There is such a story about writing. Hemingway was asked how many times he would revise the first draft. His response was, "It depends." I rewrote the end, the last page, of The Farewell, Weapon 39 times before I was satisfied. The interviewer asked, "Is there any technical problem?" What makes you sick? Hemingway replied, "To find the right words." ”（Paris Review,1956）
It seems that even a well-known writer like Hemingway can't help but worry about writing.
But, you know what? In Germany in the 1960s, there was such a person. Through his own efforts, he went from being the son of a winemaker to a professor of sociology and making him one of the greatest sociologists of the 20th century with high quality and high output. He completed his doctoral and final dissertations across disciplines in less than a year, publishing 58 books and hundreds of articles in 30 years. In addition, it is surprising that he has achieved these achievements effortlessly, and even raised three children alone.
Nicholas Luman
This man is Nicholas Luhmann, one of the greatest sociologists of the 20th century. To be able to achieve such a great achievement, his secret weapon is the "card box", also known as the "card note writing method". The German writer Schenck Ahrens wrote a book called "Card Note Writing Method", which specifically explained the "card note writing method" in detail.
Cover of "Card Note Writing Method"
Reading is the lowest threshold way to improve ourselves, we can read books, learn a lot of knowledge, so as to improve ourselves and change our lives. As the saying goes, "don't read without writing and ink", the emphasis is on reading books to move your pen and make reading notes. Speaking of reading notes, everyone should be familiar with it, right? I remember when I was in elementary school, the teacher asked us to write reading notes. At that time, I was young and didn't know how to write reading notes, so I wrote my own life experience.
Now it is time to re-learn to write reading notes, and the teacher of the co-reading camp has given a reading note template very intimately, which is very friendly to new writers. The reading notes include five parts: "original text, book title, author name, perception, and summary". It doesn't seem like much, but when I actually write, I know that only if I have ink in my stomach, I can always write things. If there is less ink in your stomach, you may not be able to write a few reading notes.
The book divides the reading notes into three categories, including:
1. Fleeting Notes: These kinds of notes are just a reminder to collect information, can be written in any way, and will end up being thrown in the trash within a day or two.
2. Permanent Notes: This kind of note contains the necessary information in a way that is permanently understandable and will never be thrown away. They are always stored in the same place in the same way, either in a document management system or written in a card box according to publishing standards.
3. Project Notes: They are only related to a specific project, saved in a specific project folder, and can be discarded or archived after the project is over.
In addition, the book emphasizes that flash notes are very important to elaborate in a day or two, and must be processed to become permanent notes or project notes to be valuable.
The book "Card Note Writing" states: "The card box note method – the associated, decentralized, bottom-up method is not only more natural than the linear, top-down method advocated by some educators, but also derives many writing and note-taking tools." ”
What is "bottom-up"? It is to accumulate more reading notes in ordinary times, more to spend kung fu in peacetime, and to prepare for future use of notes taken during pre-study. It is different from the traditional "top-down" approach and is much simpler and easier to do. The importance of taking reading notes is evident.
The traditional method of writing, after deciding to write, starts with making a plan, selects a topic to collect information, conceives, and writes an essay. There is a lot of randomness and you may even run the risk of failure. Compared with traditional writing methods, the "bottom-up" method of card note writing is obviously more stable, simple and easy to do, and the risk is relatively small.
In addition, the key to the card note method is to collect, stitch and extract the reading notes that are usually written. Strengthening the connection between notes is also conducive to rubbing out the spark of thinking.
Here is an introduction to the word: "necessary difficulty", which is the latest achievement in the science of understanding. What is the necessary difficulty? There are two basic mechanisms of human memory: storage and extraction. In the past, people habitually believed that the faster they memorized things, the better the learning effect. Simply put, the easier it is to store, the faster it is extracted. But cognitive scientists Robert A. Bjork & Elizabeth Ligon Bjork have come to the opposite conclusion through experiments: "storage is negatively correlated with extraction," that is, the easier it is to store memories, the more difficult it is to extract them; conversely, if you have some difficulty in depositing, knowledge extraction will be more convenient. This is the "necessary difficulty" of memory.
The deeper the degree of processing of reading notes, the easier it will be to extract memories. Which note you want to use, just search your brain and you can easily find it.
"I suggest you take a pen in your hand as you read and write down short hints in a small notebook that you find common or likely to be useful, because that would be the best way to imprint such traces in your memory." —Benjamin Franklin
Well, now, what the card note writing method is, and what its magic is, has been introduced. Next, let me talk about how to use the card note writing method.
Using the card note writing method for writing, it is mainly divided into these six steps:
1. Focus.
2. Read and understand
3. Take notes on the card box.
4. Develop ideas.
5. Share your insights.
6. Make a habit.
1. Focus. Do only one thing at a time and don't multitask. Studies have shown that multitasking can affect people's productivity. Shifting attention quickly between different things will cause us to expend more energy and force us to spend time concentrating again. Therefore, doing only one thing at a time is conducive to improving people's work efficiency.
2. Read and understand. Try to understand what you're reading as much as possible and incorporate it into your own thinking system. Make reading notes and put them into a card box, and the reading notes at this time will turn other people's discoveries and thoughts into their own ideas.
It should be noted that it is necessary to repeat what you read in your own words, that is, to express the original meaning as realistically as possible in different words.
3. Keep taking notes in the card box. If you also want to improve your writing level and write in-depth articles, it is a good idea to write reading notes every day. Accumulate a little idea every day, and accumulate it over time, and you will output a lot of ideas. At that time, writing articles will naturally become a matter of course.
4. Develop ideas. Index your own reading notes and strengthen the connections between them. If the idea is updated, the notes also need to be updated in a timely manner. Set keywords to facilitate the management of notes. Establishing links between notes is also a good idea, and it can be helpful as an entry point into the topic.
5. Share your insights. I take notes every day, and after brainstorming, the material for writing is more abundant. Constantly think about the connection between new and old knowledge and write it down in the form of words in a card box.
6. Make a habit. The Card Note Writing Method mentions: "The trick to developing new habits is not to try to break with old habits, and not to expect to force yourself to do it through willpower, but to strategically establish new habits and gradually replace them." "Gradually replace old habits with new ones. That's a great way to do it. Stephen Gas, author of "Micro Habits", has successfully developed a good habit of exercising by challenging a push-up every day. Beginners can start practicing with 300 words a day, and if you feel that the word count is still inappropriate, you can adjust it yourself.
In addition, a toolbox is mentioned in the Card Note Writing Method, which includes four tools, namely:
Writing instrument (paper and pen are also available).
Document management tools (such as Zotero, Citavi, or other most suitable software tools).
Card box (paper or application form).
Editing tools (Word, LaTex, or other most suitable tool).
With that in mind, let's share the toolbox I used when I was writing
Writing instruments (paper and pen).
Literature management tools (WeChat reading, computer desktop folder, QQ).
Card box (with Daoyun notes). Evernote has also been used, and both of these are quite useful. However, I am more accustomed to using Youdao Cloud Notes.
Editing tools (I used to use Word a lot, but I recently started using graphite documents, and I feel super easy to use!) ）。
Luhmann said: If you don't write, you can't think. A good writing process will produce a multiplier effect with half the effort. The Card Note Writing Method has given a concise enough writing process, and if you are still worried about writing, you can try the card note writing method. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", starting with a reading note every day, countless treasures are waiting for you to discover!