I love using Obsidian. I've kind of made a ZettleKastan with my Obsidian PKMS for my Masters in International Relations. However, I keep loosing the flow. So I've currently been going back to the good old pen & paper. I've not given up on Obsidian because I've got a multifaceted interest. I simply need Another method of approach. Thank you for your article. It was certainly informative for someone fiddling with their ZK on Obsidian.
@H. S • Prose and Parchment • Have you checked out @Sébastien Dubois ’s work yet? He just launched a course that includes stuff about using Obsidian for Knowledge Management.
I'll def check him out. Thank you! I love pen & paper too. I've got something similar to what you described as well. I love taking it everywhere in all my meetings, lectures, seminars and conferences.
I recently shifted my system, a bit. I keep a physical notebook for quick capture, to jot down thoughts, ideas, etc. But then I type things up so I can make them searchable later.
Anything I read online that sparks something in me, I copy and paste into Obsidian daily notes, then summarize and synthesize on the weekends (weekly review).
It’s not a perfect system, and I’m still refining it to find what works best for me.
I love the idea of a knowledge garden vs knowledge silos. To me, the knowledge garden describes a place that allows for connection and interaction between thoughts and ideas which could lead to the natural growth of others. The silos feel like a knowledge prison where connection is limited for the purpose of maximizing storage efficiency and convenience.
I have been lacking a clear term for the feeling of needing a space to collect and distill my ideas. There's something about having a PKM that allows even more ideas to flow through. It reminds me of Rick Rubin's analogy, that we are antennas receiving from a source - perhaps a PKM stabilizes the antenna.
I do a lot of sketch noting, and also, while reading on the screen, I constantly sketch that is because I can understand more when I read and sketch or listen and sketch
I take screenshots of Sketches I do on my desktop or take photographs of my sketchbook, but it is tough to put them in a system that I can refer to later, so I end up losing a lot of the ideas that I sketched long back in my old sketchbook
I am still figuring out, but thanks for sharing all these methods
• Notion or OneNote - They can create a visual database with tags, dates, and categories to make their sketches searchable. OneNote, in particular, is great for freeform note-taking and supports handwriting recognition.
• GoodNotes or Concepts (iPad) - If they use an iPad, these apps let them sketch digitally and organize their notes into folders.
• Obsidian (with attachments) - If they want a text-based system with backlinks, they can store sketches as image files in an Obsidian vault and link them to relevant notes.
Hybrid (Paper + Digital) Approach
If they prefer physical sketching but want an organized digital backup:
• Google Photos or Apple Notes - They can snap pictures and use keyword-based search to find sketches later.
• Evernote (with OCR) - Evernote's OCR (Optical Character Recognition) makes handwritten notes searchable, even from photos.
• Miro or Milanote - If they like mind-mapping, they can upload sketches and visually connect ideas.
Low-Tech Approach
If they don't want complex systems:
• Numbered Pages + Index (Bullet Journal Style) -
They can assign each sketch a number and maintain a simple index on the first page of their notebook.
• Folder System on Computer/Cloud - Saving photos of sketches in Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive with clear folder names and a simple naming convention (e.g., 2025-03-14_Sketchnote_/dea) can help.
If they want to retrieve ideas for projects, a structured tool like Notion or Obsidian might work. If it's more about inspiration, a visual-first tool like Miro or Milanote could be better.
Thanks for taking time to reply with such detail really appreciate. I have created a folder on my phone as well to combine or save all of the pictures of my sketches, but tagging is still not there. That is something I’ll get started with. Thanks again.
I’m still working on figuring out a way to make my screenshots more searchable and useable. But for sketching, apps like Obsidian’s Canvas might be worth looking into. I’m sure there are others, too.
I use Procreate and Goodnotes but haven’t really got down to tagging the sketchers. Mostly they are sitting inside notebook or individual sketches but I like the idea of tagging them before that I need to think of a system how to tag maybe I’ll pick up one of the systems that you have described and see how it goes.
What a useful article!!! I have been flailing on this front and looking forward to trying some of these techniques!
Thank you! I’m so glad you found it helpful! 💛
Hi Jenn thanks for sharing.
Sent a DM would love to connect 😊
Loved this Jenn! I'm a mix of 3, 4 and moving into 5.
Love it! I’m working on number 5 more every day. And still practicing the others, too.
In my experience, the Sublime.app is a must to help with your ideas, not only storing them but also connecting them to other’s.
Thanks for the tip!
I love using Obsidian. I've kind of made a ZettleKastan with my Obsidian PKMS for my Masters in International Relations. However, I keep loosing the flow. So I've currently been going back to the good old pen & paper. I've not given up on Obsidian because I've got a multifaceted interest. I simply need Another method of approach. Thank you for your article. It was certainly informative for someone fiddling with their ZK on Obsidian.
@H. S • Prose and Parchment • Have you checked out @Sébastien Dubois ’s work yet? He just launched a course that includes stuff about using Obsidian for Knowledge Management.
I'll def check him out. Thank you! I love pen & paper too. I've got something similar to what you described as well. I love taking it everywhere in all my meetings, lectures, seminars and conferences.
I’m a big fan of good old pen+paper, myself!
