Use Claude Cowork + Obsidian To Triple Your Output

Go to obsidian.md and download the free Obsidian app. It works well with Claude because it stores everything as plain markdown files in a folder on your computer, not in the cloud.

Open Obsidian and click Create new vault. Pick a name and a location. This creates a real folder on your computer that you will point Claude Cowork to later.

Inside your vault, create three folders:

• daily-notes/
• projects/
• templates/

That is the whole structure. If you look in Finder or File Explorer, you will see that Obsidian created these folders on your computer.

This vault is for tracking your work, not doing your work. If you have a big project that needs its own space, like a course, product launch, or client engagement, create a separate vault for it. That way Claude Cowork does not get overwhelmed reading files it does not need.

Download the two starter files from this guide and drop them into your vault.

Put my-workflow.md in the root of your vault. This is the file that turns Claude from a generic AI into your assistant. It tells Claude your schedule, how you work best, your current priorities, and what tools you use. Edit it to match your actual life.

Put daily-note-template.md in the templates/ folder. This tells Claude how to format each day’s note.

Then add at least one project file in projects/. Use one markdown file per active project. Keep it simple: what the goal is, what is done, and what is left.

Open the Claude desktop app and start a Cowork session. When it asks which folder to work with, point it at your Obsidian vault folder.

Now give Claude Cowork this morning planning prompt:

Read my vault. Look at my-workflow.md to understand my schedule and priorities. Look at my project files to see what's due soon. Then create today's daily note in daily-notes/ with a plan for the day. Put the most important thing first. Flag anything that's overdue or urgent.

From here, work through your day in Obsidian. Check off tasks, add notes in the Notes section, and jot down anything that comes up. It is just a markdown file.

Running the prompt manually every morning works fine, but it is better when it runs automatically. In Claude Cowork, click Scheduled in the sidebar and create a new scheduled task.

Create a morning plan task with this prompt:

Read my vault. Look at my-workflow.md to understand my schedule and priorities. Look at yesterday's daily note to see what I got done and what carried over. Look at my project files to see what's due soon. Then create today's daily note in daily-notes/ with a plan for the day. Put the most important thing first. Flag anything that's overdue or urgent. Use my Google Calendar connection to check meetings.

Create a Close Day scheduled task with this prompt:

Read today's daily note. Look at what got checked off and what did not. Add an “End of Day” section summarizing what got done, what's carrying over to tomorrow, and any new tasks that came up in my notes today. Update the project files if any tasks were completed.