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People seem to be constantly looking for the "perfect" tool. But they're just looking for an illusion. The perfect tool doesn't exist. Let's discuss this a bit further, and let me share a few pieces of advice. Technology is transient. The only constant is change. Technology evolves, and tools follow along. What was great yesterday will often be replaced tomorrow. With every new technology wave, there's an almost endless number of tools to choose from. Each of those waves is accompanied by a hype cycle and a technology adoption life cycle:  Technology adoption life cycle First, the innovators, invest time into the new thing, long before it even gets validated by the market and reaches maturity. They're always on the lookout for the new and shiny. They don't mind the flaws and shortcomings. Some of them tell their friends or audiences, and help the technology and associated tools gain in popularity. Then, additional early adopters join in. They sense the potential before most people. By doing so, they get a chance to become experts before the majority even joins. Usually, they're also technology enthusiasts. Some of them tell their friends, generate the hype, and more and more people get convinced to adopt the technology. At some point, the majority of people join. By that time, the technology has gained in maturity, which is a must, because the majority is risk-averse, and is much less patient. And so it goes, reaching more and more people. It's important to realize that those waves just never stop. There will always be something new and shiny. And the ideal solution of today will most certainly be replaced in a short period of time. This is true in most markets. It only makes sense to keep looking at new technology and tools if: - you're really in pain, lacking a real solution to your needs
- you're a technology enthusiast, looking to stay up to date, and willing to leverage newly created opportunities
- you just want to have fun
If you don't recognize yourself in that list, then you're just wasting your time if you keep testing or switching to new tools and technology. And it doesn't make much sense. When you're getting started with something new, just don't overthink your choice. Take an hour of your time, list your MUST HAVE list of features, do some research, list five tools that seem to be popular in the market, quickly compare those, and pick one. Don't spend hours or days to make that choice, it's totally useless, and will lead you nowhere. Just accept the fact that whatever you choose will have flaws. I created a free database containing hundreds of Knowledge Management tools, but I wouldn't recommend anyone to try all of those. It's just a waste of time. When people ask me, I just recommend Obsidian, the tool I have chosen, and have used for the past years. How did I pick it? After giving a try to 3 tools, no more, no less. It checked the boxes I cared about, and I gave it enough time.  Choosing a tool can be a daunting task, if you approach it wrong. Image generated using AI The real key is using the tool you pick for long enough to be confident enough about it. If you use something for 20 minutes, you should quickly get a sense of what it can do for you, and that's enough. Once you've picked a tool, you need to stick with it for long enough. For me, that's at least a month. When you do that, you'll surely feel friction, pain points, flaws, and shortcomings. And that's fine too. What matters is understanding how those impact you. If you realize that it kills your productivity or really does not match your needs, then you can reassess your choice. Oftentimes though, you'll realize that you can work around the limitations. And those workarounds may be "good enough". Moreover, by spending enough time with one tool, you'll get to learn more about it. I won't say "master it" right away, but you'll gain enough experience with it to know if you're against a wall, or just facing small hindrances. If you're in front of a wall that you can't get over, then it may be reasonable to spend some time with the next tool on your list (notice that I didn't mention looking at the new ones that may be all the rage now). Then, you need to repeat the process, until you finally find one that works well-enough for you. And if you don't... If nothing works for me, what should I do?If you reach the end of your short list and realize it's still not working for you, then you need to reassess your wish list, and/or your expectations. Maybe you're just looking for the silver bullet. If so, you should stop. Everything is flawed in some way. Also, you might need to rethink your approach. Maybe the problem is not the tool, but the way you use it, or your own way of working. The tool is rarely the real problem: Problem Exists Between Computer and Chair (PEBCAC) That's where reaching out to experts, and asking for help makes sense. I've been coaching people to better use knowledge management tools for quite some time. And many times, I've faced people who found the right tools, but failed to use those properly. Sometimes because of preconceived ideas, lack of experience, or bad choices. With my help, most have made the changes and progress they were after. Yes they had to pay, but they actually saved money, because without that guidance, they could've continued to waste their precious time for a lot longer. So, if you're stuck and don't know how to make progress, then consider hiring an expert.
