3 rules for better work-life balance | The Way We Work, a TED series

Transcriber: Leslie Gauthier Reviewer:

For so many of us,

翻译人员: Mia Miao 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

对于我们很多人来说，

myself included,

包括我自己，

our days feel filled with a million small interruptions.

我们的日子感觉像是 被一百万个小中断填满，

And this is true even of our days off.

即使在我们的休息日也是如此。

Maybe you've taken a call at the beach,

也许你在海滩上接过电话，

texted your boss from the grocery store

从杂货店给你的老板发过短信，

or emailed a colleague while on a picnic with your family.

或在与家人野餐时 给同事发过电子邮件。

We’ve convinced ourselves that these behaviors are no big deal.

我们说服了自己： 这些行为没什么大不了的。

It's just one email.

只是一封邮件而已。

But there's a real cost to these interruptions,

但是这些中断是有真正的代价，

and there are smart strategies we can all take

而我们都可以采取一些良策

to better protect our time.

来更好地捍卫我们的时间。

(Music)

（音乐）

[The Way We Work]

【我们的工作方式】

These moments seem so small at the time,

这些时刻在当时显得那么渺小，

and yet research suggests they add up to a tremendous loss.

然而研究表明他们加起来 是一个巨大的损失。

The constant creep of work into our personal lives

工作不断侵入我们的个人生活，

can increase our stress

会增加我们的压力，

and undermine our happiness.

并毁掉我们的幸福。

So just what is the cost?

那么代价是什么呢？

In one study,

在一项研究中，

researchers recruited parents who were visiting a science museum with their kids.

研究人员招募了一些家长， 带着孩子参观科学博物馆。

Some parents were told to check their phone as much as possible;

一些家长被告知要尽可能多地 查看他们的手机；

others were told to check their phone as little as possible.

其余的则被告知尽可能少地 查看他们的手机。

After the visit,

参观结束后，

parents who used their phones reported

看手机的家长报告说，

that the experience was significantly less meaningful.

这次经历的意义显著降低，

They also felt much lonelier.

他们也感到更孤独。

In another study,

另一项研究中，

tourists who were asked to have their phones out

游客被告知拿出他们的手机，

while visiting an iconic church

同时参观一座标志性教堂，

remembered fewer details a week later.

他们一周后记得的细节更少。

And in my research,

而在我的研究中，

employees who were paid for their performance

按业绩获得薪酬的员工，

spent increasingly less time interacting with friends and family,

花在与朋友和家人 互动上的时间越来越少，

and more and more time interacting with colleagues and clients.

而花在与同事和客户 互动上的时间越来越多。

These constant interruptions come at a cost to organizations, too.

对于这些不断的中断， 企业也要付出代价。

Companies lose 32 days of productivity each year to employee depression,

公司每年因员工抑郁症 损失 32 天的生产力，

which is often caused by the stress and burnout of our always-on culture.

这通常是由压力和倦怠的 “随时在线”文化引起的。

Despite knowing better,

尽管更为了解，

I, too, have found myself focusing on “urgent work distractions”

我也发现自己 很专注于“紧急工作干扰”，

over important life moments.

胜过生活中的重要时刻。

Most recently, I found myself texting a client

最近，我发现自己 正在给客户发短信，

while in the middle of my first child’s first ultrasound ...

而那时正处在给我第一个孩子 做第一个超声波的过程中……

happy client,

客户开心了，

guilty mom-to-be.

可准妈妈却感到内疚。

When you add up all of these moments,

当你把所有这些时刻加起来，

the sum total is a life shortchanged on meaning,

得到的总和是这样一种生活： 被偷取了意义、

joy,

欢乐、

connection

联系，

and even memory.

甚至记忆。

As we remake our models of work in the wake of the pandemic,

疫情之后我们重塑工作模式，

now is our opportunity to create a new culture that respects time.

眼下就是我们的机会， 去创造尊重时间的新文化。

And the way to make this really big change

而实现这一重大改变的方法，

is through small steps that we can take right now.

是通过我们可以马上采取的 小措施来实现。

The first step that we need to take is to reframe rest.

我们需要采取的第一步 是重新定义休息。

Reflect for a moment about what you think about when you hear the word “rest.”

思考一下，当你听到“休息” 这个词时的想法。

Sounds amazing, right?

听起来真不错，对吗？

But in my mind,

但在我脑海里，

I immediately worry about not being productive enough

我马上担心生产力不足，

or letting down my colleagues.

