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Voice Dictation for Obsidian: Notes, Zettelkasten & Knowledge Management

Build your second brain 4× faster. Contextli transforms your voice into linked, structured notes.

Obsidian turns notes into knowledge—but only if you capture enough notes. The friction of typing slows down idea capture, breaking your flow and losing insights. Contextli lets you capture thoughts at speaking speed, with proper Obsidian formatting including wikilinks, tags, and structure.

Pre-Built Modes

Contextli Modes for Obsidian

Each mode transforms your voice into Obsidian-ready content with specific formatting.

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Atomic Note

Single-concept notes for Zettelkasten

Best for: Zettelkasten-style atomic notes

You say:

"Note about how compound interest applies to knowledge, just like money compounds over time, knowledge builds on itself, each new thing you learn makes it easier to learn related things, this is why specialists can learn new things in their field so quickly, they have a foundation to attach new knowledge to"

Contextli outputs:

# Compound Interest of Knowledge

Knowledge compounds like money. Each new piece of understanding builds on existing knowledge, making future learning easier.

## The Mechanism
- New information attaches to existing mental models
- Specialists learn faster in their domain because they have dense connection networks
- Beginners struggle because they lack attachment points

## Implications
- Early investment in learning pays exponential returns
- Depth in one area accelerates breadth
- "T-shaped" knowledge (deep + broad) compounds fastest

## Related
- [[learning-how-to-learn]]
- [[mental-models]]
- [[expertise-development]]

#knowledge #learning #compounding
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Daily Note

Structured daily journal entries

Best for: Daily journaling and logging

You say:

"Daily note, today I finally figured out the authentication bug that's been blocking us for 3 days, the issue was a race condition in the token refresh logic, lesson learned is to always check async timing issues first, also had a good conversation with Sarah about the Q2 roadmap, we're going to prioritize mobile over the dashboard redesign"

Contextli outputs:

# Daily Note - {{date}}

## Wins
- ✅ Fixed authentication bug (3 days of blocking work)
  - Root cause: race condition in token refresh
  - [[debugging-race-conditions]]

## Lessons Learned
- Check async timing issues early when debugging intermittent failures
- Race conditions often appear as "random" bugs

## Key Conversations
- **Sarah** - Q2 roadmap discussion
  - Decision: Prioritize mobile over dashboard redesign
  - [[q2-planning]]

## Tomorrow
- Start mobile feature planning
- Document the auth fix for the team

#daily #debugging #planning
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Literature Note

Notes from books, articles, and content

Best for: Book and article notes

You say:

"Notes from reading Thinking Fast and Slow, Kahneman introduces System 1 and System 2 thinking, System 1 is fast intuitive automatic thinking, System 2 is slow deliberate effortful thinking, most of our decisions are System 1 which is why we have cognitive biases, the key insight is that we think we're using System 2 more than we actually are"

Contextli outputs:

# Thinking Fast and Slow - Notes

**Author:** Daniel Kahneman
**Type:** #book #psychology #decision-making

## Core Concept: Two Systems

### System 1 (Fast)
- Automatic, intuitive, effortless
- Operates constantly without conscious input
- Source of most cognitive biases

### System 2 (Slow)
- Deliberate, analytical, effortful
- Requires conscious attention
- Tires quickly (ego depletion)

## Key Insight
We believe we use System 2 more than we actually do. Most decisions—including important ones—default to System 1.

## Implications
- Cognitive biases aren't bugs; they're features of System 1
- Critical thinking requires deliberately engaging System 2
- Environment design matters (reduce decisions requiring System 2)

## Related Notes
- [[cognitive-biases]]
- [[decision-making]]
- [[mental-models]]

## Questions
- How to train better System 1 intuitions?
- When is System 1 more reliable than System 2?
Real-World Workflows

How to Use Contextli in Obsidian

Step-by-step workflows for common Obsidian tasks.

Capture Ideas During Reading

You're reading an article and want to capture insights without breaking flow.

