February 17, 2026
Second Brain or Brain Drain?
I Use Obsidian
Love it, hate it, or build your own—note nerds go to war
TLDR: Steph Ango shares a minimalist Obsidian setup built on simple files and almost no folders. Comments erupt: some demand low-friction notes (iPad + Vim), one dev built [hashy.ink](https://hashy.ink), others swear by Workflowy or use Obsidian as a file explorer—proof there’s no one true “second brain.”
Steph Ango says he uses Obsidian to think, take notes, and publish, embracing chaos that later organizes itself. His rules are simple: one vault, almost no folders, plain Markdown, and lots of links. It’s a “files over app” gospel—your notes are just files you control, not locked away. He ships a vault template, the Minimal theme, Sync, and category “bases,” turning a messy pile into an emergent brain.
But the comments instantly turned into a note-taking civil war. One camp shouted “low friction or bust,” with a handwriter/Vim loyalist saying they ditched Obsidian for iPad scribbles and terminal speed. Another camp brought pitchforks and code: “unusable (for me)”, claimed a dev who built his own lightweight hashy.ink. The outline diehards marched in yelling “I Use Workflowy” and swore they’ll never return to plain notes. Meanwhile, super-fans called Obsidian the best file-explorer GUI ever, using it as a personal document vault, not a “second brain.”
The memes? “Second brain vs third opinion.” Jokes about rating life choices on a 7‑point scale. Folder purists confessing they still use folders. Verdict: this community loves notes—but can’t agree on where to put them, how to link them, or whether your brain needs an upgrade.
Key Points
- •Obsidian vaults are folders of files, supporting a file-first approach to durable digital notes.
- •A downloadable vault template is provided via GitHub with steps to install and open in Obsidian.
- •The setup uses the Minimal theme with Flexoki, plus Obsidian Web Clipper, Sync, Bases, and Maps.
- •Personal rules emphasize minimal folders, standard Markdown, YYYY-MM-DD dates, internal links, and a single weekly to-do list.
- •Organization centers on root-level notes, with dedicated References and Clippings folders and admin folders (Attachments, Daily, Templates).