全民英语推荐：专注力提高之不二秘籍！

In all seriousness though, I do want you to ask yourself: when’s the last time you were able to sit down and intensely pay attention to one task for a long time?

讲认真的，我希望你问问你自己：上次你长时间坐着认真的做一件事情是什么时候？

If you’re anything like me, this has become harder and harder to do as we’ve added more distractions to our lives –Weibo, Wechat, messages, Toutiao tabs that must be clicked – they’re in endless supply, while your brain’s ability to resist them is, sadly, not.

如果你和我那怕有一点像，这已经越来越难了，因为我们生活中有太多事情可以分心了，像微博、微信、短信、头条推送等－源源不绝的出现，遗憾的是你的大脑，无法抗拒它们的诱惑

So that’s why today we’re turning our attention to attention itself.

所以这就是为什么我们今天要把我们的注意力放在注意力本身上

Before we get into any specific tips, let’s first answer the question of what attention really is.

在我们详表前，我们先来想想到底何谓注意力

Put simply, attention is the process of focusing your cognitive resources on one particular stimulus or source of information while ignoring all others in the environment.

简单来说，注意力是一个把认知资源集中在一个特定的刺激物或来源上，忽略环境中的其他要素

Understanding this definition is important because there are two main forms of attention.

了解这个定义很重要，因为注意力分两种

The first is top-down, or voluntary attention, which is based on “task demands” like needing to read a page in a textbook or solve a math problem.

第一种是自上而下的注意力，也就是自发的注意力，它是基于“任务需求”的，比如需要阅读课本上的一页或解决一道数学题。

On the other side of the coin you’ve got bottom-up, or stimulus-driven, attention.

另一方面，也有可能是自下而上的，或刺激驱动的注意力。

Just like it sounds, this is automatically focused attention due to stimuli in the environment.

像是声音，这是因环境刺激物而自然产生的注意力！

When you use your top-down attention to focus on something, your brain activates inhibitory mechanisms to block out competing stimuli.

当你用自上而下的注意力集中在某件事上时，你的大脑就会激活抑制机制来屏蔽其他竞争性的刺激物。

It can’t do this forever, though; these mechanisms eventually tire just like the muscles in our body, and this leads to something called Directed Attention Fatigue.

然而这个状态无法永远维持，这些机制就像我们身上的肌肉一样，终究会疲劳，这就导致了所谓的定向注意疲劳。

This is part of what causes you to become more and more distracted and less able to focus on your work as time goes by.

这便为什么是随着时间推移，你会变得越来越容易分心，而无法专注在你工作上的部分原因

Now, the strength of your inhibitory mechanisms, and hence your ability to focus on one task intensely, is variable.

现在可以说你隔绝机制的强度，也就是你能好好专注在工作上的能力，是会变的

It depends on lots of different factors, including: - Your environment

这和很多因素有关，包括：－你的环境

Your personal tendency to seek novelty when faced with a boring or difficult task

在执行既无聊又困难的任务时，你追求新奇事物的倾向

Your interest in the task itself

你对任务本身的兴趣

Your brain’s current state, which is dependent on the amount of fuel or food you’ve got, rest, exercise, anxiety, and a lot of different factors.

你大脑目前的状态，当然这跟你补充的能源或着说食物、休息、运动、焦虑还有很多不同的因子有关

How long you’ve already been focusing your attention

你已经保持专注多久了

With that in mind, let’s look at several different things that you can do to strengthen your attention muscle and also give it as much ammunition as it can get to focus well on whatever task you need to finish.

考虑到这一点，让我们来看看你可以做哪些不同的事情来增强你的注意力肌肉，并给它尽可能多的弹药，让它能够很好地专注于你需要完成的任何任务。

The first thing you need to do is stop multi-tasking.

你需要做的第一件事就是停止一心多用。

Many people try to deny it, but your brain can’t actually do two things at once.

很多人不承认，但你的脑是真的没办法同时做两件事

Think of your brain like a single-core processor in a computer.

把你的大脑想成电脑里的单核处理器

These types of processors don’t truly do multiple things at once – they just create the illusion of multi-tasking by rapidly switching from one task to another.

这些类型的处理器并不是真的同时多进程处理－它们只是通过快速地从一个任务切换到另一个任务来制造多任务的假象。

So while you may think you’re simultaneously reading this article and looking at pictures of cats

所以你可以想像你在读这篇文章的同时在看猫猫图

your computer is actually just jumping back and forth between each.

