双语 ● How to Defeat Burnout and Stay Motivated　战胜倦怠，保持活力

How to Defeat Burnout and Stay Motivated　战胜倦怠，保持活力

◎ Jeffrey Tang

“Do what you love.” We’ve all heard this advice before. It’s great advice, though not many people truly take it to heart.

“做你喜欢做的事。”我们都曾听过这个建议。这是一个绝佳的建议，虽然没有很多人真的把它放在心上。

But sometimes doing what you love isn’t enough to keep you going. Inspiration, passion, and motivation are difficult things to hold on to. They always seem to slip away right when you need them most.

不过，有时即使是做你爱做的事情，也不足以让你一直保持热情。灵感、热情和动力是那种难以坚持的东西。它们似乎经常在你最需要的时候溜之大吉。

You know that feeling. Where you’re that close to finishing a project, or achieving a goal, or crossing a task off your to-do list ... but you just can’t muster the energy. You’ve lost interest. You’re exhausted. Drained. And you don’t know why.

你很清楚那种感觉。在几乎完成一个项目，或接近一个目标，或将一项任务从你的待办清单拿下……但你就是无法集中精力。你已经失去了兴趣，精疲力竭了。而你不知道这是为什么。

That’s burnout. It’s something many of us are all too familiar with. I’d like to share with you a few ways that I fight burnout — or prevent it from catching me in the first place.

这就是倦怠。大多数人都太熟悉了。我很乐于与你们分享一些我战胜倦怠的方法——或者说，防止它从一开始就发作的方法。

1. Achieve in increments

1．完成微小的叠加

When you only focus on a big goal someday, it’s easy to get burned out by the daily grind. It’s like driving toward a mountain in the distance. You can drive for hours, but the mountain doesn’t seem to get any closer. And spinning your wheels gets real tiring real fast.

当你只专注于一个大目标的时候，你很容易就被每日琐碎之事磨得精疲力竭。这就像开着车朝远方的山前进一样。你可能开几个小时了，但那座山看起来一点都没有靠近。你的轮子一直不停地转啊转，当然很快你就累了。

The solution is to give yourself a way to measure and record every little step forward you take. Here’s how:

解决方法是，用一种方式来测量和记录前进道路上的每个小小的一步。下面是建议：

Get a journal, notebook, or calendar. Writing things down is important.

拿起一本日记、笔记本或日历，把重要的事情写下来。

Identify milestones on the road towards your goal.

找出朝向你目标前进道路上的里程碑。

If milestones aren’t obvious, create them.

如果里程碑不是很明显，创建它们。

Track milestones in a simple, visual format.

以一种简单的、可视的方式来跟踪你的里程碑。

2. Train your muse

2．训练你的灵感

One of the biggest myths about inspiration that it’s random. One day you’re inspired and motivated, the next day you’re burned out—and there’s no way around it. Or so they say.

灵感是不可捉摸的，这是一个最大的谎言。前一天你还充满灵感和活力，第二天你就开始精疲力竭——而且别无他法。这就是他们所说的。

In fact, inspiration is just like any other skill. It may start out as unreliable, but it can be trained and developed into something you can rely on.

实际上，灵感和其他的技能一样。在一开始，它可能不那么可靠，但是它可以培养训练，发展成为可被信任、被依赖的能力。

So how do you train your muse? The best way I’ve found is immersion. Surround yourself with things that inspire you and reflect your goals. Immersion trains your mind to work efficiently in the ways you need it to.

如何训练你的灵感？我所找到的最佳方式就是，沉浸到你的目标中去。紧紧围绕着你自己的东西，那些能激励你和反映出你的目标的事物。沉浸到你的目标中去，调整你的思想，让它以你期待的方式，变得高效。

The more that your inspiration becomes a part of your life, the less likely it is to run out when you need it most. With that in mind, be creative. What ways can you connect with your inspiration on a daily basis?

当你的灵感越是融入你的生活，成为你人生的一部分，它就越不会在你需要的时候溜掉。头脑里有了它，就会变得更有创意，记住这一点。究竟什么方式能让你每天都与灵感接通？

3. Work less

3．少工作

Cut down on the amount of energy and time you spend working. If you have sick days or vacation days left, take advantage of them. Or, if you’re self-employed, force yourself to work fewer hours each day—even if that means turning down new projects.

