My PKM Stack and Workflow

Philosophy and Principles

Core Values

Local-first:

• My notes exist as plain Markdown files
• Accessible without internet or proprietary software
• Full control over my data

Open formats:

• Markdown for writing
• Git for version control
• Standard web technologies for publishing
• No proprietary lock-in

Federated presence:

• One source of truth (Obsidian vault)
• Multiple publication layers (garden, newsletter, social)
• Interconnected via open protocols

Gradual disclosure:

• Not everything public by default
• Intentional choice about what to share
• Different maturity levels visible through status tags

The Stack Overview

┌─────────────────┐
│  Obsidian Vault │  ← Source of truth
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ├─→ [GitHub] ← Version control + backup
         │
         ├─→ [Digital Garden Plugin / Quartz] ← Public garden
         │
         ├─→ [Ghost / Buttondown] ← Newsletter
         │
         └─→ [Mastodon] ← Social presence

Layer 1: Private Vault (Obsidian)

Why Obsidian

Chosen because:

• Local-first (files on my computer)
• Plain Markdown (portable, future-proof)
• Excellent plugin ecosystem
• Active community
• Bidirectional linking built-in
• Graph view for visualization

Not locked in: Could migrate to Logseq, Foam, or any Markdown editor if needed.

Vault Structure

/00 INBOX/              ← Capture zone
/01 ACTIVE/             ← Current projects
/02 DEVELOP/
  └── 🌱 Seeds/         ← New ideas, rough notes
  └── 🌿 Plants/        ← Developing notes
/03 CREATE/
  └── Evergreen/        ← Mature, stable notes
/04 ARCHIVE/            ← Completed or dormant
/05 RESOURCES/          ← References, templates, assets

Key Plugins

Essential:

• Dataview – Query notes like a database
• Templater – Dynamic note templates
• Digital Garden – Publish to web (or Quartz for more control)
• Calendar – Visual daily notes navigation
• Omnisearch – Better search

Nice-to-have:

• Git – Version control from within Obsidian
• Advanced Tables – Table editing
• Excalidraw – Embedded drawings
• Tag Wrangler – Tag management

Note-Taking Practices

Daily notes:

• Capture everything throughout day
• Process into permanent notes weekly
• Template includes: weather, tasks, reflections

Atomic notes:

• One idea per note
• Descriptive titles (not dates or codes)
• Dense linking to related notes

Status tags:

• 🌱 seed – Initial capture, rough idea
• 🌿 plant – Developing, being refined
• 🌳 evergreen – Mature, stable, referenceable

Publishing tags:

• dg-publish: true – Approved for digital garden
• newsletter-candidate – Might become newsletter essay
• private – Never publish

Metadata Convention

---
title: Note Title
tags: [tag1, tag2, tag3]
status: 🌿_plant
created: 2025-11-04
connections:
  - "[[Related Note 1]]"
  - "[[Related Note 2]]"
---

Layer 2: Version Control (Git + GitHub)

Why Git

Benefits:

• Complete history of every change
• Easy rollback if needed
• Backup automatically pushed to cloud
• Enables collaboration (PRs for suggestions)
• Professional standard (transferable skill)

Workflow

Daily (automated via Git plugin or script):

# Commit changes
git add .
git commit -m "Daily update: $(date)"
git push origin main

Weekly review:

• Review git log to see what I worked on
• Clean up messy commits if needed
• Check GitHub issues for ideas/todos

Repository Structure

Private repo for entire vault:

• Contains everything (published and private)
• .gitignore for sensitive files

Public repo option:

• Only published notes
• Automated sync from main vault
• Clean separation of public/private

Layer 3: Public Garden

Current Setup: [Digital Garden Plugin / Quartz / Other]

Publishing workflow:

1. Write/refine note in Obsidian
2. Add dg-publish: true to frontmatter
3. [Describe your publishing process]
4. Note appears on public garden site

Garden URL: [Your garden URL]

Features:

• Backlinks displayed on each note
• Graph view shows connections
• Search functionality
• RSS feed auto-generated
• Custom styling via CSS

Design Decisions

Visual approach:

• Readable typography
• Clear status indicators
• Minimal but functional
• Dark/light mode toggle

Navigation:

• Index page highlights entry points
• Tag pages cluster related notes
• Backlinks create organic pathways
• Search for direct access

Branding:

• [Describe your garden's personality/aesthetic]
• Professional but personal
• Work-in-progress embraced

Layer 4: Newsletter (Ghost / Buttondown / Other)

Current Platform: [Your newsletter platform]

Publishing frequency: [Weekly / Bi-weekly / Monthly / Irregular]

Workflow:

Option A: Manual curation

1. Review recent garden notes
2. Identify themes or mature ideas
3. Write synthesis essay for newsletter
4. Link back to garden notes
5. Publish and announce on social

Option B: Automated

1. Tag notes with newsletter-ready
2. RSS-to-email sends new garden posts
3. Subscribers get garden updates automatically

Current approach: [Describe what you actually do]

Newsletter Philosophy

Purpose:

• Synthesize garden notes for wider audience
• Provide context for recent thinking
• Invite conversation and feedback
• Drive traffic back to living garden

Relationship to garden:

• Newsletter = snapshot in time
• Garden = living, evolving source
• Always link from newsletter to garden
• Garden is canonical, newsletter is syndication

Layer 5: Social Presence (Mastodon / Bluesky / Other)

Current Platform: [Your social platform]

Handle: [Your handle]

Posting strategy:

• Announce new garden notes
• Share highlights/excerpts
• Ask questions from developing notes
• Engage with other gardeners

POSSE approach:

• Garden is source of truth
• Social posts link back to garden
• Conversations happen on social
• Context preserved in garden

Automation (if any)

RSS-to-Mastodon bot:

• [Describe if you use automation]
• Automatically toots new garden posts
• Custom message template

Or manual:

• [Describe manual posting workflow]
• How you decide what to share

Integration Points

Garden ↔ Newsletter

Flow:

• Garden notes mature → become newsletter essays
• Newsletter links back to garden
• Readers can explore deeper in garden

Garden ↔ Social

Flow:

• Social mentions link to garden
• Garden notes reference social conversations
• Bidirectional engagement

Newsletter ↔ Social

Flow:

• Announce newsletter on social
• Social discussions inform next newsletter
• Both link to garden as canonical source

What Works Well

Successes:

• [What's working in your workflow]
• [Tools you're happy with]
• [Practices that feel sustainable]

Examples:

• Daily notes habit catching everything
• Weekly review keeps vault organized
• Gradual publishing reduces pressure

What I'm Still Figuring Out

Challenges:

• [What's not working yet]
• [Tools you're considering changing]
• [Practices you want to improve]

Examples:

• Finding balance between private/public
• Deciding what deserves garden publication
• Maintaining consistency without pressure

Workflow Examples

Morning Routine

1. Open Obsidian, create today's daily note
2. Review yesterday's note, process any items
3. Check calendar, add relevant links to today
4. Capture thoughts throughout morning

Weekly Review (Sunday)

1. Review week's daily notes
2. Extract atomic notes from captures
3. Add backlinks to relevant evergreens
4. Identify newsletter candidates
5. Publish 1-3 garden notes if ready
6. Update this note if workflow changed

Monthly Reflection

1. Review git commit history
2. Check garden analytics (if any)
3. Review newsletter subscriber growth/engagement
4. Assess what's working, what's not
5. Adjust workflow as needed

Tools and Resources

Software

Core:

• Obsidian (free)
• Git (free)
• [Your static site generator] (free)
• [Your newsletter platform] (free/paid tier)

Optional:

• [Any other tools you use]

Total cost: $[X]/month or year

Learning Resources

Obsidian:

• Official documentation
• Community forums
• YouTube tutorials that helped

Publishing:

• [Resources you found helpful]
• [Communities you're part of]

Related Notes

• Digital Garden Setup Guide – How to build similar setup
• Tools for Federated Publishing – Tool comparisons
• Publishing Workflows – Other workflow patterns
• Obsidian Configuration – Detailed Obsidian setup

Changelog

• 2025-11-04: Initial documentation of current setup
• [Add dates when you make significant changes]

🪴 This note will continue to grow...

Last tended: 2025-11-04

Have questions about my setup? Reach out via [your contact method].

Connections

• Digital Garden Setup Guide
• Tools for Federated Publishing
• Federating Your Second Brain
• Publishing Workflows