I recently shifted my system, a bit. I keep a physical notebook for quick capture, to jot down thoughts, ideas, etc. But then I type things up so I can make them searchable later.
Anything I read online that sparks something in me, I copy and paste into Obsidian daily notes, then summarize and synthesize on the weekends (weekly review).
It’s not a perfect system, and I’m still refining it to find what works best for me.
Ps… I have a couple of Rocketbooks (reusable notebooks that digitize your notes automatically-ish). But I don’t use them enough!
Are these also ways of interpreting a Commonplace Journal?
I’m not sure what you mean by “interpreting” a Commonplace journal?
Maybe variations is a better word choice.
I love the idea of a knowledge garden vs knowledge silos. To me, the knowledge garden describes a place that allows for connection and interaction between thoughts and ideas which could lead to the natural growth of others. The silos feel like a knowledge prison where connection is limited for the purpose of maximizing storage efficiency and convenience.
Yes, exactly!
Thanks you for the valuable advice. Will have to try and see what sticks. Never thought to organize my ideas. It’s a long list.
My pleasure! 😊 I know it definitely changed how I look at notes and information and storage -vs- usage!
Thanks for the restack, Edith!
Great summary. Thanks!
My pleasure! Thank you!
Whoa. Thank you for sharing PKM!!
I have been lacking a clear term for the feeling of needing a space to collect and distill my ideas. There's something about having a PKM that allows even more ideas to flow through. It reminds me of Rick Rubin's analogy, that we are antennas receiving from a source - perhaps a PKM stabilizes the antenna.
You’re welcome! I remember how much it blew my mind when I first learned of it through Tiago’s book! 🤯
Thank you to ALL who have restacked this post! I’m grateful! 🙏🏻
Good insight 😌 Can i translate part of this article into Spanish with links to you and a description of your newsletter?
Sì, gracias! ☺️ I’m still learning Spanish, so that would be fun!
Dear Jenn, Martina and me translated the article:
https://formacionmag.substack.com/p/crear-sistema-kpm
Gracias, Salvador y Martina!
Thanks to you, its a very good article.
☺️ Much appreciated!
Maybe you want to restack it with something like this:
"My article has also been selected and translated into Spanish to reach new audiences."
Thanks for restacking, @👉Anna Molly !
Your note has The vibe I really like from the people who are sharing from what they actually done and learned.
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you!
Thank you for this. I love Notion and simplifying the system helps to maximize the time I have.
Also, thanks for the restack!
You’re very welcome!
I love Notion, too. ☺️
I do a lot of sketch noting, and also, while reading on the screen, I constantly sketch that is because I can understand more when I read and sketch or listen and sketch
I take screenshots of Sketches I do on my desktop or take photographs of my sketchbook, but it is tough to put them in a system that I can refer to later, so I end up losing a lot of the ideas that I sketched long back in my old sketchbook
I am still figuring out, but thanks for sharing all these methods
ChatGPT suggested…
If they're open to digitizing their sketchnotes:
• Notion or OneNote - They can create a visual database with tags, dates, and categories to make their sketches searchable. OneNote, in particular, is great for freeform note-taking and supports handwriting recognition.
• GoodNotes or Concepts (iPad) - If they use an iPad, these apps let them sketch digitally and organize their notes into folders.
• Obsidian (with attachments) - If they want a text-based system with backlinks, they can store sketches as image files in an Obsidian vault and link them to relevant notes.
Hybrid (Paper + Digital) Approach
If they prefer physical sketching but want an organized digital backup:
• Google Photos or Apple Notes - They can snap pictures and use keyword-based search to find sketches later.
• Evernote (with OCR) - Evernote's OCR (Optical Character Recognition) makes handwritten notes searchable, even from photos.
• Miro or Milanote - If they like mind-mapping, they can upload sketches and visually connect ideas.
Low-Tech Approach
If they don't want complex systems:
• Numbered Pages + Index (Bullet Journal Style) -
They can assign each sketch a number and maintain a simple index on the first page of their notebook.
• Folder System on Computer/Cloud - Saving photos of sketches in Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive with clear folder names and a simple naming convention (e.g., 2025-03-14_Sketchnote_/dea) can help.
If they want to retrieve ideas for projects, a structured tool like Notion or Obsidian might work. If it's more about inspiration, a visual-first tool like Miro or Milanote could be better.
Thanks for taking time to reply with such detail really appreciate. I have created a folder on my phone as well to combine or save all of the pictures of my sketches, but tagging is still not there. That is something I’ll get started with. Thanks again.
I hope you’re able to find a system that works for you! ☺️
I wonder if Obsidian’s “Canvas” ( https://help.obsidian.md/plugins/canvas ) would work for you?
I’m still working on figuring out a way to make my screenshots more searchable and useable. But for sketching, apps like Obsidian’s Canvas might be worth looking into. I’m sure there are others, too.
Thanks Jenn
I use Procreate and Goodnotes but haven’t really got down to tagging the sketchers. Mostly they are sitting inside notebook or individual sketches but I like the idea of tagging them before that I need to think of a system how to tag maybe I’ll pick up one of the systems that you have described and see how it goes.
PS… I love Sketchnotes! 😍