Beginner → intermediate Obsidian: a roadmap for a developer with a 1,200-note vault

Why it matters. Both the Properties and Bases chapters arrive at the same gating step: the dormant .base file already sitting in the vault is empty because none of the notes underneath it carry YAML frontmatter that matches ^[1]. Add four properties — type, status, rating, date — to one reference template and re-save the existing notes through it; the .base view lights up ^[2]. Pick the folder where you already make manual decisions (books, films, recipes, places); that's where the live view will earn its keep.

# templates/book.md
---
type:   book
status: "backlog"   # backlog · reading · done · abandoned
rating:           # 1..5, fill on close
date:   
---

Why it matters. The linking chapter's hard rule, and the cheapest possible upgrade ^[6]: every new note carries at least one link before you hit close. Steph Ango (Obsidian CEO) runs a four-folder vault and navigates entirely by Quick Switcher and backlinks — the file tree disappears as a primary surface ^[16]. The constraint that pays: new notes only. Don't backfill the 1,200; re-organising folders to chase a perfect tree is the trap that burns the time meant for new linking discipline ^[8].

# enforce before close (no plugin needed — just habit):
if grep -q '\[\[' "$NEW_NOTE"; then close; else link-something; fi

Why it matters. The capture chapter's central claim: build the habit before the system ^[9]. Templates over ten sections collapse under their own weight — consistency beats quality ^[13]. Once the daily becomes the default hub, short-lived ideas get a default home and the new-note flow that Step 2 needs starts feeding itself ^[25]. Don't reach for Periodic Notes yet — Daily Notes core is the minimum that proves the habit sticks ^[10].

# templates/daily.md
# {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}

## notes
-

## log
- 

Why it matters. Once Step 3 starts producing new-note volume, orphans become visible in the graph view, not in the file tree. Three Maps-of-Content — broad topic anchors — absorb them ^[7]. MOCs let you describe, order, and format what you link to in ways tags cannot ^[19]. Don't try to MOC the whole vault — start with the broadest three (e.g. Reading.md, Watching.md, Places.md) and let need do the rest.

# Reading.md — a Map-of-Content, not an index
## currently            # jump
- [[Anna Karenina]]
## recent best          # lump
- [[Severance — Cline]]
- [[The Power Broker]]
## backlog              # dump
- [[Stoner]] · [[Piranesi]] · [[Pachinko]]

Why it matters. The plugin chapter's restraint principle: don't install the keyboard stack on day one — install it when reaching for the mouse to find a note becomes the slow step. The four default chords carry most of the weight: Ctrl+P palette, Ctrl+O switcher ^[14], Ctrl+Shift+F global search, Ctrl+Shift+T reopen tab ^[15]. Bias chords toward the left hand so you don't have to leave home row ^[24]. Adopt the rest only when the previous step's pain is real.

Ctrl+O        → open any note by name        # 80% of switches
Ctrl+P        → command palette              # every other action
Ctrl+Shift+F  → global search across vault   # when you forgot the title
Ctrl+Shift+T  → reopen last closed tab       # the safety net