How to collect and manage information efficiently

A few months ago, the team invited me to do an internal sharing, the topic is how to effectively search for information. This is because I usually share some professional study documents in my daily work, and these documents often appear in time, so we will be curious about how I can find such professional and timely reference materials in a timely manner.

In fact, some of these information from the Internet search, but some are from my "personal database", which is divided into categories, easy to retrieve, so it is easy to turn out to show people. This is what I think is common sense, but after a simple sharing was well received. While encouraged, I also understand that not all people understand how important effective information is collected and organized, and that not all people have well-established methods and techniques. Therefore, finishing the written text, do something to start with

Search: "Find Information" - quickly find the precise information you need using a variety of search channels.

Integration: "save information" - in simple terms, is to customize the information you find into a personal database, according to the custom theme, the classification is stored in their own easy access to the place.

Finishing: "Information Management" - Integration of information simply without finishing, a long time will be cluttered, so there will be many people own hard disk database has been filled, whenever you need information, or need Go search. Regularly organize the collected information (categorize, de-weight, stay refined, add search-enabled tags, etc.) can significantly improve the efficiency of information search.

Initially you need a certain amount of motivation to try to start doing this, and once you are interested and persevere, it becomes a habit and an integral part of you.

Two. Efficient search technique

2.1 Build your theme keywords

It is an important step to establish the core keywords you care about.

Nowadays, the amount of information we have encountered has exploded at high speed. There are various types and sources of information, and information updates are being accelerated. Students who like to tweet microblog are all aware that once you enter the Weibo, you enter the world of countless messages and keywords, passing one message to another, it seems that time is spent.

If we do not set up some topics, it is easy to fall into the ocean of information, and the other extreme is that we do not hear the words on the window. We are afraid that the information load will be too large and the information will be deliberately avoided, thus leaving us out of touch with the times. If you as an interactive designer, you can not pay attention to the latest trend of the latest interactive community do?

Thematic keywords have several benefits:

Establish a direction to remind: Always understand what is really valuable to you, take the initiative to maintain the update of such information; Those who do not matter, you can see less or not.

Take the initiative to get information: use a variety of subscriptions, integrated tools more goals, subscribe with these words, so that information to find you.

Reduce boring time: nothing to do more busy than busy, if you can not find what you want to do, at least you can search for your keywords, find fun articles or dynamic.

Although the brain can form your own key words, but the tool can help you deepen the memory, such as Mindmanager and other brain diagram tools, affixed to your desk or desk:

After the keyword is built, it is not static and needs to be regularly evaluated and updated in conjunction with its own work. For example, I am very interested in Business Intelligence for nearly a year and I regularly check related information, but I did not know much about it last year.

2.2 make good use of your search engine!

Thematic keywords let us know what we should always be concerned about, and then we will be more efficient to find the information!

Search engine is a very important information access, as I use the skills really not senior, welcomed the search people up to communicate with me and more efficient search means.

2.2.1 identify the key words, do more with less!

Very early, I happened to see two pictures. I really like these two pictures, so I hope to see more similar pictures.

Figure 3: What key figure to retrieve these two types of pictures?

However, the first figure called what kind of map it?

What are the keywords you should use to brainstorm in the first place? Illustrations? Charts? Hand Drawings? Illustration? The results of these key words are really frustrating. However, based on the hints of the search results, replace the key words step by step until you find the result of the fly. And finally, when I found the word, I found the treasure - to find the graph on the left in Figure 3, try "Visual Thinking," or use Google to search for "visual thinking," and look for more Figure 3 Right side of the type of map, try using "infographic", or "infographic."

So, in the search, to constantly replace the more appropriate keywords, rather than keep rubbing the side. How to find suitable keywords? From the first keyword you think is feasible, do not give up. Follow the clues that come out of each search result and keep changing keywords until you get the result.

Sometimes changing to English will get you more accurate results. So this is why, my subject is bilingual. Since many Chinese results are translated from English, it is obvious that there is a small amount of missing information when looking directly at the source article.

