Obsidian: How I Finally Stopped Losing My Notes

I used to have notes everywhere.

And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere.

Text files scattered across my desktop. Random Markdown files in my Downloads folder. Quick notes in my phone’s notepad. Code snippets in a Telegram chat with myself. Command examples in the comments of my own code. Meeting notes in Notion. Ideas in Apple Notes. Blog post drafts in Google Docs.

My system wasn’t a system. It was chaos with extra steps.

The worst part? I couldn’t find anything. I would spend ten minutes searching for a command I used yesterday. I would rewrite the same article outline because I lost the original. I would forget where I saved that one important file. It was embarrassing.

So I went looking for a solution. And what I found changed how I work forever.

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The Problem

Here’s the thing about learning something new, especially in cybersecurity.

You’re constantly accumulating information. Commands. Concepts. Tools. Workflows. Configuration files. Obsidian is absolutely amazing for this. Security best practices. Writeups. Notes from courses. Things you learn on the job.

And if you don’t have a system to organize this knowledge, you lose it.

Not permanently — but you lose it in the sense that you can’t find it when you need it. And that’s basically the same thing.

I needed a system that could:

• Store everything in one place
• Be searchable instantly
• Link related ideas together
• Work offline (no internet dependency)
• Sync across devices
• Be future-proof (plain text, no proprietary formats)

I tried Evernote. Too bloated.

I tried Notion. Too slow and dependent on internet.

I tried OneNote. Too Microsoft.

I tried plain text files. Too disorganized.

Then I found Obsidian.

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What Is Obsidian?

Obsidian is a note-taking app that uses Markdown files stored locally on your computer. It’s simple, fast, and powerful.

But the real magic is in how it works.

Obsidian creates a network of interconnected notes. You can link notes together using [[double brackets]] and see how your knowledge is connected through the graph view. It’s like building your own personal Wikipedia.

Every note is a plain Markdown file. No hidden formats, no proprietary databases, no vendor lock-in. Your notes are yours forever.

Obsidian is a note-taking app built for people who think in connections. This is exactly what I needed.

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Getting Started — Installation

Installing Obsidian is straightforward.

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Download the .deb file from obsidian.md
wget https://obsidian.md/download/obsidian_*.deb

# Install it
sudo dpkg -i obsidian_*.deb

# If there are dependency issues
sudo apt install -f

Or use the AppImage or Snap version if you prefer.

Windows

1. Download the installer from obsidian.md
2. Double-click the .exe file
3. Follow the installation wizard
4. Launch Obsidian

macOS

1. Download the .dmg file from obsidian.md
2. Drag Obsidian to your Applications folder
3. Launch Obsidian

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Creating Your First Vault

When you launch Obsidian for the first time, it asks you to create a vault.

A vault is simply a folder where all your notes live. That’s it.

Choose a location for your vault.

I recommend:

~/Documents/Obsidian/

Or if you prefer to keep it in your projects directory:

~/projects/learning/notes/

My setup:

~/projects/learning/notes/
├── Cybersecurity/
│   ├── IAM/
│   │   ├── SailPoint ISC Notes.md
│   │   ├── IAM Concepts.md
│   │   └── RBAC.md
│   ├── Linux/
│   │   ├── Commands.md
│   │   ├── Hardening.md
│   │   └── Networking.md
│   └── Tools/
│       ├── Wireshark.md
│       ├── Nmap.md
│       └── Burp Suite.md
├── Blog/
│   ├── Drafts/
│   │   ├── homelab-post.md
│   │   └── sha256-post.md
│   └── Ideas/
│       └── post-ideas.md
├── Projects/
│   ├── homelab/
│   │   ├── setup.md
│   │   └── troubleshooting.md
│   └── automation/
│       └── scripts.md
└── Learning/
    ├── TryHackMe/
    │   └── notes.md
    └── Courses/
        └── portswigger-academy.md

The beauty of this setup is that your notes are just files on your computer. You can open them with any text editor. You can back them up. You can sync them with Git.

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Essential Obsidian Concepts

1. Links

The core of Obsidian is linking notes together.

# In note.md
Check out [[IAM Concepts]] for more details.

This creates a link between the two notes. Obsidian will show you backlinks — notes that link to the current note.

