Setup guide
Second Brain Setup: Zettelkasten
A practical linked-note exercise: write one idea, explain its connections and revisit the source.
By tentus team · Updated 2026-10-26 · 1 min read
Write one idea in your own words
Choose a passage or observation and write a short note explaining its point. Keep the original source link and distinguish your interpretation from a quotation.
Look for a useful connection
Search for an earlier note on a related question. Ask Lumi for candidate connections if available, then open the proposed sources. Relevance is a starting point for your judgment.
Explain why the link belongs
Add a link and a sentence saying whether the notes support, qualify or contradict one another. Prefer an explained relationship over a large collection of unexplained links.
Revisit the argument
At a review time you choose, read a small chain of notes and revise unclear claims. This workflow does not require an automatic daily selection of notes or a guaranteed link for every capture.
Set it up with tentus
Use these steps with the tools available to you. tentus is preparing for pre-beta testing; join the waitlist to hear about access.
Other setup methods
Second Brain Setup: PARA Method
Apply Projects, Areas, Resources and Archives through a small, deliberate review of your notes.
Second Brain Setup: GTD Workflow
Use capture, clarification, organization and review to turn notes into decisions about what to do next.
Second Brain Setup: Building a Second Brain (BASB)
Practice Capture, Organize, Distill and Express using a small collection and a concrete output.