正文

Why loafing can be work

為什么“摸魚”也算在工作？

What exactly constitutes work? Responding to email and being in a meeting are indubitably forms of work.

到底什么算工作呢？毫無疑問，回復郵件和出席會議是工作的某些形式。

But these familiar forms of work can deceive, for two reasons. The first is that what looks like a Stakhanovite effort may be no such thing. The second is that things that look like the opposite of work — loafing about, to use the technical term — can be very useful indeed.

但是我們熟悉的這些工作形式具有欺騙性，原因有以下兩點。首先，那些看上去像礦工斯達漢諾夫般（工作狂）的苦干可能根本不存在。其次，那些看上去跟工作完全不搭邊的行為——用專業點的話說，也就是怠工——實際上卻可以變得極具價值。

Take daydreaming. Letting the mind wander is not simply part of being human; it can also be a source of creativity, a way to unlock solutions to thorny problems.

就拿“白日做夢”來說，任思緒漫游不僅僅是人性的一部分，也可以成為創造力的來源，帶你發現棘手問題的解法。

Research published in 2021 found that tricky work-related problems sparked more daydreaming among professional employees, and that this daydreaming in turn boosted creativity.

一項 2021 年發表的研究表明，在專業技術人員中，與工作相關的難題激發了更多的“白日夢”，而這種空想反過來又提升了他們的創造力。

In similar vein, going for a walk is not just a break from work, but can be a form of it. Perambulation was associated with big increases in creativity. Being outside generally seems to improve lateral thinking.

與此類似，散步不止是工間休息，也可以是工作的一種形式。散步與創造力的大幅提升有關。一般來說，在室外似乎可以提高人的橫向思維能力。

The post-pandemic rethink of work is focused on "when" and "where" questions. Asynchronous working is a way for individuals to collaborate at times that suit them. Lots of thought is going into how to make a success of hybrid work.

新冠疫情之后，人們對工作的重新思考集中在“何時”和“何處”的問題上。異步工作是一種讓人能在適合自己的時間與他人合作的方式。很多人正在思考如何使混合工作模式獲得成功。

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The "what is work" question gets much less attention. But if you see a colleague meandering through the park or examining the ceiling for hours, don't assume that work isn't being done. What looks like idleness may be the very moment when serendipity strikes.

而大家對于 "什么是工作 "這個問題關注得就少得多了。但是，如果你看到一個同事在公園里閑逛，或者盯著天花板看了幾個小時，不要直接就認為他沒有在工作。看上去無所事事的瞬間，可能就是靈感迸發的時刻。

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主編：蘑菇

品控：木子

審核：Jack

重點詞匯

loaf

/lo?f/

v. 懶散；（尤指）偷懶

詞性拓展：loaf（n. （面包的）一條）

搭配短語：a loaf of bread

相關詞匯：loafer（n. 樂福鞋；游手好閑者）

constitute

/'kɑ:n.st?.tu:t/

v. 是；被看作，被視為；組成，構成

相關詞匯：make up（組成，構成）

英文釋義：to be considered to be something

例句：Failing to complete the work constitutes a breach of the employment contract.

indubitably

/?n?du?.b?.t??.bli/

adv. 不容置疑地

同義詞：undoubtedly

詞根詞綴：in-（否定前綴）

英文釋義：without doubt

相關詞匯：indubitable

搭配短語：an indubitable truth（毋庸置疑的真理）

deceive

/d?'si:v/

v. 欺騙，蒙騙

例句：Appearances can deceive.

no such thing

沒有這回事；不可能的事

例句：A perfect person? There's no such thing.

例句：There's no such thing as a free lunch.

loaf about

工作摸魚，怠工；游手好閑；閑蕩

同義短語：loaf around

例句：A group of kids were loafing around outside.

近義詞：hang about

thorny

/'θ?:r.ni/

adj. 棘手的，麻煩的；帶刺的

相關詞匯：thorn（n. 刺）

例句：Roses have thorns.

搭配短語：a thorn in sb's side（某人的肉中刺，眼中釘）

搭配短語：a thorny bush

搭配短語：a thorny problem

spark

/spɑ:rk/

v. 引起，導致，觸發

詞性拓展：spark（n. 火花）

搭配短語：to spark sb's interest / hope / curiosity

in turn

相應地，反過來；依次地，輪流地

例句：We can look at each grammar point of the sentence in turn.（依次地）

英文釋義：as a result of something

例句：She was very angry with me and I in turn was very upset.（相應地）

In similar vein

與……類似

相關詞匯：vein（n. 靜脈；〔植物的〕葉脈; 〔昆蟲的〕翅脈）

搭配短語：to have a discussion along the same vein

perambulation

/p?'r?m.bj?.le??n/

n. 漫步；徘徊

相關詞匯：perambulate（v. 漫步）

口語表達：go for a walk

英文釋義：When someone perambulates, they walk about for pleasure.

搭配短語：to perambulate the park

lateral

/?l?t?.?.?l/

adj. 側面的；橫向運動的

詞根詞綴：later-（side，邊，側）

搭配短語：from side to side（左右來回（搖擺））

搭配短語：lateral eye movements

文化補充：文中的 lateral thinking 說的就是“橫行思維能力”，也叫非線形思維，是可以做到觸類旁通、舉一反三的，這種思維模式的對立面就是 liner thinking，也就是線形思維，一根筋，思維比較定式。

asynchronous

/e??s??.kr?.n?s/

adj. 異步的；非共時的

詞根詞綴：a-（否定詞綴）

反義詞：synchronous（同步的）

詞根詞綴：syn-（同時）；chron（時間）；-ous（形容詞詞尾）

collaborate

/k?'l?b.?.re?t/

v. 合作；協作

搭配短語：collaborate (with somebody) (on something)

例句：She has collaborated with him on many projects over the years.

口語表達：work together on sth.

meander

/mi'?n.d?/

v. 漫步，閑逛；（河流、道路等）蜿蜒，迂回曲折

近義詞：go for a walk / perambulate

例句：The path meanders through the garden.

idleness

/?a?.d?l.n?s/

n. 懶散；無所事事；不務正業

相關詞匯：idle（adj. 懈怠的；懶惰的）

英文釋義：not working hard

搭配短語：an idle student

serendipity

/?ser.?n?d?p.?.t?i/

n.（偶然發現有趣或珍貴之物的）機緣，幸運

近義詞：luck

文化補充：單詞是由 18 世紀的一位政治家基于波斯傳說造出來的，因為主人公具有隨處發現珍寶的本領，所以 serendipity 就是指“意外發現有趣（或有用）之物”，引申為“(意外發現新奇或有價值事物的)運氣”，也就是“偶爾的幸運”。

strike

/stra?k/

v. 使產生…想法；打，擊，撞

詞性拓展：strike（n. 罷工）

搭配短語：go on strike

近義詞：hit

例句：The ship struck a rock.