朝闻道

1. Mind Mapping#

1. Write down the topic in the center of the paper and then let your thoughts flow freely.
2. Classify the divergent content in various ways, in short, write down all possible classifications.
3. Draw new mind maps based on the classifications.
4. Diverge these mind maps, and at this point, the direction becomes clear.
5. Finally, consolidate all the diagrams into one large mind map.

2. Reading Notes#

Excerpt + Paraphrase + Argument + Connection

1. Quote the content that resonates with you, and mark the page number of the book at the end.
2. Paraphrase it in your own words. Deepen your impression and test your understanding.
3. Write down your own thoughts, preferably with an example.
4. Think about whether there are any contents in your previous knowledge that are particularly similar to this viewpoint. Absorb knowledge and integrate it, which is crucial.
5. Initially, organize reading notes based on books, and then migrate them again based on key points. This is for mastering a field.

3. Writing#

1. People who can consistently produce output have a powerful material library. There are clear classifications in the material library - learning, life, and workplace. Under each classification, there are themes and materials that can be accumulated at any time.

2. Usually, divide writing into categories and do it separately. Good authors are just good at retaining inspiration.

3. Find a reference article and summarize the key points, core ideas, and examples of each paragraph.

4. Shuffle the summarized key points and summarize the insights in your own understanding.

5. Compare the original text with your own creation, and think about why the author chose this structure, vocabulary, and syntax, and find the differences.

6. Practice step 5 repeatedly, deliberately practice 4-5 times until you are satisfied.

7. This method 3-6 originated from Franklin, who became a columnist from a writing novice in one year. Picasso said: Imitation is the beginning of all human learning. Even Shakespeare initially imitated old British playwrights.

4. Morning Journal#

"What makes you wake up early is never the alarm clock, but your dreams."

4.1 Reasons for Writing a Morning Journal#

1. In the evening, our emotions are unstable, and it is easy to engage in self-criticism.
   • In the evening, if we are not careful, it is easy to turn into extreme "regret diary" or "reflection diary".
   • The paths we think about at night are countless, but when we wake up in the morning, we still follow the original path.
2. In the morning, we can calmly and objectively reflect on the events of the previous day and look at the problems neutrally.
3. It can directly apply the thinking to the day and improve execution.

4.2 What to Write#

1. Not only record the emotions at the time of the event, but also record the causes and consequences.

   • If you only write down your emotions, when you look back at the diary, you won't know why you had those emotions or the most important reasons. If you only leave emotions for your future self, when humans become emotional, problems that could have been solved become unsolvable.

2. Not only record the causes and consequences, but also record better choices.

   • Most people only record what happened every day, and the problem lies here. The biggest function of a diary is not recording, but the ability to reflect and improve.
   • If writing a diary is an unrewarding task, then the achievers would not persist in it.

People like Zeng Guofan and Chiang Kai-shek not only recorded what happened, but also recorded their thoughts at the time, reflected on whether their handling was appropriate, and made better choices. This is reviewing.

3. It is recommended to set at least four categories: "work", "money", "health", and "interpersonal relationships".
   Because these four points are necessary conditions for pursuing happiness in life. The advantage of writing a diary in sections is that it won't be clueless and won't miss any details.

4.3 Persistence is Key#

It must become a habit. If something cannot be persisted, it cannot form compound interest. #01/Compound Interest

As long as you change your "habit", your "destiny" will also change. When your "destiny" changes, your "life" will also change. The only way to achieve your life's dreams is to "change your lifestyle habits".

Remember that programming is the main focus, and willpower is secondary.

• Many people mistakenly believe that persistence relies on willpower. But in fact, willpower is a scarce resource, and it is closely related to our physical fitness.

For the first three days of developing a habit, you can rely on willpower, but after three days to three months, you need to rely on programming and a sense of ritual. At this stage, there may be setbacks. If you can't persist, use willpower to push yourself.

Here are a few tips to maintain programming.
The principles behind them are all based on Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment. Ivan Pavlov, a Soviet learning psychologist, used a dog for the experiment. Before feeding the dog, he would ring a bell. After several experiments, even without food, the dog would salivate reflexively when it heard the bell. #01/Habit

This experiment tells us that we must make full use of our reflex conditions. So before writing a morning journal, you must have a starting ritual. For example, playing pleasant music.

• It is recommended to create background music with bird calls and insect sounds. Because humans have evolved from forests, bird calls or insect sounds can deeply convey to our brains and relax us.

• Another tip is to have a fixed place for writing. A fixed environment can also trigger specific behaviors.

Lower the difficulty, and the morning journal should not exceed three minutes. The reason for not persisting may be that it takes too much time to write a journal and becomes a burden.

"If you continue to ignore feedback, life will continue to give you the same lessons."