Hello there! 😁
As you can see, regarding this suddenly pushed weekly journal, as a newcomer, I wanted to write a bit more for the first issue. The reason is that work hasn't been very busy lately, and I've started to have time to organize some of the content from various app bookmarks, which I've unified into cubox and flomo. This also gives me the opportunity to review and read through the information I've filtered in the past, with the aim of not letting it gather dust. Tagging and categorizing has given me a deeper impression and connection to this information. Sometimes, when friends encounter certain problems, I remember that I have seen and saved related content, so I click to share. This process has given me some light positive feedback.
Later, during the organizing process, I discovered the newsletter subscription reading method, which cubox supports. So, leveraging my search skills (cue Jike), I gradually added nearly thirty newsletters that interest me to my email. Keeping up with and reading updates has become my way of acquiring information during my free time at work. Since the information in newsletters is high-quality content filtered by the original authors, I gain a lot from each reading and promptly underline and organize it into flomo.
When there are no updates, my appetite has also grown significantly. I started to become weary of the Weibo-style or Moments-style information, so I began searching for higher-quality content. I found websites like Read Something Wonderful and Jixin, which are sites for reading articles or personal blogs, and the content is also filtered information, which aligns well with my requirements.
Newsletter authors inform readers in advance about the release times, mostly concentrated on Sundays and Mondays, or at irregular intervals. Gradually, I began to look forward to reading such information every day. When there are updates, I read newsletters; when there are none, I read content from the two websites mentioned above. My daily reading time and volume are not fixed.
What have I gained from this? I have started to cultivate a reading habit and gained a deeper understanding of this diverse world, rather than just relying on the slow expansion of my surrounding environment. The process of actively expanding has diluted the difficulties posed by my current environment.
It has also rekindled my desire to read words, bringing me a little closer to the state I want, which is fantastic. Additionally, I recalled a flomo entry from last year, which is also one of my original intentions for keeping this weekly journal.
Let's get started! 😆
This week's music comes from Ann's "The Best Time." Coincidentally, during the Golden Melody Awards, I was moved by the segment where Ann embraced a tearful Qingfeng after winning the award, saying, "Dear good friend, if you are happy, I will cry before you." From my perspective, having once envied the friendship between Qingfeng and Zhang Xuan, this moment of embrace is indeed the best time.
The Best Way to Acquire Knowledge from Readings#
In this process, what is truly valuable is not the whiteboard you ultimately produce, but the thought process you invest in building a knowledge structure while executing steps two to four, and in titling each card and section. True understanding and insight often stem from the process of breaking down and reorganizing knowledge. Only after going through this process will this knowledge truly become your own.
The author shares their efficient methods for acquiring information and managing knowledge. Reading this reminded me of a book I recently finished and really liked, "Unlocking the Mind" by Li Ruiqiu (Lachel), the author of the WeChat public account "Mr. L." In this book, he also shares his knowledge management methods while reading information: [INKP Knowledge Management Method](Chapter 5 - Efficient Learning: Building a Lifelong Learning System P174). Both approaches are similar in that they use a knowledge map format, where each article or book is a new information project, and various information points under the project are collected. Information points of the same category form information concepts, and when a certain amount of information concepts accumulates, they form themes.
Recently, I have been organizing flomo and realized that I have been unconsciously practicing this method. For example, I often extract valuable text from my daily browsing, tag it, and link it back to the original source. The tags serve as information concepts, and when I click on a tag, I find the same category of information I have collected, which is helpful for tracing back and searching. However, my current challenge is to develop a habit of regularly organizing and rethinking the process of converting the author's words into information I can understand. Therefore, using a weekly format to "force" myself to do this is necessary.
As the original author concluded, "Tools not only allow you to take notes but also enable you to become a person skilled at learning."
Do You Know How to Manage Knowledge?#
Many visual designers and UI/UX designers believe they should spend a lot of their spare time learning and improving, which is fine. However, there is a misconception that very few people truly think about what skills are worth spending six months or even a year learning.
This article provides a clear personal perspective on knowledge management for designers. As a designer myself, I am also doing these things—following and collecting design-related newsletters and major company articles, reading some books, and trying to collect and absorb quality information, which is also a way to improve myself.
A Relatively Successful Life#
In fact, you are already great, just as I am already great. I think from Monday to Friday, we can continue to compare and compete. But on Saturdays and Sundays, we can completely let ourselves go, enjoy life, stop comparing, and immerse ourselves in our own happiness, whether that means taking photos, writing, or spending time with family.
While writing this, my child is downstairs wailing, and their mother is communicating patiently. I used to find it annoying, but recently I feel that this is the only time in a child's life when they are so sincere, unreservedly expressing their likes and dislikes. When they grow up, will they also care about others' opinions like we do, to the point where they won't even cry anymore?
Hui Ge is also one of my favorite public account authors. His article has a humorous title. What does relative success mean? It means not comparing oneself to the pursuit of absolute success in worldly fame and fortune, but rather having less anxiety, fewer worries, and striving to make oneself a little happier.
Don't Mistake Researching AI News for Researching AI#
The AI field is not lacking in news. Never confuse researching AI news with researching AI; these are two completely different fields. I cannot assert that one field is more valuable than the other, but at least I can say that these are two entirely different domains. Learning about AI news may help you become a decent AI media editor or the most talkative person at a dinner party, but it does not prepare you to be an AI practitioner.
