不只是學術：以「生活研究員」的視角，我在博士班學到的 10 個底層邏輯 / Not Just Academia: 10 Life Logics Learned as a “Life Researcher”
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博士班旅程終於結束，常有人問我這幾年的訓練到底改變了什麼？我想分享的，不是論文裡那些艱深的公式或模型，而是這幾年在研究生涯中，被迫不斷打破慣性、重組思維後所留下受用一身的體悟。
我喜歡將自己視為一個喜歡反思的「生活研究員」，思考怎麼樣做下次會處理得更好。這些體悟不僅適用於學術研究，更是一套能通用於職場、人際與生活的底層邏輯。
以下是這段旅程中，透過無數次試錯與修正，我學到的 10 個體悟，希望對你有所幫助（盡量用一些生活化的舉例來幫助理解）：
1. 看事情看本質：深入，是為了淺出
這個世界是一個充滿雜訊的複雜系統。做研究教會我最重要的一課，就是不要被表面的現象迷惑，必須不斷追問「為什麼」，直到觸及事物的核心。
但我發現，真正掌握本質的人，不只擅長解題，更擁有一種特殊能力：將複雜的概念「降維」，用白話文說清楚。
所謂看清本質，就是進行「抽象化」，剝除技術細節，理解時間的流動與變數對於事件的影響，留下核心骨幹與理解運作模式。許多人誤以為講話深奧才顯得專業，其實恰恰相反。當對一件事理解得夠深，你就能用精闢的「比喻」連結到人人都懂的生活經驗上。就像厲害的醫生不會對病人拋擲醫學術語，而是說：「你的血管像家裡的水管，卡了點油垢，通一下就好。」能把論文等級的概念講給阿嬤聽，這才是真正的看透本質。當我們訓練自己解說一個觀念的時候，是個很好的練習機會：當聽者聽不懂時，不妨思考看是否是自己沒有完全理解，或是使用不到位的比喻來講解。
2. 比較是沒有意義的
在競爭激烈的環境中，我們很容易陷入比較的焦慮。但後來我從科學研究的角度明白了一件事：每個人的「初始條件」（Initial Conditions）與「邊界條件」（Boundary Conditions）都不一樣，拿別人的進度來衡量自己，既不科學，也不公平。
我們羨慕別人的論文多、引用數高，但其實不清楚對方是經歷多少的努力與失敗才成功的。每個人都在自己的時區裡前行，當我跳脫比較的迴圈後，發現唯一的對照組只有昨天的自己。成就感不該來自於優越感，而是來自於自身的迭代與優化。「比較」跟「認識自己」的趨勢是呈現反比的，越認識自己並意識到人與人的獨特後，越能從中找到自己的價值，而不是將自己定義為比誰___。
3. 穩中求好，慢即是快
以前我也是個急性子，總覺得「快」就是效率。但研究中的教訓告訴我，太急著完成的事情，往往漏洞百出，事後除錯（Debug）花費的時間往往是原本的好幾倍。
就像組裝複雜的傢俱，如果你急著鎖死螺絲，最後發現零件裝反了，拆掉重來非常耗時耗力，而且會讓你更懊惱。現在我秉持「慢即是快」（Slow is smooth, smooth is fast）。凡事穩穩地做、多做幾次驗證，不把自己逼到死線邊緣。那種從容的「餘裕」，反而能讓大腦保持清晰，產出更高品質的結果。
4. 少即是多：專注做好一件事
我們常以為「能同時多工」是種好的能力，但「貪多」往往導致「都做得不怎麼樣」。光是把一件事情做到極致，其中包含的深度思考、執行細節以及反覆檢查，就已經耗費極大心力。
這也適用在溝通上：我們常「捨不得刪減」，什麼細節都想塞進簡報告中，結果資訊過載，聽眾反而什麼都沒記住。真正的溝通高手懂得做「減法」。與其給十個模糊的概念，不如把「最重要的一個觀念」講到透徹。把一件事做到 100 分的價值，絕對遠勝過做了五件事卻都只有 70 分。
5. 執行是點子的保護傘
大家都有很多好想法，但真正有價值的，永遠是那些把東西做出來的人。想法是廉價的，執行出成果才是珍貴的。
你一定聽過有人說：「欸，我幾年前就想過要做一個像 ___ 的方法了！」但事實是，只有真正寫出程式碼、處理並解決過無數鳥事的人，才真正擁有那個點子。唯有在實際行動中，你才會遇到那些意想不到的困難，而「克服這些困難的過程」，才是真正的貢獻與值得說嘴的地方。
6. 尊重多元，因為事實往往有許多面向
做研究到後期，我才深刻了解，很多時候想法本身沒有絕對的對錯，這是一個開放的系統。每個人的觀點，都是基於他所站的位置與視角而定。
就像觀察一個圓柱體，從側面看是長方形，從上看是圓形。如果你堅持對方是錯的，往往只是因為你沒站在他的角度。就算觀點不同，也不代表對方是錯的，可能只是「詮釋角度」不同。很多時候要越接近真相，需要傾聽與包容、彙整接納不同的觀點，才能真正理解事情的全貌。
7. 自信的動態平衡：不自大、不自卑
博士班的磨練讓我學會在心態上尋找一種動態平衡，首先定義以下：
- 自信：是對自己付出的努力與累積有篤定感。
- 自大：是膨脹了自我，信心超過了實力，往往源於無知。
- 自卑：是拿自己的短處去比別人的長處，導致自我設限。
誠實地知道自己現在的實力在哪，然後對外的展現的與實力相稱，並且努力累積實力提升自信。自大會錯失學習的機會，自卑會導致沒辦法展示真實的實力。提醒自己維持一種「適當的自信」。相信自己有能力解決未知的問題，但同時保持謙卑，不忽視現實的挑戰與他人的智慧。
8. 懂得問問題，是極高深的境界
我們從小被教育「問問題」似乎代表不懂或沒做功課。相反的，在高等研究中，問出一個好問題是一門藝術，也是一種貢獻。
你有沒有過這種經驗？演講中有人舉手問了一個問題，全場聽眾瞬間點頭，心想「對！這也是我想問的！」。好的問題能直指盲點，甚至啟發講者。當你能問出這種「高點頭率」的問題時，代表你已經進入了深度的批判性思考，這比單純的聽懂更具價值。
9. 批判思考之外，更需要溫度
這是研究生涯後期我最深的體悟。學術訓練要我們有批判性思考（Critical Thinking），要挑毛病、找漏洞，但這不代表我們要變成一個尖銳冰冷的人。
在給予回饋時，與其直接說「你這裡做錯了」，不如說「如果從另一個角度看，會不會有不同的結果？」。給予同理心而非冰冷的批判，是一種更高層次的智慧。如何降低聽眾的防禦機制與認知門檻，讓對方感受到溫度並接受建議，這是溝通的藝術。
10. 休息，是為了激發創意的潛意識
很多人以為創意是「逼」出來的，但其實靈感往往是在「放空」與「休息」時浮現的。過度勞累的大腦就像過熱的 CPU，會自動降頻，無法進行高階運算。
真正的高效，不是長時間坐在實驗室或辦公桌前，而是懂得在專注與放鬆間切換。休息不是偷懶，而是為了修復能量，是為了在關鍵時刻能有最好的爆發力。留點空白，靈感才進得來。
後記
這 10 點體悟，終究只是我個人的視角與筆記，它們不是絕對真理，也不一定適用於每個人。
將這些文字記錄下來，不只是為了分享，更是一次對自我的對話與提醒。期許未來的自己，無論走到哪裡，都能保持好奇、保持謙卑，繼續在人生的道路上，做一輩子的生活研究員。
如果你覺得這些文字對你有一點點啟發，或者你身邊也有人正在經歷類似的迷惘，歡迎分享給他們，希望對大家有幫助。
