Best advice: Start with PARA (4 folders). Add MOC index notes. Use tags for cross-cutting properties. Avoid deep nesting — links replace folders in Obsidian.

← Advanced / Power Users

Obsidian Folder Structure

Three proven methods for organising your vault — PARA, Zettelkasten and Johnny Decimal — plus a practical hybrid template that works for most people.

Organising Principles

Before picking a structure, understand what separates a good Obsidian vault from a cluttered one.

🔗

Links over folders

In a file system you can only put a file in one folder. In Obsidian, a note can link to — and be linked from — unlimited others. Prefer a flat structure with rich links over deep folder hierarchies.

🏷️

Tags for properties

Use folders to answer "where does this belong?" and tags to answer "what is this about?". A book review belongs in Resources/Books (folder) and has #book #non-fiction #read (tags).

📍

MOCs over folders

A Map of Content note that links to 20 related notes is more flexible and searchable than a folder containing 20 files. You can have multiple MOCs referencing the same note.

Method 1: PARA

Created by Tiago Forte. The most popular Obsidian structure worldwide.

Recommended for beginners Works for personal & professional
Vault structure
📁 1 - Projects
  📁 Website Redesign
  📁 Book Draft
  📁 Q2 Marketing Campaign
📁 2 - Areas
  📁 Health
  📁 Finance
  📁 Career Development
📁 3 - Resources
  📁 Books
  📁 Articles
  📁 Design
  📁 Programming
📁 4 - Archives
  📁 Completed Projects
  📁 Old Resources
📄 Home.md  (main MOC)

📁 Projects — Things with a deadline

Active work that will end. A project is complete when it delivers a specific outcome. Move it to Archives when done.

📁 Areas — Ongoing responsibilities

Things without a deadline that you maintain long-term: health, finances, relationships, hobbies. No single deliverable.

📁 Resources — Reference material

Topics you are interested in or may use later: books, articles, ideas, code snippets. No time pressure.

📁 Archives — Inactive items

Everything that is no longer active. Projects end, areas get deprioritised, resources become outdated — they all go here.

Method 2: Zettelkasten

Developed by sociologist Niklas Luhmann. Emphasis on atomic, linked ideas rather than folders.

For researchers & writers Requires discipline to maintain
Vault structure
📁 00 - Inbox
  📄 (unprocessed notes)
📁 10 - Literature Notes
  📄 LN - Thinking Fast and Slow.md
  📄 LN - Atomic Habits.md
📁 20 - Permanent Notes
  📄 PN - 2024-001 Spaced Repetition.md
  📄 PN - 2024-002 Cognitive Load.md
📁 30 - Projects
  📄 Thesis Chapter 2.md
📁 40 - Index
  📄 MOC - Memory & Learning.md
  📄 MOC - Productivity.md

Core Zettelkasten principles

→Atomic notes: one idea per note. If a note covers two ideas, split it into two notes.
→Literature notes: paraphrased summaries of what you read, in your own words, with source reference.
→Permanent notes: your own ideas, triggered by literature notes. Written as standalone, linkable concepts.
→Links are primary: the power comes from linking permanent notes to each other, not from folder organisation.
→Unique IDs: prefix note names with a date-based ID (e.g. 2024-001) for stable linking even if the title changes.

Method 3: Johnny Decimal

A numbered hierarchical system. Maximum 10 areas, 10 categories per area. Every note gets a unique decimal ID — easy to reference and locate.

Vault structure
📁 10-19 Work
  📁 11 Projects
    📄 11.01 Website Redesign.md
    📄 11.02 App Launch Plan.md
  📁 12 Clients
    📄 12.01 Client Alpha.md
📁 20-29 Personal
  📁 21 Health
    📄 21.01 Workout Log.md
  📁 22 Finance
    📄 22.01 Budget 2026.md
📁 30-39 Learning
  📁 31 Books
    📄 31.01 Atomic Habits Notes.md
  📁 32 Courses
    📄 32.01 Python Bootcamp.md

Why Johnny Decimal works

→Unique IDs: every note has a permanent decimal ID (e.g. 21.01). You can say "see 21.01" and anyone with the system knows exactly where to look.
→Bounded scope: the 10×10 limit forces you to keep your system lean. If you can't fit something in 100 categories, you're trying to organise too much.
→Works across systems: the same decimal IDs work in Obsidian, email folders, file system, Finder/Explorer — consistent everywhere.
→Best for: people who prefer systematic, numbered order over emergent link-based organisation.

Practical Hybrid Template (Recommended)

Most experienced Obsidian users end up with a hybrid: PARA for top-level structure, Zettelkasten principles for permanent notes, and MOCs as the navigation layer.

Hybrid vault template
📁 00 - Inbox       ← capture everything here first
📁 01 - Projects    ← active work with deadlines
📁 02 - Areas       ← ongoing life domains
📁 03 - Notes       ← permanent atomic ideas
📁 04 - Resources   ← reference material
📁 05 - Templates   ← note templates
📁 06 - Attachments ← images, PDFs, files
📁 07 - Archive     ← completed/inactive
📄 Home.md          ← main index (MOC)
📄 Daily/YYYY-MM-DD ← daily notes (auto-created)

How to use it

1Inbox first: Every new note goes into 00 - Inbox. Process the inbox weekly — file, link, or delete each note.
2Projects are time-bound: When a project is done, move its notes to Archive or distil key learnings into permanent Notes.
3Notes are atomic: One idea per note in 03 - Notes. Link generously. Let the graph emerge.
4MOCs navigate: Create a Home.md with links to key topic MOCs. Each MOC links to related notes — no need to remember where things are filed.
5Tags cross-cut: Use tags (#book, #idea, #person, #concept) to group notes that span multiple folders.

Frequently Asked Questions

Markdown Guide → Automation Plugins → ← Advanced Hub