不同方式的效率帝：你是早起鸟还是夜猫子？

 　　There is only so much time in the day.

　　一天只有那么多时间。

　　If you want to get more done, you really have two choices…如果你想多做点事，你就只有两种选择。

　　Stay up late. Or get up early.

　　熬夜。或者起早。

　　Which are you… an Early Bird or the Night Owl¹?

　　你是哪种人呢？早起鸟还是夜猫子？

　　Productive² Birds of a Feather

　　不同的工作方式

　　You have the same amount of time each day as everyone else.

　　你和所有人一样，每天拥有一样长的时间。

　　If you want to reach your goals and dreams you have to be willing³ to pay the price.

　　如果你想完成你的目标和梦想，就必须做好付出的准备。

　　That sacrifice often involves giving up something.

　　这种牺牲可能需要你放弃一些东西。

　　Sometimes it is your time. Sometimes it is money. And sometimes it is sleep.

　　有时所要放弃的是时间。有时是钱财。而有时是睡眠。

　　One of the best times to get ahead and be “in the zone” is when everyone else is sleeping.

　　领先别人或“进入状态”的最佳时间或许就是其他人在睡觉的时候。

　　Get up early. Or stay up late. Those are your choices.

　　起早，或者晚睡。这是你的选择。

　　Early Birds: Working Before Others Get Up早起鸟：在人家起床以前工作

　　I am an early bird. I often get asked when I get my writing work done.

　　我是一只早起鸟。总是有人问我是什么时候完成我的写作工作的。

　　The simplest answer is that I do it before everyone else gets up.

　　最简单的回答就是我在所有人起床前完成这些。

　　I usually get up at 4AM and work until the rest of the house wakes up.

　　我经常早上4点起床，一直工作到屋里的其他人起床。

　　I find that working first thing in the morning gets my day going.

　　我发现在早晨完成了第一件事后，一整天都可以顺利进行。

　　Getting a head start on the rest of the world, just feels good.

　　抢在周围所有人的前面，那种感觉好极了。

　　Many people use the excuse that they can’t get up early. Maybe they are night owls⁴…很多人都借口说起不来早。或许他们都是夜猫子......

　　Night Owls: Working With the Moon

　　夜猫子：与月亮一起工作

　　Other people prefer to stay up long after the rest of the world has crashed out.

　　另一些人则更喜欢在周围的世界进入休眠状态后熬夜。

　　They work by the moonlight.

　　他们在月光下工作。

　　They may be more productive at midnight than they are at noon.

　　比起白天，他们或许在半夜里更有效率。

　　Just make sure that if you stay up late that you are being productive. (Not watching mindless TV or endlessly surfing the Net.)一定要确定你熬夜时是否很有效率。（而不是看无脑的电视或者无止尽地上网。）Work While Others Are Sleeping

　　在人家睡觉时工作

　　It doesn’t matter which productivity⁵ bird represents⁶ your work style.

　　你喜欢哪一种效率的工作方式都并不重要。

　　They both can work. It depends on your environment and energy levels.

　　它们都可以达到效果，这取决于你身处的环境和活力水平。

　　Do you have the drive to get up early or stay up late?

　　你是否有冲动要起早或者熬夜呢？

　　While others are dreaming, make your dreams real.

　　当其他人在做梦的时候，让你的美梦成真吧。

　　Ask yourself, “What do you want more than a little extra sleep?”

　　问问自己：“你还想要额外多一点睡眠吗？”

　　Are you a night owl or an early bird?

　　你是夜猫子还是早起鸟呢？

 

1 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

2 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

3 willing   

adj.愿意的，自愿的，乐意的，心甘情愿的

参考例句：

• We never lack food and clothing if we're willing to work.如果我们愿意工作,就不会缺吃少穿。
• He's quite willing to pay the price I ask.他很愿意照我的要价付钱。

4 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

5 productivity   

n.生产力，生产率，多产

参考例句：

• Farmers are introducing in novations which increase the productivity.农民们正引进提高生产力的新方法。
• The workers try to put up productivity.工人设法提高生产率。

6 Represents   

v.表现( represent的第三人称单数 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• This represents a volte-face in government thinking. 这代表着政府观点的彻底转变。
• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history. 俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。 来自《简明英汉词典》