明明不怎麼忙卻還是覺得忙？每天都在瞎忙啥

Across the industrialized world, large numbers of survey respondents tell researchers they’re overburdened with work, at the expense of time with family and friends.
在這個工業化的世界，大量的問卷調查對象告訴研究人員，說工作負擔太重，他們和家人朋友呆在一起的時間裏被工作擠掉了。

The total time people are working –whether paid or otherwise– has not increased in Europe or North America in recent decades. What’s more, the data also shows that the people who say they’re the busiest generally aren’t.
人們整體的工作時間——無論是有償還是其他，近十幾年內在歐洲和北美並沒有增加。還有，數據顯示說自己最忙的人們往往並非如此。

As economies grow, and the incomes of the better-off have risen over time, time has literally become more valuable: any given hour is worth more, so we experience more pressure to squeeze in more work.
隨着經濟增長，境況較好的人們的收入隨着時間逐漸增長，時間也確實變得更有價值了：所有付出的小時都值得更多的回報，所以我們感受到了更多把更大量的工作擠壓在等量時間裏的壓力。

The result, inevitably, is feeling overwhelmed: we’re each finite human beings, with finite energy and abilities, attempting to get through an infinite amount.
結果呢，自然而然的，我們感覺被壓垮了：我們都是凡人，有着有限的精力和能力，卻試圖完成無限的事情。

The ironic consequence of the “busy feeling”is that we handle our to-do lists less well than if we weren’t so rushed.
“感覺忙碌”具有諷刺意味，它的結果就是：我們完成目標清單的效果比不那麼趕的時候更差。

When you’re busy, you’re more likely to make poor time-management choices –taking on commitments you can’t handle, or prioritising trifling tasks over crucial ones.
當你忙的時候，你更有可能做出更糟糕的時間管理選擇——承諾你做不了的事，或者將微不足道的小事排到了重要的事情前。

Arguably worst of all, this mindset spreads to infect our leisure time –so that even when life finally does permit an hour or two for recuperation, we end up feeling like that ought to be spent “productively”, too.
最糟糕的可以說是這種想法蔓延並影響到了我們的閒暇時光——所以即使生活允許我們有一個或兩個小時的休息時間，我們最後都會覺得那些時間理應也被過得“有價值”。

If there’s a solution to the busyness epidemic, other than the universal enforcement of a 21-hour workweek –it may lie in clearly perceiving just how irrational our attitudes have become.
對於這種“忙碌傳染病”，如果有比強制規定一週只工作21小時更好的解藥——或許就是自己認識到我們自己的態度已經變得多麼不合理了。

We live frenetic lives, at least in part, because it makes us feel good about ourselves. Perhaps we’d pause long enough to realise that –if we weren’t so damn busy.
我們過着狂熱的生活，至少在一部分的生活中是這樣，是因爲這讓我們對自己感覺良好。也許我們應該停下來足夠長的時間來意識到——如果我們不那麼忙會怎樣呢？