Personal Knowledge Management Coaching
Who is this for?You are just getting started with note-taking, note-making, and Personal Knowledge ManagementYou wonder how to take smart notesYou want to know how to properly organize your notes and avoid creating an overwhelming messYou want a solid system that scalesYou wonder what Zettelkasten, the PARA method, and the Johnny decimal system areYou want to better organize the information of your team or businessGetting started is not the hardest thing in the world, but it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out how to structure and organize your knowledge base. You have a busy life, and you don’t want to spend weeks or even months figuring out the “right” approach. Avoid wasting your time and get expert help to guide you on the right path.What is this?With this product, you can buy one or more hours of personalized coaching with me (in English or French!).I’ve been passionate about Information Management (IM), Knowledge Management, and PKM for more than 20 years. As an author, blogger, knowledge worker, and entrepreneur, I needed solutions to store and organize an enormous amount of information.Over the years, I’ve explored, used, and advocated many tools. I have settled on Obsidian, but the techniques I rely on can be applied to many other tools as well. I’ve spent months refining and perfecting my Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system, and have spent countless hours tweaking my approach. I’ve published various articles to share some ideas about this. My system combines the Zettelkasten approach, the PARA method, the Johnny decimal system, and other ideas to create a solid basis for my work as an author, blogger, and content creator.I am very involved in the Personal Knowledge Management community, for which I’m building products, communities, and creating content to help newcomers as well as more advanced users get further. I have created the Obsidian Starter Kit, the Personal Knowledge Management Library, the PKM Journal, the PKM sub-reddit, the PKM Slack community, etc.I’ve decided to dedicate more of my time to coaching PKM enthusiasts and share what I’ve learned so far.During the coaching session(s):We will explore the concepts, techniques, and best practices that I rely on daily and recommendI will guide you through what I consider to be a well-structured, scalable and maintainable Personal Knowledge Management systemI will explain my workflows and processes to youI will (try to) answer all the questions you might haveI will remain available after our session if you have questions, need advice, or helpAfter the coaching sessions, I will remain available to answer additional questions.Testimonials”Sébastien thinks everything from first principles, the systems and ideas we discussed are well thought from multiple angles and I’m going to integrate them in my own specific setup”— Adrian Craciun (via mail)
The other, sometimes complementary approach, is to buy a solution to your problem. Consider that others have or are facing the same issues as you, and that solutions might exist out there. When I created the Obsidian Starter Kit based on my own approach, there wasn't much out there, but I knew that others would want/need it, because I needed it myself. Now, hundreds of people are happily using the system I've built, and spend their time on what really matters: getting value out of the tool, instead of fiddling with the system itself!