2. Tags

Tags are a way to categorize notes.

# In note.md
#cybersecurity #iam #sailpoint

You can search for tags using #tag in the search bar.

3. Graph View

The graph view visualizes the connections between your notes. It shows you clusters of related ideas, isolated notes, and the overall structure of your knowledge.

4. Search

Obsidian’s search is instant and powerful. You can search by title, content, tags, and even use regular expressions.

5. Properties

Properties are metadata at the top of your notes.

---
title: "IAM Concepts"
tags: [cybersecurity, iam, access-control]
date: 2026-08-09
status: "learning"
---

You can use properties to organize, filter, and query your notes.

---

Every line is a thought. Every dot is a note. My second brain, visualized.

Essential Plugins

Obsidian’s core functionality is great, but the plugins make it extraordinary. Here are the plugins I use every day.

1. Git

What it does: Syncs your vault with a Git repository.

Why I use it:

• Auto-commit and push changes
• Version control for notes
• Sync across devices
• Backup on GitHub

Setup:

# Install Git if not installed
sudo apt install git

# Configure Git
git config --global user.name "Sahil Ahmad"
git config --global user.email "hello.sahilahmad@gmail.com"

# Initialize Git in your vault
cd ~/Documents/Obsidian/
git init
git remote add origin git@github.com:sahilahmadofficial/notes.git

In Obsidian:

1. Settings → Community Plugins → Turn on Community Plugins
2. Search for Git → Install → Enable
3. Set auto-commit interval (I use 5 minutes)
4. Set auto-push interval (I use 10 minutes)

2. Dataview

What it does: Queries and displays your notes as tables, lists, or tasks.

Why I use it:

• Create dynamic lists of notes
• Track project status
• Build dashboards
• Query notes by tags, dates, or properties

Example:

