Christine Carter: The 1-minute secret to forming a new habit | TED

Transcriber: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Camille Martínez

譯者: Ronnie Z 審譯者: Yi-Ping Cho (Marssi)

我不知道你們的狀況是怎樣

但在2020年3月居家令發布時

我一開始還大大贊同

我寫了：「接受不那麼忙碌的生活

I don't know about you,

用在家的這段時間 培養開心的新習慣」

but when our family got the stay-at-home order in March of 2020,

I came out of the gates pretty darn hot.

這些話現在看來很荒謬

"Embrace not being so busy," I wrote.

我在疫情前的生活作息快速地瓦解了

"Take this time at home to get into a new happiness habit."

有幾次我在晚餐時發現

That seems hilarious to me now.

我不只沒有沖澡或換衣服

My pre-coronavirus routines fell apart hard and fast.

我甚至連牙齒都沒有刷

就算我已經有很長一段時間

Some days I would realize at dinnertime

訓練人們透過有效的科學方法 來養成新習慣

that not only had I not showered or gotten dressed that day,

我自己卻苦苦掙扎

but I hadn't even brushed my teeth.

老實說，疫情爆發初期的幾個月

Even though I have coached people for a very long time

我有點抗拒遵守 我自己心目中最好的建議

in an effective, science-based method of habit formation,

因為我很愛設立遠大的目標

I struggled.

Truth be told, for the first few months of the pandemic,

從微小的好習慣開始培養

I more or less refused to follow my own best advice.

對我而言少了很多刺激

還不如挑戰宏大、重要、大膽的目標

This is because I love to set ambitious goals.

就拿運動來舉例

Getting into a good little habit

新冠肺炎病毒爆發時

is just so much less exciting to me

我很樂觀地認為

than embracing a big, juicy, audacious goal.

我之後還是可以回到戶外跑步

我選擇了進行半馬訓練

Take exercise, for example.

花了大約一週精心安排

When the coronavirus hit,

I optimistically embraced the idea

非常周詳的訓練計劃

that I could get back into running outside.

但我之後就在野心勃勃的訓練計劃

I picked a half-marathon to train for

卡了幾個禮拜

and spent a week or so meticulously devising

所有的計畫跟準備

只導致了這項運動的極大失敗

a very detailed training plan.

But then I actually only stuck to my ambitious training schedule

我連一次都沒去練跑

儘管跑步訓練帶出運動的重要性

for a few weeks.

All that planning and preparation

還有帶來健康的身體

led only to a spectacular failure to exercise.

這樣的想法從未如此清晰明確

I skipped my training runs,

事實上，我們遵從我們意圖的能力

despite feeling like the importance of exercise

and the good health that it brings

投入如運動這種新習慣的能力

has never been more bracingly clear.

或是用任何一種方式 改變我們行為的能力

實際上並非取決於 我們可能付諸行動的原因

The truth is that our ability to follow through on our best intentions,

或是我們對於 應該要付諸行動的信念有多深

to get into a new habit like exercise

or to change our behavior in any way, really,

這些能力並非取決於 理解這些特定行為

doesn't actually depend on the reasons we might do it

所帶來的好處

甚至也不是我們意志力的強度

or on the depth of our convictions that we should do so.

這些能力取決於 做想做的事卻做不好的接受度

It doesn't depend on our understanding of the benefits

of our particular behavior

我很討厭事情做不好

or even on the strength of our willpower.

我認為 「要就做到最好，不然乾脆別做」

It depends on our willingness to be bad at our desired behavior.

我很喜歡擅長某件事的感覺

我之所以中斷了運動

是因為我不願意面對自己做得不夠好

And I hate being bad at stuff.

為什麼我們要接受自己 某件事做得不夠好？

I am a go-big-or-go-home kind of a gal.

要擅長某件事需要努力跟動力

I like being good at things,

and I quit exercising

because I wasn't willing to be bad at it.

它們各自佔了一定的比例

對我們而言越困難的事情

Here's why we need to be willing to be bad:

我們就需要更多動力

being good requires that our effort and our motivation

你可能已經想到了

be in proportion to each other.

動力不是我們能控制的

The harder something is for us to do,

the more motivation we need to do that thing.

不論我們喜不喜歡

動力總是來來去去

And you might have noticed,

許多研究顯示

but motivation isn't something that we can always muster on command.

當動力開始削弱，人類就會傾向於

選擇最不費力的方法

Whether we like it or not,

motivation comes and motivation goes.

也就是我們只做最簡單的事

When motivation wanes,

養成新的習慣總需要大量的努力

plenty of research shows that we human beings

因為改變真的很困難

tend to follow the law of the least effort,

要建立一個運動習慣

meaning we just do the easiest thing.

