我们究竟在忙什么？

Across the industrialized world, large numbers of survey respondents tell researchers they’reoverburdened with work, at the expense of time with family and friends.

在这个工业化的世界，大量的问卷调查对象告诉研究人员，说工作负担太重，他们和家人朋友呆在一起的时间里被工作挤掉了。

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.

人们整体的工作时间——无论是有偿还是其他，近十几年内在欧洲和北美并没有增加。还有，数据显示说自己最忙的人们往往并非如此。

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.

随着经济增长，境况较好的人们的收入随着时间逐渐增长，时间也确实变得更有价值了：所有付出的小时都值得更多的回报，所以我们感受到了更多把更大量的工作挤压在等量时间里的压力。

The result, inevitably, is feeling overwhelmed: we’re each finite human beings, with finite energy and abilities, attempting to get through an infinite amount.

结果呢，自然而然的，我们感觉被压垮了：我们都是凡人，有着有限的精力和能力，却试图完成无限的事情。

The ironic consequence of the “busy feeling”is that we handle our to-do lists less well than if we weren’t so rushed.

“感觉忙碌”具有讽刺意味，它的结果就是：我们完成目标清单的效果比不那么赶的时候更差。

When you’re busy, you’re more likely to make poor time-management choices –taking oncommitments you can’t handle, or prioritising trifling tasks over crucial ones.

当你忙的时候，你更有可能做出更糟糕的时间管理选择——承诺你做不了的事，或者将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.

最糟糕的可以说是这种想法蔓延并影响到了我们的闲暇时光——所以即使生活允许我们有一个或两个小时的休息时间，我们最后都会觉得那些时间理应也被过得“有价值”。

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.

对于这种“忙碌传染病”，如果有比强制规定一周只工作21小时更好的解药——或许就是自己认识到我们自己的态度已经变得多么不合理了。

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.

我们过着狂热的生活，至少在一部分的生活中是这样，是因为这让我们对自己感觉良好。也许我们应该停下来足够长的时间来意识到——如果我们不那么忙会怎样呢？