Knowledge WorkerSaves 2-3 minutes per note
  1. 1

    Open Obsidian quick capture

    Or create new note

  2. 2

    Activate Atomic Note mode

    Single-concept focus

    ⌘+Shift+V
  3. 3

    Speak the core insight

    One idea per note

  4. 4

    Add links later

    Connect in your link review

Example Output:

# Writing as Thinking

Writing doesn't just communicate thoughts—it generates them...
See It In Action

Voice to Obsidian: Real Examples

What you say versus what Contextli produces for Obsidian.

Creating an atomic note from an insight
micYou Say

"Note about the importance of working with the garage door up, basically doing your work in public, this creates accountability and serendipity, people can stumble upon your work and offer feedback or opportunities, it also forces you to think more carefully because others might see it, connects to the idea of building in public and showing your work"

auto_awesomeContextli Outputs
# Working With the Garage Door Up

Doing your work in public—sharing process, not just polished results.

## Benefits

**Accountability**
Knowing others might see your work creates positive pressure to do better work.

**Serendipity**
People can discover your work and offer unexpected feedback, connections, or opportunities.

**Forced Clarity**
Explaining your work to others forces you to understand it better yourself.

## How to Practice
- Share work in progress, not just finished pieces
- Document your learning publicly
- Be comfortable with imperfection

## Related
- [[building-in-public]]
- [[show-your-work]]
- [[learning-in-public]]
- [[austin-kleon]]

#creativity #process #sharing
Comparison

Contextli vs Other Obsidian Voice Solutions

Contextli vs Obsidian Voice Plugin

FeatureContextliObsidian Voice Plugin
Wikilink syntax✅ [[links]] formatted⚠️ Varies by plugin
Note structure✅ Atomic/daily/literature⚠️ Generic dictation
Frontmatter✅ YAML ready❌ Not typically
Tags✅ #tag formatting⚠️ May need manual

Obsidian voice plugins offer basic dictation. Contextli creates Obsidian-native content with wikilinks, tags, and structure built-in.

Why Use Contextli for Obsidian?

Your second brain is only as good as what you put into it. Contextli removes the capture friction—speak your thoughts and get Obsidian-ready notes with proper markdown, wikilinks where appropriate, and structure that plays well with your existing vault.

Obsidian + Contextli: Common Questions

Does Contextli create wikilinks automatically?

Contextli's Obsidian modes suggest wikilinks in [[double bracket]] format based on context. For the Atomic Note mode, it includes a "Related" section with suggested links. You can mention topics during dictation ("this connects to mental models") and Contextli will format them as wikilinks.

Can I use Contextli with my existing Obsidian templates?

Yes! Contextli creates the content; your templates provide additional structure. A common workflow: use Obsidian's templates for standard headers/frontmatter, then use Contextli to fill in the content sections.

Obsidian Integration Details

descriptionSupported Formats

  • checkObsidian markdown
  • checkWikilinks ([[links]])
  • checkTags (#tags)
  • checkYAML frontmatter
  • checkHeaders
  • checkCallouts
  • checkTask lists

lightbulbPro Tips

  • Atomic Note mode is ideal for Zettelkasten—one idea per note
  • Mention topics you want linked during dictation ("this relates to X")
  • Daily Note mode includes suggested sections for reflection and planning

infoGood to Know

  • arrow_rightCannot create notes directly in vault (paste required)
  • arrow_rightCannot insert images via voice
  • arrow_rightPlugin configuration through Obsidian UI
  • arrow_rightGraph view updates after note creation

devicesPlatform Support

Works in Obsidian on macOS. Content can also be used in other markdown apps.

Related Searches

How to use Obsidian effectivelyObsidian vs Notion vs RoamZettelkasten method explainedObsidian plugins for productivityHow to build a second brainPersonal knowledge management

Start Using Voice Dictation in Obsidian

Transform how you work in Obsidian with context-aware voice dictation.