【中英双语】如果你厌倦了工作，试着停一停脚步
If You’re Fed Up with Your Job, Try Working More Pauses into Your Day
by Rachael O'Meara
More than half of Americans feel “overworked or overwhelmed at least some of the time” and 70% say “they often dream of having a different job,” according to a recent study by the Families and Work Institute. That’s a lot of unhappy people at work, and many of them may choose to resign. But my research shows that quitting can be premature; what you might need to do instead is pause and recalibrate.
最近，一项由家庭和工作研究所做的研究显示，超过半数美国人“至少有时候感到劳累过度或不堪重负”，70%的人表示，“他们经常梦想拥有一份不同的工作。”大量职场人士不快乐，其中许多人可能会选择辞职。但我的研究表明，辞职为时过早；你可能需要暂停一下，重新校准。
Chances are that if you were to jump into a new role or organization, whatever is causing you to leave may follow you. Taking a pause — which I define as any intentional shift in behavior — allows you to lift your head up, assess your situation objectively, and change your attitude, thoughts, or emotions. It doesn’t have to be a major break in your routine; it might be that after you get home from for work, you intend to spend 20 minutes of quality time with a partner or loved one. Or you intend to show up fully present every morning at the office by taking six deep breaths before you walk in. Even small pauses can help.
如果你转换工作岗位或跳到一家新公司，那些导致你离开的因素仍有可能如影随形。停顿一下——我把它定义为行为上的有意转变——可以让你抬起头，客观评估当前的处境，改变你的态度、想法或情绪。这未必意味着打破日常生活规律，可以是在下班回家后，有意识地与伴侣或爱人共度20分钟美好时光。或者每天早晨先做6次深呼吸，再精神抖擞地走进办公室。即使是小停顿，也可以有大帮助。
Here are some signs that you may need to work more pauses into your life:
如果出现下列迹象，表明你可能需要在生活中停一停脚步了：
You used to love your job and now you loathe it. Perhaps you used to thrive on the pressure of your role but it no longer seems worth it. Or maybe you’re in a slump. Burnout is a signal to take note of what isn’t working and make a change.
以前你很爱自己的工作，现在讨厌它。也许你曾经在角色压力下快速成长，但似乎不再值得为之付出。或者你在走下坡路，身体倦怠是一个信号，提醒你大脑不灵了，需要做出改变。
Someone informs you things aren’t working out. It may be a hint in the hallway or a direct hit — you missed your quota or the new strategy you developed backfired.
有人告诉你事情进展得不顺利。这可能是前进路上的一种暗示，或是直接明示——你没有完成工作，或者你设想的新策略事与愿违。
A concerned family member or colleague intervenes to separate you from work or technology. It’s easy to get hooked on what you do, but when it starts to affect your well-being and relationships, those who care about you notice.
一位忧心忡忡的家庭成员或同事介入进来，迫使你远离工作或技术。你很容易沉浸于正在进行的业务中，但它开始影响你的幸福和家庭关系，妨碍到那些你所关心的人。
A major life event or challenge occurs. Change is inevitable, and can be a natural inflection point to assess your options and align with what matters to you.
发生重大的生活事件或挑战。改变是不可避免的，它可以是一个自然的转折点，让你对自己的选择加以评估，并认清哪些事情对你至关重要。
A new opportunity arises. An irresistible job offer or an invite for a passion project or trip comes along. You may need to take a pause to find out how serious you are about setting course on a new path, especially if it is high risk.
出现新的机会。一份不可抗拒的工作机会，或受邀参与一个激动人心的项目，或一起旅行。你可能需要停下来，在踏上新征途前，想清楚每件事的严重性，特别是可能面临高风险的时候。
Once you’ve determined that you need to pause, the next question is how to do it. A common misconception is that you take a break so that you can think something through.In some cases it is helpful to reflect while pausing and ask yourself questions you haven’t had time to ask yourself in your busy life. What could you do differently? How can you shift or plan to make your existing role more aligned with how you want to work and live? Are there new boundaries to create, or responsibilities to own or shift? But the purpose is actually to step away from your everyday activities and not focus on what’s dominating your thoughts. Instead, it can be best to just relish the present moment, not reflect on any specific issues, and let answers emerge.
一旦你确定需要稍作停顿，接下来的问题是如何做。常见的误解是你要休息一下，以便理清事情的来龙去脉。在某些情况下，这样做有助于自省，扪心自问一些在繁忙生活中没有时间思考的问题。你能做些什么不同的事情？如何转变或计划，才能使现有的角色与理想中的工作和生活方式更加协调一致？是否要划定新的边界，或承担/转移责任？但真正的目的是远离日常活动，不要被脑海中挥之不去的想法所左右。相反，最好是享受当下，不要思考任何具体问题，让答案自动浮现。
There are three steps for planning a pause. First, write down some quick thoughts on your situation – what’s happening, what isn’t working, what the challenges are, and any actions you want to take.
