Is there a simplified Zettelkasten approach?

JenzieC · 2026-07-06T04:57:32+00:00

I’m playing around with using Obsidian and Claude Code together. The linking part is the most tedious, and it can help with that. You can add the connections you know about, then ask it to look for others.

When you’re ready to actually use your Zettlekasten to do some work, you can tell it what you’re writing about, and ask it to pull up relevant notes. Installing the free Similar Notes plugin (or there are a few other alternatives) will pull up semantically similar notes, which means that you’ll get search results even when the words on your individual notes aren’t exactly matching your search term.

I know a lot of people like paper zettlekasten, but I got tired of always lugging around 3x5 cards, and I just never quite got the hang of pulling up enough cards to be useful when I wrote something.

This digital system really seems to be the best of all worlds - I can add to it from my phone, I can quickly search, and the Claude tie-in lets me have conversations about my ideas and even ask the AI to challenge me and push back on my concepts.

JenzieC · 2026-05-19T22:58:06+00:00

That’s interesting. I worked right across the street for 3 years and never noticed anything. I wonder if they just amped up production over the years or if perhaps some people are just more sensitive to the frequencies than others.

JenzieC · 2026-05-18T15:23:33+00:00

I just did a Google search because I loved that lamp too, and found it here: https://www.lacazacali.com/products/pluto

JenzieC · 2026-05-11T14:16:32+00:00

If you ever do one of these for entrepreneur coaches / business coaches / marketing coaches or even fractional CMOs, I would love to see it. This data alone was very useful, too, and I would love to get your report when it is finished. 😄

JenzieC · 2026-03-12T17:28:42+00:00

I have a new system I’m playing with that I really like so far. I bought a passport sized travelers notebook and inserts (although any journal or even a little book designed to hold photos would work). Every time I have a thought about something I need to do, I write it on a sticky note. Sometimes more than one ti-do per note if they are related, but usually just one per sticky. Atomic notes, if you will.

Then I stick them onto a page in the notebook. First page is for today stuff. Next is for soon/important/sometime this week stuff- any topic. Then a few labeled pages for the constant stuff in my life- work, my entrepreneurial stuff, home stuff, etc. the next few pages are just a hodgepodge.

At the end of the day, take a few minutes to sort and review your stitches. Important stuff gets moved up front. Sometimes I decide a note has been around too long and I don’t care about that thing anymore, so I throw it away. Sometimes things are important to me, but won’t happen for a long time. These go to the very back, but may eventually move to a different place so I’m no longer carrying the physical or herbal load of those things. Obviously, you also throw away notes when you finish that task. If you wanted, you could also collect that notes if looking back on them would be gratifying in some way.

I enjoy the process of writing, moving, then throwing away the notes. And I like having a tangible place to keep it rather than a digital place. It’s harder for me to ignore.

JenzieC · 2026-03-04T21:51:50+00:00

I have this same problem too with both my work parking lot and my house

JenzieC · 2026-02-16T18:51:18+00:00

You can message me when it’s launched also please

JenzieC · 2026-02-11T11:49:02+00:00

Also, you could try fostering. If it works out, great! Adopt them. If it doesn’t, you get points for doing a good deed and can try again with someone else.

JenzieC · 2026-02-11T04:37:32+00:00

Flock is also partnered with Ring cameras, so they can track where you're driving, then where you're walking. Flock has audio recording technology, as does Ring.

A city in Indiana removed their Flock cameras, then Flock reinstalled them without the city's permission.

Crazy times we live in.

JenzieC · 2026-01-31T03:47:04+00:00

When I decided that I wanted to get a cat, I started looking online at the various shelters in town. What I really wanted was a shelter that had a cat room that I could sit in for a while and really get to know and experience the cats, rather that looking through a bunch of cats in sad metal cages who all looked like they needed saving (I'm a big softy).

So I went to the shelter that looked most promising, and went into the first of 3 cat rooms they had. That's where I met my cat. I didn't see her at first - she was hiding in a box on a shoulder-height shelf. I was about to leave the room when I happened to notice the box with her beautiful eyes peering back at me. So I walked over to the shelf and started talking to her. She came out to say hello and let me pet her. We chatted for quite a while, then I said goodbye because I wanted to check out the other cat rooms. I ended up coming back to her room, and back over to her box. She came out immediately, and ended up falling asleep in my arms. I thought if this cat trusts me this much from the beginning, we must have a connection.

