舌尖上的美國(113):怎樣集中注意力(一)

Focus is something of a novelty these days. We’ve got cellphones for texting and calls, IM, Twitter, Email, RSS feeds, Facebook, Myspace… the list goes on and on. If you don’t have ADD before you start working online, it seems it’s alMost inevitable thanks to these inputs. If you’re a web worker who uses the Internet for the majority of the day, you’re especially at risk for losing focus.

注意力如今成了新鮮物。我們有手機來發短信、打電話，即時聊天工具，博客，電子郵件，RSS訂閱，Facebook，Myspace……不勝枚舉。如果上網工作前你沒有注意力缺陷障礙(attention deficit disorder)，那麼因爲上面那些東西，你也將會不可避免地患上這種病症。如果你是一位一天大部分時間都使用互聯網的網絡工作者，那麼注意力不集中的可能性更大。

Focus is something that must be fought for. It’s not something that automatically switches on when you want to. You have to make sure your surroundings are perfect for working if you want to be focused. Here’s a few ways I’ve found this to work:

注意力是需要爭取的，它不會在你想要的時候自動開啓。如果你想讓注意力集中，那麼就必須讓自己所處的環境最適合工作。下面是我發現的一些有幫助的方法：

1. Use offline tools. 使用非網絡工具。Paper products, pens, and other physical tools are a Godsend for those of us who have a hard time focusing throughout the work day. They’re so simple that we can use them quickly, without having to worry about becoming distracted.

紙質品、筆和其它有實體的工具對工作中集中注意力困難的人們來說簡直是上天賜與的禮物。由於它們非常簡單，我們迅速就能掌握，所以不必擔心會導致分心。

2. Take more breaks. 多休息。More breaks = More productivity. It may sound wrong, but it’s true. Breaks allow us to re-group our thoughts and focus for the task at hand. They also keep us fresh so that we don’t end up burning out after only a few hours work.

更多休息=更多生產力。聽上去不是那樣，可其實是對的。休息能讓我們對手邊的工作重新集中思想、注意力；還能讓我們保持頭腦清晰，從而不會只工作了幾小時後就出現精力枯竭。