create-note

Create Note

Comprehensive guide for creating properly formatted notes in an Obsidian vault. Ensures consistency by checking templates and existing notes before creation.

STEP 0 — PARA Validation (MANDATORY, do this first)

Before creating any note, validate folder placement using the para skill.

Apply the PARA decision framework:

1. Does it have a specific end goal and finish line? → 01_Project/
2. Is it an ongoing responsibility with no end date? → 02_Area/
3. Is it reference material to look up later? → 03_Resource/
4. Is it inactive or completed? → 04_Archive/

If the user suggests a folder that violates PARA, push back and explain why before proceeding.

Common mistakes to catch:

• User wants a project (has finish line) inside 02_Area/ → redirect to 01_Project/
• User wants reference material (tool docs, analyses) inside 02_Area/ → redirect to 03_Resource/
• User wants a learning tracker with tasks inside 03_Resource/ → check if it's actually an active project

Only proceed to creation after the folder is confirmed correct.

⚠️ MANDATORY Frontmatter Fields

Every newly created note MUST include created with today's date and a review tag:

---
created: YYYY-MM-DD
tags:
  - review
  - [other relevant tags...]
---

These are non-negotiable for all new notes.

Pre-Creation Checklist

Before creating any new note:

1. Check the templates folder

   • Look in 99_metadata/templates/ (or wherever the user keeps templates) for a relevant template
   • Common templates: Person, Place, Project, Book, Daily/Weekly note

2. Check similar existing notes

   • Search for notes of the same type/category and match their format
   • Example: creating a person note? Check existing entries in 03_Resource/Contact/ for format patterns

3. Determine correct location (PARA + topic)

   • Projects: 01_Project/
   • Areas: 02_Area/
   • Resources: 03_Resource/<topic>/
   • Archives: 04_Archive/

Naming Conventions

File names

• No special characters (avoid: / \ : * ? " < > |)
• Use spaces (not hyphens or underscores)
• First header in the file must match the filename in Title Case
• Header MUST come after the frontmatter block

Technical-folder convention (opinionated, optional): Some users enforce all-lowercase filenames inside technical folders (03_Resource/Development/, 03_Resource/AI/, 03_Resource/English/) so links resolve case-insensitively across systems. Follow whichever convention exists in the user's vault — check 2-3 sibling notes before naming.

Folder names

• Lowercase with hyphens (kebab-case): design-patterns/, react.js/
• ❌ Avoid: spaces, uppercase, underscores in folder names

Content Structure

---
created: YYYY-MM-DD
tags:
  - review
---

# [Title Case of Filename]

[Content]

❌ Wrong (header before frontmatter):

# My Note

---
created: YYYY-MM-DD
---

Auto-Linking Entities

When creating notes, automatically link to:

• Existing notes whose filename matches an entity in the new note
• Related concepts (resources, projects, areas)

Strategy:

• Exact filename match (case-insensitive) → auto-link with [[Note Name]]
• Partial match → consider linking if relevant
• Generic terms (bug, fix, today, etc.) → skip

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Don't:

• Create notes without checking templates first
• Ignore existing note patterns in the same category
• Use hyphens or underscores in file names (use spaces)
• Use special characters in file names
• Forget the first header matching the filename
• Place notes in wrong PARA folders

✅ Do:

• Always include created: YYYY-MM-DD in every new note's frontmatter
• Always include review tag in every new note
• Always check templates folder first
• Look at 2-3 similar existing notes for format reference
• Match first header to filename (Title Case)
• Place in correct PARA folder structure
• Auto-link relevant entities