你的电脑实际上是在不同工作之间跳进跳出

But your brain is not good at doing this, which is why when you switch your attention from one task to another, you incur a cognitive switching penalty.

但你的大脑并不擅长这么做，这也是为什么在你把注意力从原本的工作转移到其他任务时会有认知转换困难

Not only do you lose the raw amount of time it takes to switch from one task to another, but you also lose the amount of time it takes for your brain to properly refocus its attention and get back into the flow of things.

不仅仅是因为在转移注意力时会耗费一些时间，还会损失一些时间让你的脑重新维持专注及找回工作进度的思绪

And this can take quite a while, both because our brains simply take time to truly focus on a task in the first place, but also because switching from one task to another creates attention residue.

这需要很长一段时间，因为我们的大脑一开始只是花时间真正专注于一项任务，但也因为从一项任务切换到另一项任务会产生注意力残留。

As the author Cal Newport explains in his book Deep Work:

就像 Cal Newport 在他的著作《Deep Work》中写的：

“...when you switch from some Task A to another Task B, your attention doesn’t immediately follow— a residue of your attention remains stuck thinking about the original task.”

「...当你从任务 A 转移到任务 B ，你的注意力并没有立刻跟上－会有残留的注意力仍然在思索原来的任务。 」

This also happens when you switch from the task you’re supposed to be focusing on over to a distraction, and then go back to the task after a few minutes.

这也发生在你从原本该专注的工作中分神到其它事情上，然后过几分钟又回到你原来的工作时

As you try to get back into the flow of your work, you’ll be contending with the attention residue from that mashup of the De Yunshe and Calabash Bros you just watched on YouKu.

当你试着回到你的工作思路，你需要和你刚刚残留在优酷上的德云社相声和金刚葫芦娃的注意力竞争

So, when you sit down and decide to work, choose one task and make it your only focus.

所以当你坐下决定要工作时，选好一个任务且只专注在这件事上

You don’t have to sit there and work on it until people mistake you for a hat rack, but do spend at least 20 or 30 minutes on it before switching to something else.

你并不需要坐在那边工作直到别人错把你当成帽架为止，但是在去做其它事情前，请确保你已专心处理这件事至少二十或三十分钟

Secondly, tailor your environment for better focus.

第二，把你的环境调整到适合集中注意力

When your location, the people you’re around, and all the other pieces of your environment point to a single activity, you’ll be much more likely to do it.

当你的地点、周围的人或其它环境中的片段因子都指向同一个活动目的，你就更可能去执行你要做的事情

When you’re in the gym, your brain knows you’re there to work out.

当你在健身房，你的大脑知道你是要在那健身

And even if you don’t do it, it won’t be because you’re sitting there trying to decide between doing a set of pull-ups and doing your laundry.

而即使你不这么做，也不会是因为你坐在那边考虑要做伏地挺身还是洗衣服

A lot of great artists understand this, and they deliberately find or create spaces that are only for work.

很多伟大的艺术家了解这点，所以也会刻意寻找或创造一个空间是专门用来工作的

Some choose to work in cafes, like Nicholson’s Cafe in Edinburgh, where J.K. Rowling wrote much of her first book, and some create isolated work spaces in their own homes, like the author Steven Pressfield.

有些选择在咖啡厅工作，像是在爱丁堡的 Nicholson’s Cafe 里 J.K. 罗琳就完成了她第一本书的许多章节，也有些人会在家中创造独立的工作间，像是 Steven Pressfield

Those examples highlight another important point, actually – there is no formula for a perfect study spot.

这些例子凸显了另一个重点，事实上－没有一个公式可以导出的完美工作点

It would seem like a silent, totally isolated desk in the basement of a library would put the least amount of strain on those inhibitory mechanisms,

虽然在一个图书馆地下室里安静独立的书桌，看起来最没有那些妨碍机制的拉力

but as J.K. Rowling can attest, some people actually work better in a noisy coffee shop.

但就像 J.K. 罗琳可以证明的，有些人就是在吵杂的咖啡厅里会工作得更好

So you might need to experiment a bit before you find the context that works best for you.

所以你在寻找最适合的工作环境前，也许需要做点实验

In general, though, the fewer things that are competing for your attention, the better.

即使如此，一般来说越少东西会和你竞争专注力会越好

Once you’ve chosen your spot, prepare it for your current task by putting away anything non-essential.

