Summary of the Core Content
This article is a comprehensive reading methodology shared by journalist Du Ruifeng, which covers everything from "selecting the right articles" to "transforming knowledge into personal skills." It addresses the issues of how to read valuable content and how to internalize what you’ve learned. The method includes criteria for selecting articles, dimensions for analyzing them, strategies for forced output, building a knowledge base, and rapid cross-industry learning. Ultimately, the goal is to turn information into transferable skills—these methods can help you grow rapidly in any industry, even if you don’t work in journalism.
1. Selecting the Right Articles: Three Criteria to Save Time
Not all content is worth delving into. To determine whether an article is worth your time, consider these three points:
- Does the topic have significant societal relevance? Some topics reflect important public issues (such as the plight of migrant workers or the relationship between AI and humans). Reading such articles can help you develop a deeper understanding of core issues and enable you to quickly apply this knowledge in related contexts. For example, articles like “The Third Generation of Migrant Workers Reentering Factories” and “A Tsinghua Professor’s Daily Life with AI” are worth reading multiple times.
- Is the approach unique? Some topics may be common, but the angle from which they are presented can make them interesting. For instance, an article about a journalist working in a traditional media outlet might gain interest if it explores the pressures of the job and leadership styles through personal anecdotes.
- Does the article provide new and useful information? Look for fresh, practical insights that you don’t already know. For example, an article on how to apply for new emojis could be valuable; conversely, if a title summarizes all the information (e.g., “Non-technical Jobs Require AI Knowledge”) but the body doesn’t offer any useful details (like resume writing tips), it’s not worth reading.
2. Analyzing Articles from Four Dimensions
Many people only focus on what is being said in an article, but Du Ruifeng suggests breaking it down from four different perspectives to learn better writing and critical thinking skills:
- Information: Focus on the main points, new insights, and what is not explicitly mentioned. For example, while an article about the Tengger Desert explosion discusses potential dangers, if only a brief mention is made in the body, it fails to convey the key message effectively.
- Logic: Consider the order of the narrative to ensure it makes sense. A well-structured article guides the reader through the content step by step.
- Structure: Pay attention to how the author captures the reader’s attention, using techniques like setting a scene or using a logical structure to keep the reader engaged.
- Expression: Learn from good writing practices and avoid common mistakes in language and grammar.
3. Output What You’ve Learned
Just reading articles is not enough; you must apply what you’ve learned. Du Ruifeng recommends:
- Forcing yourself to write reflections: Even if it’s just a short sentence, such as “Is the interviewing approach in this article appropriate?” or “Why use ‘endure’ instead of ‘bear’?”
- Discussing with others: Sharing your thoughts in a group can lead to deeper understanding and new insights. For example, discussing the unmentioned aspects of an article can reveal the author’s intentions and even inspire new topics for writing.
4. Building a Personal Knowledge Base
A knowledge base is more than just collecting information; it’s about making it dynamic and continuously growing:
- Basic step: Use tools like WeChat to save relevant articles for easy access later.
- Advanced step: Organize the content into categories using tools like Notion or Obsidian, creating a systematic framework.
- Advanced step (with AI assistance): Use AI to integrate your thoughts and reflections into the knowledge base. This way, when you need information on related topics, the AI can help you retrieve it, keeping your knowledge up-to-date.
5. Rapid Cross-industry Learning
Du Ruifeng uses his experience learning about AI as an example to explain this process:
- Broad reading: Gather industry news to understand the basics, including what people are discussing, key concepts, and leading players.
- Identifying practical applications: Identify creators of valuable content and try out related products to gain hands-on experience.
- Forced output: Create products or share your insights to force yourself to delve deeper into the subject matter.
- Completing the cycle: Organize your knowledge into a system that allows for continuous learning.
These skills are transferable. For instance, even after leaving journalism, Du Ruifeng applied these methods to become an expert in AI and excelled at writing press releases.
Three Final Tips
- Allocate Your Time: Spend 60% on broad reading to expand your knowledge, 30% on targeted learning to improve specific skills, and 10% on in-depth analysis to build a solid foundation.
- Output What You Learn: Acting on what you’ve read is essential for internalization.
- Build Your Information Assets: Your reading and thinking efforts become valuable assets that contribute to your competitiveness.
These methods can help you grow rapidly in any industry because they teach you how to learn, think, and apply knowledge effectively.