I think I have found the key to actually getting stuff done on obsidian, and it has come from not overthinking it at all.
Much like the language defined in Consuming and Choosing Content Effectively, Passive obsidian use just means “hanging around” in obsidian without any inherent goal, with little engagement much like you would with a fun little youtube video or doomscrolling.
My realization is that the “emergent organization” and other emergent properties of obsidian also carry over to getting things done on it. I dont exactly need a task manager to plan it out like I used to. This came when just sitting on the couch on a saturday(01-24-2026), and I just was working in obsidian in time I would usually just find a youtube video to watch or messaging on discord. But, as I let my mind wander, I found I naturally gravitated to things I would otherwise have to think about getting done and planning. Things like my CMU Summer PHD Undergrad Research Program got work done just because it was open. I actually starting thinking about progress on My Eternal Golden Braid without having to remind myself to.
The core idea is a new emergent property of obisidian - attention focus, you can let your own flow guide you and the correct tasks and writing will get done, much like a Hopfield Network descending to the lowest energy state.
- This could be classic Garden Tending which never finds a time to be done, addressing the enormous backlog I have waiting for me. This could also actually be for addressing tasknotes work, working through active tasks in a passive way? not sure