一周只练一种德行
富兰克林没有同时盯住所有德行。他给每一项安排一周,晚上只记录当天犯下的错误。先把第一行保持干净,再把注意力移到下一行。十三周完成一轮,一年可以重复四次。
他的十三项德行和行动标准是:
1. Temperance Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation. 2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. 3. Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. 4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. 5. Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i. e., waste nothing. 6. Industry. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. 7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly. 8. Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty. 9. Moderation. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve. 10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation. 11. Tranquillity. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable. 12. Chastity. 13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
顺序也经过设计。节制先保证头脑清醒,沉默让人多听少说,秩序腾出时间,决心维持后面的练习,节俭和勤劳则帮助他摆脱债务、获得独立。
Temperance first, as it tends to procure that coolness and clearness of head, which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up, and guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient habits, and the force of perpetual temptations. This being acquir'd and establish'd, Silence would be more easy; and my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I improv'd in virtue, and considering that in conversation it was obtain'd rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue, and therefore wishing to break a habit I was getting into of prattling, punning, and joking, which only made me acceptable to trifling company, I gave Silence the second place. This and the next, Order, I expected would allow me more time for attending to my project and my studies. Resolution, once become habitual, would keep me firm in my endeavours to obtain all the subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry freeing me from my remaining debt, and producing affluence and independence, would make more easy the practice of Sincerity and Justice, etc., etc. Conceiving then, that, agreeably to the advice of Pythagoras[67] in his Golden Verses, daily examination would be necessary, I contrived the following method for conducting that examination.
I determined to give a week's strict attention to each of the virtues successively. Thus, in the first week, my great guard was to avoid every the least offense against Temperance, leaving the other virtues to their ordinary chance, only marking every evening the faults of the day. Thus, if in the first week I could keep my first line, marked T, clear of spots, I suppos'd the habit of that virtue so much strengthen'd, and its opposite weaken'd, that I might venture extending my attention to include the next, and for the following week keep both lines clear of spots.
这套方法和 两分钟法则:缩小入口,守住决定性时刻 有同一个实际考虑。目标太多会让注意力分散,先缩小当前动作,才有机会获得重复。行动与准备:重复比完美计划更能形成习惯 说明了重复为什么比继续完善道德计划更有用。每晚标记过失,也把原本容易忽略的行为重新带入意识,作用接近 习惯计分卡。这也与《Atomic Habits》里的习惯追踪有关。富兰克林记录的不是连续成功天数,而是每天出现的过失。
账簿没有把他送到道德完美,后续见 没做到完美,练习仍然改好了人。
注意力有限,富兰克林一次只盯一条,暂时把其余德行交给已有习惯。
习惯回路:提示、渴望、反应与奖励 和 实施意图与习惯叠加:提前规定行为入口 也在尝试为重复行为安排条件,身份型习惯:身份由重复行动提供证据 说的是重复到最后改的是什么。富兰克林那本小册子每天画点,也是一种 habit tracker。
怎么做一件事,就是怎么做每件事 站在相反的立场上,认为德行不可分割。德行在道理上是否可分,与练习时是否要分配注意力,是两个问题。富兰克林选择了一次集中练一项。
修女不能只祷告,还要成为自己的祈祷者 是同一件事的另一种说法。 ——收入 读书笔记 · 廊下的功课
Links to this note
- Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
书里最完整的一条线,是他如何把品格变成可以记录的日常练习。道理见 道德确信不够,德行还要练成习惯,方法见 一周只练一种德行,结果见 没做到完美,练习仍然改好了人。这套做法比《Atomic Habits》早得多,但已经包含了缩小目标、重复行动和记录反馈。
- 修女不能只祷告,还要成为自己的祈祷者
一周只练一种德行 是富兰克林给的具体办法。知识可以很脆弱,因为它不是靠理解装进去的 讨论另一条边界:记住说法,也未必理解了它。 ——收入 读书笔记 · 一得
- 假道学会弄假成真
身份型习惯:身份由重复行动提供证据 是这条最系统的版本: 身份不靠宣称,靠一件件做过的事提供证据 ,而做的时候动机是什么并不进入这份证据。一周只练一种德行 是富兰克林照这个顺序设计的一整套办法,道德确信不够,德行还要练成习惯 是他自己给的理由: 知道什么是对的,和在那一刻做出来,中间隔着一整套习惯。
- 提取时越费力,记得越牢
一周只练一种德行 和 习惯回路:提示、渴望、反应与奖励 讲的是行为那一侧, 而这条讲的是记忆本身也需要被间隔地拉扯一次才长得住。
- 道德确信不够,德行还要练成习惯
富兰克林接下来的做法见 一周只练一种德行。他没有继续增加道德论证,而是把十三种德行拆开练习,每天检查过失。这里最值得留下的判断很朴素:行为已经由习惯控制时,再正确的观点也未必够用。