This minimal setup will make Obsidian your favorite writing tool

Writing means constantly facing creative block. The more you write, the more you know the feeling. Obsidian is a great choice for all of these, and with a few tweaks, it can actually make you want to write more.

Where you write matters

Many people use two Obsidian repositories: One for college work and one for everything else, including personal and professional writing. The college repositories are primarily for scientific or technical notes.

The second archive requires a completely different mindset because the writing has to be creative and emotional, so paradoxically, this makes writing in the second archive doubly difficult.

Over time, you will realize that your work environment has a huge impact on your productivity and creativity. A friendly environment encourages you to start writing and makes it easier to stay focused. Since Obsidian is essentially your workplace, it needs to feel friendly and comfortable.

Try using templates in Obsidian to make writing easier. Some people have tried AI workflows and a bunch of plugins, but nothing works. It's not until they stumble upon an almost unbelievably simple setup that it finally makes sense.

Typewriter Experience in Obsidian

Writing with a pencil on paper provides unparalleled tactile feedback. Feeling each letter form under your fingertips is satisfying. However, typing is significantly faster than writing by hand, so going back to paper is impractical. So what better than a pencil to provide a similar tactile experience?

Typewriters, of course! We can't really use a classic typewriter these days - they're impractical and expensive - but we can certainly simulate one. Luckily, Obsidian has got you covered.

At the core of this setup is Obsidian's Typewriter Scroll plugin . This plugin automatically scrolls your notes down with each new line, always keeping your current line centered, similar to how a traditional typewriter moves the paper with each keystroke.

This plugin also offers Zen Mode. Zen Mode highlights only the current paragraph and dims the paragraphs above it. This simple effect helps you focus entirely on the words you are typing, not what you have typed before.

To really get the feel of typing on a typewriter, install the Typewriter theme. It makes Obsidian look and feel like a classic typewriter. It has a dark mode, but the default white paper theme works better here. Paper isn't usually black, after all.

Note : Of course, besides what's on your computer, your physical environment also affects your work. For some reason, people often write much faster in coffee shops than at home.

Typewriters don't really have sidebars, tab switches, word counters, or menus. You can use Obsidian's built-in full-screen mode (F11) to manually hide the sidebars initially. But buttons and other visual elements are still visible. The writing experience is still unrefined.

As expected, there's also an Obsidian plugin that handles this: Fullscreen Focus Mode . This takes the minimalist aesthetic to the next level by hiding almost every element except the note you're writing. It doesn't completely eliminate distractions, though; elements like note categories and scroll bars remain, but it's still a significant improvement.

Tip : Fullscreen Mode plugin does not add any buttons to the interface. You can use it by setting hotkeys or calling it from the command panel.

Simple yet elegant

Every time you open your archive, you'll feel a real urge to write. If you've ever struggled to get started, you'll understand how important this change is.

Obsidian provides a simple canvas by default, but allows you to create a sophisticated, fully customizable workspace. This makes it feel like you need to constantly improve your Obsidian workflow to take advantage of every plugin and feature you can. However, sophisticated isn't necessarily better. Sometimes, simple is the best, and this setup does exactly that.

No matter how happy you are with your minimalist Obsidian setup, sometimes silence just isn't enough. For those moments, turn to The Most Dangerous Writing App . This app stimulates creativity in a very different way – the perfect addition when minimalism just isn't enough.

Many people are really happy with their minimalist Obsidian setup, but there are days when the quiet just isn't enough to spark creativity. For those times when you need more adrenaline than calm, turn to The Most Dangerous Writing App – it does the same thing, but in a very different way.

Micah Soto

Update 31 July 2025