Making It Yours

Make It Yours

Part 1: Set Up Sync

Your files are local. If you lose access to your computer, you’ll lose access to your files. Set up sync to a). back up your files and b). access them from your phone / other devices.

Option A: Obsidian Sync ($5/month) - Recommended

1. Make sure your workspace folder is in a local folder (like Documents), NOT in iCloud, Dropbox, or OneDrive - mixing sync services causes conflicts
2. In Obsidian, go to Settings → Core plugins → Turn on “Sync”
3. Go to Settings → Sync → Log in (create an Obsidian account if needed)
4. Click “Create new vault” and give it a name
5. Choose what to sync (defaults are fine to start)

Your files now sync to Obsidian’s servers and with other device where you log in.

Option B: iCloud (Free, Apple devices only)

1. Move your claude-workspace folder into iCloud Drive
2. In Obsidian, open the vault from its new iCloud location
3. On iPhone/iPad, download the Obsidian app - it will see your iCloud vaults automatically

Warning: iCloud is finicky with sync conflicts. For reliability, I recommend Obsidian Sync.

Option C: OneDrive/Google Drive

Same idea as iCloud - move your workspace folder into the cloud drive folder, then open it from there in Obsidian.

Mobile Access

Once sync is set up, install Obsidian on your phone:

• iOS App Store
• Android Google Play

If using Obsidian Sync:

1. Open Obsidian on your phone
2. Tap “Log in” and use the same account as desktop
3. Your vault will appear - tap to open it
4. Changes sync automatically between devices

If using iCloud (Apple devices):

1. Open Obsidian on your iPhone/iPad
2. Your iCloud vaults appear automatically
3. Tap your workspace to open it

If using OneDrive/Google Drive: You’ll need a third-party app like Autosync or FolderSync to keep files in sync with Obsidian’s local storage on Android. On iOS, this is trickier - Obsidian Sync is the cleanest option.

Alternative: Any Text Editor

Your workspace is just a folder of files - any text editor can open it. If you’re more comfortable with VS Code, Cursor, or Sublime, use that. Obsidian is nice for the mobile app, sync, and clean interface, but it’s not required.

Part 2: Migration Strategy

What to move?

Keep using existing tools when:

• Utilities (Stripe, Shopify, Vercel, support tools, etc.)
• It needs specialized UI (Figma, CAD, video editing)
• Tools enmeshed in your teams workflows, and borderline impossible to convince your team

Migrate to text files when:

• It’s personal information/notes
• It’s reference material
• You’re the primary user
• You want AI to help with it

When we say “local”, this doesn’t mean solo. With Obsidian Sync or GitHub, you can collaborate with others on the same files.

Where to Start

Notes app — Once your notes are local, Claude can search across everything, surface connections you forgot about, and help you think through problems using your own past work. Most note apps export to markdown, making this seamless.

To-do list — Claude can scan your tasks alongside your calendar, notes, and projects to help suggest what matters today.

Part 3: Export Your Data

Notion

1. Settings → General → Export

2. Choose Markdown & CSV format, include subpages and create folders

Google Drive

1. Select a folder, click the dropdown, and Download

2. Move into your local claude-workspace folder
3. Ask Claude to help organize, rename, and migrate to markdown files

Other tools

• Most have export to CSV/JSON/Markdown
• Focus on getting the data out first (even if requires copy and pasting)
• Don’t overthink the format.

Part 4: Organization Principles

Recommended Structure

Start simple - Claude is great at finding files:

/your-workspace/
├── /notes/           # Daily thoughts, meeting notes
├── /people/          # Your network, CRM
├── /projects/        # Active work
├── /archive/         # Completed/old stuff
├── /reference/       # Resources, bookmarks
├── tasks.md          # to-dos's
├── roadmap.md        # planning doc
└── CLAUDE.md         # Instructions for Claude about your workspace

File Naming

• Descriptive names, no spaces: product-roadmap.md not Product Roadmap v2 FINAL.md
• Dates for time-sensitive: meeting-sarah-2024-11-18-.md
• Let Claude rename files in bulk - just dump everything in, and ask for the change you want

Evolution Strategy

Your system will evolve. That’s fine:

• Start messy, organize later
• Ask Claude: “How should I reorganize these files?”

