Do you ever find yourself—do you ever—do you ever find yourself trying to concentrate and yet can't seem to focus? Why are we so distracted these days? And is technology the root cause of the problem? Or is there something deeper going on?
你有沒有－－你有沒－－你有沒有試著專心但覺得自己好像沒辦法集中精神的經驗呢？我們現代人怎麼這麼容易分心啊？科技是問題的根源嗎？或是還有更深層的原因呢？
Five Ways to Distraction-Proof Your Mind
五種不分心的方法
My name is Nir Eyal. And I've spent the last five years researching and writing about the deeper psychology of distraction. When I found myself struggling with distraction, I decided to do what many people advise and got rid of the distracting technology. I got myself a flip phone without any apps. All it did was phone calls and text messages. Then I got a word processor from the 1990s without any sort of Internet connection. Unfortunately, I found I still got distracted. I'd start reading a book from my bookshelf. I'd tidy up my desk. I'd take out the trash even—just to avoid the thing that I didn't want to do.
我叫 Nir Eyal。我用過去五年的時間研究跟撰寫分心背後更深層的心理學。當我發現我受分心所苦的時候，我決定參考大家的意見，擺脫讓人分心的科技產品。我想辦法弄了一部沒有應用程式的翻蓋式手機。只能拿來講電話或傳訊息。然後我又買了一部 1990 年代那種文書處理機，完全沒辦法上網。不幸的是，我還是很容易分心。我會跑去讀書架上的書。我會整理書桌。我甚至還會跑去倒垃圾－－就為了不去做我不想做的事情。
I had only focused on the external triggers—the pings and dings that were leading me towards distraction. What I hadn't focused on, and what turns out to be a much more common source of distraction, are the internal triggers—the uncomfortable emotional states that we seek to escape.
我本來只有注意外界的誘因－－那些外界叮叮咚咚讓我們分心的聲音。而我沒注意到的其實才是分心的常見原因，就是內在誘因－－是那些讓我們想要逃離的不舒服的心理狀態。
When we're lonely, we check Facebook. When we're uncertain, we Google. When we're bored, we check the news, stock prices, sports scores—anything to not feel these uncomfortable sensations that we're not ready to experience. Here are a few techniques I discovered in my research that could help us stay on track.
我們孤單的時候就看 Facebook。覺得不太確定的時候就查 Google。無聊的時候，我們就跑去看新聞、看股價、看運動賽事比分－－我們還沒準備好要面對那些不舒服的情緒時，就會去做別的事情逃避。接下來跟大家分享一些我在研究中發現可以幫助我們維持在正軌上的小技巧。
One: Plan your day (but not with a to-do list).
第一：計畫你的一天（但不要用待辦清單）。
First, what you want to do is to make sure you plan your day. Two-thirds of people don't keep any sort of calendar, any kind of schedule in their day. Well, the fact of the matter is if you don't plan your day, somebody is going to plan it for you. Many of us believe in this myth of the to-do list. I used to think that just by writing things down, they'd get done. But of course, I'd go from day to day to day, recycling the bottom half of my to-do list because I wasn't making time to do those tasks. So the best place to start is not with the output of what you want to get done every day, but with the input of how much time you have to devote to every task.
第一，一定要計畫好自己的一天。有三分之二的人生活中完全沒有用任何日曆，或任何行程表。事實上是這樣的，如果你不計畫好的話，別人就會來安排你的一天。我們很多人都有對待辦清單的迷思。我以前還認為只要我寫下來，事情就會做好。但當然，我只會拖過一天又一天，重複那些清單下半部的待辦事項，因為我沒有安排時間來做這些事。所以最好不要從你一天想有多少產出開始安排，而是從你打算投入多少時間在每項任務上開始安排起。
Two: Use social media and email at set times.
第二：在規劃好的時間用社群媒體跟檢查電子郵件。
So, distraction has many consequences. One of them is that we find that when someone is interrupted during a task, it can take up to 20 minutes for them to refocus on what they were doing. Many times we don't even realize how much worse our output is when we—
分心會有很多後果。其中一個就是如果我們工作的時候被打擾的話，可能要花 20 分鐘才能重新專心。很多時候，我們都不了解我們的產出會變得多糟糕，就是當我們被－－
Some check email in one solid block. If you enjoy using social media, that's great, but make time for it in your day so it's not something you're only using every time you feel bored or lonely.