我要允許自己不夠厲害

New behaviors tend to require a lot of effort,

我必須停止想要成為真正的運動員

because change is really hard.

To establish an exercise routine,

於是我又開始運動

一次只做一分鐘

I needed to let myself be kind of half-assed about it.

每天早上刷牙後

I needed to stop trying to be an actual athlete.

我會換下睡衣，走出門

我唯一的目標就是完整地執行一分鐘

I started exercising again

by running for only one minute at a time.

其實這些日子我通常跑15或20分鐘

Every morning, after I brushed my teeth,

I'd change out of my pajamas and walk out the door,

但有幾天我完全沒有動力

my only goal, to run for one full minute.

或是我單純覺得沒有時間

我依舊每天跑一分鐘

我付出最少的努力 都還是比我什麼都沒做好太多

These days, usually I actually do run for 15 or 20 minutes,

but on the days that I'm totally lacking in motivation

或許你有同感

or I just feel like I have no time,

或許你曾經在改善自己的嘗試中

I still do that one minute.

經歷過失敗

And this minimal effort always turns out to be way better than if I did nothing.

也許你想要減塑

或是想要更常冥想

或是在對抗種族歧視上做得更好

Maybe you relate.

Maybe you've also failed

或許你想要寫書

in one of your attempts to change yourself for the better.

或吃更多葉菜

Perhaps you want to use less plastic

有個好消息是

你可以做得到

or meditate more

or be a better anti-racist.

現在就可以開始

Maybe you want to write a book

唯一的要求就是 你必須停止追求完美

or eat more leafy greens.

I have great news for you.

You can do and be those things,

你要拋棄你遠大的計畫

starting right now.

至少暫時要拋棄

The only requirement is that you stop trying to be so good.

你要去做一些很微小的事

總比什麼都沒做來得好

You'll need to abandon your grand plans,

所以現在，請你自問：

at least temporarily.

要如何把你要做的事情

You'll need to consider doing something so minuscule

that it would be better than not doing anything at all.

變成你每天不用多加思考 就能輕鬆完成的小事

So right now, ask yourself:

這些小事可以是午餐 吃三明治配一片生菜

How you can strip that thing that you have been meaning to do

或是走出門散步一分鐘

into something so easy you could do it every day with barely a thought?

別擔心，你之後會做得更多

「總比什麼都沒做來得好」的這種行為 不會是你的最終目標

It might be eating one piece of lettuce on your sandwich at lunch

但現在有什麼事是你能做 而且簡單得不得了

or going for a one-minute walk outside.

就算沒有一件事照著計劃走 也可以做的？

Don't worry -- you'll get to do more.

This better-than-nothing behavior is not your ultimate goal.

即使最後你想要完成的更多

But for now, what could you do that is ridiculous easy

請記住，人常常太過勞累

壓力太大、太過焦慮

that you can do even when nothing is going as planned?

以至於無法去做我們真正想要做到的事

Even though you ultimately might want to do more and be more,

無法成為我們最想成為的那種人

remember that we humans are often too tired

在那些日子裡

and too stressed

我們野心勃勃的行為 真的總比什麼都沒做好

and too distracted

to do the things that we really do intend to do

一分鐘的冥想讓人感到很放鬆

and to be the people that we most intend to be.

一片蘿蔓生菜剛好有0.5克的纖維素

On those days,

our wildly ambitious behaviors really are better than nothing.

還有大量的營養素

走路一分鐘能讓我們到戶外走走

A one-minute meditation is relaxing and restful.

這正是我們身體所需的

A single leaf of romaine lettuce happens to have a half a gram of fiber

所以請試著做一件 「總比什麼都沒做來得好」的事

and loads of nutrients.

看看事情會如何發展

A one-minute walk gets us outside and moving around,

記住，目標是要重複地做

而不是有很好的成就

which our bodies really need.

So try doing one better-than-nothing behavior.

讓自己在每一件要做的事情上 都表現平庸一點

See how it goes.

但每一天都要表現平庸

The goal, remember, is repetition,

只要前進一小步

但是每天都要往前進

not high achievement.

So let yourself be mediocre at whatever you're trying to do,

你的「總比什麼都沒做來得好」的習慣

看起來沒有真的 比什麼都沒做來得好的話

but be mediocre every day.

就想想，至少你已經開始了某件事

Take only one step,

而開始的第一步總是最難的

but take that step every day.

If your better-than-nothing habit

藉由開始某件事

doesn't actually seem better than doing nothing,

我們能在腦中建立神經通路 培養新的習慣

consider that you're getting started at something

這讓我們在未來

and that initiating a behavior is often the hardest part.

面對更具挑戰性的任務時 成功的機會更高

By getting started,

we're establishing the neural pathway in our brain

這是為什麼呢?

