How To Use Obsidian: Project Management

TL;DR

Install the “Projects” plugin by Marcus Olen and set a single shared folder (named “projects”) as the data source so all project notes are managed consistently.

Briefing Cornell Notes

Briefing

A new Obsidian projects workflow centers on a plugin that turns scattered project notes into a single, filterable interface—complete with board, calendar, and gallery views—so work can be tracked by pipeline stage without living inside DataView. The setup starts by installing “Projects” by Marcus Olen, then designating one folder (named “projects”) as the shared home for all project notes. From there, each project becomes a note with structured properties (topic, tags, film/posting dates, and a pipeline “status”), letting the plugin render multiple perspectives on the same information.

The most practical insight comes early: productivity hinges on distinguishing due dates from “do dates.” A due date is when something must be finished; a do date is when time is actually blocked to do the work. The workflow uses date properties to make that distinction concrete—so the calendar view can show when filming or posting should happen, while the pipeline board shows where each item sits in the process (writing, filming, editing, posting). The creator demonstrates building a “YouTube example” project note, adding properties like topic, tags, a go-live date, a film date, and a pipeline stage. A key requirement emerges for the board view: the pipeline stage field must be a text property (named “status” in the example) so cards can be sorted into columns.

Once notes are created, the plugin’s views become the control panel. A dropdown lets users switch between projects without digging through folders. The board view organizes items into columns by pipeline stage, and cards can be dragged to reorder within the board. Calendar views can be created for different date fields—such as filming dates and posting dates—so the same project can be viewed as an editorial calendar. The gallery view adds a thumbnail-driven, card-like layout; it works best when the thumbnail is referenced via a direct link to the image stored in the vault (embedding with the exclamation-point syntax fails in the demonstration). With gallery cards, sorting can be done by date (newest-to-oldest) and color coding can be applied based on topics.

Despite the flexibility, two friction points shape the final recommendation. First, board columns can’t be manually rearranged by drag-and-drop sorting; reordering requires using the sort controls, and the plugin doesn’t support an “on deck” lane that stays visible for ideas waiting to be moved into the pipeline. Second, when the last card leaves a column, the column disappears—forcing awkward workarounds like creating placeholder notes to keep steps visible. After testing for months, the workflow is judged most valuable for teams or repeatable, multi-person pipelines where everyone needs to see the same stage at the same time. For solo use, the creator leans on the “Projects” plugin less day-to-day, preferring a different “Kanban” approach for daily clarity on where items are in progress—while still using the multi-view setup when the planning benefit outweighs the limitations.

Cornell Notes

The Projects plugin for Obsidian organizes many project notes into one interface, using a shared “projects” folder and structured properties on each project note. Each project note can include pipeline stage (“status” as a text field), tags, and multiple dates (like filming and go-live), enabling board, calendar, and gallery views. A central productivity lesson is using “do dates” (time blocked to work) rather than relying only on due dates (when something must be finished). Board columns depend on the pipeline field being text, and gallery thumbnails work best via direct image links. Two usability gaps—limited manual column sorting and disappearing columns when empty—reduce daily usefulness for solo workflows, though the multi-view planning is strong for repeatable processes and collaboration.

Why does the workflow emphasize “do dates” instead of only due dates?

Due dates answer when something must be completed, but they don’t force time to be scheduled for the work. The workflow argues that people often miss the time allocation step, so tasks arrive unfinished. Do dates, by contrast, are the calendar blocks when the work actually happens. With do dates, the calendar view becomes actionable: when a do date arrives, the next step is already scheduled, reducing the gap between “needed by” and “actually done.”

What property is required for the board view to create pipeline columns correctly?

The pipeline stage must be stored as a text field. In the demonstration, the board view expects a property named “status,” and the pipeline stages (e.g., writing, filming, editing) are assigned as text values. When the pipeline field is missing or not text, the board can fail to create meaningful columns; adding a text “status” property makes the board sort cards into the correct stage columns.

How does the plugin let users switch between projects without folder hunting?

A dropdown at the top filters and cycles through projects. Instead of navigating the vault’s file tree, users select the active project from the dropdown and then manage views (table/board/calendar/gallery) within that project context. This keeps the workflow centralized and avoids repeatedly opening and closing folders.

What’s the difference between calendar views for filming and posting in this setup?

Calendar views can be created from different date properties. One calendar view can be filtered to the film date, showing which days items are in production. Another calendar view can be filtered to the go-live/posting date, showing when items are scheduled to publish. Together, they function like a planning tool similar to a Gantt-style timeline, but with saved views for each stage/date perspective.

Why does the gallery thumbnail setup require a direct image link?

The demonstration shows that embedding the image using the exclamation-point syntax doesn’t populate the gallery thumbnail reliably. The workaround is to insert the direct link to the image file location inside the vault. Once the gallery can resolve the thumbnail via that direct link, it can display the image and then render cards with additional fields like dates, status, and tags.

What two limitations ultimately reduce the plugin’s usefulness for solo daily project management?

First, manual column organization is limited: cards can’t be sorted into a preferred vertical order by drag-and-drop; reordering requires using sort controls, and there’s no persistent “on deck” lane for ideas waiting to enter the pipeline. Second, pipeline columns disappear when empty, so keeping steps visible requires placeholder notes, which adds clutter and forces awkward naming/ordering. These issues make the system less smooth for an individual who doesn’t plan far ahead or strictly follow the same stage sequence.

Review Questions

What specific steps in the setup ensure all project notes live in one place, and why does that matter for the plugin’s views?
How would you design a project note so the board view can reliably create columns for each pipeline stage?
Which date property would you use to build a calendar view for production work versus publishing, and how would you verify it’s filtering correctly?

Key Points

1
Install the “Projects” plugin by Marcus Olen and set a single shared folder (named “projects”) as the data source so all project notes are managed consistently.
2
Create each project as a note with structured properties, including a text pipeline stage field (e.g., “status”) plus dates (e.g., film date and go-live/posting date).
3
Use “do dates” (scheduled work time) rather than relying only on due dates, so calendar views drive actual execution.
4
Build multiple views from the same project notes: board for pipeline stages, calendar for specific date fields, and gallery for thumbnail-based browsing.
5
For gallery thumbnails, use direct image links to the vault file location; embedding syntax may not populate thumbnails correctly.
6
Expect two workflow frictions: limited manual column sorting and disappearing columns when empty, which can require placeholder notes to keep steps visible.
7
Consider the plugin most valuable for repeatable, stage-based pipelines—especially when multiple people need shared visibility into where work sits.

Highlights

The pipeline board depends on a text field (named “status” in the example) to generate stage columns like writing, filming, and editing.

Calendar views can be split by different date properties—such as filming versus go-live—so one project becomes two actionable editorial timelines.

Gallery thumbnails work when the note stores a direct link to the image file in the vault, not when relying on the embedding syntax shown failing in the demo.

Two usability gaps—no persistent “on deck” lane and columns disappearing when empty—are the main reasons the workflow isn’t used daily for solo management.

The “do date” concept reframes productivity by forcing time-blocked work, not just completion deadlines.

Topics

Mentioned

Marcus Olen
Jonathan Pritchard