8小时工作不适合脑力劳动 :5招教你放松大脑

 　　The eight hour workday became the norm after the Ford¹ Motor Company found that number resulted in maximum productivity at its factories. But there is a major problem with this: the idea of an eight-hour day with a short lunch break is based on the most effective formula for physical labor², not mental work and certainly not creative mental work. One of the best ways to recharge is to engage in something different.

　　自从福特汽车公司发现员工每天工作八小时效率最高，八小时就成了标准工作时间。但是问题在于：每天工作八小时，中午休息一段时间是针对体力劳动提出的，对于脑力劳动或者创造性要求高的脑力劳动是不适用的。让大脑恢复活力的最好方法就是做不同的事情。

　　Here are five other ways to give your brain a break during your workday:

　　下面这五种方法教你在工作日放松大脑：

　　1. Take a moment to do something you love. Take advantage of what’s at or near your office. Being fully³ engaged in an activity lifts the mood and contributes to feelings of overall well-being⁴.

　　1. 花一些时间做你喜欢做的事。充分利用办公室里或者周围能让你感兴趣的东西。全身心地投入到能让你心情愉悦、感觉良好的活动中。

　　2. Get in touch with nature. Being outside activates⁵ different brain regions than sitting inside, as most of us do for the majority of our workday. Simple ways to incorporate nature include taking a walk in a nearby park or regularly having lunch outside.

　　2. 享受大自然。上班时间，我们几乎都坐在室内，但是户外活动能使其他一些大脑区域活跃起来。融入自然最简单的方法就是在附近的公园散步或者在户外吃午餐。

　　3. Be physically⁶ active. Company-sponsored yoga classes and in-office gyms are becoming increasingly common, with good reason. Exercise is good for our brains. If you can’t get in a full workout, don’t fret⁷: stretching for five minutes or even using a standing⁸ desk makes small changes that can spur creativity and recharge your batteries.

　　3. 活跃身体。公司资助的瑜伽课以及办公室内的健身操越来越普遍，这是个好现象。运动对大脑有好处。如果你不能完成一整套健身操，不要担心，花个五分钟伸展身体或者利用写字台做一些刺激大脑创造力的运动，给你的大脑充充电。

　　4. Nap. I’ll admit that this is the hardest to do in a typical office environment, but if you can find a way, the benefits are huge. Some offices actually have sleeping pods, but for those that don’t, slip out into your car for a power nap. Much of what happens in the brain while we sleep is still unknown, but what is certain is that people perform better in terms of memory and concentration after a nap.

　　4. 小憩。我必须承认在办公室里很难做到这一点。但是你总能找到办法，小睡的好处是巨大的。一些办公室会提供睡觉的吊床，如果没有，去你的车里睡吧。我们还不了解睡眠时大脑所有的活动，但是可以确定的是，睡觉之后人们的记忆力更好和注意力更集中。

　　5. Do nothing. If a snooze isn’t possible, then simply sit in a quiet place and allow yourself to relax for ten minutes. Just as when sleeping, important mental processes occur when we daydream⁹.

　　5.什么都不做。如果无法小睡的话，就找个安静的地方放松十分钟吧。和睡眠一样，做白日梦时大脑也会进行一些重要调整。

　　Brain breaks can make a big difference in your ability to be productive, creative, and innovative¹⁰. The paradox¹¹ is that doing less often allows you to do more.

　　让大脑休息一下对你的工作效率、创造力、创新能力都会有所帮助，有时候少做一点事情是为了之后能够做得更多。

 

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

5 activates   

使活动，起动，触发( activate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Activates the window and displays it in its current size and position. 激活窗口，保持当前的大小及位置不变。
• Pulling out the alarm switch activates alarm and pushing it deactivates it. 闹钟的开和关是通过拔出和按入闹铃开关实现的。

6 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

7 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 daydream   

v.做白日梦，幻想

参考例句：

• Boys and girls daydream about what they want to be.孩子们遐想着他们将来要干什么。
• He drifted off into another daydream.他飘飘然又做了一个白日梦。

10 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

11 paradox   

n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物)

参考例句：

• The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
• The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。