Learn Obsidian in One Video (2025)
The Pain Point (Opening)
You’ve been there—staring at a blank page, struggling to organize your thoughts, tasks, and learning in one place. Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them, but where do you put all those ideas? You’ve probably tried multiple note-taking apps, each with its own friction: messy folders, scattered tasks, and a system that breaks down after a few months. The frustration of losing track of important information, forgetting tasks, and feeling overwhelmed by a chaotic knowledge base is real.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re drowning in notes, bookmarks, and to-dos, you’re not alone. As a researcher and content creator, I’ve spent years searching for a tool that can hold my entire knowledge system—something that connects thoughts, manages tasks, and scales with my brain. That’s where Obsidian comes in.
But Obsidian can be intimidating. With so many features, plugins, and themes, where do you even start? That’s why I created this video: to teach you how to use Obsidian like a pro in one go.
What You’ll Get From This
After watching this video, you’ll walk away with:
- A clear understanding of Obsidian’s core features—Quick Switcher, Graph View, Canvas, Command Palette, and more
- Practical shortcuts and hotkeys to make note-taking frictionless
- How to customize Obsidian with themes and plugins to fit your workflow
- Tips for organizing attachments and notes like a second brain
- A sustainable knowledge management system that grows with you
The Solution (Main Content)
Mastering Obsidian’s Sidebar: Quick Switcher, Graph View, and Canvas
Obsidian’s left sidebar is your command center. Here you’ll find:
- Quick Switcher (Ctrl+O): Instantly search and jump to any note in your vault
- Graph View: Visualize the connections between your notes
- Canvas: A plugin that lets you connect images, notes, and other media on a limitless canvas
- Insert Template: Apply pre-defined templates to notes
- Command Palette (Ctrl+P): Access every Obsidian function without memorizing shortcuts
- Base: A database plugin that mimics Notion-like tables
- Audio Recorder: Record audio directly into your notes
Templates, Command Palette, and Databases in Obsidian
Templates save time. Use the “Insert Template” button to apply pre-formatted note structures. The Command Palette is your best friend—type any action you want, and Obsidian will execute it. Base lets you create structured databases inside Obsidian, perfect for tracking projects, tasks, or resources.
Optimizing Workflow: Opening and Arranging Multiple Notes
Productivity increases when you can see multiple notes at once. Right-click a note tab and choose “Split” to view notes side-by-side. Use shortcuts like Ctrl+Alt+Click to open notes in separate windows. Drag notes to different panes to create a multi-pane workspace. This is essential for writing reports, connecting ideas, or researching.
Boosting Productivity with Obsidian Shortcuts
Shortcuts are the key to frictionless note-taking. The most important shortcuts:
- Ctrl+O: Quick Switcher
- Ctrl+P: Command Palette
- Ctrl+B: Toggle bold
- Ctrl+I: Toggle italic
- Ctrl+L: Toggle bulleted list
- Ctrl+Shift+L: Toggle bullet list (custom shortcut)
You can assign any shortcut to any function in Settings → Hotkeys. Explore and customize!
Customizing Hotkeys for Streamlined Note-Taking
Go to Settings → Hotkeys to assign shortcuts to any command. For example, assign Ctrl+Shift+L to toggle bullet lists. This removes friction and makes note-taking faster.
Efficiently Searching Your Obsidian Vault
Search is powerful. Click the search icon or use Ctrl+Shift+F to search across all notes. Search by keyword, phrase, or even regular expressions. Obsidian’s search is fast and accurate, even with thousands of notes.
Personalizing Obsidian with Themes and Plugins
Obsidian has over 2,500 community themes and 2,600+ plugins. Themes change the look and feel—try different ones to find your favorite. Plugins extend functionality: from citation managers to Kanban boards. Start with essential plugins and add as needed.
Organizing Attachments and Notes in Obsidian
Attachments (images, PDFs, etc.) can clutter your vault. Set a default attachment folder in Settings → Files & Links. Use Maps of Content (MOCs) to index notes instead of deep folder hierarchies. This keeps your vault clean and searchable.
Sustainable Knowledge Management: The OFID Starter Kit
The video references the “OFID Starter Kit”—a system I developed for organizing notes in a sustainable way. It uses a Johnny Decimal-style folder structure, MOCs, and templates. This system scales with your knowledge base and prevents clutter.
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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