And so on, each new language opens up a new window of understanding of the world. Take home storage terms, using Chinese "admission" to search for articles, almost just fragmented pictures and community sites in order to attract users put together the storage skills. In Japanese, "admission" to search, to see some of Japan's Web site, we can see a lot of admission surgery experience, documents and tutorials. The richness of some of the tutorials is no less than that of published books, much better than the domestic finishing touches that we put together. Such as http://www.iris-interior.com/mainichi/ Web site provided by Mr. Bonda daily admission tutorial:

About storage site, we are interested in Japanese "storage" search search, you can not find what I want.

2.2.3. Change the search method, the same thing

If the web search can not get the desired result, you can change the search type, such as search images, and then link to the valuable website through the image.

I often use file search, which usually means better and more systematic organization than regular web pages, making your information more effective.

How to use search engines to search documents?

If you use google, add inurl: pdf before the search term.

If you are using Baidu, add filetype: all to the search term, or to specific PDF format: filetype: PDF

Such as using Baidu search business intelligence related documents:

Professional websites allow you to avoid the distress of finding the information you need in the vast amount of spam, and their information tends to be more focused. I often use professional search sites are:

slideshare.net - PPT share website, many foreign production of fine, rich and professional PPT. I often search here for documentation on visual thinking. But unfortunately, at the moment you need to go over the wall to see this site.

MBA Think Tank - a database focused on managed areas. You can search a variety of terms in the field of management, documentation, and more.

Wikipedia - If you're outside the wall or over the wall. Many are sensitive words in the country, where you can see a very full range of antecedents and consequences. Of course, if not sensitive words, Baidu Encyclopedia is also a good resource.

2.2.5. Search Tips for Books!

A small tip, no keyword inspiration, but also from the book's directory to get keyword tips. In addition to the catalogs, there is an implicitly valuable information to dig in professional books.

Here's an example of using the information provided by books to discover and find the information you really need:

Recently, I read the book "The Road to Excel Charts," and the original author of the Guide to Selecting Chart Types on page 152 is Andrew Abela. This name is a very valuable keyword! This keyword may represent: data, data analysis, business intelligence, communication and so on.

So searching for this person and seeing this person's blog is: http://extremepresentation.typepad.com/. This blog is a professional blog, the theme of communication and presentation of complex information.

And this blog advertises a book out of Andrew Abela, "Advanced Presentations by Design: Creating Communications that Dirves Action," a Chinese version of which is on the mainland and a Chinese version of "Persuasive Speaking How to make it - how to design PPT on the spot.

And then through the blog this book's website: http://www.extremepresentation.com/. This site has some pretty good information and it is recommended to take a look at the students who are interested in the demo. For example, the following two charts are also from this website:

Figure 9: Diagram of extremepresentation.com

Of course, the English version of the chart type selection guide quoted by the author of "Chart of Excel Charts" by Liu Wanxiang also has a large image on this website for download. In addition, our information mining is not over! Note, he also provided another online tool: www.chartchooser.com, this site for data analysts to choose according to their own needs different charts, the site from juiceanalytics (http://www.juiceanalytics.com/). Entering the white paper section of the Juiceanalytics website, I found "A Guide to Creating Dashboards People Love to Use," a white paper that answers just my confusion about recent work.

If you specifically look for, but not easy to gain something, and if you know your key words, your sense of smell will be very sensitive to information, under an opportunity to seize the clues, often inadvertently explore shortcuts.

Three. Convenient integration

Integration is a centralized archive of information. Search engine is convenient, but if some common things, not necessarily need to search every time. Instead, you can create a personal database on your own computer. Regardless of whether there is a network, can always refer to.

I would be accustomed to the search for valuable documents, web pages, pictures stored on your computer, but we will find that once the information stored on the hard drive, but the sea of ​​stones. Next time if needed, but still resort to search engines. On the other hand, however, the size of computer folders has grown so large that they often need to delete documents to make room for them. This method has another drawback, that is, more than one computer to use, we must use a removable hard disk or U disk, so a thing, actually have to back up three.

