Introduction
This post is a set of notes on how to store information in note apps like Obsidian, where you get to decide the directory structure yourself.
My note-taking history
I never had strong opinions and just scattered information all over the place.
Google Keep, Evernote, Notion, Apple's built-in Notes app, paper notebooks
I've tried all sorts of apps, but lately I'd drifted back to the fairly weak setup of an analog notebook plus the Mac Notes app for my main note-taking.
Eventually, though, once you're crossing devices and locations, you start wanting to keep your data in a consistent format, so I figured I might as well organize things properly.
Five information-organization frameworks
I looked into the well-known frameworks and put together a summary.
PARA Methodby Tiago Forte
A framework that sorts information into four categories based on "distance from action."
It gives the impression of being the simplest one to get started with.
vault/
├── 1_Projects/ # 進行中のプロジェクト（期限あり）
├── 2_Areas/ # 継続的に管理する領域（健康、財務、キャリアなど）
├── 3_Resources/ # 興味・関心のあるトピック（参考情報）
└── 4_Archive/ # 完了・非アクティブなものBest for: people who want to work through tasks GTD-style, or manage work and personal life together
Zettelkastenthe slip-box method
↓ This article is so good that you should just read it instead of this blog post.
https://zettelkasten.de/introduction
A method practiced by the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. Instead of relying on folder categories, you build a network of knowledge by linking notes together. It pairs exceptionally well with Obsidian's graph view.
vault/
├── Inbox/ # とりあえず放り込む場所
├── Zettel/ # すべてのノート（フラットに配置）
└── Templates/The rule is one idea per note (an Atomic Note), connected via [[links]] to other notes. The key is to keep folders to an absolute minimum.
Best for: researchers, writers, and anyone who wants to accumulate and develop knowledge over the long term
Johnny Decimal
Quote: "The concept of '10 or fewer' is at the heart of Johnny.Decimal."
A system for strictly managing information using category numbers in units of ten. No more "where did I put that file again?"
vault/
├── 10-19_Admin/
│ ├── 11_Finance/
│ └── 12_Legal/
├── 20-29_Projects/
│ ├── 21_ProjectA/
│ └── 22_ProjectB/
└── 30-39_Learning/
├── 31_Programming/
└── 32_Languages/Best for: people who love tidiness and want to strictly categorize a huge number of notes
ACCESSby Nick Milo (Linking Your Thinking)
Balanced use of MOCs
A framework that takes the best of both PARA and Zettelkasten. It centers on an index note called a MOC (Map of Content) and makes use of both folders and links.
vault/
├── Atlas/# MOC（Map of Content）、索引ノート
├── Calendar/# デイリーノート、会議メモ
├── Cards/# 個別のアトミックノート
├── Extra/# 添付ファイル、テンプレート
├── Sources/# 書籍・記事などの参照元
└── Spaces/# プロジェクトや領域ごとのスペースBest for: people who want to use folders and links in good balance
PARA × Zettelkasten hybrid
The practical recommendation
Organize the big picture with PARA's folder structure while connecting knowledge with Zettelkasten's linking philosophy. If you're not sure which to pick, this is the one to go with.
vault/
├── 00_Inbox/# 未整理のメモをとりあえず入れる
├── 01_Projects/# 進行中プロジェクト
├── 02_Areas/# 継続管理（仕事、健康、家計など）
├── 03_Resources/# 参考情報・学習ノート
├── 04_Archive/# 完了したもの
├── Daily/# デイリーノート
├── Templates/# テンプレート
└── Attachments/# 画像・PDFなどIf folder categorization has you stuck, just link and tag instead. Rather than aiming for perfect categorization, the trick is to jot things into the Inbox first and sort them out later.
What is GTD (Getting Things Done)?
GTD is a task-management method proposed by productivity consultant David Allen. By "getting everything out of your head and trusting it to a reliable system," it frees up your brain's working memory so you can focus on the task in front of you.
I read the book a few years ago, but gave up partway through because it was such a hassle.
Maybe now's a good chance to pick it back up again…
The five steps of GTD
STEP 1 Capture
STEP 2 Clarify
STEP 3 Organize
STEP 4 Reflect
STEP 5 Engage
Capture
Write down everything on your mind — tasks, ideas, notes, anything at all. What matters is getting your head to "zero."
Clarify
Process the items you've captured one by one. Ask yourself "what is this?", "what's the next action?", and "can it be done in under two minutes?" to turn each one into something actionable.
Organize
Sort the items you've clarified into the appropriate places — a next-actions list, a projects list, a waiting-for list, a calendar, a someday-maybe list, and so on.
Reflect
Do a weekly review of the whole system. Check off completed tasks, update your lists, and plan out the coming week. This is the single most important step for keeping GTD running.
Engage
Using your organized lists, pick whatever task best fits your current context — location, time, energy, and priority.
Putting GTD into practice with Obsidian
Example directory structure
vault/
├── 00_Inbox/# Capture: 何でもここに放り込む
├── 01_Projects/# 複数ステップが必要な目標
├── 02_Areas/# 継続的な責任領域
├── 03_Resources/# 参考資料・ナレッジ
├── 04_Archive/# 完了したプロジェクト
├── 05_GTD/
│ ├── Next-Actions.md # 次にやること一覧
│ ├── Waiting-For.md # 誰かの返事待ち
│ ├── Someday-Maybe.md # いつかやりたいこと
│ └── Weekly-Review.md # 週次レビューテンプレート
├── Daily/# デイリーノート
├── Templates/
└── Attachments/Recommended Obsidian plugins
To run GTD efficiently in Obsidian, the following community plugins come in handy.
| Plugin | Use in GTD |
|---|---|
| Tasks | Managing task due dates and priorities, task search queries |
| Dataview | Automatically aggregating tasks across the whole vault, auto-generating a Next Actions list |
| Templater | Auto-expanding templates for daily notes and weekly reviews |
| QuickAdd | Quick capture into the Inbox (input with a single hotkey) |
| Periodic Notes | Automatically creating daily, weekly, and monthly notes |
| Kanban | Visualizing project progress in board form |