保持专注的七个秘密

译者 abyssamy

Most of us struggle to stay focused. We live in a world of constant distractions – where emails ping up on our cell phones, where entertainment is always just a click away.

大多数人觉得专心很难。尤其现在这个干扰诱惑不断的世界，新邮件被推进手机，一个按钮就进入游戏

The problem is, a lack of concentration can destroy your ability to work effectively. If you're not concentrating:

You'll make silly mistakes. How many times have you sent an email without its attachment? How many times have you forgotten a call that you meant to make?

大多数人觉得专心很难。尤其现在这个干扰诱惑不断的世界，新邮件被推进手机，一个按钮就进入游戏，你记得自己犯过多少低级错误么? 你有过多少次发邮件却忘发附件?   多少次瞬间忘记刚刚要打的电话?

You'll lose your thread. Ever got distracted half way through writing a sentence – only to completely forget what you were going to type?

大脑瞬间掉线。或者你曾有过打字打到一半忘记接下来要敲什么?

You'll produce shoddy work. If you can't concentrate easily, you'll end up rushing your work to meet deadlines – or you'll end up missing those deadlines altogether.

无法集中注意力，工作就难保质量，你不得不在最后时刻才奋笔疾书，或者你根本就做不完

It's no surprise that people who can concentrate and focus will do better in education, work, and life. You might think they're just the lucky ones. The truth is, we can all learn to concentrate.

毫无疑问，全神贯注的人往往在学业，事业和生活中斩获更丰厚。你也许会觉得他们很幸运，但事实上全神贯注是很容易训练的。

Chances are, you can think of plenty of times when you were totally focused on whatever you were doing. Maybe you were playing a video game, and time just slipped by. Perhaps you were deep into a book, and background noises – even loud ones – didn't distract you at all.

回想你曾全神贯注做过的事情，废寝忘食的打电玩，或者灵魂出窍的读某本书连噪音都无法干扰你。

You can access that same concentration in your work (or your studying), too. Here's how:

这种境界你同样可以在工作或者学习中达到，怎么做呢?

Find the Purpose in Your Work

找到工作的动因

It's hard to stay focused when you simply don't care. If you're doing a boring or frustrating task, look for the reason why.

如果你不在乎一件事你很难对其全神贯注，如果你在做件枯燥或者让人沮丧的事，找到迫使你这么做的动因

Perhaps you're writing a grant application to win your organization much-needed funds. Sure, that application form might be tedious – but you're doing it for a great reason

比如，你在为得到某项基金写申请，当然，申请表格可能非常乏味——但是 你这么做是有好动因

Or maybe you're studying for a particular qualification. You're not exactly gripped by the material, but you know that if you pass your exam, you'll be a step closer to your dream job.

再或者你在为一场资格考试准备。可能材料让你云里雾里，但如果你通过，离梦想职业就更近了一步

When you've got a purpose in mind, you'll be motivated to do the work. And when you're motivated, it's much easier to concentrate.

脑中有了动力，你就会被激励着工作，当你激励自己，你就更容易全神贯注

Plan Before You Start

明确你的计划

Have you ever started on a particular task, only to end up feeling overwhelmed or bewildered? Sometimes, it's a mistake to jump straight into a particular piece of work – you'll soon end up stuck.

你是不是有过 开始一项新任务，结果感到不堪重负和迷茫?  有时候，盲目的开始适得其反，因为很快你会被困难卡住。

So, any time you're tackling something big or something new, take a few minutes to plan out how it's going to work. What will you need to do first? Are you missing any pieces of information? Who can help show you what to do?

记住，在开始一项新的或者规模大的任务前，花几分钟进行计划。什么是要最先做的，有没有遗漏的信息，谁能在你遇到困难的时候求助

If you have a plan, it's easy to keep moving forwards. You won't suddenly stop and wonder what to do next (which kills concentration – it's all too easy to open up your email, or start browsing the net).

有了计划，任务就更容易进行，你不会突然停下来开始担心下一步做什么(至于什么会让人走神就请大家自助GOOGLE了)

Take Regular Breaks

规律的休息

You might think that the best way to concentrate is to sit at your desk, stare grimly at the computer screen, and try to force yourself to work for hours at a time.

