In a previous article, I introduced how to build a redundant note system through folders, tags, links, note naming, timestamps, and other methods to improve the reliability and flexibility of the system, which helps discover unexpected connections. The ability to discover unexpected connections is one of the characteristics of the Zettelkasten method.
Now let’s discuss a more fundamental question: what kinds of connections exist between our notes and our ideas ? Understanding these connection types might better help us discover unexpected connections between notes. So, let’s get into the main topic of the article and introduce several types of idea connections one by one.
1. Inspiration Connection
I’d like to introduce a type of connection called “Inspiration Connection.” As the name suggests, this type of connection is related to the inspiration behind our ideas.
We tend to generate inspiration and ideas when we’re relaxed , which may help us advance our current tasks and projects, or benefit goals we want to achieve in the future. For example, I often generate inspiration and ideas in various situations such as walking, showering, listening to music, listening to podcasts, chatting with others, and executing tasks.
It’s important to emphasize that our primary purpose in those scenarios is to relax and adjust our state, as this helps us return to work after relaxing. We don’t need to rack our brains thinking about problems we’ve encountered before. In fact, it’s precisely because we’re in a completely relaxed state that inspiration occurs unexpectedly . These moments can’t be planned or forced, but they happen naturally. Perhaps that’s why they’re called inspirations. As for which situations are conducive to generating inspiration and ideas, and how to adjust your state to improve efficiency, we can discuss these in the future.
In fact, the entire writing process of this article is a good example illustrating inspiration connections. By checking the timestamp in the note name, I found that the date of the first note recording this article’s topic was 2024-07-16, about ten months ago. I also discovered that I had added two situation-related tags at the beginning of this note: sleep and insomnia. In other words, I generated this idea when I was trying to sleep but experiencing insomnia 
. This note initially was just a very simple outline with five points: one, two, three, four, and five. After that, there were some scattered ideas and links to other related notes.
Recently, after returning home from exercise, I was somewhat relaxed but my body was also a bit tired. After working for half an hour, I realized I needed to adjust my state. Of course, I could have continued writing this article based on the previous outline, but I felt a sense of compulsion, as if I had to complete this task immediately. However, once I started having this feeling, I didn’t want to continue working because my body was telling me I needed a break. Otherwise, efficiency might be low, which would essentially be a waste of time and energy. In a previous article, I also mentioned that we can engage in deep work, but if deep work lasts too long or is done improperly, it will lead to deep fatigue . This might be fine for a day or two, but over a long period, it’s detrimental to physical and mental health and is unsustainable.
Eventually, I followed my current feelings and decided to go for a walk to adjust my state . So, I listened to music while walking, and then saw a swing nearby and played on it for a while. This whole process was indeed quite relaxing and smooth. The entire walk and state adjustment process probably lasted about forty to fifty minutes. Afterward, I returned home and used voice notes to write the article based on the previous outline, completing the process in one go.
The process of reviewing and improving the article word by word also emphasized the balance between work and rest . In the morning, I first ate some oatmeal and then started improving the article while listening to music. I chose to listen to music rather than podcasts because the background conversations in podcasts can be somewhat distracting, while music mainly serves as background sound. When listening to music, I often don’t pay attention to the lyrics but focus on the melody. Therefore, sometimes listening to music can help adjust mood and improve efficiency, but of course, this isn’t always the case; it depends on the type of task, your state, and other factors. For example, for some very complex tasks requiring high concentration, such as coding, algorithm improvement, and result analysis, I need to be highly focused and cannot tolerate any external noise.
After being in a deep work state improving the article for about an hour, I realized I kept wanting to check how long I had been working. Based on my self-knowledge, this meant my concentration was starting to decline, which was the time to begin adjusting my state. Considering that I needed to go out for exercise in the afternoon, I decided to take a shower first . Closing my eyes and letting the water run over me was a very relaxing process; I wish every shower could last longer. I always feel very relaxed after a shower, and this time was no exception. Afterward, I continued to improve the article.
As you can see, even in the process of improving the article on the same day, I combined deep work with different state adjustment methods alternately . I know when my attention starts to decline and when I can’t focus, and I also know what methods to use to relax at what times. For example, after deep work for an hour, I can alternate with relaxation methods such as showering, shopping, eating, tidying up, etc. During waiting intervals while cooking or in other situations, I can continue to improve the article or think about how to improve it. For instance, on the way to buy something, I inadvertently came up with ideas on how to adjust some sections of the article. This work-rest balance approach prevents excessive fatigue and is conducive to efficiently completing article writing and other tasks.
Regarding work efficiency and time utilization, we can make a very simple calculation. Suppose we force ourselves to work continuously for two hours, but with only 50% efficiency. That means we actually only complete one hour’s worth of work in two hours. In contrast, if we work focused for one hour at 100% efficiency, we can use the other hour for exercise, walking, rest, or other activities. We still complete one hour’s workload, but we also gain physical and mental pleasure and health . Between these two approaches, which one to choose is a matter of personal preference.
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