The essence of the Zettelkasten method

TL;DR:

Questions to method

For example:

We know we’re supposed to write one idea per page/card. What constitutes an “idea”? How do I identify what a good idea is? What does an idea that fits on one card feel like?
Once you somehow got your idea, there’s the task of placing and connecting your idea to your collection of existing ideas. What kind of connection am I looking for? What relationships are worthy of calling a connection? Do any connections work, or do some work better than others? Should I categorize the connections?
And the dreaded question for any beginner: How do I start when I’m, say, on my 5th card, with nothing to connect things to?

Use this method to discover the underlying context of an idea.

take one idea (X) and put it in the centre
imagine the four compass directions. each direction helps give definition to the idea in different ways.
- NORTH: “Where does X come from?” what are its origin? what group/category does X belong to? what exists an order of magnitude higher? zoom out. what gave birth to X? what causes X
- WEST: “What is similar to X?” what other disciplines could X already exist in? what other disciplines could benefit from X? what are other ways to say/do X?
- SOUTH: “Where can X lead to?” what does X contribute to? what group/category could X be the headline of? what exists an order of magnitude lower? zoom in. what does X nurture?
- EAST: “What competes with X?” what is the opposite of X? what is X missing? its disadvantage? what could supercharge X?
The Zettelkasten structure created around the idea could look something like this:
- NORTH
  - The Idea
    - SOUTH
    - EAST
  - WEST