也许你认为最好的专心之道就是一直坐在桌边，盯着电脑，强迫自己数小时连续工作

It's actually much more effective to work for short periods and then take breaks. If you're really focusing, you can't easily concentrate for more than about 45 minutes at a time. After that, you need to take a break to let your brain recharge.

事实上规律的休息会让你更高效。人能集中注意力的时间最多是45分钟，之后你就要让大脑暂时休息

Plus, if you know that you've got a scheduled break coming up, it's easier to stay on task. Instead of trying to work for three hours and getting distracted every ten minutes, you can tell yourself "I just need to concentrate for half an hour".

此外，如果你事前知道可以休息，你往往更容易专心工作。不要再连续工作3小时，然后每十分钟发次愣，你可以跟自己说，这次我只要专心工作半个小时

Shut Your Office Door

关上办公室的门

This one's deceptively simple – but are you doing it?

这条看似简单——但是你是这么做的么

Sure, we don't all have offices with doors to shut. But wherever you're working, find a way to let people know that you're trying to concentrate.

 当然，也许你工作的地方没有门。但当你工作的时候，至少要让别人知道你不想被打扰

That might mean telling your spouse and kids that you're going to be reading for an hour, and you'd appreciate it if they don't interrupt you. It might mean putting on headphones in an open-plan office, so that colleagues are less likely to interrupt you for a chat.

这意味着在家时，跟孩子和爱人说明，你想自已看一小时书，不要打扰。也意味着公共办公区，戴上耳机，减少同事跟你闲聊的可能。

Eat Enough – But Not Too Much

吃饱 但别太多

If you're distracted by a growling stomach, you'll struggle to focus. Your attention levels drop when your blood sugar is low – and you'll probably find yourself in a bad mood, too.

当你饿得时候你很难集中注意力，低血糖会让人精神游离甚至心情沮丧。

Don't compensate by scoffing a huge lunch. Eating a big meal mid-day will make you sleepy and lethargic in the afternoon – killing your concentration. If you have a regular afternoon slump, try spacing out your food more evenly: instead of eating a huge lunch, have a sandwich and salad at noon and a granola bar or piece of fruit at 3pm, for instance.

但不要过度补偿的去吃大餐。中午一顿大餐往往会让你下午昏昏欲睡，更别提全神贯注。如果下午总是没有精神，尝试少吃多餐，中午别吃太多，例如一个三明治和沙拉，然后下午3点吃点水果或者小零食补充。

Turn Off Your Internet Connection

断开你的网络连接

Again, this is a really simple trick – but do you ever do it?

说起来容易做起来难

It's so easy to jump on Twitter or Facebook, click on a link, and end up spending ten minutes totally off-task. This might not be a big deal in itself, but every time you switch away from your work, you take time to get back into it again. You might lose the thread of your thoughts, or start to lose interest.

随手上个twitt 和Facebook, 或者看两眼网页， 十分钟就没有了。也许其本身并没有什么，但每次你重新拾起工作都需要时间，你可能会忘记要做什么，或者丧失兴趣

By turning off your internet connection, you remove a load of potential distractions. Just one hour each day without being plugged in can make a huge difference to your work. Unitasking is so much more efficient than multitasking.

断开网络，你就移除了潜在的分心来源。只要每天断开一小时，你的工作就会有显著的区别。专心一项工作远好于同时多项工作。

Slow Down

慢慢来

The final secret to great concentration is to slow down.

最后一项全神贯注的秘密就是慢慢来

If you live life in a rush, dashing from one thing to the next, it's no surprise that you find yourself frazzled and unable to focus. When you're in a hurry, you make mistakes much more easily – which results in wasted time while you put things right.

如果你在生活中总是从一件事冲到另一件，精疲力尽和无法全神贯注就一点都不奇怪。当你急急忙忙的时候，你更容易犯错，浪费更多时间去改正。

If you've ever accidentally deleted a piece of work, sent an embarrassing text or email to the wrong person, or forgotten some vital errand, you'll know that one tiny mistake can turn your entire day into a total disaster.

如果你曾经误删过一篇文章，发过内容尴尬的文件或者发错人，再或者忘记某个重要差事，你就会知道一个小错误会彻底毁灭一天

Slowing down lets you become more efficient. You'll be able to focus – instead of rushing forwards maniacally – and you'll find that you actually get more done.

慢慢来会让你更高效。你会更专注，没有急躁和狂热状态， 你会发现你实际上完成了更多。