暂停计划可以有3个步骤。首先，针对现状，迅速记下一些想法——发生了什么，问题在哪里，面临什么挑战，以及你想采取的行动。
Next, set an intention. What do you want to get out of this pause and how do you want to feel at the end of it? One study published in Psychological Science showed that by distancing yourself from a challenge and taking the perspective of an observer, you can enhance your reasoning, leading to insights and new solutions that hadn’t occurred to you before.
下一步，设定意图。你想从这次暂停过程中得到什么收获，暂停结束时希望有什么感觉？一项发表在《心理科学》杂志上的研究表明，远距离审视挑战，采取观察者的角度，可以提高你的推理能力，产生之前所没有的新见解和解决方案。
The third step is to plan how much time you’ll pause for and what you’ll do. You may not know how you want to spend your time so it’s also OK to let your pause to unfold more organically. Daily “mini” pauses, sometimes done several times throughout the day, are a great way to start if things aren’t dire at work. You can also pause by getting up from your desk every 90 minutes, heading outside at lunch, taking a walk, or setting a period of time when you don’t check your digital devices. If you are really short on time, you might spend five minutes at your desk doing a simple breathing exercise: follow your breath, counting each slow inhale and exhale until you get to ten breaths.
第三步是计划一下你准备暂停多长时间，要做什么。你可能不清楚想怎样度过这段时间，所以，顺其自然也是很好的。每天都有“迷你”暂停时间，有时候一天几次，如果不影响工作的话，以这种方式开始就非常不错。你也可以每隔90分钟从桌边站起身，午餐后出去散散步，或者设定一段时间内不看数字设备。如果真的时间很紧张，你可以花5分钟在桌子上做一个简单的呼吸练习：跟随呼吸，缓慢地吸气和呼气，连续做10次。
A pause can also be a day-long activity. Visit a place that brings peace of mind and joy to your day. Wherever you go, notice colors, textures, and take in your surroundings. You might consider starting a “pausebook” or journal to document what you experience.
暂停也可以是一天的活动。去一个能带给心灵安宁和欢乐的地方。无论你走到哪里，注意颜色、纹理，并留心周围环境。你可以考虑开始写一本“暂停图书”或日志来记录你的经历。
Other pauses might include doing something outside of your comfort zone like taking a class, coaching your child’s sports team, or going a surprise weekend getaway or day trip with a loved one.
其他暂停可能包括做一些以前不常做的事情，例如参加课程，给孩子的运动队做教练，或者外出来一次惊喜周末，与心爱的人一日游。
If you have more time, consider taking a week-long pause. Most of us understand the benefits of taking a vacation and yet many of us don’t use the time, afraid of work piling up while we’re gone. According to a 2015 survey by the Creative Staffing Group, 72% of executives wouldn’t take additional vacation days even if they were unlimited, however about four in 10 (39%) think output would actually increase if employees took more time off. The benefits of returning refreshed after pausing are worth the time away and often lead to greater creativity and less stress. Increased distraction and dopamine levels can actually help lead to new insights, according to neuroscience research.
如果你有更多时间，不妨考虑暂停一周的工作。我们大多数人都明白休假的好处，但其中一些人没有利用这段时间，担心离开后工作成堆。根据创意人员组织（Creative Staffing Group）2015年一项调查，72%的高管人员即使不受限制也不考虑额外休假，但大约四成(39%)的人认为，实际上，如果员工花更多的时间休假，产出会增加。暂停后精力恢复所带来的好处不仅能挽回时间上的损失，往往还会激发更大的创造力，并减少压力。神经科学研究表明，分散注意力和多巴胺水平的上升实际上有助于产生新的见解。
If you’re considering leaving your job, I invite you to pause first and explore how things could be different without moving on. If you are feeling burned out or overwhelmed, taking an extended pause over a few weeks is another option that might help you gain perspective outside your day-to-day routine. You may be pleasantly surprised and realize all you needed was an intentional shift to realign and experience things differently.
如果你正在考虑离开现有工作岗位，我请你先暂停片刻，探讨一下如果不向前迈出这一步，事情能否有所改观。如果你感到疲惫不堪或不知所措，多休息几周是另一种选择，有助于你在按部就班的日常生活之外看得更远。你可能会惊喜地意识到自己所需要的不过是有意识地重新调整，并增加一些不同的经历。
瑞秋·奥米拉是《停下来：给自己放个假，人生从此不同》（Pause: Harnessing the Life-Changing Power of Giving Yourself a Break）一书的作者。她也是谷歌公司的销售主管，以及一位帮助他人激发潜能的变革型领导教练。
