【翻譯練習】就算沒有接收大量消息，也能當個消息靈通的人

How to read less news but be more informed, according to a futurist

作者：Ephrat Livni
來源：https://qz.com/1222019/stop-reading-the-latest-news-if-you-want-to-be-better-informed/?fbclid=IwAR2vU3kxS99vlnPKv9te7yBoervnQIBFYzZgK6hDM7wzIXaTcDJ840v3USY

　　你可能以為，那些收了錢去預測未來動向的人，大概手機平板時時不離手，而且一直在社群媒體上大發議論。不過事情也許不是你想的這樣。作家兼未來學者理查．華生 (Richard Watson) 會教導倫敦商學院學生和矽谷科技公司如何構思打造未來工具，不過他根本不上推特。

　　不只如此，就連新聞消息的接收方式，華生也另闢蹊徑。他會一一閱讀週日的紙本各大報，這麼做不是為了趕上一週新聞進度，而是掃視眾多標題，檢閱哪些新聞有機會在幾週或幾月後保持熱度。意思是，華生對現正進行的事件維持中立態度，任何特定時刻都放在比當日或當週還要更廣的脈絡裡。華生的這把量尺拉得很長，整個人類史以及人類可能的未來全部涵括在內。在如此長遠的視野下，不管哪件事都顯得沒什麼了不起，但是不管哪件事到最後都可能變得很了不起。

　　華生並不會特別重視那些家喻戶曉、老生常談的事情，他鎖定的是非比尋常的知識。華生分享自己如何建立聰明的資訊過濾系統 —— 這個濾網會攔住現正發生而且真正舉足輕重的資訊，不會讓爆紅卻無足輕重的資訊蒙蔽了你的雙眼。

1. 練習「選擇性忽略」

　　選擇閱讀材料時一定要記住，你沒辦法什麼資訊都得讀過一遍、想過一遍，所以要重質不重量，而且試著用大一點的框架去看事情。也就是說，在閱讀的廣度與深度之間找到平衡點。手邊的資訊愈多，吸收的資訊就要愈少愈好，而且人們消化資訊時會漸漸變得疲乏，因此確實有必要接收少而精的資訊。

2. 戳破幻想

　　華生建議我們可以隨機挑本書和雜誌，然後跟陌生人聊聊內容。這種對陌生人一時興起之舉，以及超乎尋常的溝通對話，可以打破自己既定的資訊接收模式，從中發現不同凡響的嶄新見解。

3. 尋找同溫層

　　華生提議，每個人都應該尋找富有好奇心的優秀人士建立人脈，這些人求知若渴，而且能夠啟發我們深思。有些公司把這種特出的性格稱為「高大罌粟花」(tall poppies)，華生認為朋友名單中若能有這種奇才，是我們邁向成功的助力。

4. 心動不如行動

　　「出門看看這世界吧，但是別忘了，要走一條人跡罕至的路，」華生鼓勵我們。「人類是群居動物，永遠擺脫不了從眾傾向。一定要努力對抗這種傾向。」

5. 找到值得信賴的資訊來源

　　追蹤網路上可靠、有深度、具前瞻性的內容發表網站和報導人士，讓他們扛起對資訊去蕪存菁的重責大任，為你呈上最切題中肯的資訊。若是此種網站或人士著重於縝密分析而非散播恐慌消息，你便能接收到有價值的精闢洞見。華生尤其推薦精讀優質報紙的週末版。

6. 冷靜，冷靜

　　「放心，」華生寫道。「重要的資訊會自己來找你，一定會。」華生相信，對你切身相關的資訊，會自己找路來到我們眼前，至於每天轟炸我們的繁雜資訊，大多只是過目即忘的瑣事。

7. 訂定專屬閱讀時間

　　「每年安排一個思考週，」華生說。以微軟創辦人比爾．蓋茲為例，他會騰出時間到森林裡深刻思索科技的未來，在這段與林木為伍的休息時段，比爾．蓋茲獨擁學習時光，靜靜閱讀數十篇學術論文，補足一整年的創新思考養分。

