Obsidian is just a shell. Your knowledge folder is the real system.
Tom and Paco discuss how Obsidian is merely a shell for implementing the tool-agnostic iCore methodology, emphasizing that the underlying knowledge folder structure and methodology matter far more than any specific application. They introduce iCore for Life, a free Obsidian scaffold with custom plugins designed to help users understand and implement the productivity system's concepts and workflows.
Summary
Tom and Paco clarify a common misconception about their recent shift toward using Obsidian. Rather than switching tools, they explain that Obsidian serves as a front-end interface for visualizing their core knowledge folder structure built on the iCore methodology. The key distinction is that the methodology is tool-agnostic—Tom uses Obsidian while Paco uses Tana, yet both remain perfectly aligned because they share the same foundational framework.
They emphasize that tools are byproducts of a solid foundational methodology. Using a piano analogy, Paco explains that understanding music theory fundamentals allows flexibility in how one learns and practices, just as understanding iCore principles allows professionals to switch tools freely. The methodology covers end-to-end productivity by integrating information management with action and task management—areas most productivity systems handle separately.
The speakers introduce iCore for Life, a free downloadable Obsidian vault containing pre-installed plugins and a structured folder system aligned with iCore concepts. The scaffold includes over 10 custom plugins covering features like enhanced canvases (previously only available in HypaBase), AI integration through MCP (Model Context Protocol), and community plugins. Importantly, they stress this is not a tool switch but rather a better interface for explaining and implementing the methodology.
They address the layered approach to learning: the concept layer (understanding what a project or note is), the workflow layer (how these concepts interact), and the implementation layer (how they manifest in specific tools). By providing visual consistency between their learning platform and the Obsidian implementation, they reduce friction when users transition from learning concepts to applying them in practice.
The speakers clarify that users should never become developers while using productivity systems. The folder-based approach remains accessible through various interfaces—terminal, VS Code, or now Obsidian. They discuss upcoming courses: "iCore for Life Pro" (implementation guidance using Obsidian) and potentially an "Obsidian Mastery" course. They also address technical questions about syncing (Obsidian Sync over iCloud preferred over Dropbox/GitHub) and emphasize that the folder structure itself remains unchanged regardless of interface.
About this episode
Obsidian did not replace our system. It just became the window onto it. 👉 The folder behind all of this is free inside myICOR: https://www.myicor.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=WoH0KLkT9XY&utm_content=description WATCH THIS NEXT The episode one week earlier, where this folder first went public: https://youtu.be/ImLkL3uHb2A ABOUT THIS VIDEO For years people told us Obsidian was the best app and asked why we were using Heptabase and Tana instead. Now Tom is getting called out for starting to use Obsidian. This episode is about the question underneath that noise: when is moving to a tool actually a switch, and when is it just a new window onto work you already own. Tom built a full cockpit application so people could see the folder. It worked, and it turned members into developers filing bug reports about databases and back ends. That was the signal to stop. Obsidian does the same job for free, it is built for knowledge management rather than code, and it leaves the user in the driver's seat. So we point Obsidian at the same plain folder. Nothing is converted and nothing is locked in. The markdown files, the wiki links and the structure were there before Obsidian and they stay readable without it. Tom keeps the same folder open in VS Code in parallel, live on camera. Paco is not using Obsidian at all. He runs four businesses on his own system and we are still completely aligned, because the methodology sits one layer above the tool. That is the whole test: if it only works inside one app, it was never tool agnostic. We also show what you get on download: the free ICOR for Life scaffold, over ten plugins including a canvas that carries across what Tom missed from Heptabase, and a plugin that puts your myICOR lessons and AI search inside Obsidian. Plus the member questions on Dropbox against Obsidian Sync, why GitHub came out of the folder, and what is coming next. CHAPTERS 00:00 Called out for using Obsidian, after years of not using it 00:54 Tools are a byproduct: Paco's