My PhD journey has finally come to an end. People often ask me what exactly has changed after these years of training. What I want to share isn't the obscure formulas or models from my dissertation, but the lifelong realizations gained from being forced to constantly break inertia and restructure my thinking during my research career.
I like to view myself as a reflective "Life Researcher"—constantly thinking about how to handle things better next time. These insights apply not only to academic research but also serve as a set of underlying logics applicable to the workplace, relationships, and daily life.
Here are the 10 realizations I learned through countless trials and errors on this journey. I hope they are helpful to you (I will use everyday examples to help explain them):
1. See the Essence
The world is a complex system full of noise. The most important lesson research taught me is not to be misled by surface phenomena; one must constantly ask "why" until reaching the core of the matter.
However, I discovered that people who truly grasp the essence aren't just good at solving problems; they possess a special ability: to "reduce the dimensions" of complex concepts and explain them in plain language.
Many people mistakenly believe that speaking obscurely makes them look professional. The opposite is true. When you understand something deeply enough, you can "abstract" it—stripping away technical details, understanding how time affects the issue, keeping the core structure, and then using a sharp "metaphor" to connect it to life experiences everyone understands. Just like a great doctor won't throw medical jargon at a patient but might say, "Your blood vessels are like the pipes in your house; there's a bit of grease stuck there, we just need to clear it out." Being able to explain dissertation-level concepts to your grandmother—that is truly seeing through the essence. Explaining a concept is great practice: if others don't understand, it’s likely because we haven't found the right metaphor yet.
2. Comparison is Meaningless
In a highly competitive environment, it's easy to fall into the anxiety of comparison. But later, looking at it from a scientific research perspective, I realized something: everyone's "Initial Conditions" and "Boundary Conditions" are different. Using someone else's progress to measure yourself is neither scientific nor fair.
We envy others for having many papers or high citations, but we rarely see the failures and hard work they went through to succeed. Everyone is moving forward in their own time zone. Once I stepped out of the loop of comparison, I found the only control group is "myself yesterday." A sense of achievement shouldn't come from superiority, but from self-iteration and optimization. The trend lines of "comparing" and "knowing yourself" are inversely related; the more you know yourself and realize the uniqueness of individuals, the more you can find your own value instead of defining yourself as being "better than _____."