# Blog Ideas

```dataview
TABLE title AS "Title", date AS "Date", status AS "Status"
FROM #blog/idea
SORT date DESC

3. Calendar

What it does: Adds a calendar view to your vault.

Why I use it:

• Daily notes
• Tracking progress
• Journaling

4. Templater

What it does: Advanced template system for Obsidian.

Why I use it:

• Create consistent note structures
• Auto-populate properties
• Insert dates and times

5. Excalidraw

What it does: Draw diagrams directly in Obsidian.

Why I use it:

• Architecture diagrams
• Network topology
• Mind maps

6. Advanced Tables

What it does: Enhanced table editing.

Why I use it:

• Easier table creation and editing
• Auto-formatting

7. Outliner

What it does: Improved list editing.

Why I use it:

• Better bullet point handling
• Keyboard shortcuts for moving items

8. Sliding Panes

What it does: Side-by-side panes for notes.

Why I use it:

• Work on multiple notes simultaneously
• Reference while writing

9. Iconize

What it does: Adds icons to folders and files.

Why I use it:

• Visual organization
• Quick scanning

10. Readwise Official

What it does: Syncs highlights from Kindle, Instapaper, etc.

Why I use it:

• Capture reading highlights
• Knowledge repository

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Git Sync Setup — The Most Important Setup

This is the most important part of my Obsidian setup. Git sync means my notes are always backed up and always available.

Step 1 — Create a GitHub Repository

1. Go to github.com
2. Click New Repository
3. Name it: notes (or whatever you want)
4. Keep it Private
5. Click Create Repository

Step 2 — Set Up Git Locally

# Initialize Git in your vault
cd ~/Documents/Obsidian/
git init
git remote add origin git@github.com:sahilahmadofficial/notes.git

# Add and commit
git add .
git commit -m "initial commit: obsidian vault"

# Push to GitHub
git push -u origin main

Step 3 — Enable Git Plugin in Obsidian

1. Settings → Community Plugins → Browse
2. Search for Git → Install → Enable
3. Configure:

Setting	Value
Auto-commit interval	5 minutes
Auto-push interval	10 minutes
Auto-pull interval	10 minutes

Step 4 — Auto-Push Script (Optional)

I also have a cron job that runs daily to ensure everything is committed:

#!/bin/bash
# /home/sahil/scripts/obsidian-backup.sh

cd /home/sahil/Documents/Obsidian/

if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
    git add .
    git commit -m "auto-backup: $(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')"
    git push origin main
fi

Add to crontab:

crontab -e
# Add this line
0 12 * * * /home/sahil/scripts/obsidian-backup.sh

Step 5 — Sync Across Devices

1. Clone the repository on your other devices:

git clone git@github.com:sahilahmadofficial/notes.git

1. Open that folder as an Obsidian vault

Now everything is synced. Every change on one device is automatically committed and pushed. Every other device pulls the changes.

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My Obsidian Setup

Here’s what my setup looks like right now:

Themes

Default Theme: Obsidian Nord

Why: Dark, easy on the eyes, works well with code blocks.

Hotkeys

Action	Shortcut
Quick Switcher	Cmd/Ctrl + O
Search	Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + F
Create new note	Cmd/Ctrl + N
Insert link	Cmd/Ctrl + K
Graph View	Cmd/Ctrl + G
Command Palette	Cmd/Ctrl + P

Folder Structure

Notes/
├── 00 - Inbox/               # Quick capture
├── 10 - CyberSecurity/       # Security notes
│   ├── IAM/
│   ├── Linux/
│   ├── Networking/
│   └── Tools/
├── 20 - Blog/                # Blog posts
│   ├── Drafts/
│   └── Published/
├── 30 - Projects/            # Project notes
├── 40 - Learning/            # Course notes
├── 50 - Daily/               # Daily journals
└── 90 - Templates/           # Templates

This structure is called the PARA method (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives), adapted for my needs.

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Features I Love

1. Graph View

The graph view is genuinely beautiful. It shows you how your notes are connected, revealing patterns in your thinking. I check it sometimes just to see my knowledge network grow.

2. Daily Notes

I write a daily note every day. It’s a journal, a task list, and a brain dump all in one. Obsidian’s calendar plugin makes this seamless.

3. Quick Capture

When I learn something new, I create a note immediately. Obsidian’s Quick Switcher (Ctrl/Cmd+O) makes this fast.

4. Backlinks

When I’m reading a note, Obsidian shows me every other note that links to it. This is how I discover connections I didn’t know existed.

5. Markdown Everywhere

Everything is Markdown. That means I can write blog posts, documentation, and notes in the same format. No context switching.

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How I Use Obsidian for Cybersecurity Learning

Here’s my workflow:

1. I read a blog post or watch a video → Create a quick note in the Inbox
2. I connect it to existing notes → Add links to related concepts
3. I expand the note later → Add more details, examples, commands
4. I use it as reference → When I need that concept again, I search and find it

This is the core of how I learn. I don’t memorize — I document. And then I reference.

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Why This Works

Obsidian works for me because:

• Notes are local. I own my data.
• Notes are plain text. I can open them anywhere.
• Notes are searchable. I can find anything in seconds.
• Notes are connected. I discover relationships I didn’t see before.
• Notes are backup. Git means I never lose anything.

But the real reason it works is simpler.

It removed the friction of note-taking.

I used to take notes but then never find them. Or I’d take notes in five different places. Or I’d forget to take notes at all.

Obsidian removed all that friction. Now taking notes is effortless. Finding them is effortless. That changes everything.

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What I Learned

I started with a messy notes situation. I ended with a system that actually works.

But the biggest lesson wasn’t about the tool. It was about the system.

• Consistency matters more than perfection. A messy Obsidian vault you use every day is better than a perfectly organized one you never open.
• Start simple. Don’t install fifty plugins on day one. Start with the core app and add features as you need them.
• Make it yours. There’s no “right” way to use Obsidian. My setup works for me — yours will be different.

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Where to Go From Here

If you’re convinced and want to give Obsidian a try:

1. Download Obsidian from obsidian.md
2. Create a vault
3. Start with the core features — don’t install plugins yet
4. Take notes for a week
5. Add plugins as you discover what you need

The official Obsidian documentation is excellent, and the community is incredibly helpful.

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📧 hello.sahilahmad@gmail.com
🐙 github.com/sahilahmadofficial
💼 linkedin.com/in/sahilahmadofficial

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— Sahil

My second brain is finally organized. And it’s all plain text.