The topic This Obsidian plugin does something Apple Reminders still can’t, and now I… is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
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Obsidian is my favorite application by a long shot, but it isn’t without flaws. It integrates so well with other software, but at the same time, it acts like a closed ecosystem. The reminders and tasks I have set up within Obsidian aren’t visible outside of it. Sure, I can use Todoist to sync tasks, but that hasn’t always worked as well as I would like. I wanted a solution, and then I stumbled across Remindian, an Obsidian plugin that syncs tasks with my Reminders so they’re visible across my laptop, my phone, and more.
It might be more accurate to describe Remindian as a third-party application that connects to Obsidian, rather than calling it a plugin. I didn’t install it through the community collection or through BRAT, but rather as a .dmg file. And in some ways, that might be an advantage. Remindian works seamlessly; once you connect it to your vault, it automatically scans for tasks and adds them to your Reminders. It monitors for changes to the vault and updates after a short time, although you can manually sync it at any time by clicking the “Sync Now” button.
The Remindian UI also shows in real time how many tasks have been completed, how many were created, and more. It’s an easy way to get an overview of your vault at a glance. The primary downside is that it sometimes interprets other commands within the vault as a task; for example, my pitch tracking spreadsheet’s status field appears in Remindian as outstanding tasks, but thankfully, that can be avoided.
I spend a lot of time toying with Obsidian plugins, and while customization is often the name of the game, many still leave a lot to be desired. Remindian goes the opposite direction, offering wide-ranging controls that range from whether it launches upon login to more advanced settings that allow you to sync only specific lists. It’s these settings that make it possible to bypass some of the more annoying issues with Remindian (like it identifying the wrong settings as a task).
I can set it to exclude specific lists. Specific folders can be included or excluded, but another option is to give tasks a specific tag and have Remindian look only for that tag, excluding anything else. The reason the conflicts happen is that Remindian looks for brackets; typically, a line beginning with [] is designated as a checkbox, and therefore a task, by Obsidian. Checkboxes can be used for a lot of things besides tasks, though, so designating a specific folder or tag is a good way to maintain functionality without inadvertently giving yourself 50 reminders.
Some of the most popular task-based plugins, like TaskNotes, work flawlessly with Remindian. Because it already uses a specific .md file with YAML frontmatter, TaskNotes is easy to convert into a Remindian-friendly workflow. Any tasks you create using the default Obsidian command of “- []” also become an item in Remindian and are reflected in your reminders. If you’re tired of setting up tasks and forgetting about them (like I am), this is an easy way to keep an eye on things from your phone or laptop.
Of course, that is dependent on you using macOS or iOS. If you’re an Android or Windows user, well, you’ll have to find an alternative. Reminders is, of course, a proprietary macOS app — but there are so many alternatives available that it shouldn’t be difficult to find a different option.
You could argue that Remindian isn’t the best option, simply because it is limited to a few specific operating systems. Here’s the thing, though; it’s meant to be. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all application, but rather one that is specifically tailored to solve an annoying issue. While it does limit the number of people who can use it, if you’re already immersed in the macOS ecosystem and you use Obsidian for the majority of your day-to-day work, it’s a no-brainer.
It’s a way to streamline your workflow and remove even more friction. And while the “unverified” alert might be somewhat off-putting to inexperienced users, it’s expected from independent software. Remindian is relatively new, and until it is notarized and signed by Apple, macOS will flag it as a potential threat.
My workflow is dramatically easier with Obsidian, but I still struggle to remember to do things if I don’t have reminders set. Remindian is an easy way to link my task list with my laptop and phone, making it easy to see what’s left on the to-do list while I’m on the go.