This post is constantly being updated.

Obsidian is my tool of choice for personal knowledge management. It’s local-first, markdown-based, and endlessly customizable. Below is a breakdown of the plugins I rely on, the hotkeys I’ve set up, and my theme configuration.

Plugins

Core

• Daily notes — I use daily notes as an inbox for quick thoughts and tasks throughout the day.
• Backlinks — Essential for surfacing connections between notes.
• Templates — For consistent structure across recurring note types.
• Outgoing links — Helps me see what a note references at a glance.
• Page preview — Hover over links to preview content without leaving the current note.
• Sync — To keep my vault in sync across devices.

Community

• Minimal Theme Settings — Companion plugin for the Minimal theme.
• Style Settings — Allows fine-grained CSS customization through a settings UI.
• Obsidian Git — Version control for my vault using Git.
• Calendar — A calendar view that integrates with daily notes.
• Dataview — Query your notes like a database. Useful for dynamic indexes and dashboards.
• Templater — More powerful templating with JavaScript support.

Hotkeys

One of the things I like most about Obsidian is how keyboard-driven it can be. Here are the custom hotkeys I use daily.

Basics of Obsidian

Action	Shortcut
Find file	Cmd + O
Move file	Cmd + M
Delete file	Cmd + D
Open random note	Cmd + Shift + O
Open daily note	Cmd + Shift + D

Git

Action	Shortcut
Git commit	Opt + Cmd + C
Git push	Opt + Cmd + P

Insert info

Action	Shortcut
Insert time on a note	Opt + Cmd + T
Insert date on a note	Opt + Cmd + J

Template

Action	Shortcut
Create a new file with a template	Opt + Shift + N

Publish

Action	Shortcut
Publish current file	Cmd + Opt + P

Theme

As a main theme, I’m using Minimal by Steph Ango.

For color schemes, in light mode I’m using Flexoki and in dark mode Everforest.

Both are warm, low-contrast palettes that are easy on the eyes for long reading and writing sessions.

Furthermore, I have these styles applied through the Style Settings plugin:

{
  "minimal-advanced@@hide-markdown": false,
  "minimal-advanced@@mobile-toolbar-off": false,
  "minimal-style@@file-header-visibility": "minimal-tab-title-visible",
  "minimal-style@@inline-title-weight": 100,
  "minimal-style@@inline-title-size": "1.75em",
  "minimal-style@@window-title-off": false,
  "minimal-style@@link-color@@dark": "#C8A04A",
  "minimal-style@@link-color-hover@@dark": "#D3C6AA",
  "minimal-style@@link-external-color@@dark": "#C8A04A",
  "minimal-style@@link-external-color-hover@@dark": "#C8A04A",
  "minimal-style@@callouts-style": "callouts-default",
  "minimal-style@@bold-modifier": 200,
  "minimal-style@@bold-color@@dark": "#C8A04A",
  "minimal-style@@link-unresolved-color@@dark": "#937636",
  "minimal-style@@link-unresolved-decoration-color@@dark": "#937636",
  "minimal-style@@link-color@@light": "#C8A04A",
  "minimal-style@@link-color-hover@@light": "#D3C6AA",
  "minimal-style@@link-unresolved-opacity": 0.35,
  "minimal-style@@link-unresolved-color@@light": "#937636",
  "minimal-style@@link-unresolved-decoration-color@@light": "#937636",
  "minimal-style@@link-external-color@@light": "#C8A04A",
  "minimal-style@@link-external-color-hover@@light": "#C8A04A",
  "minimal-style@@h2-l": true,
  "minimal-style@@h1-l": true
}

Resources

A few references that have shaped how I use Obsidian:

• Steph Ango’s blog — The creator of Minimal theme and CEO of Obsidian. Writes thoughtfully about tools for thought.
• Obsidian Hub — Community-driven resource for plugins, guides, and workflows.
• Linking Your Thinking — Nick Milo’s framework for building a personal knowledge system.