Instead of asking a question and then following up with a research, with the Zettelkasten, you can choose the question at the center of a cluster of notes.
If that isn’t interesting or you don’t know much about it, simply move on to the next cluster.
This way, every time you start a paper, you get a head start in terms of progress. There is a base level of understanding, already externalized in the form of Zettels.
Another advantage is that if a Question is too far away from your interest, you might put it on hold until you learn more about it.