To combat the trap of putting a premium on being busy, Cal Newport, author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, recommends building a habit of “deep work” - the ability to focus without distraction.
There are a number of approaches to mastering the art of deep work - be it lengthy retreats dedicated to a specific task; developing a daily ritual; or taking a “journalistic” approach to seizing moments of deep work when you can throughout the day. Whichever approach, the key is to determine your length of focus time and stick to it.
Newport also recommends “deep scheduling” to combat constant interruptions and get more done in less time. “At any given point, I should have deep work scheduled for roughly the next month. Once on the calendar, I protect this time like I would a doctor's appointment or important meeting,” he writes.
Another approach to getting more done in less time is to rethink how you priorities your day-in particular how we craft our to-do lists. Tim Harford, author of Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, points to a study in the early 1980s that divided undergraduates into two groups: some were advised to set out monthly goals and study activities; others were told to plan activities and goals in much more detail, day by day.
While the researchers assumed that the well-structured daily plans would be most effective when it come to the execution of tasks, they were wrong: the detailed daily plans demotivated students. Harford argues that inevitable distractions often render the daily to-do list ineffective, while leaving room for improvisation in such a list can reap the best results.
In order to make the most of our focus and energy, we also need to embrace downtime, or as Newport suggests, “be lazy.”
“Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body...[idleness] is ,paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done,” he argues.
Srini Pillay, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, believes this counterintuitive link between downtime and productivity may be due to the way our brains operate. When our brains switch between being focused and unfocused on a task, they tend to be more efficient.
“What people don't realise is that in order to complete these tasks they need to use both the focus and unfocus circuits in their brain.” says Pillay.
1.The key to mastering the art of deep work is to( ).
2.The study in the early 1980s cited by Harford shows that ( ).
3.According to Newport, idleness is ( ).
4.Pillay believes that our brain's shift between being focused and unfocused ( ).
5.This text is mainly about ( ).
问题1选项
A.seize every minute to work
B.list you immediate tasks
C.make specific daily plans
D.Keep to your focus time
问题2选项
A.students are hardly motivated by monthly goals
B.detailed plans may not be as fruitful as expected
C.distractions may actually increase efficiency
D.daily schedules arc indispensable to studying
问题3选项
A.a desirable mental state for busy people
B.a major contributor to physical health
C.an effective way to save time and energy
D.an essential factor in accomplishing any work
问题4选项
A.can bring about greater efficiency
B.can result in psychological well-being
C.is driven by task urgency
D.is aimed at better balance in work
问题5选项
A.approaches to getting more done in less time
B.Ways to relieve the tension of busy life
C.The key to eliminating distractions
D.The cause of the lack of focus time
第1题:D
第2题:B
第3题:D
第4题:A
第5题:A
第1题:
【选项释义】
The key to mastering the art of deep work is to _____. 掌握深度工作艺术的关键是_____。
