contributing

Issues and suggestions welcome. Open an issue to discuss changes or report problems.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the file for details.

Cleanup

After creating your vault from this template, you can safely remove:

• This README.md file
• The LICENSE file (or keep it if redistributing)

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