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Homework for Life

by Christian Fischer
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Description

This plugin has not been manually reviewed by Obsidian staff. Capture daily story-worthy moments into monthly markdown files. Inspired by Matthew Dicks' Homework for Life method.

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Latest Version

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Changelog

See all version on GitHub

README file from

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Homework for Life

Obsidian plugin for low-friction daily story-capture, inspired by Matthew Dicks' Homework for Life method: every day, write down the moment(s) that made the day what it was. The plugin appends them to a single monthly markdown file — no dashboards, no streaks, no analytics. The method works because of the writing and the later re-reading; the plugin just removes friction from the writing.

Features

  • One ribbon click / command / URI → modal → done. Multi-line textarea, one moment per line.
  • Multiple captures per day are merged into the same day's row/heading; multiple moments at once are split by line.
  • Two output formats, switchable per vault:
    • Table (closest to Dicks' original spreadsheet) — | [[2026-04-28]] | moment a<br>moment b |
    • Headings + bullets — ## [[2026-04-28]] followed by - moment a etc.
  • Date is always a [[YYYY-MM-DD]] wikilink, so it auto-resolves to the matching daily note if you use one.
  • Format-aware: existing files keep their format even if you change the global setting; only new files use the current setting.
  • Mobile-friendly via the URI scheme obsidian://hfl-capture — pair with iOS Shortcuts or Android Tasker for a daily reminder that drops you straight into the modal.

Install

This plugin is currently in submission review for the official Obsidian Community Plugin Store. Until then:

  1. Download manifest.json, main.js, and styles.css from the latest release
  2. Copy them into <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/homework-for-life/
  3. Enable in Obsidian → Settings → Community plugins

Build from source

npm install
npm run build

Outputs dist/main.js, dist/manifest.json, dist/styles.css.

The install:prod script writes directly to a hard-coded vault path — for personal dev use only; edit package.json first.

Settings

Setting Default What it does
Folder HfL Where the monthly files are stored
Filename pattern YYYY-MM Tokens: YYYY, MM, Q (quarter). Use YYYY-Q for quarterly files.
Append position top Whether new days appear at the top or bottom of the file
Output format table table or headings for new files
Multi-moment style br Table-only: <br> separator, or <br>• with bullet markers

Reminder setup (recommended)

Plugins can't push reliable mobile notifications. Use OS-native reminders:

  • iOS: Shortcuts app → Automation → Time of Day → Open URL obsidian://hfl-capture
  • Android: Tasker / Automate → daily intent on the same URI
  • Desktop: cron / systemd / Windows Task Scheduler → open URI

Tap the notification → modal opens → one sentence → done.

Out of scope

  • Pattern recognition / clustering / theme detection — that belongs in a separate reflection tool, not the capture layer
  • Streaks, gamification, statistics — counter to Dicks' philosophy
  • Daily-note frontmatter integration — keeps the data fragmented and creates overhead when the plugin isn't actively used

License

MIT

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