A. seize every minute to work A. 抓住每分钟去工作
B. list you immediate tasks B. 列出你的即时任务
C. make specific daily plans C. 做出具体的方案
D. Keep to your focus time D. 保持你的专注时间
【答案】D
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到第二段最后一句“当然,不管你采取哪种方法,深度工作的关键(the key)在于掌控你专注工作的时长(length of focus time)并能持之以恒(stick to it)”,由此可知,选项D正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、C选项原文没有提及,属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
The study in the early 1980s cited by Harford shows that _____. Harford引用的20世纪80年代早期的研究表明_____。
A. students are hardly motivated by monthly goals A. 每个月的目标几乎没有激发学生
B. detailed plans may not be as fruitful as expected B. 精细的规划也许可能没有想象中有成效
C. distractions may actually increase efficiency C. 分心事实上增加效率
D. daily schedules are indispensable to studying
D. 日常规划对于学习是必不可少的
【答案】B
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到第五段第一句“尽管研究人员认为当谈及任务的执行时,精细构建的日常规划(well-structured daily plans)是最有效果的,但是他们错了:精细的日常规划没有激发学生(demotivated students)”,因此选项B符合。
【干扰项排除】
A、C、D选项原文没有提及,属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
According to Newport, idleness is _____. 根据新港,懒惰是_____。
A. a desirable mental state for busy people A. 忙碌的人们想要的一种精神状态
B. a major contributor to physical health B. 对身体健康主要的促进者
C. an effective way to save time and energy C. 省时省力的有效方式
D. an essential factor in accomplishing any work D. 在完成任何工作中必不可少的因素
【答案】D
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到第七段“懒散(Idleness)不仅仅是休闲度假,放纵或者堕落,像身体需要维生素D一样,它对大脑来说同样必不可少(indispensable),它对完成任何工作(getting any work done)来说是必不可少的(necessary),这样认为也许很矛盾”,因此,选项D符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、C选项原文没有提及,属于无中生有。
第4题:
【选项释义】
Pillay believes that our brain’s shift between being focused and unfocused _____. 皮莱认为我们的大脑在专注和不专注之间的转换_____。
A. can bring about greater efficiency A. 能够产生更高的效率
B. can result in psychological well-being B. 能产生心理健康
C. is driven by task urgency C. 由任务的紧迫性所驱使
D. is aimed at better balance in work D. 目的是在工作中产生平衡
【答案】A
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到倒数第二段最后一句“当我们的大脑在一个任务中处于集中注意力(being focused)和不集中注意力(unfocused)的转换中时,大脑会更有效率(more efficient)”,也就是选项A正确。
【干扰项排除】
B、C、D选项原文没有提及,属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
This text is mainly about _____. 本文主要是关于_____。
A. approaches to getting more done in less time A. 在更短的时间内完成更多工作的方法
B. ways to relieve the tension of busy life B. 缓解忙碌生活的紧张
C. the key to eliminating distractions C. 消除分心的关键
D. the cause of the lack of focus time D. 缺乏专注时间的原因
【答案】A
【考查点】主旨大意题。
【解题思路】文章第一段引用Cal Newport的观点来说明focus without distraction话题,说到养成深度工作的习惯,下文展开说明,并给出了多个高效工作的建议,也就是在短时间内如何做更多的事情。因此A选项符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
B、C、D选项都属于文章的细节,不能充当主旨,属于以偏概全。
【参考译文】
为了避免过度忙碌的陷阱,《深度工作:在分心的世界中专注成功的法则》一书的作者卡尔·纽波特建议人们养成“深度工作”的习惯——一种心无旁骛、集中精力的能力。
掌握深度工作艺术的方法有很多——可以是专门针对某项特定任务的长时间专注;也可以是制定日常习惯;还可以是采取“新闻报道”的方式,在一天中尽可能抓住深度工作的时刻。无论采用哪种方法,关键在于确定自己的专注时间长度并坚持下去。
纽波特还建议采用“深度调度”的方法来应对不断出现的干扰,在更短的时间内完成更多的工作。“在任何时候,我都应该安排下个月的深度工作。一旦列入日程,我就会像对待医生预约或重要会议一样保护这段时间,”他写道。
另一种在更短时间内完成更多工作的方法是重新思考如何安排一天的工作重点,特别是我们如何编制待办事项清单。《混乱:无序的力量改变我们的生活》一书的作者蒂姆·哈福德指出,20世纪80年代初的一项研究将大学生分为两组:一些人被建议制定每月目标和学习活动;另一些人则被告知要更详细地逐日规划活动和目标。
虽然研究人员认为,结构合理的每日计划在执行任务时会最有效,但他们错了:详细的每日计划打击了学生的积极性。哈福德认为,不可避免的分心往往会让每日待办事项清单失去效用,而在这样的清单中留出即兴发挥的余地则能收获最佳效果。
为了充分利用我们的注意力和精力,我们还需要拥抱闲暇时间,或者像纽波特建议的那样“偷懒”。
他认为:“懒惰不仅仅是一种假期、一种放纵或一种恶习;它对大脑来说就像维生素D对身体一样不可或缺……矛盾的是,‘懒惰’是完成任何工作的必要条件。”
哈佛大学医学院精神病学助理教授斯里尼·皮莱认为,休息时间与工作效率之间这种反直觉的联系可能是由于我们大脑的运作方式造成的。当我们的大脑在专注与不专注于某项任务之间切换时,往往会更有效率。
皮莱说:"人们没有意识到的是,为了完成这些任务,他们需要同时使用大脑中的专注和非专注回路。”
【出处】《BBC》2017.6.13