一旦你选好了你的工作点，就整备打理环境，把和你当前任务不相干的任何东西移开

This includes removing books and supplies that are unrelated, closing any tabs or programs you don’t need, and putting away your phone.

这包括移除不相关的书籍和补充资料，关掉你不需要的标签或程序，还有把你的手机收起来。

When you’re doing this, it can also be helpful to break your current task down into smaller chunks in order to decide what’s essential to have out.

当你这样做的时候，将你当前的任务分解成更小的部分来决定优先级。

The act of writing a research paper is a good example here; if you just think, “I have to write a paper,” and then prep your study space for that task, then you’ll have the internet open the whole time so you can do research.

在这里，撰写一篇研究论文是很好的例子：如果你只想着：「我必需写一篇论文」然后替这个任务整备你的学习空间，那么你会随时上着网如此你才能做搜寻研究。

But in reality, you can break that task down into several phases – brainstorming, researching, drafting, and editing.

但事实上，你可以把这个任务拆解成不同的阶段－脑力激荡、搜寻研究、拟草案和编辑

And once you do that, you’ll realize you only need the internet for that research phase.

一旦你这么做，你将发现你只需要在搜寻研究阶段上网

During all the other ones, you can close it and cut its potential for being a distraction.

在其它阶段，你可以把网路关掉，去除它让你分心的可能性

Also, anticipate potential distractions that might come up and try to get ahead of them.

也要先预想可能会让你分心的东西，然后先一步处理

Maybe put your phone on do not disturb so no one can text you, or tell your friends you’re studying and ask them not to bother you for a while.

也许可以把你的手机切到勿扰模式，这样就没人可以发消息给你了，或是和你朋友说你在忙，请他们暂时不要打扰你一会儿

Anything you can do to mitigate future distractions will help you to stay focused and finish your work faster.

任何你做的预防分心的措施，都会帮助你维持专注和更快完成你的工作

Once your study environment is established, the next area you should look to improve is your actual ability to focus.

一旦你的学习环境建立，接下来要试着改善的就是你实际的专注力

As we talked about before, your attention is like a muscle; it’s something you can train over time to get stronger.

就像我之前说的，你的注意力就像是肌肉，你可经由一段时间的训练可使它更强大

One of the best ways to do this is by learning to resist cravings for novelty.

其中一个最好的方法，就是学习抗拒对新奇事物的渴望

These are the sudden urges you get to check Wechat or watch video of a corgi jumping into a lake while you’re working on your English homework.

像是你在做英文作业时，就很想要检查微信的消息，或是看柯基跳湖影片的冲动

You get these cravings because, by default, your brain doesn’t like boredom or hard work.

你会有这些渴望因为你的脑预设就讨厌无聊的东西或困难的功课

But the strength of these cravings is set by how often you give into them.

但你越常妥协，这些渴望感就越强

Our actions create habits and expectations in our brains, and these become hard-wired patterns of behavior.

我们的行动造就了我们的习惯和脑中的预想，这些就成为我们根深蒂固的行为征象

And this means that every time you give into that craving for a distraction, you’re ingraining that decision as a habit.

这也代表每次你顺从了你的渴望而分心，你就让这个决定深植最终变成习惯

Luckily, you can also train the opposite behavior.

幸运地是，你也可以往反方向作训练

By acknowledging a craving for novelty, and then deliberately ignoring it and getting back to work,

经由确认对新奇渴望的存在，再刻意地忽视它及回到工作岗位

you start to build a tolerance for boredom and wean yourself off of that need for constant stimulation.

你就开始建立对无聊事物的耐受度，以及断绝你对持续刺激的依赖

As you do this, your ability to focus on your work strengthens.

只要你这么做，你对专注在工作上的能力就变得更强大

You’re building that attention muscle.

你在建构注意力的肌肉

Now, doing this is easier said than done – especially at first.

现在我要说的是，说得比作得简单－特别是在一开始

However, there are tools you can use to give your brain some extra firepower in the early stages.

然而有一些工具你可以利用，在开始阶段就为你的脑增加一些额外的助力

Apps like Cold Turkey and StayFocusd can block distracting websites entirely, while a tool like Forest encourages you to ignore your phone by letting you grow virtual trees.

例如一些应用程式像是 Cold Turkey 和 StayFocusd ，可以完全阻隔让人分心的网页，还有像是 Forest 会鼓励你无视你的手机，作为奖励会让你种一棵真正的树

And when you don’t need a tool like the internet for your work, disconnecting it eliminates its potential for distraction entirely.

