Iterating on Automations — Obsidian Templates and Text Expansion Snippets

Photo by Tim Johnson on Unsplash

Welcome back to the August of Automation Series. Every weekday in August 2024, I’m publishing an article on Automation. I’ve enjoyed this first August of Automation so much, I may very well hold a second August of Automation in 2025.

Today, I want to talk about the importance of iteration in automation. To achieve that, let’s look at some Obsidian templates and Text Expansion snippets.

Iterating Templates

I recently started a project for a class I’m teaching. This is a university class rather than a class on my community platform. I’ve taught this particular class a few times before. Here’s a brief history of my “automation” of this course:

1. The first time I taught it, I made a list of everything I had to do to prepare for and deliver the course.
2. Before I taught the class a second time, I turned that list into a checklist. I used it for preparation and delivery and added to it and updated it.
3. Before the third time I taught the course, I added some Text Expander snippets for some of the common elements that change little each time I teach. These include an introductory announcement, introductory discussion board post, and grading feedback I use throughout the course. I also turned…