The greatest benefit of writing only one idea per zetel is that each zetel can stand on its own. The lack of explicit context (Zettelkasten method of note taking) means the idea proves its worth through its connections to other notes - especially the 2nd+ order (Second Order Thinking) connections.

The notes themselves should be concise, meaty, and to the point. They should also preferably be divorced from one single context, which allows them to be connected to other notes - potentially in another domain entirely - and still have meaning.

Contextual divorce is possible when you fully understand the idea you are capturing as opposed to re-phrasing or copy/pasta-ing the idea for later reference. This requires more upfront effort, but also increases the chances of long term retention, retrieval and value.

As connections are made from note to note, the atomized and decontextualized nature of the notes create a tightly knit mesh of notes. The immediately connected notes (first connections) will always make the most sense, but the magic happens in the notes that are further out. As Luhmann said, the results of querying the zettelkasten can surprise you!

Source: http://luhmann.surge.sh/communicating-with-slip-boxes

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