砍掉那些你花在工作上的时间与精力。如果你病了，或你有工假，利用它们。或者，如果你是个自由职业者，每天强迫自己少几个小时去工作——即使这意味着你拒绝了新项目。

Working less doesn’t mean you have to slack off or get less done. It does mean that you:

工作得少，并不表示你变得懒惰或完成得少。它的意思是让你：

Eliminate unnecessary tasks.

排除不必要的任务。

Take strategic breaks.

获得关键性的进展。

Stop multi-tasking.

停止同时多任务的方式。

Seek help from other people.

从别人那里获得帮助。

4. Define success realistically

4．给成功下明确的定义

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having big dreams and big ambitions. But if you’re constantly frustrated by a lack of progress, it might be time to take a step back and examine your goals. Are they achievable? Are you holding yourself to a reasonable timeline?

拥有一个大大的梦想和抱负，这没有任何问题。不过如果你经常为缺少进展而感到沮丧，那么可能是时候退一步，检查一下你的目标了。它们都达到了么？你是否一直坚持一个合理的时间表？

Here’s a good way to do this. Get a piece of paper and write down your big, ambitious goal. Then write down at least 10 specific, concrete steps that will allow you to achieve that goal. Be as detailed as possible. If you can’t come up with a series of down-to-earth steps to get you from here to your dream, that’s a sign that you need to either redefine your goals or rethink the way you’re pursuing those goals.

这里有一个好方法。拿起一张纸，写下你的大梦想和抱负。然后写下至少十个特定的、具体的、能让你达到目标的步骤，越详细越好。如果你不能找出一系列脚踏实地的步骤让你从这里到达你的梦想，这就表明你需要去重新调整你的目标，或反思你追求这些目标的方式。

5. Get more sleep

5．睡多一点

You’ve heard this before, I know. So have I. But that didn’t stop me from going against my better judgment and tiring myself out by staying up late to work. Getting enough sleep takes a conscious decision — and, just like any good habit, takes time to develop.

我知道你听说过这个，我也是。不过这没能阻止我违背自己正确的判断，还是每晚熬夜，令自己疲惫。充足的睡眠，能让人作出清晰的决定——但睡眠也和其他好习惯一样，需要时间来培养。

One of the biggest barriers for me in this area is procrastination. I have a tendency to put things off throughout the day, then stay up later as a result. What’s keeping you from getting the rest you need?

我在这里遇到的最大阻碍就是拖延症。我喜欢将事情一整天拖着，然后熬夜到很晚。那么，是什么阻止你去休息？

6. Take it slow(er)

6．慢慢来

The world tells us to rush things: “Get there faster. Make money quicker. Retire sooner.” And while these things aren’t necessarily bad, they can easily get us in over our heads. If you’re feeling burned out and overwhelmed, it’s time to slow down.

世界告诉我们要匆匆忙忙做事：“变得更快。赚更多钱。更早退休。”虽然这些东西并不一定是坏事，但是它们让我们更容易冲昏头脑。如果你开始感到倦怠，不知所措，那么是时候放慢脚步了。

A few ways to take yourself out of 24/7 high gear:

这里是让你摆脱一个星期24小时高负荷工作的方法：

Spend at least 10 minutes a day in a quiet place, away from distractions. Breathe.

每天至少花十分钟待在一个安静的地方，远离那些烦人的事。深呼吸。

Put together a playlist of slow, relaxing music. Listen to it whenever you start feeling frazzled.

将那些缓慢的轻音乐放进同一个播放列表里。当你感到劳累的时候，就开始听它们。

Take a butcher knife to your to-do list. Set a limit to the number of tasks you take on each day and stick to it.

干净利落地砍掉你的待办清单。在你每天必须要做的事情上设定一个限度，然后坚持下去。

Extend your deadlines. Do you absolutely, positively have to get this done now? Just remember—this isn’t an excuse to procrastinate.

放宽你的期限。你是不是绝对要在这个时候把它完成？不过要记住，这不是拖延的借口。

7. Get a second opinion

7．倾听不同的声音

It’s hard to spot burnout from the inside. Your close friends and family are likely to identify the signs of burnout long before you do. So listen to what they’re saying. The next time your spouse, parent, or best friend tells you that you’re working too hard, take it seriously.

