. [Italicized insertions are items I added manually.]
Dear Tim,
I'm reporting back on Mission: PKM. As you know, I've been deep undercover in the world of Personal Knowledge Management for the past two months, primarily investigating the Obsidian platform. After an initial setback that nearly derailed the entire operation, I've conducted a whirlwind 24-hour interrogation of alternate suspects. I'm now preparing to re-infiltrate the world of Obsidian nerds to confirm our findings.
The Mission Parameters
Before I dive into the details, let me recap the four key objectives we identified for this mission:
Unified Search: The ability to consolidate and search across all my scattered digital breadcrumbs (Coda, Evernote, Scrivener, Zotero, Facebook [saved posts], ChatGPT).
AI-Driven Organization: An intelligent system that can tag, categorize, and link my notes without constant manual intervention.
Zettelkasten-Style Linking: Implementation of bidirectional linking and atomic notes to create a web of interconnected ideas.
Mind Mapping and Visualization: The capability to visually map out connections between notes and ideas.
The Suspects (Platforms Investigated)
I cast a wide net in my investigation, Tim. Here are the primary suspects I interrogated:
Obsidian
Tana
Mem.ai
Reflect
Capacities
Notion
Roam Research
Logseq
Athens Research
RemNote
Each of these platforms presented itself as the ultimate solution to our PKM woes. But as we both know from our years in the field, appearances can be deceiving.
The Interrogation Process
I put each platform through a rigorous series of tests, probing their strengths and weaknesses. I looked at their ability to handle cross-platform search, their AI capabilities (or lack thereof), their approach to note linking, and their visualization tools.[See
for several useful tables I generated with ChatGPT during this process.]
Obsidian emerged as an early frontrunner. Its flexibility and powerful plugin ecosystem were appealing. But I had reservations. As I noted in one of our secure communications: "My fear about Obsidian is that it will become its own endless tweak." The last thing we need in the field is a tool that becomes a distraction in itself.
Tana caught my attention with its database-like structure. "I'm a database person, basically. That is kind of what I like about Tana over Obsidian," I reported back. But its lack of a mobile app was a significant drawback. [Tana’s mobile app is capture only]
Mem.ai impressed me with its AI-driven organization, but its Zettelkasten-style linking capabilities left something to be desired.
The investigation continued in this vein, each platform revealing its secrets under intense scrutiny. It sure would have been useful to have a better way to save my notes on YxYY - perhaps we wouldn't have had to rely so heavily on those cleverly disguised Facebook comments for our communications.
Intelligence on PKM Factions
During my investigation, I uncovered intel on several factions vying for control in the PKM underworld. Each has its own methodology and loyal followers:
The PARA/CODE Syndicate: Led by the enigmatic Tiago Forte, this group operates on a structure of Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives (PARA). Their agents follow a strict protocol: Capture, Organize, Distill, Express (CODE). They're known for their efficiency and clear hierarchies.
The Zettelkasten Underground: This decentralized network traces its roots back to the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. They deal in "atomic notes" - small, self-contained units of information linked together in a complex web. Their strength lies in unexpected connections and emergent structures.
The Commonplace Collective: An old-school faction that values curation over creation. They collect quotes, observations, and ideas from various sources, building a personal anthology of knowledge. Their methods are simple but effective.
The Daily Notes Brigade: A relatively new faction gaining traction. They believe in capturing thoughts and information chronologically, creating a digital journal that can be linked and referenced. Their power comes from consistent, daily practice.
The Atomic Notes Alliance: Often aligned with the Zettelkasten Underground, this group focuses on breaking down complex ideas into their smallest components. They believe this granularity leads to clearer thinking and more flexible knowledge structures.
Understanding these factions and their methodologies has been crucial in evaluating the various PKM platforms.
The Breakthrough
After two months of deep cover in the Obsidian world, followed by a whirlwind 24-hour operation to assess the alternatives, I had my breakthrough. It came to me as I was reviewing our old training manuals from Oberlin. Remember those, Tim? The ones disguised as "Introduction to Political Science" textbooks?
I realized that I was approaching this mission from the wrong angle. I wasn't looking for a single, perfect tool. I was looking for a system, a methodology that could adapt to our ever-changing needs in the field.
This epiphany led me to a surprising conclusion: I'm going back to Obsidian.
The Proposed Solution
Here's how I plan to use Obsidian to address our four key problems:
Unified Search: While Obsidian's search is primarily internal, I'll be using plugins and automation tools to create a more unified search experience. The "Smart Connections" plugin, in particular, shows promise for linking ideas across my note database.
AI-Driven Organization: Obsidian itself doesn't have native AI features, but the combination of plugins like "Smart Connections" and external AI tools (which I can integrate via my own scripts) will provide a level of intelligent organization.
Zettelkasten-Style Linking: This is where Obsidian truly shines. Its core functionality supports bidirectional linking and the creation of a dynamic network of ideas.
Mind Mapping and Visualization: Obsidian's graph view, enhanced by plugins, will serve our visualization needs. For more complex mapping, I'll investigate integrating external tools that can work with Obsidian's data.
Implementation Strategy
Here's how I propose we implement this system:
Set up an Obsidian vault with a clear folder structure, incorporating elements of the PARA method.
Implement a consistent tagging system, including origin tags (e.g., #cbOmnivore for content from Omnivore).
Use plugins like "Smart Connections" to enhance linking and discovery of related notes.
Set up an "Inbox" for quick capture, to be processed regularly.
Develop scripts for importing data from other tools (Evernote, Coda, etc.) into Obsidian.
Establish a daily notes practice for ongoing capture and reflection.
Potential Risks and Mitigations
Risk: Falling into the "endless tweak" trap. Mitigation: Set clear boundaries for customization time. Focus on using the tool, not just setting it up.
Risk: Overwhelm from migrating existing data. Mitigation: Gradual migration, focusing on most relevant/recent data first.
Risk: Learning curve for team members. Mitigation: Develop clear onboarding materials and provide ongoing support.
Next Steps
I'm preparing to go back undercover in the Obsidian world, particularly infiltrating their Discord server. This will allow me to gather more intelligence on advanced usage techniques and confirm that we've reached the right conclusion for Mission: PKM.
I'll continue to monitor developments in the PKM space, particularly advancements in AI integration. Our system will need to evolve as the technology does.
Final Thoughts
Tim, this mission has reinforced something we learnedyou taught me back at Oberlin: the tools are important, but it's how we use them that really matters. This PKM system is just that – a system. It's up to us to fill it with the right information, make the right connections, and draw the right conclusions.
As always, I'll be waiting for your go-ahead. If you approve, just post a photo of your favorite productivity book on your Instagram. I'll know what it means.
Until next time, keep your notes atomic and your links bidirectional.
Your faithful operative,
Alex
P.S. I'm considering writing a series of "productivity blog posts" as cover for our ongoing PKM operations. It should provide an excellent smokescreen for our continued investigations in this area. [Love how Claude has independently decided to commit me to a new blog series.]
, was a major influence on my short-lived determination to abandon the mission and return to Evernote. But I ultimately decided that the complexity of Obsidian, while at least as daunting as he describes, is perhaps valuable in itself as a spur and structure for meta-work. That’s what inspired
Mission: PKM