Obsidian Starter Kit and community
Who is this for?You are just getting started with note-taking or you’ve recently switched to ObsidianYou wonder how to take smart notesYou want to know how to properly organize your notes and avoid creating an overwhelming messYou want a solid system that scalesYou wonder what Zettelkasten, the PARA method, and the Johnny decimal system areGetting started with Obsidian is not the hardest thing in the world, but it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out how to structure and organize your knowledge base. You have a busy life, and you don’t want to spend weeks or even months figuring out the “right” approach.Note that this product is included in the Knowledge Worker Kit.What is this?This is NOT just a template. It’s a complete system with a detailed user guide.I’ve been passionate about information, knowledge management, and PKM for more than 20 years. As an author, blogger, knowledge worker, and entrepreneur, I needed solutions to store and organize an enormous amount of information.Over the years, I’ve explored, used, and advocated many tools but have been using Obsidian extensively since 2020. With the Obsidian Starter Kit, I offer you the result of my own research and experimentation. It’s like a cheat code to jump straight to stress-free note-making.I’ve spent months refining and perfecting my Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system, and have spent countless hours tweaking my system. I’ve published a few articles to share some ideas about this. My system combines the Zettelkasten approach, the PARA method, the Johnny decimal system, and other ideas to create a solid basis for my work as an author, blogger, and content creator.The Obsidian Starter Kit is a ready-made Obsidian vault that includes my recommended organization system and plugins, as well as example notes to help you get started. It also comes along with a user-friendly guide.What’s included?If you buy access to the Obsidian Starter Kit, you’ll get:The Obsidian vaultA comprehensive and solid structure with support for Journaling and ZettelkastenLeveraging the PARA method and the Johnny Decimal systemMany recommended plugins to boost productivity and automate actionsA clear system for Journaling, Meeting Notes, Periodic reviews, etcMany templates to improve consistency and productivityA powerful dashboardA solid book management systemMaintenance notes (e.g., find duplicate and orphaned notes)Automation rulesVarious examplesThe user guideLifetime access to the Personal Knowledge Management community for support and knowledge sharingIn addition, you’ll also get free access to all future updates. Over time, I’ll expand it step by step to include tutorials about the various aspects; from exploration/curation to summarization and reuse.ScreenshotsI have published some screenshots of this product here.What’s in the user guide?The user guide is a growing and evergreen knowledge base about how to take smart notes. It includes:Installation instructions.Details about the contents of the Obsidian Starter Kit (i.e., Obsidian vault structure, key design principles, included plugins, etc.)A clear overview of Obsidian and its core concepts (everything you should know and care about)Clear explanations about...The Zettelkasten methodAtomic notesProgressive summarizationThe PARA methodThe LIFT principleThe Johnny Decimal systemJournalingMaps of Content (MoCs)Periodic reviewsWhy and how to tag notesTemplatingThe Markdown syntaxWhy you need a single source of truth for everythingThe collector’s fallacyThe Inbox Zero principleHow to capture informationHow to capture quotesHow to capture information about persons of interestHow to extract knowledge from daily notesHow to save mental contextsObsidian tips and tricksWhat’s in the video course?The Obsidian Starter Course is a video course (~2h20) of content covering:Obsidian: installation, user interface, key features, plugins, automation, tips and tricks, etcThe Markdown syntaxYAML metadataPersonal Knowledge Management techniques and principles: the Johnny Decimal system, the PARA method (e.g., the Zettelkasten method, the LIFT principle, Atomic notes, Maps of Content, knowledge capture & extraction, etc)JournalingPeriodic reviewsTemplatesAutomationTask managementBest practices and recommendationsHands-on explanationsand more!Evergreen contentThe Obsidian Starter Kit evolves all the time. I regularly add new templates, plugins, automations, and more!The user guide of the Obsidian Starter Kit is expanding day after day, week after week. It regularly includes new guides, tips and tricks, processes, theory, and more.Refunds policyIf you’re not 100% satisfied, then just let me know, and I’ll issue a full refund. I’ll only ask you a single question: How can I improve the product?If you think about asking for a refund, then consider reaching out to me with your issues, questions, and remarks. I’m always available and happy to help. My goal is to help you succeed.Testimonials”Finally clickeđ how awesome @Obsidian is! Thanks to your excellent Obsidian Starter Kit!”