我们很难发现自己陷入了倦怠状态。你的好朋友和家人会比你更早发觉倦怠迹象。所以，听听他们怎么说。下一次你的爱人、父母、或你最好的朋友告诉你，你工作太过繁忙，要认真对待它。

8. Set clear boundaries

8．设定明晰的分界线

Burnout happens when we allow work to overflow its boundaries and interfere with every other part of our lives. So set strong boundaries. The clearer the better. In writing, if possible.

当我们让工作超出了其必要的限度，并让它渗透到我们生活中的每一个方面的时候，倦怠就会发生。因此要设立一个强力的分界线，越清晰越好。尽量把它写下来。

For example, instead of saying: “I’ll spend at three hours every night with my family,” make it clearer: “I won’t work after 8 o’clock. That’s 100% family time.” Clear boundaries are easier to stick to and harder to rationalize away.

举例来说，与其这样说：“我每晚将与家人共处3个小时。”倒不如让这句话更明了：“晚上8点之后，我将不再工作。之后的时间100%是家庭时光。”划清界限让你更容易坚持，而且也更合理。

9. When you’re working, focus

9．当你工作时，专注

I’ve found that concentrating on work is actually less exhausting than allowing yourself to be wishy-washy about it. When you decide that it’s time to work, buckle down, eliminate distractions, and do it wholeheartedly. There’s something amazingly refreshing about pure, sharp focus.

我发现，专注于工作确实是比让自己在工作时摇摆不定，更不容易疲劳。当你决定是时候工作了，就全力以赴，消除所有的干扰，全心全意去做它。你就会惊讶地发现，单纯、犀利的注意力，拥有着神奇的恢复力。

10. Create outlets

10．创造出口

If you’re a person of diverse interests (and really, who isn’t?), it’s likely that you have several very different goals and ideas bouncing around in your head at any given time. These ideas need outlets. If you hold them inside, they’ll eventually start interfering with your focus and creating unnecessary frustration, leading to burnout.

如果你是一个兴趣爱好广泛的人（当然，又有几个人不是呢？），那么很可能在每个特定的时候，你都有几个截然不同的目标和想法，在你的脑袋里面不停地蹦来蹦去。这些想法都需要出口。如果你一直保留着它们，它们最终会干扰你的注意力，造成不必要的困扰，让你心力交瘁。

11. Know when to power through it

11．知道什么时候撑下去

This is going to sound out of place given what I’ve said above, but it’s powerful— if applied correctly. Sometimes the solution for burnout is just to power through it. Sometimes burnout can be an illusion. In these cases, the best choice is to refuse to use burnout as an excuse, ignore the fact that you feel burned out, and just work through it. It’s like a runner gaining her second wind and coming out stronger on the other side.

这个建议与我上面所说的相违背，但这个方法很强大——如果能够正确运用。有时候，要解决倦怠，就是要依靠“撑”下去的力量。有时候，倦怠可能是一个幻觉。在这种情况下，最好的选择就是不要将怠惰视为借口，忽略倦怠这个事实，而是不断地工作下去。这个过程，就像一个跑步的人，在经历最初的疲劳之后，恢复了精力，反而使他的力量得到了增强。

12. Never accept defeat

12．永远不接受战败

Burnout is an obstacle like any other. It can hold you back for a while, but it’s not the end of the world — unless you let it defeat you.

倦怠，与别的障碍一样。它可以阻挠你一时，但它不能阻挠你一世——除非你让它击败。

If you have a great goal in mind, don’t give up on it, no matter how apathetic, exhausted, or frustrated you might feel. If everything I’ve said up until this point fails, do this: hold on to your dream—even if it doesn’t feel like much of a dream at the moment. Hold on to it anyway. That way, when the storm clears, your dream will still be intact, ready for another try.

如果你心里有一个大大的目标，不要放弃，不管你感到别人多么冷淡、你自己多么疲惫或灰心。即使我在这里所谈论的每一点都错了，你也要这么做：守住你的梦想——即便它此时此刻并没有那么美妙。不管怎样，都要抓住它。这样，当风暴转晴，你的梦想仍然完美无缺，准备再次上路吧！

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