How A Freelancer Uses Obsidian for Organization and Productivity
For anyone who despises meetings and prefers to have full control over their work, freelancing might be the ideal career choice. One such individual is a writer who contributes to five publications and relies heavily on Obsidian, a note-taking and organization application, to keep track of ongoing articles as they move from brainstorming to pitching to publication.
### Everything Offline All at Once
Obsidian is more than just a note-taking app and is often categorized as a “second brain.” Unlike other similar applications, Obsidian stores notes, attachments, and plugins as simple text documents in a folder on the user’s computer. This allows for full offline use or the option to sync documents using the cloud storage service of choice. The writer particularly appreciates this setup, as it ensures full control over their files, even in the event that Obsidian were to cease to exist.
Another appealing feature of Obsidian is its extensive plugin ecosystem, with over a thousand available plugins. The writer takes advantage of several plugins, including Kanban, which creates a board of cards for organizing ideas, and Extract URL, which converts website text into a note. This versatility allows the writer to customize Obsidian to fit their specific workflow, enabling them to handle planning and actual writing within the same application.
### Using Obsidian for Article Workflow
The writer’s writing process involves several key steps: brainstorming ideas, pitching those ideas to editors, researching, writing, editing, and invoicing. Obsidian plays a crucial role throughout this process.
#### Brainstorm
Ideas for articles are collected and organized using a dedicated Kanban board within Obsidian. Each card on the board links to a document containing relevant links, expanded ideas, and possible article angles. When it’s time to pitch ideas to editors, the writer drags selected cards to a column for the intended publication. Approved pitches are then moved to an “article queue” board, while rejected pitches are either considered for another publication or placed in the “idea jail” for potential future revisiting.
By utilizing Obsidian in this way, the writer effectively manages relationships with multiple editors and keeps track of ongoing articles, resulting in an organized and efficient workflow, ultimately allowing for greater productivity and successful article publication.
I have been a full-time professional writer for over 10 years, and have written for some of the biggest publications in the world. My work revolves around cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, and I am widely considered to be one of the leading experts in these fields.I have written two books on the subject matter, and my articles have been featured in major news outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Huffington Post. In addition to writing, I also give talks and seminars on cryptocurrency investing, and am a regular commentator on CNBC, Bloomberg, and other financial news networks.