Later, with Dropbox and other applications, more convenient to share files, but the capacity is limited, but sometimes shielded. Later naturally there is a good domestic service, such as 360 cloud disk, you can have as much as 5G of space, to achieve cloud, multi-client shared files. If you have any needs, may wish to give it a try.

These network disk, cloud disk and other services, to solve the need for simultaneous storage of multiple clients. However, my daily work, but also ultimately, the following small applications, as an effective complement to the means of integration. Their characteristics are:

Convenient call - do not need to be stored and re-upload as you need to use the network disk, ready to use, without interrupting the current work. For example, in the course of a task, encountered a good document, want to archive after reading. With just one click you can integrate into your own subject categories, such as pre-configured "to read" folders, while continuing to perform current tasks.

Efficient retrieval - Ability to tag integrated documents, keywords, and even full-text searches.

Cloud, client synchronization

3.1 Evernote easy integration

As a user who has used evernote for many years, I am grateful for it. It has been with my life, work inseparable. As advertised by it, it becomes part of my brain. Not only can I help remember a lot of things, but I can keep a lot of things for me at any time.

Evernote provides editing tools that can be added to the Chrome browser application to read and archive the data to be read at any time while reading the web.

evernote can be added to the outlook plug-in to help you read the mail collection important mail:

That someone will ask, this is only integrated some documents only, if it is PPT or PDF e-books how to do it? In fact, evernote can help you to archive important documents yet.

As the document size tends to be larger, free users as evernote may be too much. If you do not intend to upgrade, you can also create a "to read" folder, will need to follow-up reading documents classified under this folder, also formed a pending task, and you are in the local computer folder Also store a copy. Documents in Evernote can read one copy and only extract useful information.

Evernote's search function is also relatively powerful, able to full-text PDF search.

Evernote's Cloud Sync feature is even more handy. Clip the computer's documents, synchronization, mobile client, ipad client can instantly access to the function of the U disk replaced. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that unused people try it out.

3.2 with petal network integration map

With petals network (huaban.com) to do image integration, is a personal accidental discovery techniques, also mentioned here.

Originally, there was a folder in my computer, called a photo album, dedicated to placing various pictures from the Internet. There were photography, costumes, design materials, pets, visual thinking, stick figures, LOGO designs ... Computer, will naturally encounter the same problem, retrieval difficulties, bulky, synchronization is not easy ...

With the petals network, the petals will also be added to the Google Chrome browser application tools, you can always capture a variety of pictures on the page. These acquisitions, like the Evernote editing tools, are always available and will not interrupt your current workflow. In Petals, create your own artboard, named after the theme. In terms of pictures, individuals are more concerned about what kind of:

Photography, Pets, Interior Design, Stick Figure, Design, User Experience, Business Intelligence ... Some are about work, others are personal.

So, each collection can be pictures into their own category. You can not go to petals often, but your own database is full day by day. When you think of someday you are looking for a reference to these topics, open your own petal net, which has collected so much material available, because usually just click the mouse, so I really enjoy the feeling.

Four. Develop a good habit of regular finishing!

The ability to access information efficiently and to facilitate the integration of information, but if not regularly organized, it is inevitable that these information will be a long time will become cluttered. Therefore, just as we have to clean up our household chores regularly, this is an essential step. The word "organize" includes "check and adjust collation," "delete unwanted documents," "add a searchable tag or keyword," and so on.

Normally, computer folder or Evernote laptop, I will set up a "temporary folder" in order to store some of the documents can not be temporarily classified or information, and regularly have to focus on the temporary folder, the inside of the document properly placed To the corresponding category, so as to avoid the name of the temporary folder unrealistic, has become a hodgepodge.

4.1 Do not let your evernote explode

Since evernote is equivalent to your other brain, unorganized Evernote is the chaotic brain.

After you set up the subject key words, Evernote notebooks can also create the appropriate name, so that you can categorize different data, documents, pictures and so on. Evernote automatically sorts by number and alphabetical order of notebooks, so prefixing ABC with numbers helps me form a two-level ordering. At the same time, the letters ABC can distinguish three large categories.

