Johnny Decimal Organization Method for Obsidian: A Complete Guide
You’ve been there: you’re staring at a messy folder structure, wondering where to put that new note. You search through countless files, trying to remember if you saved something under “Personal” or “Projects” or maybe “Ideas”. The digital clutter has taken over, and you’re spending more time organizing than actually working. The worst part? Even when you think you’ve found a good system, it breaks down as your knowledge grows. What if there was a way to give every single note a permanent address? Like a Google Map for your knowledge—where everything has its own spot, and you never have to guess again.
That’s exactly what the Johnny Decimal method does for your Obsidian vault. In this video, my friend walks you through how to build a complete organization system that eliminates guesswork forever. By the end of this post, you’ll understand exactly how to set up this system and why it might be the last organization method you’ll ever need.
Why Johnny Decimal Beats PARA for Permanent Organization
Before diving into the system, let’s understand the comparison. Most people know about PARA (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive), which is great for temporary focus. But PARA doesn’t provide permanent addresses—it’s more about grouping based on current needs. Johnny Decimal is different: it gives every note a permanent, unchanging address that works for years.
The key difference is permanence. PARA answers “Where does this belong right now?” while Johnny Decimal answers “Where will this live forever?” This makes Johnny Decimal ideal for building a long-term knowledge base that won’t need reorganization every few months.
How Johnny Decimal Works: The 100-Subcategory System
Johnny Decimal works by dividing your whole life into 10 big buckets (0-9), then creating 10 small categories inside each bucket (00-09, 10-19, etc.). That gives you exactly 100 permanent addresses.
The Top Level: 10 Main Categories
Here’s how I organize my digital life using this method:
00 - Home This is where everything personal lives: about me, health, legal, finance, family and social, digital life, assets and liabilities, buy and sell, travel and journal.
01 - Learning & Teaching All your learning goes here: courses, books, skills you’re developing, and everything you’re teaching others.
02 - Work & Career Professional documents, CVs, LinkedIn information, job hunting folders, and career-related materials.
03 - Project & Hobby Fun projects, hobby work, side projects like building plugins or learning new skills.
04 - Content & Creativity The “internet folder” where everything you plan to publish lives: social media posts, blogs, videos. This separates personal from public content.
05 - Knowledge Library Your reading and learning library: book notes, paper and article annotations, podcast insights, notes on people and thinkers.
06 - Archive Everything not useful for the current moment. Just like a backup—you can retrieve anything here if needed later.
07-09 - Future Categories The beauty of Johnny Decimal is that you have room to expand. You can add up to 3 more main categories as your life evolves.
The Subcategories: 10 Permanent Addresses
Inside each main category, you create 10 subcategories. For example, inside “00 Home,” you might have:
- 00: About Me
- 01: Health
- 02: Legal
- 03: Finance
- 04: Family & Social
- 05: Digital Life
- 06: Assets & Liabilities
- 07: Buy & Sell
- 08: Travel
- 09: Journal
Every note or file gets a permanent address like “00-01-Health-Note” or “05-03-Podcast-Insight.” No guessing, no clutter, no reorganization needed.
Practical Examples of Johnny Decimal in Action
Let me show you how this works in real life:
Going on a Trip? It goes under travel subdirectory “08 Travel.” Every trip note, itinerary, and memory lives there permanently.
Making a New YouTube Video? It lives under “04 Content and Creativity” → “40 Blog and Videos.” Every video idea, script, and note has its place.
Reading a New Book? Your note goes straight to “05 Knowledge Library” → “51 Book Notes.” No wondering where to put it.
Inside Your Home Directory
Let’s look at some practical examples:
About Me (00-00) I maintain a bio note here to keep my biography consistent across different platforms—academic, LinkedIn, YouTube. I also have quick-access information for filling out online forms faster.
Legal & Finance (02-03) One comprehensive note for credit cards, investments, and legal documents.
Buy & Sell (07) I track all my purchases and Facebook Marketplace sales here. Everything is systematically organized.
The Knowledge Library: Your Reading System
The Knowledge Library is where your reading system lives:
Book Notes (05-01) Whenever you read a book, annotate it and save it here.
Paper & Article Notes (05-02) Research papers and articles with annotations.
Podcast Insights (05-03) Key insights from podcasts you listen to.
People & Thinkers (05-04) Notes on authors, speakers, or thinkers you follow.
The beauty is that every piece of knowledge has a permanent address. You never waste time hunting for “that one note about that author.”
The Master Map of Content (MOC)
The master MOC is the root index note for your entire vault. From this single note, you can trace any note in your system. It’s your navigational center—like the main map in a GPS app.
When you need to find something, you don’t search through folders. You go to your MOC and follow the permanent addresses. This is how Johnny Decimal gives you a “Google Map for your knowledge.”
Why Numbers Work: The Psychology of Organization
I used to think numbering folders was unnecessary complication. After using Johnny Decimal for 4 years, I realized numbers are magic for two reasons:
1. Auto-arrangement When you number folders, the system automatically arranges them in the correct order. No manual sorting needed.
2. Muscle Memory Your brain gets used to the numbering system. After a while, you don’t even think about where things go—you just know.
Imagine walking into a grocery store where nothing is labeled. Milk is with snacks, bread is with electronics—total chaos. Now imagine a perfectly organized store: fruits in one aisle, frozen foods in another. That’s Johnny Decimal. It gives every piece of information its own shelf.
Future-Proofing Your System
The Johnny Decimal system is designed to scale. With 100 permanent addresses, you have room to grow. And the template system makes it even more powerful:
Templates Use templates for daily notes, meeting notes, and other recurring note types. Templates ensure consistency and speed.
Future Extensions You have 30 additional slots (70-99) for future categories. As your life evolves, your system can evolve too.
The Core Benefits of Johnny Decimal
1. No Guesswork Every note or file gets a clear permanent address. You never wonder “Where does this go?”
2. No Clutter Everything has its place. No messy folders or scattered files.
3. No Second Guessing You know exactly where to put something and where to find it.
4. Speed Your workflow stays fast because your system is predictable.
5. Future-Proof Even years from now, you know exactly where to find things.
Watch the Full Video
For the complete step-by-step walkthrough, watch the full video below:
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👋 About Me
Hi, I’m Shuvangkar Das — a power systems researcher with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, currently working as a Research Scientist. I work at the intersection of power electronics, inverter-based DERs (IBRs), and AI to help build smarter, greener, and more stable electric grids.
My work spans large-scale EMT simulations, firmware development, reinforcement learning, and hardware prototyping. Beyond engineering, I’m also a YouTuber and content creator — sharing hands-on insights on productivity, research, and knowledge management. My goal is simple: to make complex ideas more accessible and actionable for everyone.
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