Building a Second Brain with Obsidian

Lately, I've been building my own Second Brain inside Obsidian, and honestly, it's been a total game-changer. It’s where I organize everything — ideas, projects, even random thoughts — and it’s helped me think faster, stay organized, and actually build momentum instead of getting stuck.

I wanted something that felt simple but powerful, and Obsidian nailed it for me. It’s offline-first, super customizable, and it feels more like a playground for ideas than a boring notes app. Over time, it’s basically become the foundation for how I work and learn.

My Setup

I use a few plugins that make a huge difference.

First, Advanced Canvas is amazing. It lets me lay out thoughts visually, like sticky notes on a board, but way better because you can zoom in and connect ideas however you want.

I also have the Calendar plugin because it makes daily notes way easier to manage. I can quickly jump between days and always know what I worked on.

The Graph View is honestly one of my favorite parts of Obsidian. I always have it open in a section of my screen. It’s crazy how seeing all my notes connected visually helps me spot patterns and new ideas I wouldn’t have noticed just reading them in a list.

Dataview is a must-have. It lets me turn my notes into custom dashboards and smart lists automatically, so I’m not wasting time manually organizing everything.

Commander helps me speed up my workflow by letting me run commands with just a few clicks. Style Settings lets me tweak how everything looks so it feels right.

For the theme, I’m using Anuppuccin, which looks clean, colorful, and just super comfortable to work in. It’s based on Catppuccin, but slightly tweaked for Obsidian, and I love the vibe it gives my workspace.

How I Organize Everything

For the structure, I combine a few systems.

I use PARA (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) to organize my folders, and mix it with GTD ideas (Getting Things Done) to make sure I'm not just collecting notes but actually moving projects forward.

I also use something I call the Chaos Method. It’s basically giving myself way less time than I think I need to finish something, and just pushing myself to get it done fast. It’s weird, but it forces me to stop overthinking and actually execute. I highly recommend trying it.

On top of all that, I borrow a little from the Zettelkasten method too. I try to keep my notes small, focused on one idea, and link them together whenever it makes sense. That way, instead of a bunch of scattered files, my notes actually talk to each other and create new ideas over time.

How I Use It for Coding

Obsidian isn’t just for random thoughts and productivity stuff — it’s also where I keep a lot of my programming notes.

For example, I recently made a note about when to use a lib folder versus a utils folder in project structures. Little things like that might not seem huge, but they add up fast. Having a place to store these kinds of tips makes me a faster and cleaner developer over time.

Whenever I learn something important, I jot it down right away. It’s like building my own personal coding textbook, written in a way that actually makes sense to me.

Final Thoughts

Building a Second Brain with Obsidian honestly feels like unlocking an unfair advantage. It’s not about having perfect notes — it’s about having a place where you can actually think better and build faster.

If you’ve been thinking about leveling up how you manage ideas, projects, or even just random inspiration, start today. It doesn't have to be complicated. Just open Obsidian, create your first note, and start linking your thoughts together. The rest will grow naturally.