Obsidian is a popular personal knowledge management app — and for good reason. But when I started using it earlier this year while exploring desktop productivity apps, it did not feel like it was a good fit due to its use of a Markdown editor. I often find many productivity solutions overwhelming, so having to change the way I write and format notes was just another obstacle to tackle.

I tried a few plugins before giving up on Obsidian, but many of these didn't have the effect I wanted. Eventually, I decided to revisit the software with a focus on a slower approach and more focused plugins. And I've found a few plugins that have motivated me to give the app another try.

4 Markdown Formatting Assistant

Formatting in a more familiar way

Obsidian's focus on Markdown was a big hurdle for me, since I'm used to writing with a visual editor. While Markdown is a relatively simple language to learn, I have executive dysfunction, which already acts as a barrier to using productivity apps. Needing to learn a new markup language and remembering the right ingredients would just complicate matters further.

But when I was exploring different plugins, I discovered Markdown Formatting Assistant. This was actually the first plugin that motivated me to give Obsidian another chance. With the assistant, you can apply Markdown formatting to existing text. This includes different styles for headers, as well as different callouts.

I first started using the plugin to test out an article draft in Obsidian. I then decided to create a series of notes in Obsidian related to me trying to get achievements in Ark: Survival Evolved, where I used a bullet list and strikethrough formatting to track what I had and hadn't tamed for an achievement.

The plugin is now a permanent fixture in the side pane of my Obsidian editor. However, there are some drawbacks to be aware of. The developer no longer maintains the tool, so it hasn't received an update in three years. Some of the formatting features can be a bit buggy as well. But overall, I've found it helpful.

3 Tasks

Make to-do lists more powerful

While you can create tasks in Obsidian without plugins, I found that the Tasks plugin makes these features more powerful and easier to use. The plugin allows me to add due dates, priority levels, and more.

I've found that it makes to-do lists much simpler for me to use in Obsidian, since I don't know all the potential commands to create dates and priority levels. Rather, when creating a task, the Tasks plugin automatically provides a dropdown list of options to choose from.

The Tasks plugin's functionality also helped a lot when it came to using the next plugin on this list: CardBoard.

2 CardBoard

A relatively beginner-friendly Kanban board plugin

There are a few Kanban board plugins for Obsidian, but I decided to try out CardBoard because it includes a variety of ways to filter tasks according to tags and dates. It still took some configuration, but once I got it working, I really enjoyed the visual layout for my tasks.

I created two boards: one for article ideas and one for personal chores. The first I built from scratch, while the second used a date-based template from CardBoard. You can also right-click on a task on the board to add a date to it, which will move it to the relevant column based on the filters you chose.

While I can add due dates through CardBoard, using the Kanban board in conjunction with the Tasks plugin helped to better visualize attributes like the priority of a task. I also like that I can choose which path or note CardBoard uses for a specific board. This means that rather than including all my tasks across various notes, I can visualize tasks from a specific file. This helped me create separate boards for my article ideas and chores.

You can also use specific tags to filter tasks into different columns. The plugin has drag-and-drop functionality for the order of your columns, but I wish it also allowed you to drag tasks across specific columns.

1 Canvas

A core Obsidian plugin

While the other plugins on this list are community plugins, Canvas is a core plugin that is particularly useful for mind mapping. I missed this plugin when I initially tried out Obsidian, but I discovered it while reading about how Obsidian Canvas outperforms Miro for mind mapping.

I'm not a big fan of mind maps, but there are times when they can be helpful. One of my current personal goals is to obtain all the Steam achievements for Ark: Survival Evolved, as achievement hunting is one way I make the most of my older games. However, these achievements can require a significant amount of legwork and preparation, which is why a mind map proved to be an effective way to organize all these details.

The ability to link to notes or cards makes Canvas especially useful. For some items on my mind map, I just use a brief description of the achievement. For more complex ones, I link to a note where I've pulled the relevant information from the Ark wiki.

While I don't think Canvas will make me more productive when it comes to work tasks, I do think it's a useful way for me to visualize some of my personal projects. In fact, loading these personal projects into Obsidian has ensured that I actually use the app more often, with less pressure.

Find the plugins that make Obsidian work for you

There are plenty of suggestions when it comes to the best Obsidian plugins, but I find that many of them are aimed at power users. Sometimes it's better to look at plugins that address your specific needs, especially if you're a beginner.

It's through using plugins that address features I wish Obsidian had that I have decided to give the app another chance. While I might use it mostly for personal projects, this also gives me the time to discover more uses for the platform.