piano journey 01:31 Following Obsidian since 2020 02:39 Why Paco left Obsidian after two years 04:10 Tom uses Obsidian, Paco does not, and the core is identical 06:00 What we set out to build four years ago 06:47 The divergence: whiteboards for Tom, an outliner for Paco 07:54 The member quote that says it all 08:39 The folder approach, and where Obsidian shines 09:21 What the ICOR courses actually cover 10:08 Optimize the system before you automate it 11:41 myPKA: the folder AI could organize on its own 12:50 Paco's own app, and the road we refused to take 14:16 Renaming PKM into the inner world 16:04 People were turning into developers 17:14 The cockpit app, and where it stopped working 18:21 Why Obsidian: free, accessible, built for knowledge 19:08 Downloading the scaffold, live 20:16 The blank screen problem with open tools 22:16 Opening the ICOR for Life vault for the first time 23:04 The canvas: everything from Heptabase, locally 25:47 The myICOR plugin: your courses inside Obsidian 27:21 What don't switch yet actually means 30:08 Understand the why and you are free to choose 31:15 Member questions: coaching, glitches and tokens 33:23 Dropbox, Obsidian Sync, and dropping GitHub 35:21 Moving to Obsidian is too big a word 36:25 Obsidian is just a shell 37:38 Methodology and implementation, split cleanly 40:37 What is coming: the ICOR for Life course WHAT I AM USING Obsidian, running the free ICOR for Life scaffold, with the same folder open in VS Code when Tom is building plugins. Obsidian Sync for the phone and iPad, Time Machine for backups. No app we built ourselves, no local server, no separate login. You can download the folder for free here: https://www.myicor.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=WoH0KLkT9XY&utm_content=description The launch episode this one answers, where Obsidian replaced the app we built: https://youtu.be/GLO1voinujQ ABOUT Tom and Paco help professionals build AI productivity systems that work, using the ICOR Methodology, courses, coaching, and the myICOR community. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomsolid/ X: https://x.com/TomSolidPM Main channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8qxhdxV0U2NQ9vinFffDJQ All third-party marks and logos shown are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification in editorial commentary only. No partnership or sponsorship is implied. #Obsidian #ICOR #myPKA #PKM #AIProductivity
Key Insights
- Tom and Paco remain perfectly aligned in their productivity systems despite using different tools (Obsidian vs. Tana) because they share the same solid foundational iCore methodology underneath
- The moment users understand the iCore methodology rather than memorizing tool features, they gain freedom to choose the right tool stack and only use features that fit their specific productivity system
- Obsidian is positioned as merely a shell or front-end visualization layer for the knowledge folder; the folder structure built with wikilinks was designed from the ground up to work in any markdown-capable interface
- People transitioning from the learning platform to various tools experienced friction and forgot concepts because they focused on tool features rather than understanding how tool entities match iCore definitions
- The speakers identified that users were becoming developers when interacting with the previous folder approach, requiring customizations and bug fixes, which contradicted the goal of helping professionals become more productive, not technical
- An early iCore member reported that having a well-defined iCore methodology implemented in a structured tool stack enabled them to effectively leverage AI capabilities without becoming lost
- The iCore methodology is unique in covering productivity end-to-end by integrating both knowledge management and task management, whereas most systems address only one of these domains
- By maintaining visual and structural consistency between the learning platform and the Obsidian implementation through matching UI themes and folder organization, learning concepts stick better when users apply them in practice
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] Everybody told us for decades that obsidian is the best application and why we are so crazy to go for heap base and tana and everybody called us out that we are not using obsidian and now I'm getting called out that I'm starting to use obsidian. So well crazy world and I think it's important to talk about this because there's a much more fundamental issue behind all these discussions where we need to have a common ground to talk about why we use obsidian when to switch tools why others shouldn't use obsidian and all these things and you're the best [0:32] example as a co-founder in my eye core you're not using obsidian you're using something…
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