Homework for Life
Christian Fischer82 downloadsCapture daily story-worthy moments into monthly markdown files. Inspired by Matthew Dicks' Homework for Life method.
- Overview
- Scorecard
- Updates1
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 aetc.
- Table (closest to Dicks' original spreadsheet) —
- 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:
- Download
manifest.json,main.js, andstyles.cssfrom the latest release - Copy them into
<vault>/.obsidian/plugins/homework-for-life/ - 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