Fractal journaling and random revisit

I use Obsidian’s unique note hotkey to write individual thoughts as they come up throughout the day. This automatically creates a note with the prefix YYYY-MM-DD HHmm to which I may append a title that describes the idea.

Every few days I review these journal fragments and compile the salient thoughts. I then review these reviews monthly and yearly. Each time I pull out the most useful things, and draw connections where relevant. Yearly this takes the form of "40 questions to ask yourself every year". The result is a fractal web of my life that I can zoom in and out of at varying degrees of detail. I can trace back where individual thoughts came from, and how they bubbled up into bigger themes.

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making /obsidian • writing stephango.com

"I've discovered the power of fractal journaling using Obsidian! By capturing daily thoughts and reviewing them regularly, I create a rich tapestry of interconnected ideas. This fractal approach allows me to zoom in and out, tracing the evolution of my thoughts and connecting the dots between them. It's amazing to see how individual insights blossom into larger themes over time. The yearly reflection, like '40 questions to ask yourself every year,' helps distill the essence of my journey. It's a truly empowering way to navigate life's complexities!