The author's core point is to abandon reading real-time news and evaluations, and instead focus on practical experience, spending time absorbing and learning valuable information.
My Boyfriend with Depression#
He was almost begging me not to sleep, not to, not to, not to. I slowly slid down, sinking into a thick sleep, and eventually heard nothing. "I tried," I said to him in the last moment before closing my eyes, "you can't really ask me to stay awake all night."
When I woke up the next day, I knew it was too late. We went to the high-speed train station, and he remained silent for a long, long time. During the six-hour return trip, he didn't say a word. I felt like I was near a terrible mining disaster, surrounded by dead silence, yet I could almost hear the charred, rotten cries floating in the air.
This article provides a detailed and nuanced description of how a girlfriend reflects on a boyfriend with depression in the context of their intimate relationship after a breakup. It helps to further understand this group. Personally, I used to think I could empathize and understand some friends with depression I had known before, but in reality, I am not one of them.
Interestingly, there is a follow-up where the platform contacted the boy and recorded a podcast episode with the girl, which can be considered the boy's perspective on this story.
Discover Productivity Tools - toolfinder#
A website for discovering and recommending productivity tools, categorized into project management, calendar applications, AI tools, email applications, to-do list applications, integrated applications, note-taking applications, and team communication. Most of the software is foreign, but if the product is good, my lack of proficiency in English is my problem. Additionally, the website also allows you to check the latest updates for each software.
Tutorial - Hugo + GitHub Action, Set Up Your Blog Auto-Publishing System#
This is one of the more detailed tutorials I've seen for setting up a personal blog, but for someone like me who is not a programmer, it is still quite challenging to operate. Therefore, the author also recommended using a third-party hosting blog publishing platform hashnode, which also supports newsletters. So, I followed the tutorial on Bilibili and studied it, planning to try it out for a while since it is completely free. However, I am still waiting for the email confirming the domain name approval, hoping to publish with my own domain next week.
Personal Blog Recommendation - Pseudoyu#
I came across this blog recommendation while researching blog setups. The author is a backend development engineer in the web3 field and also the author of the tutorial above. He regularly shares his weekly reports, which are very sincere, and he is willing to share his personal thoughts on them, from whom I can learn. One point I particularly like about blogs is that they are personal yet public, not marketing or pretentious posts expecting likes from others.
"Minimal Diary"#
As the name suggests, it uses a minimal timeline recording method. Compared to a similar app I discovered earlier, "Heartlight," this one feels much fresher. Heartlight has many good features, but after downloading and using it for a while, I found no desire to open it. The core diary editing method seems a bit unsuitable for me: the way images are displayed is as thumbnails, which is completely opposite to what I was used to with "One Diary" on my Android phone.
Additionally, when I was using my iPhone, I intentionally looked for a new diary recording app. I originally planned to use flomo as an all-in-one solution, but then I thought flomo is still mainly for recording thoughts and fleeting inspirations. Some scattered fragments or daily events I see still need a diary app for dedicated organization. Information can be messy, and different apps can be treated as new folders.
After comparing, I still plan to use the Minimal Diary, especially since I saw the author is testing a new version and will offer a permanent membership (¥98) as a reward, so I might as well take advantage of that...
Durves - Design Pattern Tool#
A tool website for creating ripple grid textures, which can produce some nice effects by adjusting numerical combinations.
Cosmos#
It is said to be a website that aims to challenge Pinterest. I'm a bit curious; the site is quite gorgeous, and I have already submitted my email for the beta test, waiting for a response.
Built for Mars#
A website that collects user experience details, where browsing can provide UX inspiration, and you can subscribe to their newsletter.
On Friday afternoon, an old college classmate I hadn't contacted in a long time suddenly messaged me. She discovered the New Year's card I sent her 20 years ago when she submitted her resignation that day, with the message "May you have a prosperous year, everything goes smoothly, and Happy New Year" written on the back, which touched her. She sent me a message reflecting on how fast time flies. That afternoon, I was also in a bad mood due to work, but at the moment she sent the message, I felt that the day was worth it. This reminded me of an article I read: if happiness is composed of one moment after another, then a person's existence in this world, if it consists of fleeting moments in the same eternal darkness before birth and after death, then existence is already worth being happy about.
Similarly, on Friday night, I went out for drinks with five friends of Teacher K. One friend got a bit too drunk, and a funny moment occurred when I helped him to the restroom, but he insisted on going to the women's restroom to throw up. I couldn't stop him... After waiting for half an hour, a lot of girls were standing outside waiting. When I got impatient, I awkwardly explained to them that there was a guy inside throwing up... In the end, after knocking on the door with no response, I had to call the waiter to unlock the door. 😅 By the time we got him home, it was already 3 AM. Overall, it was a pretty good night.
That's all. Thank you for reading. If you liked it, feel free to subscribe or share it with other friends to let more people see it. You can also find me in these places to discuss thoughts on efficiency, work, and life:
Jike: @Yan Guanglin
Email: [email protected]
Of course, likes and comments are welcome to give me some encouragement.