Workspace · Setup in 8 min· Setup Pass

Set up Obsidian for Your Private Health Journal in 8 Minutes

Configure a secure, local-first daily note for symptom and intervention tracking.

A health journal is most useful when it is private, searchable, and structured. This guide configures Obsidian’s Daily Notes core plugin to build a simple, effective health ledger you own completely.

Before you start

• Obsidian installed on your computer.
• A new, empty vault for your health notes.
• 8 quiet minutes.

The steps

1. 01

   Enable Daily Notes

   In Obsidian, go to Settings > Core Plugins and enable 'Daily Notes'. This creates the foundation of your health ledger. All data lives in plain text files on your local machine.

2. 02

   Set the Date Format

   In Settings > Daily Notes, set 'Date format' to 'YYYY-MM-DD'. This standard format ensures your notes are always sorted chronologically and are easy to find.

3. 03

   Create a Template for Entries

   Create a new folder named 'templates'. Inside, create a new note. Add headings for what you want to track daily: 'Symptoms', 'Sleep (Hours)', 'HRV', 'Interventions (Supplements/Meds)', and 'Notes'. This structures your data collection.

4. 04

   Point Daily Notes to Your Template

   Return to Settings > Daily Notes. Under 'Template file location', type 'templates/' and select the template you just created. Now, every new daily note will automatically populate with your chosen headings.

5. 05

   Create Your First Entry

   Click the 'Open today’s daily note' icon in the left-hand ribbon. Your template appears. Fill in the details for today. This is the first entry in your personal health ledger, one of the three core components of the Research/Ledger/Protocol method.