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,

譯者: 穎君 紀 審譯者: 麗玲 辛

社會總是告訴我們， 長工時是必然的事，無法逃避，

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

過勞是榮耀，休息則等於示弱。

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

非常成功的人們早起打拚， 數十年如一日，永不停歇。

Deep down, we know this is unhealthy and unsustainable.

在心底，我們都知道這樣不健康， 總有一天一定會倒下。

But is there an alternative?

那，有沒有其他方法呢？

[The Way We Work]

［我們的工作方式］

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

在這從不打烊的現代生活裡， 休息時間相當不被重視，

but it hasn't always been this way.

但並非一直都是如此。

Virtually every ancient society

幾乎每個古代社會都認為

defined the good life as balancing work and rest,

拿捏好工作和休息的比例 才叫美好生活，

and recent research in neuroscience and psychology

最近的神經科學和心理學研究也指出

has shown that rest strengthens our brains,

休息能夠強化大腦，

enhances our learning and stimulates our creativity.

提升學習功效，刺激創造力。

History's most accomplished scientists,

歷史上成就最輝煌的科學家、

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

作家和軍官的工作時間 都遠比現代人的工時短，

and built daily routines full of downtime.

一整天的行程裡排了許多休息時間。

People like naturalist Charles Darwin and geneticist Barbara McClintock,

博物學家查爾斯・達爾文以及 細胞遺傳學家芭芭拉・麥克林托克

who both took daily walks,

每天都會出門散步，

knew that work and rest are not opposites,

他們知道工作和休息並非對立，

they are partners.

而是相輔相成。

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

要做到工作休息互不耽誤， 人才能真正的健康發展。

Here's where you can start.

你可以開始這麼做。

First, rethink what rest is.

首先，重新思考「休息」這回事。

Getting enough sleep at night is key,

晚上睡飽是關鍵，

and 20-minute naps are wonderful for a boost.

20 分鐘的午休也很有助益。

But when it comes to taking downtime in the day,

但在一天中的「停機時間」，

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

最能讓你恢復活力的活動 並不是窩在沙發上盯著螢幕。

The best rest is active:

最棒的休息方式其實是動起來—

exercise, hobbies, walks.

做運動、有興趣的活動，或散步。

These recharge our mental and physical batteries more effectively

這些活動能幫我們同時充飽 心理和生理的能量，

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

並提升體力和復原力，窩在沙發上 耍廢可得不到這些好處。

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

休息是種本能，也是種技能，

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

經過練習，就能更得心應手。

Just as athletes, singers and Buddhist monks use breathing

就像運動員、歌手、和尚， 利用呼吸調節，

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

跑得更快、歌聲傳遞更遠， 或者平靜心靈，

we can use rest to boost our creativity and recovery.

我們也可以利用休息來 提升創造力、修復身心。

Second, integrate it into your daily work.

第二，把休息融入你工作的時間。

Athletes get the best results combining intensive training and recovery.

運動員把休息融入緊湊的訓練， 從而得到最佳成果。

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

同樣的道理，從事創造性工作的人 應該在專注的深度工作時段中間，

with periods of deliberate rest.

夾幾段刻意安排的休息。

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

總之，安排固定日程， 讓你專注、進入心流狀態，

for four or five hours a day, every day.

每天工作四到五小時。

Make those periods more intensive, not longer,

屏除讓你分心的事物， 讓工作時段專注力更高，

by killing distractions.

而不是拉長工時。

Give yourself permission to turn off email and messages

容許自己關掉電郵和簡訊通知，

and concentrate on what matters.

專心處理眼前要務。

And then, if you have the flexibility,

之後，如果還剩一點彈性時間，

give yourself a nice, long, active break.

那就讓自己好好休息一下，活動身體，

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

這段休息會活化富創造力的潛意識， 處理未解決的難題，

while you recover

同時恢復元氣，

and generate those insights and aha moments

產生洞察和瞬間的頓悟，

that turn good ideas into breakthroughs.

將好主意轉化為重大突破。

And if you don't have that flexibility,

如果沒有剩餘的彈性時間，

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

工作結束後，想辦法確保自己

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

實踐這些原則，幫自己安排休息時間。

Third, tap into deep play.

第三，從深度放鬆中獲得能量。

Creative, passionate people need breaks from their work,

創造力與熱情滿溢的人需要休息，

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

但如果休息不像工作一樣有趣，

or they won't take them.

他們就選擇不休息了。

Many scientists and CEOs are amateur painters,

許多科學家和執行長工作之餘，

musicians or chefs on the side.

會畫畫、製作音樂或者下廚。

These are hobbies that provide the same sense of accomplishment,

這些嗜好帶給他們成就感、

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

掌控感、精熟技藝，以及心流狀態， 就像工作狀態極佳時的情形，

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

只不過情境不同， 但一樣有具體、及時的回饋。

Often, their interests date from childhood,

這些嗜好大多在小時候就培養起來，

which makes them even more meaningful.

因此更具深遠意義。

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

當你投身於某項活動， 感到活力充沛、與世界連結，

It's not a distraction.

這不算是打混。

It'll give you new experiences and the same pleasures

這些活動會帶給你嶄新的體驗，

在最佳狀況時，帶給你 跟工作一樣的快樂及回饋。

and rewards as work at its best,

Without the compromises or ambiguities that often cloud things.

不必妥協、沒有模稜兩可的模糊地帶。

Fourth, make rest social.

最後，讓休息變得有社交性。

The working world isn't designed for rest.

工作環境並不太適合休息，

We have to take it.

這點我們必須接受。

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

一個很有效的方法是， 確保自己休息的時候，

is to do it with others.

有人和你一起休息。

So start work early

早點去上班，

and meet a colleague for a walk in the afternoon.

然後下午約同事一起散步，

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

或和你的工作夥伴一起喝茶。

Or make a childcare-swapping arrangement with a friend

也許和朋友約好， 幫忙照顧彼此的小孩，

to give you both more time for rest.

這樣，你們都能有更多時間休息。

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

請切記，忙碌又熱愛工作的人 不容易靜下來休息。

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

需要長時間實踐、發展出自己的方式， 才能讓休息變成習慣。

You can't rush it.

不可以急躁。

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

就像你習慣新工作或新家 需要時間一樣，

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

心靈也需要時間， 來好好利用休息的能量。

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

別責怪自己之前都沒這麼做，

There's no better time to start than now.

現在開始，就是最棒的!