Ah! Thank you QuantumGardener!
I’ve taken some time to really try to understand the insights you’ve shared.
I also found your post on the forum discussing the very same problem: Using JD in a Digital Garden. It was helpful reading how you worked through this yourself. I’m sure you recognized my struggle, so thank you for reaching out 
Using the Folder Notes plugin in Obsidian is neat for the index – I’ll check that out. I was thinking of doing something similar to what you did with regards to DV tables to list your index entires.
The distinction you make between knowledge and records is exactly where my problem lies.
| Knowledge | Records |
|---|---|
| Created by me | Created by others |
| Date is unimportant | Point in time, usually dated |
| Connected to other knowledge | Each record is complete unto itself |
| Difficult to organise in a hierarchy | Easy to organise in a hierarchy |
I’m not trying to sort my PKM. I’m trying to integrate my PKM with my record keeping system and my task management system.
Like you mentioned in the forum discussion, this is also a problem of scope. My first scope statement excluded my PKM because I don’t think about my PKM notes with a strong hierarchy in mind. But my PDFs and eBooks like on a hard drive, not in my vault. How do I reference those from my PKM? Or my physical notebooks from college courses? I like the idea of at least being able to reference those with an ID.
My second (current) scope statement starts with “Everything” – we’ll see how that works.
You mentioned that one of the goals for your system was to not split information up any more than you need to. My instincts are the same, especially considering how this leverages the powerful linking features in Obsidian. This also avoids the ‘Multiple Systems’ problem JD points out here.
Main question/concern
More of a concern. I really have to just implement this and try it out. Gall’s law is ringing in my ear informing me to just get on with it.
But something I’m still thinking about after reading your thoughts is just how to implement my Areas and Categories in a way that is compatible with my PKM. Because this extends beyond the issue of PKM now.
Here’s an example. Say I have an ongoing project: A Project. I would usually have an ‘Effort’ note and maybe a few additional notes related to the project. Those can exist hypothetically anywhere in my vault because all that matters is I’ve linked my notes back to the main project note, which appears in my ‘Efforts’ note.
But what if I have a Google Sheet that is related to the project? Now I need to think about what folder in Google I should save that file. Do I make a new project folder? Where area/category does it belong to?
Maybe I’m just looking for clarification on how you reconcile the hierarchy of your JD system with the non-hierarchy of Obsidian, especially when it comes down to the act of choosing your categories and areas.
Something else: does your JD system areas mirror the ACE framework in any way?
I may make an additional post regarding the issue of my scope soon.