How Rest Can Make You Better at Your Job | The Way We Work, a TED series

The world teaches us that long hours are inevitable and inescapable,

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: suya f.

世界教会我们长时间工作 是不可避免、无法逃避的，

that overwork is a badge of honor and resting is a weakness.

过度工作是荣誉的勋章， 而休息就是缺陷。

Super successful people rise and grind, are always on and never stop.

超级成功人士奋发向前、 永不掉线、永不停歇。

Deep down, we know this is unhealthy and unsustainable.

我们都心知肚明 这是不健康且不可持续的。

But is there an alternative?

但还有别的选择吗？

[The Way We Work]

[我们工作的方式]

Downtime is deeply undervalued in today's 24/7 world,

休息时间在如今全天候无休的 世界中被严重低估了，

but it hasn't always been this way.

但这不是常态。

Virtually every ancient society

几乎每一个古代社会

defined the good life as balancing work and rest,

都将“美好生活”定义为了 劳动与休息的平衡，

and recent research in neuroscience and psychology

近期有关神经科学和心理学的研究

has shown that rest strengthens our brains,

表明休息可以强化我们的大脑、

enhances our learning and stimulates our creativity.

增强我们的学习、 激发我们的创造力。

History's most accomplished scientists,

历史上最杰出的科学家、

writers and military leaders worked far fewer hours than we do today

作家和军事领袖的工作时间 比我们现在要短得多，

and built daily routines full of downtime.

日常生活中排满了休息时间。

People like naturalist Charles Darwin and geneticist Barbara McClintock,

博物学家查尔斯·达尔文 （Charles Darwin）和

遗传学家芭芭拉·麦克林托克 （Barbara McClintock）

who both took daily walks,

每天都会散步，

knew that work and rest are not opposites,

他们知道工作和休息不是对立的，

they are partners.

而是合作的。

You won't fully flourish until you can master both.

如果你不能同时掌握这两项， 你是不可能功成名就的。

Here's where you can start.

你可以从这里开始。

First, rethink what rest is.

首先，重新思考一下休息是什么。

Getting enough sleep at night is key,

晚上睡足很关键，

and 20-minute naps are wonderful for a boost.

20 分钟的小睡 也是让你补充能量的好方法。

But when it comes to taking downtime in the day,

但说到白天休息一会儿，

the most restorative rest isn't found on a couch or in front of a screen.

恢复效果最好的休息 不是在沙发上或屏幕前。

The best rest is active:

最好的休息是动起来：

exercise, hobbies, walks.

锻炼、兴趣爱好、散步。

These recharge our mental and physical batteries more effectively

它们能更有效地为我们的 精神和身体电池充上电，

and give us more stamina and resilience than being a couch potato.

比起当一个沙发土豆， 为我们带来更多的体力和恢复力。

Rest is natural, but it's also a skill.

休息是本能，但也是一种技能。

It's something we can practice and improve over time.

是我们可以不断练习和改进的技能。

Just as athletes, singers and Buddhist monks use breathing

正如运动员、歌手和 佛教僧侣通过呼吸

to run faster, project their voices and calm their minds,

跑得更快、唱得更响、平复心境，

we can use rest to boost our creativity and recovery.

我们也可以通过休息 增强我们的创造力和恢复效果。

Second, integrate it into your daily work.

第二，将休息融入你的日常工作。

Athletes get the best results combining intensive training and recovery.

运动员通过结合高强度训练 和休息恢复赢得最佳成绩。

Likewise, creative people should layer periods of distraction-free, deep work

同样，创意人士得在 没有干扰的深度工作中

with periods of deliberate rest.

有意插入休息时间。

So design a routine that lets you focus and get into flow

请设计一个让你每天可以 专心致志、进入心流

for four or five hours a day, every day.

四五个小时的工作日程。

Make those periods more intensive, not longer,

通过消除干扰，让这些时间的 强度更高，而不是更久。

by killing distractions.

Give yourself permission to turn off email and messages

允许自己关掉邮件和消息，

and concentrate on what matters.

全神贯注重要的事。

And then, if you have the flexibility,

如果有可以协调的空间，

give yourself a nice, long, active break.

给自己放一个 丰富多彩的美美长假。

It will give your creative subconscious a chance to work on unsolved problems

这会让你富有创意的潜意识 在你恢复的时候

while you recover

研究还没解决的问题，

and generate those insights and aha moments

产生一些想法和顿悟时刻，

that turn good ideas into breakthroughs.

把好想法转化成重大进展。

And if you don't have that flexibility,

如果你没有可以协调的时间，

find a way to make sure that when you're off from work

想办法确保你在不工作的时候

that you apply these same principles to at least part of your downtime.

将这些做法践行在 至少一部分休息时间中。

Third, tap into deep play.

第三，沉浸式娱乐一下吧。

Creative, passionate people need breaks from their work,

有创意、有激情的人 需要从工作中休息一下，

but those breaks have to be just as compelling as their work

但是这些休息必须 和他们的工作一样强有力，

or they won't take them.

不然就不休息。

Many scientists and CEOs are amateur painters,

很多科学家和 CEO 在工作之外是业余画家、

musicians or chefs on the side.

音乐家或厨师。

These are hobbies that provide the same sense of accomplishment,

这些兴趣爱好提供了 同样的成就感、

control, mastery and flow that they get when work goes really well,

掌控感、精通感和心流状态， 也就是工作十分顺利时的产物，

but in a different environment and with a clear, quick reward.

但出现在了不同的环境中， 还有更清晰、更快速的回报。

Often, their interests date from childhood,

他们的兴趣通常可以追溯到童年，

which makes them even more meaningful.

对他们来说意义更深远。

So embrace an activity that makes you feel alive and involved in the world.

拥抱让你感到鲜活、 融入世界的活动吧。

It's not a distraction.

它不是干扰。

It'll give you new experiences and the same pleasures

它会给你带来全新的体验和 你能从工作最佳状态中获得的

and rewards as work at its best,

那种愉悦和奖赏。

Without the compromises or ambiguities that often cloud things.

还没有混淆视听的妥协或模棱两可。

Fourth, make rest social.

第四，让休息更加社会化吧。

The working world isn't designed for rest.

工作的世界并不是为休息设计的。

We have to take it.

我们得主动去休息。

And one of the most powerful ways to guarantee that we make time for rest

我们能留出时间休息 最有效的一个方式是

is to do it with others.

和别人一起休息。

So start work early

早点开始工作，

and meet a colleague for a walk in the afternoon.

下午和一个同事一起散散步。

Or team up with your partner to perform a tea ceremony.

或者和你的伴侣来一场茶道。

Or make a childcare-swapping arrangement with a friend

或者和你的朋友轮流带孩子，

to give you both more time for rest.

这样你们双方都能多休息一会儿。

Remember, it's not easy for busy, highly driven people to rest.

记住，忙碌又非常上进的人 要休息是不容易的。

It requires developing new practices and giving them time to become habits.

他们得培养新的行为， 要点时间才能形成习惯。

You can't rush it.

急不来的。

Just as it takes time to settle into a new job or home,

就像在新工作或新家里 安顿下来也需要时间，

your mind needs time to start harnessing the power of rest.

你的脑子也需要时间 充分利用休息的力量。

Don't beat yourself up if you aren't already doing anything like this.

如果你现在没有这么做， 也不必气馁。

There's no better time to start than now.

现在开始为时不晚。