Avoid Superficial Engagement

Recently, I listened to an episode of the podcast “Half Latte,” which discussed the early struggles of Sky, a Warcraft III Human champion. Sky was not a prodigy; he faced many setbacks, but his love for the game and perseverance led him to become the champion. In my youth, I was familiar with the stories of Sky, Grubby, and Moon, often watching their match videos to learn game techniques. However, after listening to this podcast, I realized how naive I was—too young and too naive. I only saw the game as a game, and although I watched many match videos, I never sat down to systematically study the game mechanics, tournament rules, or balance issues. I never even thought of participating in competitions, not even small-scale ones at internet cafes.

Now, I realize that this superficial approach has delayed progress in many areas. For example, using ChatGPT, I often just ask questions my way, and many times I don’t get the expected results, wasting time and effort. Similarly, I was unaware of the origin of the idiom in this article’s title, “浅尝辄止” (to taste lightly and stop), only knowing that it means trying something briefly and stopping. Even now, there are many things that I do every day in a low-level, inefficient way, without continuous improvement. What is low-level inefficiency? A simple example is playing QQ Happy Landlord: if you lose 2000 tokens every day for a week and then come back the next day to collect more, it’s understandable. But if you do this for three years, losing 2000 tokens daily without trying to improve, that’s low-level inefficiency—you’re not truly engaged.

Fundamentally, low-level inefficiency happens when you’ve only learned the basics and haven’t undergone advanced training. The root cause is a flawed underlying mindset, a superficial and lazy attitude that doesn’t seek to understand the essence of things or solve problems from first principles.

When you understand and master the fundamental principles and rules of a matter before engaging in it, you avoid low-level inefficiency. For example, in learning to code, using ready-made frameworks to develop a website may get a project started, but for fine-tuning and ensuring robust code, you need foundational web development and computer knowledge.

To avoid superficial engagement and do things well:

1. Understand the trade-offs: Time is precious. If a task or skill is not essential or isn’t cost-effective (it’s better to pay for it than to learn it), don’t attempt it lightly.

2. Have a thorough attitude: If you’ve chosen to try something new, aim to do it well. Even if you don’t get immediate positive feedback, strive to improve your professional skills. As Stephen Chow said in King of Comedy, “Even a temporary actor is still an actor.” Even if you’re just playing a corpse, learn how to play it right.

3. Try to understand things from the perspectives of physics, mathematics, and game theory. Only by understanding the essence of a matter can you target your efforts, know how to start, and know to what extent to improve, like mastering microeconomics before investing.

4. Engage with experts: Don’t fear failure; learn from others and improve through failure. The confidence of “the invincible” comes from countless failed attempts. People often overestimate their abilities and knowledge in a particular field. Establishing an effective feedback mechanism, such as peer reviews or customer feedback, can help you better understand your position and where you need to improve.

5. Maintain passion: Only genuine passion can keep you motivated. The world is constantly changing, with new technologies and methods emerging all the time. Continuous learning will not only keep you up to date but also maintain a positive, proactive attitude.

6. Reflect and review: After completing a task or project, take some time to reflect and review. Identify what was done well, where improvements can be made, and how to do better next time. This habit will help you continually progress.