The two sides of the zettelkasten
More and more I find myself thinking of the zettelkasten as comorised of two hemispheres.
One hemisphere is distributed, rhizomatic, bottom-up, and cross-topical. This is the "main compartment" containing single-idea notes (1) used for cross-topical interactions between information, at times leading to experiences of serendipity, and the building of different trains of thought (established through the linking of said single-idea notes).
The other hemisphere is centralized, arborescent, top-down, and topically-situated. This hemisphere is comprised of what I call "drafts," which include structure notes, project notes, and writing drafts. These docs are used to further develop interactions between single-idea notes, and capture any questions, comments, further thinking, etc you have on the topic they speak to.
These two hemispheres correspond to two different modes of work / ways of thinking. The first embraces false starts, meandering trajectories, and not quite understood relationships (as well as their opposite). The second is more discerning, topically focused, and determined to sew up loose ends.
Of course, I can see someone arguing for only the distributed aspect, as well as only the discerning one. If I had to choose between one of these and not my own, I'd go with the former.
(1) I'm using the term "single-idea notes" for convenience. Really what I mean are notes containing information regarding a single concern.