3. Slow is Fast
I used to be impatient, thinking that "fast" meant efficient. But research taught me a hard lesson: things done in a rush are often full of holes, and the time spent debugging afterwards is often several times longer than the original work.
It's like assembling complex furniture. If you rush to tighten the screws, you might find later that a part was installed backward. Taking it apart and starting over consumes time and energy, and makes you frustrated. Now, I believe that "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." Do things steadily, verify a few more times, and don't push yourself to the edge of a deadline. that kind of calm "margin" keeps the brain clear, producing higher quality results.
4. Less is More: Focus on Doing One Thing Well
We often think that "multitasking" is a good ability, but "greed" often leads to mediocrity in everything. Just doing one thing to the extreme—including deep thinking, execution details, and repeated checking—already consumes immense mental energy.
This also applies to communication. We often "can't bear to cut," wanting to stuff every detail into a presentation, which results in information overload where the audience remembers nothing. True communication masters know how to subtract. Rather than giving ten vague concepts, it is better to explain "the most important concept" thoroughly. The value of doing one thing to 100% far exceeds doing five things to only 70%.
5. Execution is the Ultimate Validity of an Idea
Everyone has great ideas, but the real value lies with those who actually build things. Ideas are cheap; executing them into results is precious.
You've surely heard someone say, "Hey, I thought of doing a method like _____ years ago!" But the truth is, only the person who actually wrote the code, handled the mess, and solved the problems truly owns that idea. Only in actual action do you encounter unexpected difficulties, and the "process of overcoming these difficulties" is the real contribution and the thing worth bragging about.
6. Respect Diversity: Truth Often Has Many Facets
Late in my research, I deeply realized that often there is no absolute right or wrong in an idea; it is an open system. Everyone's viewpoint is based on where they stand and their perspective.
It's like observing a cylinder: from the side, it's a rectangle; from the top, it's a circle. If you insist the other person is wrong, it's often just because you aren't standing at their angle. Even if viewpoints differ, it doesn't mean the other person is wrong—it might just be a difference in "interpretation." Often, getting closer to the truth requires listening, tolerance, and integrating different viewpoints to truly understand the full picture.
7. The Dynamic Balance of Confidence
The grind of a PhD program taught me to find a dynamic balance in my mindset. Let's define them first:
- Confidence: A sense of certainty in one's effort and accumulation.
- Arrogance: An inflated self where confidence exceeds ability, often stemming from ignorance.
- Inferiority Complex: Comparing one's own weaknesses to others' strengths, leading to self-limitation.
Honestly know where your current ability lies, exhibit a attitude that matches that ability, and work hard to accumulate strength to boost confidence. Arrogance causes you to miss learning opportunities, while sense of inferiority prevents you from showing your true strength. I remind myself to maintain "confidence". Believe in your ability to solve unknown problems, but remain humble, never ignoring reality's challenges or the wisdom of others.
8. Knowing How to Ask Questions is a Profound Skill
We are taught from a young age that "asking questions" implies ignorance or a lack of preparation. Conversely, in advanced research, asking a good question is an art form and a contribution.
Have you ever had this experience? Someone raises their hand during a lecture to ask a question, and the whole audience instantly nods, thinking, "Yes! That's exactly what I wanted to ask!" Good questions point directly to blind spots and can even inspire the speaker. When you can ask this kind of "high-nod-rate" question, it means you have entered deep critical thinking, which is far more valuable than simply understanding the content.
9. Beyond Critical Thinking, We Need Warmth
This is the deepest realization from the later stages of my research career. Academic training requires us to have Critical Thinking—to pick faults and find loopholes—but this doesn't mean we should become sharp, cold people.
When giving feedback, instead of directly saying "You did this wrong," try saying "If we look at it from another angle, would there be a different result?" Giving empathy rather than cold criticism is a higher level of wisdom. How to lower the listener's defense mechanisms and cognitive threshold, allowing them to feel warmth and accept suggestions—that is the art of communication.
10. Rest is to Spark the Creativity
Many people think creativity is something you "force" out, but inspiration often emerges when you "zone out" or rest. An overworked brain is like an overheated CPU; it automatically throttles down and cannot perform high-level calculations.
True efficiency isn't sitting at a lab bench or desk for long hours, but knowing how to switch between focus and relaxation. Rest isn't laziness; it is for repairing energy, ensuring you have the best explosive power at critical moments. Leave some blank space so inspiration can enter.
Postscript
These 10 realizations are ultimately just my personal perspective and notes. They are not absolute truths, nor do they necessarily apply to everyone.
Recording these words is not just for sharing, but a dialogue with and a reminder to myself. I hope that the future me, no matter where I go, can remain curious, humble, and continue to be a lifelong "Life Researcher."
If you find these words even slightly inspiring, or if you know someone going through similar confusion, please share it with them. I hope it helps.