PLAIN TEXT; PAPER, LESS — PRODUCTIVITY DIGEST
PTPL 120: Quick Add vs Text Expansion in Obsidian
Plus a backup tip for people using apps like Tana and Notion
This week: Quick Add plugin vs external text expansion in Obsidian. When using apps that make it hard to leave (like Tana), make sure you’re willing to do the manual backing up required to save the things you’d cry over if they were lost.
No AI here; all words, ideas, and faults 100% human made. While paid subscribers are enormously encouraging and help me to keep writing, non-subscribers are always welcome to read for free.
Quick Add vs Text Expansion in Obsidian
If you’re on Medium, Kara Monroe has an Automation series that’s worth checking out. Her story on Quick Add in Obsidian is a good reference piece.
While the Quick Add plugin makes adding notes with complex templates easier, I favour text expansion instead.
This means creating a new note then adding a pre-defined front matter section using a text expander like Espanso or Keyboard Maestro. The Auto Note Mover plugin takes predefined headers or tags from the front matter and pops notes right where I want them.
