Garden Maintenance Routine

A thriving digital garden requires regular tending. This guide outlines daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly routines to keep your knowledge system healthy and growing.

🌅 Daily Routine (5 minutes)

Morning Seed Planting

• Capture overnight thoughts in daily note
• Review yesterday's seeds
• Create new notes for any substantial ideas

Evening Reflection

• Process inbox/fleeting notes
• Update daily note with key learnings
• Set tomorrow's learning intention

📅 Weekly Routine (30 minutes)

Sunday Garden Walk

• Complete Weekly Review Template
• Process all seed notes from the week
• Develop 2-3 seeds into seedlings
• Update Knowledge Map if needed
• Clean up tags and broken links

Status Check

📆 Monthly Routine (2 hours)

First Sunday Deep Work

• Review and refine MOCs
• Audit note statuses
• Archive obsolete notes
• Update templates based on usage
• Create synthesis notes from clusters

Knowledge Synthesis

1. Identify 3-5 related seedling notes
2. Use Synthesis Workshop Template
3. Create new evergreen note from synthesis
4. Update original notes with connections

System Optimization

• Review workflow friction points
• Update shortcuts and hotkeys
• Optimize folder structure if needed
• Back up vault

🎯 Quarterly Routine (4 hours)

Season Change Review

• Comprehensive vault statistics
• Major MOC restructuring if needed
• Learning roadmap update
• Tool and plugin audit

Knowledge Harvest

1. Quantitative Review

   • Notes created vs. developed
   • Connection density
   • Tag usage patterns

2. Qualitative Review

   • Most valuable insights gained
   • Knowledge gaps identified
   • Learning trajectory assessment

3. System Evolution

   • What workflows to keep
   • What to experiment with next
   • Process documentation updates

🛠️ Maintenance Tools

Quick Fixes

• Broken Links: Use Obsidian's built-in checker
• Orphan Notes: Check graph view for islands
• Empty Notes: Search for files < 100 chars
• Duplicate Ideas: Regular title searches

Batch Operations

• Tag Cleanup: Use Tag Wrangler plugin
• Bulk Rename: Use Obsidian's file explorer
• Template Updates: Find & replace patterns

📊 Health Metrics

Track these monthly:

• Seeds → Seedlings conversion rate
• Average note connections
• Weekly note creation velocity
• Time spent in synthesis vs. capture

🌱 Growth Indicators

Signs your garden is thriving:

• ✅ Unexpected connections emerging
• ✅ Old notes gaining new relevance
• ✅ Synthesis creating novel insights
• ✅ Reduced friction in workflows
• ✅ Excitement to explore and create

🚨 Warning Signs

Time for intervention when:

• ❌ Piling up unprocessed seeds
• ❌ No new connections forming
• ❌ Avoiding the vault
• ❌ Only consuming, not creating
• ❌ System feels overwhelming

💡 Pro Tips

1. Batch Similar Tasks: Process all seeds at once
2. Time Box: Set timers to avoid perfectionism
3. Start Small: Better to maintain daily 5 min than skip weekly 30 min
4. Automate: Use templates and plugins
5. Celebrate: Acknowledge growth and insights

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Remember: The goal is sustainable knowledge growth, not perfect organization.