Poly(tech)andry with Obsidian and the Notes app

I have used the Obsidian app, mainly on my iPad Pro, to write a version of Morning Pages and first drafts of my blog posts for quite some time. Recently, for reasons that will be revealed by the end of this post, I purchased an M3 MacBook Air to continue with my writing. At the time of this writing, Obsidian on the Mac does not have the capacity to utilize Apple Intelligence’s Writing Tools. It is for this reason that I started thinking about what it might be like to write my Morning Pages in the Notes app.

In the Obsidian app, I use the Templater plug-in to begin each Morning Pages entry with my yearly theme, a slogan that relates to my yearly theme, three writing prompts, and an affirmation. So my first hurdle, in switching over to the Notes app, was to figure out a way to begin my writing in a similar fashion. Enter the Shortcuts app. After some experimentation at trying to get what I wanted to happen I landed on a shortcut I named Daily Writing Template that…

1. Starts with a text action that includes the text I want to start each note with.

2. That text then gets passed through the copy to clipboard action.

3. Finally, the create note with action does just that, creates a new note with the text I want each note to start with. These notes are saved to a new folder in the Notes app that I’ve named Daily Writing.

One of the things I like about the Obsidian app is the split screen or split view feature. I used it to insert my back links from one file to another. My next hurdle, in switching over to the Notes app was to figure out a way to see two notes at a time so I could insert my back links easily, when needed. I learned that if I two-finger click a note, I can Open a Note in New Window which allows me to have two notes, side-by side, so I can insert the back links in as needed.

This week on the Connected podcast, Federico Viticci brought up the concept of monogamy with regard to the apps we use. As I sat here and started writing this post, I realized that I’ve been in a monogamous relationship with Obsidian for many years. That relationship has now presented some friction concerning how I want to move forward as a writer. I don’t want to fully break up with Obsidian. So, Obsidian, if you don’t mind, I’d like to explore what a polygamous relationship with the Notes app might yield. Heck, I think it was Federico that said a person, and I’m paraphrasing here, can use more than one app at a time for the same reason. As I wait for Obsidian on the Mac to gain capacity to use Apple Intelligence’s Writing Tools, I’m excited to engage in some innocent polygamy with the Notes app.