有些人在固定時間查看電子郵件。如果你很喜歡用社群軟體的話，那很好，但還是要安排一段固定時間給它，不要讓它變成你一無聊或孤單的時候就想看的東西。
Three: Surf the urge.
第三：駕馭衝動。
Researchers have found that surfing the urge is an effective way to master our internal triggers. In a smoking cessation study, researchers found that when they taught smokers how to notice the sensation and be mindful of what they were experience, they became much more likely to stop smoking. By surfing the urge and noticing what it is that we're experiencing and allowing that sensation to crest and then subside—kind of like how a surfer might surf a wave—we allow that emotion, that uncomfortable internal trigger, to crest and then pass.
學者發現，駕馭衝動對於對心理誘因非常有幫助。在一項戒菸的研究中，學者也發現，如果教導抽菸者去注意自己的感官跟仔細觀察自己所經歷的狀態，他們會比較容易戒菸成功。透過駕馭衝動跟觀察自己的狀態，讓自己的感覺達到高峰再下降－－就有點像衝浪者駕馭一道浪的感覺－－我們讓那個情緒，就是內在讓我們不舒服的誘因，達到高峰然後過去。
Four: Be aware of "liminal moments."
第四：小心「間隔時間」。
The next thing that we wanna do is to be careful of liminal moments. Liminal moments are these periods of time when we are transitioning from one task to the other. So, for example, if you start checking your email on the way back from a meeting, and you're finally at your desk, and you keep checking your email instead of getting to the task at hand, well, now that liminal moment has turned into a distraction. So, be careful of those times when you're transitioning from one task to the next.
下一項要注意的是要小心間隔時間。間隔時間就是我們要切換處理事項時中間那些細碎的時間。例如，如果你剛開完會，在走回座位的路上看一下郵件，等你走到座位上時，你開始一直看你的郵件，而不是開始做手邊的待辦事項，那個間隔時間就變成一個分心的原因。所以要小心你在切換工作間的細碎時間。
Five: Remember you're not powerless.
第五：記住你不是無能為力的。
A study of alcoholics found that the number one determinant of whether someone would stay sober after a rehabilitation program was not their level of physical dependency; it wasn't what was happening in their body. In fact, it was what was happening in their minds. The people who were most likely to stay sober were those who believed they had the power to stop. So, when we think that technology is hijacking our brains or it's addicting everyone, we are making it more likely that we won't be able to put technology distractions in their place. So don't believe this lie that there's nothing we can do. Clearly, there's so much we can do to help make sure that we get the best out of these products without letting them get the best of us.
另外有個研究酗酒者的研究發現，一個人會不會在戒酒計畫後持續保持，決定性因素不是他們生理方面的依賴度，不是他們身體的作用。事實上，是心理的作用。那些相信自己有力量戒酒的人是最有可能維持清醒狀態的。所以當我們認為科技正在綁架我們的大腦並讓人上癮的時候，我們反而讓科技更有可能使我們分心。所以不要再相信我們無能為力這種鬼話了。很明顯地，我們有很多方法能善加利用這些產品，而不是讓它們控制我們的生活。
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感謝收看!不要忘記訂閱跟按小鈴鐺，這樣有新影片才會收到通知哦。下次見!
- 「但事實是」- the fact of the matter
Well, the fact of the matter is if you don't plan your day, somebody is going to plan it for you.
事實上是這樣的，如果你不計畫好的話，別人就會來安排你的一天。 - 「奉獻給、投入給」- devote to something
So the best place to start is not with the output of what you want to get done every day, but with the input of how much time you have to devote to every task.
所以最好不要從你一天想有多少產出開始安排，而是從你打算投入多少時間在每項任務上開始安排起。 - 「在手邊、即將到來」- at hand
So, for example, if you start checking your email on the way back from a meeting, and you're finally at your desk, and you keep checking your email instead of getting to the task at hand, well, now that liminal moment has turned into a distraction.
例如，如果你剛開完會，在走回座位的路上看一下郵件，等你走到座位上時，你開始一直看你的郵件，而不是開始做手邊的待辦事項，那個間隔時間就變成一個分心的原因。