而当你的工作不需要网络时，直接断线可以完全消除让你分心的可能性

Of course, even with training, your brain’s ability to focus still diminishes over time.

当然，即是经过训练，你的脑维持专注的能力还是会随着时间下降

Unlike computers, which are built to run all the time as long as they’ve got a steady supply of resources, our brains operate on a cycle of work and rest.

不像电脑，只要有稳定的能源就可以持续运作的，我们的大脑需依靠工作与休息的循环来运转

Your circadian rhythm, which governs your sleep and wake cycle, is the best example – but it also applies on the smaller scale as well.

控制你的睡眠和醒来周期的生物钟就是最好的例子—但是也可应用在较小的层级

After a certain amount of work, you need to take a break.

在经过一定量的工作后，你就需要休息一下

Now the amount of time will vary from person to person, but a good guideline to use is 25-30 minutes.

要休息多久因人而异，但二十五到三十分钟是个很好的参考标准

Once you’ve spent that long on a task, if you feel your attention waning, take a break for a few minutes.

一旦你已经花了很长时间在工作，且你发现你的专注力在衰退，就花几分钟休息一下

Stand up, stretch, walk around a bit – maybe get some water.

站起来、伸展一下、走一走－或许去拿杯水

During these short breaks, it’s important not to switch to another task or get involved in something distracting,

在这些短短的休息时间，重要的是不要再转移注意力到另一件工作上，或分心去做其它事情

as you don’t want to create that attention residue that makes it harder to get back into your work.

因为你不会想又产生注意力残留，让你难以回到原本工作

After a few work sessions with these short breaks in between, you can then take a longer break to recharge.

经过几段的工作穿插着这些喘息片段，你可以休息久一点来充电

And during these longer breaks, it’s fine to switch to something easier or do something fun for a little while – as long as you’re planning in advance when these breaks will happen.

在这段较长的休息时间里，你可以做一些简单的事情，或者做一些有趣的事情——只要你事先计划好休息的时间。

That way, you’re deliberately choosing when to work and when to indulge in distractions, rather than letting your mind be ruled by cravings for novelty.

这样一来，你是有意的安排何时工作及何时可放纵地分神，而不是让你的意识被对好奇的渴望所约束

Now, as time goes on, you’ll probably find that you can go longer and longer before needing a break.

随着时间过去，你应该会发现你能够工作的时间越来越久，才需要休息一下

This is a good sign that you’re building those attention muscles.

这是一个好征兆，代表你正在建构那些注意力肌肉

But realize that you’ll always have a limited amount of focused energy you can expend in a day.

但要知道，你在一天中的专注能量总是有上限的

Eventually, you’ve got to call it quits and go relax for a bit.

最终，你还是要停下来放松一会儿

And relaxation isn’t the only thing your brain needs.

而你的脑需要的也不只是放松

To keep being able to focus and improve long-term, you need to take care of your brain’s biological needs as well.

为了维持专注能力和改善长期效能，你也需要照顾你脑袋的生理需求

We often think of the brain as this non physical, ethereal realm that isn’t bound by the same limitations of our bodies.

我们常常想像我们的大脑是虚无飘渺的，不被我们身体的规则所束缚限制

You know, “mind over matter” and all that stuff.

你知道的，就是「心灵胜于物质」之类的

But your brain is still part of your body, which means that it needs plenty of sleep, nutrients, and exercise to work at peak efficiency.

但是你的大脑依然是身体的一部分，代表它也需要睡眠、营养还有运动以维持最高效率

So if you’re still struggling to focus, look at your health habits.

所以如果你还在为专心而奋斗，检查一下你的健康习惯

Make sure you’re getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night, eat healthy, and try to exercise once a day, even if it’s just a short walk.

确保你每晚至少睡七小时，饮食健康还有试着每天运动一次，即使只是走一小段路

These things all take time, but – to quote Deep Work once again: High Quality Work = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus)

这些事都要花时间－再引用一次 Deep Work 深度工作力的内容：高品质的工作 = (时间花费) x (专注力的强度)

Taking care of your brain will allow you to focus more intensely when you do decide to work.

照顾好你的大脑会让你在决定要工作时专注力更强

Of course, making that decision to start working isn’t always easy……

当然，决定开始工作并不总是那么容易