— Cal Desmond-Pearson (@CalSocialHermit)“Off and running w/ @obsdmd. I’ve installed the app & have @dSebastien Starter Kit & my own fresh start Vault open. Learning from former & putting into practice w/ real content in latter. So far, so good”— Raymond D Sims (@rsims)“Great content - got me up to speed with what I was looking for fast ! Sébastien answered some questions by mail also which was much appreciated ! Thanks”— Sam Gonzales”As someone who has bounced around trying to find the right Knowledge tool, I’ve realized that many of my issues have been related to the complexity of the tools and the processes. The structure, design and explanations provided in the Obsidian Starter Kit have finally given me the foundation I’ve needed. 100% worth it”— Michael Aaron (via e-mail)“I absolutely love your kit and it has been so immensely helpful”— Ashwin Appiah (via e-mail)“The Obsidian Starter Kit gives a solid foundation for newcomers of Obsidian to create intuitive and easy to process notes. The kit throughly explains how to use Obsidian to cultivate a second brain and contains organizational structures for your notes that are baked right in, allowing you to immediately begin note taking rather than spend needless time determining how said notes should be organized. The organizational structures take inspiration from several note taking philosophies and provides ways to automatize your organization. Also, new additions are continually being added to the kit free of charge. Starting as an absolute beginner, this kit allowed me to jump to what I feel is an intermediate level of Obsidian understanding and effective note taking in the span of 1-2 days, and I am grateful that I found it.”— Blake Holder”This is a practical and well thought out tool for organising Obsidian. It’s not flashy, but it doesn’t need to be—it’s all about function! The kit provided me with a solid framework, some helpful templates, and automations that made it easier to manage my vault without feeling overwhelmed. I tweaked many things to fit my workflow. I just really loved having this quick, straightway that offered me so much value from the app without me needing to spend hours setting things up. Thank you, Sebastian, and best of luck!”— Ghada”Thanks for making the product. I’m making efforts to start using Obsidian more in my daily workflow and having a place to start makes the task much less daunting!”— Liam Weight (via Twitter DM)“I’m very new to PKM, but the Obsidian Starter Kit has been a tremendous help in getting me started”— Fredrik Nordström (via the PKM community Slack)“Sebastien’s Obsidian Starter Kit is a powerful tool for those looking to dive into the world of Obsidian without being overwhelmed. It’s a comprehensive solution that significantly shortens the learning curve, providing an impressively structured way to start capturing notes and facilitating daily journaling. The kit’s integration of automated tasks and pre-designed templates are a boon to beginners, alleviating the initial intimidation of starting from scratch. If you’re new to Obsidian and need a solid starting point, this starter kit comes highly recommended. It doesn’t just help you navigate Obsidian, but also empowers you to harness its full potential right from the get-go.”— Lubos KolouchFredrik (via the PKM community Slack)“Just to thank the work and content that allowed me to discover the background of a custom vault. It was a real boost for me and given the price, it was a real investment of time and learning.”— Trobrillant”Excellent package to get started with Obsidian or optimize what you already have. The developer has tried it all and distilled a core setup that you can use out-of-the-box or adapt.”— Henry F.“Great starter kit, love it!”— Naya Moss”The Obsidian Starter Kit is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and building their own “second brain.” It provides a fantastic starting point, offering a wealth of ideas on how to create and refine your personal life operating system. A must-have for those looking to take control of their knowledge and productivity!”— Franjo Pehar”If you have been wanting to try Obsidian but overwhelmed with options and unsure where to start, Sebastien makes it easy with his “ready to go” vault.”— Andrew Zavitsanos”Extremely comprehensive and most worthwhile!”— Mike Nall”I love this product. Obsidian can be overwhelming with all you can do with it. Sebastien has pulled together a great collection of add-ons and templates and is a great starting point to get productive and begin your personal knowledge management journey”— Todd Walters”The Obsidian Starter Kit is a really great way to get going with Obsidian, and Sebastien’s writing and knowledge is so insightful and helpful”— Rick Eliott”A very good starting point for your Personal Knowledge Management.”— Fredrik Nordstrom”Very helpful to give you a framework to develop from”— Brenton James”Useful learning for Obsidian. Appreciate updates”— Adrian McLachlan”Easy to follow and well done!”— Edouard Kutter”If you have been searching 😖 and searching for the right Obsidian Starter Kit??? This is the answer!!! It’s a great start to set up the foundation of your system in Obsidian.”— Yaaqoub Eliyyahu”Extraordinario para comenzar a trabajar con Obsidian”— Manuel Miguel
Gumroad
ConclusionIn this short article, I wanted to help you rethink your approach to choosing tools. If you recognize yourself, then you're not alone. There are countless people wasting their time looking for the silver bullet. Don't be one of them! Just pick a tool, and stick with it for long enough. Aside another point I've made a while ago: use fewer tools.
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