为什么我们常说一日之计在于晨？

In the morning, we start off feeling fresh and rested (ideally, at least). As the day wears on, sustained cognitive engagement depletes our mental resources, and our behavior changes for the worse.

早晨，我们觉得既清爽又精力充沛（至少理想中是这样）。随着时间流逝，持续的认知投入使我们的精神资源衰竭，而我们的举止也每况愈下。

Every day we make decisions that have important implications for our happiness and how we live our lives. Whether we are studying for an exam, preparing for a job interview, or deciding on the best outfit for a first blind date, these very different situations have something in common: They happen at a certain time of day, a time we often can choose or control.

每一天我们会做出对我们的幸福有着重要影响的决定并决定如何生活。不论我们是为了一次考试而学习、为了一次求职面试而做准备或是为了初次约会而决定好好打扮，这些非常特殊的情况有一些共同之处：他们发生在一天中的某一时刻里，而那个时刻经常是我们可以选择或控制的。

When making decisions, we often don’t consider how the time of day might affect our choices. Rather, we decide on a time based on what’s most convenient to us. Yet recent research suggests that time of day has an important effect on our behavior and the actions of others.

当做决定的时候，我们通常不会考虑时刻可能会如何影响我们的选择。更确切的说，我们会选择对我们最方便的时间段。然而最近的研究显示时刻对我们的举止以及其他人的举止有着重要的影响。

In addition, time of day influences how we interact with others. In recent research (not yet published), Maryam Kouchaki (of Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management), Dan Cable (of the London Business School), and I reviewed field data from the MBA admissions office of a top U.S. business school. Somewhat shockingly, we found that time of day influences admissions officers’ evaluations of applicants as much as their educational background and work experience. Specifically, applicants were evaluated worse later in the day because interviewers conducted less structured interviews as the day wore on. Interestingly, neither students nor admission officers were aware of the relevance of such time-of-day effects.

另外，时刻也影响着我们如何与他人互动。在最近的研究（还未发表）中，（西北大学凯洛格管理学院的）Maryam Kouchaki以及（伦敦商学院的）Dan Cable和我回顾了一所美国顶级商学院MBA招生办公室的现场数据。有点令人震惊的是，我们发现在招生办公室对申请者进行评估时，时刻与申请者的教育背景以及工作经验对评估结果有着差不多的影响。特别的，在一天中晚些的时候，申请者的评估结果会比较糟，因为随着时间流逝，面试官会进行较少的结构化面试。有趣的是，学生和招生办公室都没有意识到时刻会有这样相关的影响。

We know that fatigue tends to accumulate over the day, but we generally fail to consider that our performance suffers as a result. Add to that the fact that we often feel concerned about being as productive as we can and thus often turn opportunities for a break into additional work (e.g., eating lunch at our desk). We can do better by taking breaks, and by carefully choosing the time of that appointment, interview, or date.

我们知道在一天中疲劳会慢慢累积，但是我们通常不会考虑到我们的行为会因此而变糟。另外，事实上，我们时常挂念着自己可以尽可能高效一点，因此常常把休息的机会用于额外的工作（如：在办公桌上吃午饭）。我们可以通过休息以及精心选择约定、面试以及约会的时间来做得更好。