因為一旦我們在腦中建立了習慣的連結

for a new habit,

which makes it much more likely that we'll succeed with something

我們無須多加思索就可以完成

more ambitious down the line.

因此不需要太多的意志力和努力

Why is this?

Well, it's because once we hard wire a habit into our brains,

「總比什麼都沒做來得好」的習慣

可以讓你非常輕易不斷重複

we can do it without thinking,

and therefore without needing much willpower or effort.

一直到你駕輕就熟

這是因為我們無論如何都做得到 就算我們沒有動力

A better-than-nothing habit

就算我們很疲累

turns out to be incredibly easy to repeat again and again

就算我們沒有時間都做得到

一旦我們能夠下意識地開始某件事

until it's on autopilot.

This is because we can do it even if we aren't motivated,

這樣的黃金時刻

正是可以開始擴大我們的習慣的時候

even if we're tired,

even if we have no time whatsoever.

持續幾天只跑一分鐘後

And once we start acting on autopilot,

我開始感覺到內心深處渴望持續跑步

that's the golden moment

that our habit can begin to expand organically.

不是因為我覺得我應該多運動

After only a few days of running for just one minute,

或是我想要讓鄰居留下好印象之類的

I started feeling a real desire to keep on running,

而是因為比起停止跑步 我更想持續下去

not because I felt like I should be exercising more,

我現在知道這件事非常吸引人

or because I felt like I needed to impress my neighbors or something,

尤其是對我們之中 那些過度努力的人而言

but because it felt more natural to keep running

你知道自己是不是這種人

來鼓勵我們去做更多

than it felt to stop.

不只是我說的 「總比什麼都沒做來得好」的習慣

Now, I of all people know that it can be incredibly tempting,

所以我一定要告誡你

especially for the overachievers among us --

當你不再願意做沒有野心的事時

you know who you are --

to encourage ourselves to do more

than our designated better-than-nothing habit.

就是你在犧牲一切的時候

So I must warn you:

這種時候你就只會刷手機

the moment in which you are no longer willing to do something unambitious

而不是去做你本來要做的事

或是躺在沙發上

is the moment in which you are risking everything.

狂看抖音影片或是網飛

It's the moment you end up checking your phone

當你覺得你「應該」做更多

instead of whatever it is that you intended to do.

你就為自己帶來了困難、壓迫

It's the moment in which you stay on the couch

binge-watching TikTok videos or Netflix.

跟自己討價還價

這個時候你抹滅了讓這件事輕鬆

The moment you think you "should" do more

甚至讓人享受其中的可能性

is the moment you introduce difficulty and force

也就是這個時候

and negotiation with yourself.

需要多更多的動力

It's the moment you eliminate the possibility that it will be easy

如果沒有動力

就會導致失敗

and even enjoyable.

很幸運地，這個 「總比什麼都沒做來得好」的習慣

So that's also the moment

that will require a lot more motivation,

背後概念不是依靠動力

and if the motivation isn't there,

而我們也不一定能激起這樣的動力

failure will be.

你不需要活力充沛

Fortunately, the whole idea behind the better-than-nothing habit

你不需要很擅長做這件事

is that it doesn't depend on motivation,

你只需要願意

which we may or may not muster.

去做毫無野心的事

It's not reliant on having a lot of energy.

去做那些比起毫無作為再好一丁點的事

You do not have to be good at this.

You need only to be willing

但我再說一次，如果你心裡 有任何反抗的感覺就不要繼續了

to do something that is wildly unambitious,

to do something that is just a smidge better than nothing.

我很開心可以跟大家說 在掙扎幾個月後

我又持續在跑步了

But again, don't do more if you feel any form of resistance.

僅只是因為我允許自己跑得不怎麼樣

我當然稱不上運動員

I'm happy to report that after months of struggle,

我以後也不會跑半馬

I am now a runner.

但我很堅持貫徹始終

I became one simply by allowing myself to be bad at it.

達賴喇嘛說過

我們的目標不是要比其他人好

You definitely could not call me an athlete;

而是要比原本的自己更好

there are no half-marathons in my future.

而我就是完全如此

But I am consistent.

To paraphrase the Dalai Lama,

當我們為了踏出第一步

the goal is not to be better than other people

放棄遠大的計畫和宏偉的野心

but rather to be better than our previous selves.

我們就開始改變了

很矛盾地

And that, I definitely am.

我們遠大的計畫和宏偉的野心 就是在那一個改變的瞬間

When we abandon our grand plans and great ambitions

in favor of taking that first step,

真正地誕生了

we shift.

And paradoxically,

謝謝大家

it's only in that tiny shift

that our grand plans and great ambitions

are truly born.

Thank you.