Lightweight, Org-mode flavored zettelkasten links.

org-z is an Emacs global minor mode that enables a lightweight, Org mode style zettelkasten. Unlike a traditional zettelkasten, org-z focuses on headings rather than pages, allowing you to make hyperlinks within a single Org mode document.

By treating headings, rather than pages, as first-class, we can use standard functions that ship with org like org-store-link and packages like org-sidebar to maximum effect.

org-z has the following features:

• Insert links to org headings with interactive search (C-c-. by default)
• Links are managed automatically using org-store-link and org-ids
• Links to new / missing targets auto-create targets in a configurable file location (new.org by default). Creation of the new heading is customizable using a capture template.

Install with straight.el:

(use-package org-z
  :straight (org-z :type git :host github :repo "landakram/org-z")
  :config
  (org-z-mode 1))

I combine org-z with a daily journal, implemented as a file+datetree capture template, and org-sidebar backlinks.

(setq org-capture-templates
      '(;; ...
        ("j" "Journal entry" entry (file+datetree "~/org/journal.org")
         "* %?\n" :unnarrowed t)))

(use-package org-sidebar
  :ensure t
  :after (general)
  :config
  (leader-def :infix "o"
    "b" 'org-sidebar-backlinks))

As I go about my day, I make journal entries that link to various headings in my collection of org files. I make these links by invoking org-z-insert-link as I write my journal entry. I periodically open the backlinks sidebar to investigate connections.

Every once in a while, I review my journal entries and org-refile headings or simply re-organize journal entry knowledge into “longer-term storage” (reference.org or projects.org).

I was inspired by org-roam, but wanted something that fit my existing org workflow, which is a handful of files with deep headings rather than a file per topic.