Part 5: Working with Claude

How Claude Sees Your Files

Claude can access any file in your workspace. Two ways:

1. Direct reference with @ Type @ and start typing a filename to load it into context:

"Update @roadmap.md based on completed tasks in archive/archived-tasks.md"

2. Let Claude search Just describe what you need:

"Find all my notes about our beta product launch and summarize the key decisions"

This is different from slash commands - you’re having a conversation with Claude, not running pre-built commands. Claude can search, read, edit, and create files based on natural language.

Approval Mode vs YOLO Mode

By default, Claude asks permission before:

• Creating files
• Editing files
• Running commands

To skip approvals (YOLO mode): Press Shift-Tab to toggle. You’ll see “Auto-approval: ON”

Use YOLO when:

• You’re working fast with your own files
• Everything is backed up with Git or Obsidian Sync
• You feel comfortable reverting changes (e.g. hit escape twice, and then “restore code and conversation”)

Stay in approval mode when:

• Using external tools (see External Tools module)
• You want more control over the changes
• Learning what Claude will do

Remember: If Claude makes unwanted changes, press ESC ESC to cancel and revert.

Model Selection

Use /model to switch between:

• Opus - Smartest, slower, lower limits (I use this for most things)
• Sonnet - Balance of speed and intelligence, has higher limits
• Haiku - Fastest, least smart (I almost never use this)

Toggle how much time the model spends “thinking” with Tab.

Part 6: Custom Commands

Understanding Commands

Commands live in .claude/commands/ They are markdown files with text based instructions.

Pre-Built Commands in Your Starter Kit

These commands are already loaded in .claude/commands/:

/daily - Morning brief. Scans your files, surfaces what matters today.

/weekly - Weekly review. What got done, what didn’t, what’s next.

/push - push file changes to github”

/dm - Draft outreach messages.

/network - Search your contacts for who can help with current work.

Customizing Commands

Option 1: Just tell Claude to update them “Update /daily command to search the web for the weather in NYC” “Change /weekly command to focus more on metrics”

Option 2: Edit the files yourself In Obsidian, expand the .claude/commands/ folder in the left sidebar. Click any command file to open it - you can edit it like any document.

For example, if /daily focuses too much on tasks, open daily.md and add “Always include my top 3 calendar events.”

Next time you run the command, the updated instructions will be given to claude.

Create Your Own Command

Tell Claude what you want:

"Make an /tasks command that scans my tasks and roadmap folder and provides suggestions for the highest leverage tasks for the day"

Claude will create .claude/commands/tasks.md

You can then navigate to that folder, and edit it as needed.

In the External Tools module we’ll integrate cloud based services (e.g. Slack, Gmail, etc.)

This opens a lot of potential.

Part 7: CLAUDE.md Configuration

CLAUDE.md is a guide for Claude - this gets loaded into every query. Add:

• Your preferred writing style
• Project context
• Anything you want Claude to keep in mind

The starter includes a basic one, customize it for your needs.

Multiple CLAUDE.md files: I keep one at the root that explains how my folders are structured, then additional CLAUDE.md files in project folders with project-specific context. Claude always reads the root one, and loads the project-specific one when working in that folder.

Part 8: Customizing the Look

Claude Code Theme

Run /config in Claude Code, tab down to Theme, hit enter. Options include dark mode, light mode, and colorblind-friendly themes.

Obsidian Theme

Obsidian has hundreds of community themes:

1. Settings → Appearance → Themes → Manage
2. Browse themes and click to preview
3. Click “Use” to apply

I use “Minimal” - the Claude Sidebar plugin inherits your Obsidian theme’s colors.

Checkpoint

Migration:

• Set up sync/backup
• Identified which tools to migrate
• Exported data from at least one tool
• Organized files in logical structure

Customization:

• Created or modified a custom command
• Updated CLAUDE.md with your preferences