Figure 14: My evernote notebook classification method

This folder system, allowing me to arbitrarily expand one of the categories, without affecting the other.

To reiterate: TEM notebook is very important!

As the opening text of this chapter argues, no matter how well the categories are refined, it is unavoidable that, in some cases in a hurry, a suitable classification can not be found and the information stored in disorder. So, to meet enough scalability, I suggest you set up a notebook called Tem (Temporary shorthand). The Tem notebook allows you to quickly store, you can form a to-do list - when nothing can be done, at least you can organize this folder, so that the inside of the document to read the deleted delete, the classified Into the corresponding notebook.

4.2 check your computer folder

Even with so many integrated finishing tools, most of our work depends on our own laptop. So if the lack of organized computer folders, it will affect our work efficiency.

I'm not good at finishing housework, but I like to organize my computer regularly. This habit probably started about five years ago. At that time, I led a small team to coordinate various tasks. Many of our work needs to be put in the shared folder to exchange and maintain. So to establish a standardized system of folders is very important. At that time, it took a lot of effort to standardize and supervise the implementation of the folder, and achieved good results.

Of course, this is a very complicated folder for content management. Our daily folder is far easier than this.

My computer's folder system:

The establishment of the folder principle:

Try to control the level of each directory in about seven folders, especially the root directory should not be too much.

Any hypothetical file can be found attribution. For example, family members suddenly come together some photo, you should put there. TEM folder role is temporary, you can naturally stack these documents TEM folder, but TEM is actually equivalent to the temporary shelter, does not mean that a fixed place. I used to add Personal folder in the E drive, the private documents, articles, pictures in this folder to create the appropriate classification.

A temporary folder is reserved under each folder to prevent the root directory from expanding indefinitely if newly received files do not know how to categorize them.

The serial number can make sorting easier. Why add the serial number in front of the folder? In fact, when browsing the folder, to appear the order of priority.

Take the study folder as an example:

Let's briefly talk about the "desktop" in my computer. I think "desktop" is a shortcut. His role is:

Shortcuts: Put our common documents and software shortcuts, so you can find them directly.

A temporary folder. The desktop is also a shelter for temporary documents. For example, someone sent over the document, you have no time to read, do not know how to classify. If you receive a TEM that is placed in any folder on drive D or drive E, it may cause you to forget it after the meeting is completed - until someone says it. So in this case, often a lot of people will be stored to the desktop. I think this is a very correct decision. At least when you boot it may see it.

But our "desktop" was abused. It is full of all kinds of shortcuts that are not needed at all, and is full. Just like the coffee table in your home, you have a wine opener - though you do not need it once a month, but it is on the table every day. Your wife put on a classmate, although she used it only 2 months ago. One day a relative gave you a pair of children's shoes, you temporarily put on the coffee table, and has not been finishing. A long time, your real shortcuts and valuable temporary storage does not make any sense.

My suggested desktop should look like this:

1. The background is set to make you feel good pictures, such as you and your family photo.

2. Store shortcuts for no more than 10 commonly used tools.

3. Create a TEM folder - or your desktop may not swell for a month.

In fact, the computer's taskbar is also a very important shortcut to the territory, and do not need to go back to the desktop with the tune - my most commonly used software

Will be put here, such as screenshots, color, mindmanager and so on.

Conclusion

More information collection, information sorting and organized, if not learn to use, but also at most, established a rich personal knowledge Bale.

Therefore, the most important thing is to really make good use of this information, combining our own work, living, thinking hard, practicing more, digesting this information for our own use, and then precipitating our knowledge.

Writing professional blogs is also a good way to translate information. In addition to teaching more than learning, writing a blog to show people, seek guidance, and seek exchanges will inevitably take care of the logic of the articles and the systematic series What you read, what you do, what you feel, what you think, what you get. In order to take care of the logic, but also with little more thought, more questioning, so every time a professional blog completed, but also as a class on their own well, but also digested a variety of information to their own knowledge system, this transformation, than simple It's much more effective to integrate regularly.

Only a limited personal experience, may we all have income.

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