Rethinking the boundary between "specialized collaboration" and "specialized individual thinking": Discovering the "In-Between Realm" Created by Notion and Obsidian
Introduction
There are many different tools for intellectual production and information management in the modern world. We use a combination of tools for work, study, and creative activities. Among these, two services that have attracted particular attention are the all-in-one information sharing tool "Notion" and "Obsidian", which uses Markdown files locally to deepen knowledge. In general, it is easy to get a simple impression that "Notion is for team collaboration" and "Obsidian is for individual thinking", but when you look at actual user cases, you will find that this perception is too superficial.
In this article, we will look at the "middle ground" that Notion and Obsidian create, a space where teams and individuals intersect and new ways of using information are born, without being constrained by the traditional "team vs. individual" dichotomy.
Breaking free from the simple formula of "Notion = Team" and "Obsidian = Individual
Why is it so easy to fall into this dichotomy?
Many information organization tools have a clear concept that comes from their marketing message or UI design philosophy. Notion comes across as being focused on "multi-person use" such as project management, team collaboration, and knowledge base sharing, and this point is emphasized repeatedly on the official website. On the other hand, Obsidian is designed to emphasize the importance of individuals building their own "knowledge warehouses" using local Markdown. The concept of the tool providers has created a clear scheme of "Notion = team" and "Obsidian = individual", and users tend to be drawn to this image.
Discomfort seen in real user cases
In reality, however, this dichotomy is beginning to break down. For example, some software development and research teams are using Obsidian in conjunction with Git to work with multiple users to capture and share knowledge. By managing notes in the repository, documented knowledge is maintained alongside the code base and experimental data, and team members are free to deepen their ideas in their local environment, while everyone can share the same information base through regular synchronization.
On the other hand, Notion is also very powerful when used by individuals or in situations where there are not many team members. There are reports of freelance designers and sole proprietors using Notion to organize their work systems and significantly improve their productivity. By centralizing large amounts of client information, project progress and idea notes, the combination of "individual + Notion" acts like a small "team".
Increasing hybrid operations that transcend the dichotomy of cloud vs. local, team vs. individual
An increase in hybrid operations
In recent years, the combination of tools has become more diverse, and the number of "hybrid" operations using Notion and Obsidian simultaneously has increased. For example, freely expanding ideas in Obsidian and regularly contributing them to the Notion database creates a knowledge pool that team members can access. Or, as individuals import project knowledge managed in Notion into Obsidian for in-depth analysis, a complementary relationship is established.
This hybrid operation creates a "middle ground" between Notion, which is cloud-first, and Obsidian, which is local-based, and between the two tools, which have different philosophies. As a result, the traditional dichotomy between cloud and local, team and individual, loses its meaning, and flexible use of knowledge becomes possible.
Diversity through different information structuring
Notion is good at hierarchical structures and databases, and at organizing information externally. It is suitable for organizational applications such as task management, project management, and document sharing. Obsidian, on the other hand, emphasizes organic connections through links and tags and encourages inward thinking. It is effective as an "intellectual exploration space" where you can discover new knowledge by connecting ideas you have gleaned from reading articles and books.
This difference in "structured paradigm" is actually a more fundamental element than "team/individual". Notion's ordered world view and Obsidian's chaotic network of ideas are important clues for users in choosing which tool to use.
Redefining knowledge in the "in-between
Individual thought is sublimated into team knowledge
What is the "middle ground"? It is a place where the process of sublimating individual deep thought into shared assets for the entire organization or community is born. For example, let's say a research and development team uses Obsidian to capture their experimental notes and ideas, and then uses Notion to aggregate the useful knowledge and methodologies discovered in the process. This allows insights that were originally in the heads of individual researchers to function as "intellectual capital" for the entire team.
This process can be called "intellectual capitalization," where individual ideas are shared and reflected upon, and become the basis for organizational policies and innovation.
There is also a reverse flow. Individuals can reinterpret the information the team has accumulated in Obsidian and gain new inspiration. This back-and-forth movement dissolves the "boundaries" between tools and creates a new cycle of knowledge creation.
Expected future based on current examples
- Software development team: Collect notes on code and design concepts in Obsidian linked to Git, and manage tasks and roadmaps in Notion. The loose connection between the code base and the knowledge base allows developers to quickly access the information they need and connect it to the development of new features.
- Creative teams: Individuals regularly import story concepts and idea sketches they have matured in Obsidian into the Notion content calendar, where all members can reference them. This allows the entire team to share in the richness of the individual creator's thoughts and to clarify the direction of the work and the project.
- Early startup stage: While entrepreneurs use Notion to organize business plans, KPI management and investor materials, they use Obsidian to deepen their idea notes and refine their strategic thinking. As the idea matures, it is reflected in the business plan in Notion, so you always have a current and validated business model.
For further development
Additional research questions
More empirical examples and case studies are needed to further illustrate the usefulness of the "in-between" space. For example, how large a team can achieve effective knowledge management using Obsidian, Git, or Obsidian Publish? When using Notion individually, how much can productivity be improved and what is the most efficient workflow? If we can conduct research like this, we will be able to create more refined guidelines for using the "in-between" space.
Suggestions for Tool Developers
The existence of this "in-between space" also has implications for tool vendors. Rather than a simple "for individuals" or "for teams" marketing strategy, tool developers may want to focus on flexible extensibility and collaboration features that users can freely combine and use. For example, we see room for future feature enhancements such as seamless links between Notion and Obsidian, or cross-referencing via API.
Bottom line
Notion and Obsidian are information management tools with different philosophies and features. In the past, they have tended to be discussed in a simplistic way as "Notion = team" and "Obsidian = individual", but when you look at how they are actually used in detail, the boundary between them is surprisingly vague, and there is actually a rich "middle ground" between them.
In this middle ground, the deep thinking of individuals is sublimated into team-level knowledge, and the information accumulated by the team fosters new insights for individuals. Traditional dichotomies such as cloud vs. local, database vs. connected notebook, top-down vs. bottom-up structures lose their meaning, and users can draw on the strengths of each tool as needed.
As we continue to explore this space and accumulate examples, we may be able to establish new standards for knowledge creation and information management. Let's enjoy this evolutionary process and explore new workflows together with Notion, Obsidian and ourselves as users.
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