My Terminal Workflow for Note-Taking, Data Engineering and Writing (Linux/MacOS)
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My Terminal Workflow for Note-Taking, Data Engineering and Writing (Linux/MacOS)
Last updatedUpdated:<br>Aug 12, 2026
by Simon Späti · CreatedCreated: Aug 12, 2026 · 4 min read
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Aug 12today
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I have a very sophisticated workflow setup that I have optimized over the years. My
dotfiles have over 200+ stars on GitHub and grew from macOS to Linux with Omarchy, which I use today.
Below is my workflow documented in screenshots and videos. Click below to get to YouTube Videos. There’s more around my second brain, but here’s a short overview of some that come to mind right now. I might add over time.
# My Different Workflow Showcases
# Omarchy (current Linux Setup)
Omarchy (using today) video about Arch Tiling Window Workflow (macOS comparison):
Omarchy Arch Tiling Window Workflow (macOS comparison) - YouTube
You also find it in writing at
Arch Linux (Omarchy) — 8 Months Later: The Good, the Bad, and the Fixable (or why I switched in
Part 1)
# MacOS
MacOS Tiling Windows Setup for Data Engineers & Writers with Yabai + skhd (used before Omarchy):
macOS Tiling Windows Setup for Data Engineers & Writers | yabai + skhd - YouTube
# Database SQL Query Workflow
Query databases in vim (vim-dadbod):
# Computer Desk Setup and Workflow with Monitors and Virtual Desks
Computer Desk Setup and Monitor Workflow with monitor alignment and virtual desktop setup:
Find some more workflow videos at
my Asciinema page.
# Setup for X (Writer, Data Engineer, Note-Taking)
# My Workflow Setup for Writers: Vim Motions
I’m a full-time writer, and I use Obsidian and Neovim heavily as my writer tools.
I have written about Vim Motions for Writers, especially Vim Motions is key, if you work for a living on a computer, as it’s made specifically for text editing.
In Vim motions for writers, I write about:
The Flow of Writing an Essay
and my My Writing Process
and I have a video of how this looks in action.
See it here:
Vim Motion for Writers Showcase (Inside My Obsidian Vault) - YouTube
I have multiple articles about this topic too, see
essays about Vim and writing.
# Why I use Vim a lot
In
Why Vim Is More than Just an Editor – Vim Language, Motions, and Modes Explained | ssp.sh I write:
I’m still using Obsidian a lot more for writing (see more on my
PKM workflow) due to its additional features of supported images, backlinks, graphs, and plugins specified for note-taking, such as ReadWise) (syncing my highlight from books, and tweets), Dataview (using notes as a database), Excalidraw (drawing with Markdown format), Templates, and so on.
Nevertheless, I write more and more in Neovim. For now, I use ZenMode (for centering the text), Grammarly (for linting grammar),
write-good (linting grammar), and specifically
Obsidian.nvim (follow backlinks, and so on.). You find all details in my
dotfiles.
In Obsidian, I use the
Vim mode Obsidian
.vimrc and map most
hotkeys to my Vim settings. At the same time, I’ve been writing more and more in Neovim and have been progressively moving over to full Neovim.
Plugins such as
Telescope and simple grep features that I use for coding work very well with Markdown. Here are some clips showing what is possible in an excellent talk about
Writing, Editing, and World-Building at the speed of thought with Vim.
# Getting into the Zone: Zen mode
Zen Mode for Writing
Four Modes of Writing
# Data Engineering
Why Vim Is More than Just an Editor – Vim Language, Motions, and Modes Explained at the chapter “Vim for Data Engineers”.
# Note-Taking Workflow
I wrote at length at:
My Obsidian Note-Taking Workflow | ssp.sh
Personal Knowledge Management Workflow for a Deeper Life — as a Computer Scientist | ssp.sh
My Zettelkasten Workflow with Zettelkasten for Tech Notes and Organizing and Writing My Notes
Sharing as Second Brain Note vs a Blog Post
# Further Reads
tmux
Terminal Multiplexer
Today’s Office: A visual log
Notebook & Desktops for Linux
Origin: tmux
References: Essential Linux Commands
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Interactive Graph
Table of Contents
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