8. 樂享寧靜

　　「學習如何深度觀察，深度聆聽，」華生主張。「嘴巴閉上，耳朵打開，永遠保持好奇心。」找到一處氣氛莊嚴的安靜環境，譬如沙漠、高山甚至教堂，總之就是能夠讓你容易靜下心反省沉思的所在。

9. 遠離社群媒體

　　常識就是眾所皆知的知識，這種東西網路上滿滿都是，不足為奇。但是求知心切的奇人蒐羅而來的精彩知識，則有珍貴價值，值得細細品味。華生說：「以懷疑的眼光看待趨勢。注意反趨勢。走非主流路線。」

10. 關機

　　最後，一週一次、甚至每晚都謝絕外界聯繫。華生說，要是你夠勇敢，乾脆不要用手機。

　　華生的作法雖不合一般常理，但是彼此之間有一致性，基本上可以歸納成一個原則：逆勢而為。頭腦清醒一點，無須隨波逐流。

You might think someone who gets paid to predict the future would be mad for gadgets and forever spouting off on social media. But you'd be wrong. Writer and futurist Richard Watson may teach London business students and Silicon Valley tech companies how to think about crafting tools for tomorrow, but he's not even on Twitter.

What's more, Watson doesn't really follow the news in any conventional way. He reads Sunday newspapers, in print, retrospectively. He's not trying to catch up but to check and see which of the many headlines turned out to be relevant a few weeks or a month later. In other words, Watson is neutral about current events. He's placing any given moment in a much greater context than the day or the week. Watson's scale is grand and includes all of human history and its possible futures. In this very long view, nothing is such a big deal, although anything may become relevant eventually.

Instead of focusing on what everyone is already talking about, Watson hunts down unusual knowledge. He shared with Quartz his approach to creating a smart information filter—a net that captures what's happening and what really matters without making you a slave to information of fleeting importance.

1. "Practice selective ignorance"

You can't read or think about everything, so keep that in mind when choosing materials and pick quality over quantity, and try to create a wide context. In other words, triangulate between breadth and depth. The more information is available, the less we tend to digest, and people are increasingly tuning out even while they consume, so it makes sense to consume less and better data.

2. "Burst the bubble"

Watson advises that we randomly pick up books and magazines, and strike up conversations with strangers. These random acts of interest in strangers and unusual communications break your information consumption routines and expose you to unique insights.

3. Find the "tall poppies"

The futurist advises that each of us cultivate a network of curious and remarkable people who are hungry for interesting information and can guide our thinking. Such remarkable characters are called "tall poppies" in some companies, and Watson believes collecting these human blooms drives success.

4. Hit the road

"Travel. But again take the path untrodden," Watson urges. "We are herd animals and the temptation is always to follow the herd. Try not to."

5. Find sources you trust

Follow reliable, thoughtful, forward-looking publications and journalists online and let them do the heavy lifting, finding the most interesting info for you. If the publication or person is focused on thoughtful analysis and not panic news, you'll hear worthwhile insights. Watson especially recommends perusing weekend editions of quality newspapers.

6. Chill out

"Relax," writes the futurist. "The important news will find you. It will." Watson is confident that relevant information makes its way to us, and that much of what we fuss over daily is just stuff that will soon be forgotten.

7. Carve out designated reading time

"Have a think week every year," Watson says. Microsoft founder Bill Gates takes time to reflect on the future of technology from deep in a forest, for example. He reads dozens of academic papers during a solitary and studious retreat in the woods, which helps to fuel innovative thinking all year long.

8. Embrace silence

"Learn how to look and listen deeply," Watson recommends. "Stop talking. Start listening. Be curious all the time." Find quiet settings that elicit a certain reverence, like deserts, mountains, and even churches, places where reflection and contemplation come easily.

9. "Get off social media"

Common knowledge is common, and there's a glut of it online. But surprising info collected by curious oddballs is precious, valuable, and worth hunting down. Watson says, "Become cynical about trends. Watch for counter-trends. Visit the fringe."

10. Go dark

Finally, switch communications off once a week and every evening. If you are brave, Watson says, dare to own no cellphone.

Watson's approach is counterintuitive but consistent, and can be basically summed up in one principle: Be contrarian. Get smart by not worrying about where the crowd is going.