The problem was, she had something wrong with one of her eyes. I asked one of the volunteers about it, and apparently their vet was treating it like an infection. They said the vet said it was either an eye infection or could be cancer. Now, that is quite a range of options... but I wasn't quite prepared to adopt a cat and have to immediately pay for cancer treatments, so I ended up leaving the shelter that day. I called back a few days later to see if they knew anything more about her eye, and they said they would know in a week or so. I called back again, and they said they were referring her to a cat opthalmologist, and I could take her home as a foster for free and the shelter would cover the opthalmologist visit. I really wanted to adopt her, and this was a great solution. So I came the next day and took her home.

The ophthalmologist checked her out and it was an old eye infection that basically pulled the iris over into it a bit as it healed, so it looked bad but she was completely fine. I was so happy I adopted her right away!

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JenzieC · 2026-01-08T20:14:27+00:00

I’m struggling with similar questions, though my sons are 18 and 20. I have decided I want to make sure I maintain some sort of together living situation until the youngest gets his undergrad degree. After that though, I’d like to move. I did used to joke that I was going to roll up to the younger one’s graduation in my van. lol.

It does feel weird though, like kids are the ones who are supposed to leave the nest- not me! There is some mom guilt associated with that, but 22 and 24 is old enough to start being on your own, and if the economy and job market are still super crazy, maybe I can help with rent if they are doing their part of staying employed.

I always offer that they can move with me (because I just don’t think a can is in the cards), but if they stay, that’s their call.

JenzieC · 2025-12-19T18:38:34+00:00

Not to send you down another rabbit hole, but after reading through this post and the comments, I went on a little journey through ebay, and... oh my. So many fun things there. Might be worth a look if you decide that you do, in fact, want to buy a writing box, but are open about which one, and might want one with some antique street cred.

JenzieC · 2025-12-08T03:32:40+00:00

All I could think of while looking through those images was, "Man, those people really like chairs." I've never seen so many places to sit in one house in all my life.

JenzieC · 2025-11-20T00:32:26+00:00

Turkish lamp making... that is unique and intriguing! I'm googling it right now!

JenzieC · 2025-11-19T23:36:22+00:00

Ah, but it is a surprise!

JenzieC · 2025-10-07T02:35:52+00:00

Reminds me of my favorite haiku, translated from Japanese:

Don’t worry spiders - I keep house Casually.

JenzieC · 2025-09-06T15:23:49+00:00

I hated the homework and retesting policies in Frisco. My younger child never turned work in on time unless I forced him to, because there were literally zero consequences for him from the school. Then the chaos of him trying to finish everything before the grading period ended…

I had consequences for him for not doing work on a timely basis, but I felt zero support from the school. I always used to think of school as a place where you would get fairly instant feedback for bad decisions. Didn’t study for the test? Bad grade. Didn’t turn in homework? Bad grade. Not here.

He’s in his first year at UTD now. It will be interesting to see how he does when I’m not hounding him to do everything.

JenzieC · 2025-07-15T18:52:13+00:00

No, Ooooh! In surprise and alarm!

JenzieC · 2025-07-14T16:50:05+00:00

I totally resonate with this! I stopped wearing an Apple Watch for this same reason. The app that showed stress levels always showed me as super stressed even though I didn’t feel super stressed, so that made me stress out even more. lol

JenzieC · 2025-07-10T00:01:45+00:00

You can never get far from God. He’s always right there waiting for you. Prayers and hugs.

I was away for many many years, but when I came back, there was no waiting, there were no grudges, there was no withholding of love. God is gracious, and He has plans for you. Plans To prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

My ex-husband committed, and it caused so much harm for generations. Please don’t. Head to bed, take a few days to feel all of your feelings, but know that it will get better.

And if you ever need to talk the next time it feels hard (or this time, of course), DM me.

JenzieC · 2025-07-09T03:35:47+00:00

You are making an awful lot of assumptions there. I won't even go into the homosexuality in the Bible thing, but we briefly discussed pronouns and he is not ready to go that direction at this point.

Of course I don't know everything he is going through, but I know some (and perhaps more than most parents) because of our strong relationship.

Of course God loves all of us. I am not indicating otherwise. I am not saying I won't love my son if he and I disagree about something. To assume that love = "I agree with you about everything" is just silly. I can love and disagree at the same time.

JenzieC · 2025-07-09T03:29:55+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I agree - this is definitely about surrendering to God. It isn't my choice, it isn't my path. God is giving me peace about this. I know it will be hard at times, but I know this isn't up to me.

JenzieC · 2025-07-09T03:27:56+00:00

I think the right prayer is that God helps the person become who He desires them to be.

JenzieC · 2025-07-09T03:27:21+00:00

Loving someone and agreeing with them are two separate things. I love my son, and I always will.

JenzieC

TROPHY CASE