或是让我的同事失望。

When we do have time off,

当我们有时间休息时，

we need to find ways in which we can enjoy the present moment

我们需要找到 可以享受当下的方法，

and savor the leisure time that we have available,

并享受我们拥有的闲暇时光，

as opposed to seeing it as an unproductive barrier to our work.

而不是把它看做 让工作没有成效的障碍。

One specific strategy we can take

一个我们能采取的具体措施，

is to treat our upcoming weekend like a vacation.

是把即将到来的周末看做假期。

On Friday afternoon,

在周五下午，

jot down how you would act and behave as if you were on a holiday.

写下来你将如何行动， 就好像你在度假一样。

Maybe you and your partner will buy a bottle of wine

也许你和你的伴侣会买一瓶酒，

and watch online clips of the Eiffel Tower.

上网观看埃菲尔铁塔剪辑视频。

Maybe you’ll visit a local café

也许你会去当地的咖啡馆，

and listen to some live music.

并听一些现场音乐。

Or maybe you'll go for a long walk in the middle of the day

或者也许你会在中午 去走很长时间的路，

with no phone and no agenda.

不带电话，也没有议程的干扰。

The plan doesn't have to be expensive or extravagant.

计划不一定是昂贵或奢侈的。

Another strategy you can take is to create clear boundaries

你可以采取的另一种策略 是要建立清晰的界限，

for your time off.

为了你的休息时间。

Instead of saying, "I'm out of the office.

不要说“我不在办公室，

Feel free to Slack me whenever,”

有事随时叫我”，

say, "I'll be offline.

而要说“我要休息了，

Call me only if it's urgent."

只有在紧急情况下 才给我打电话”。

To uphold these personal goals,

为了坚持这些个人目标，

work together as a team.

可作为一个团队一起工作。

Set team goals for personal time.

为个人时间设定团队目标，

Do it publicly,

公开行动、

collect data

收集数据

and hold each other accountable.

并互相负责。

These goals could sound like,

这些目标听起来像：

“I will not check email between 6:00 and 8:00pm;”

“我将不会在下午 6 点 到 8 点之间查收邮件”；

“I will have dinner with my family four nights a week;”

“我将每周和家人一起吃四顿晚饭”；

or "I will go for a jog midday."

或者“我中午去慢跑”。

Check in our your team's progress

查看我们团队的进度，

and see how everyone's doing.

并看看每个人做得怎么样。

If you or your teammates are unsuccessful,

如果你或你的队友不成功，

work together to help accomplish personal goals.

就共同努力实现个人目标。

Lastly, you can negotiate for more time

最后，你可以协商更多的时间，

to prevent work from creeping into your personal life.

来防止工作侵入你的个人生活。

In business school, I teach students to negotiate for salary

在商学院，我教学生协商工资，

but realize I spoke almost nothing about negotiating for more time.

但我意识到对于协商更多时间， 我几乎什么都没讲。

What does this look like in practice?

这在实践中是什么样子的呢？

You can ask for more time on adjustable deadlines at work.

你可以在可调整的工作期限内 要求更多的时间。

If your client asks for a deliverable Monday morning,

如果你的客户要求 周一早上交付工作，

ask for an extension until Tuesday afternoon

那就要求延期直到周二下午，

so you don’t find yourself working on your well-deserved weekend.

这样你就不会发现自己 在应得的周末里工作。

And don't worry too much about reputation.

并且不要太担心声誉。

Quality truly is the metric that matters most.

质量确实是最重要的衡量标准。

In my data,

在我的数据中，

employees who proactively asked for more time

积极主动要求更多时间的员工，

reported lower levels of stress and burnout,

报告显示他们的 压力和倦怠水平值更低，

and were seen as more committed and professional by their colleagues.

并且被他们的同事认为是 更尽心尽力和更专业。

These are small but powerful changes to not only reframe rest,

这些小而强大的变化， 不仅要重新定义休息，

but to reclaim it.

还会要重新收回它。

Once you discover the profound impact that these changes can have,

一旦你发现了这些变化 具有的深远影响，

you’ll feel empowered to demand that others respect

你会觉得有能力要求别人去尊重

and accommodate your approach to time.

并且适应你的时间管理方式。

Maybe they’ll even feel inspired

也许他们甚至会受到启发，

to piece together the fractured moments of their lives, too.

也把他们生活中零碎的瞬间拼凑起来。