Know When to Slam on the Brakes
懂得生活中何时该适可而止
As we all prepare for this holiday weekend, I want to share two bits of advice to my career-minded readers.
当我们大家都在为这周的周末假期而做准备时,我想和我事业心很强的读者分享一些建议。
As all you regular readers know, I have been an entrepreneur for 29 years. During my early years, I did not recognize the importance of finding balance between my career and family life. My desire to reach my goals was so powerful I worked 70+ hours a week. My relationships deteriorated, my marriage struggled, and my hair fell out.
作为本刊的固定读者你们知道,我做企业已经29年了。在早期,我并没有认识到,在职业生涯和家庭生活之间找到平衡的重要性。我如此强烈地渴望实现目标,以至我每周工作超过70小时。我的人际关系恶化,婚姻岌岌可危,而且我脱发。
As if those issues weren’t enough reasons to stop overworking, there were more. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t enjoying the journey. Of course, the thrill that came from achieving my goals felt great, but that was short lived.
如果因为这些问题,还不能构成充足的理由来停止超负荷工作,那么还有更多麻烦。我不开心。我没有好好享受旅程。当然,达成目标后的兴奋激动让我感觉真的很棒,但这只是短暂的。
Take Sundays Off
星期天放假吧
As my career progressed I made it a priority to take Sundays off. I had always taken Sunday mornings off to go to church, but I often found myself working Sunday afternoons and evenings.
当我的职业生涯发展到一定阶段,我把星期天休息作为为一项优先考虑的事项。我一直周日上午休息时去教堂,但我经常发现自己周日下午和晚上还在继续工作。
Sundays became the day when I would focus exclusively on my family, having fun and recharging my batteries. This decision increased my productivity because I felt sharper and more refreshed during the other six days. It improved my relationship with my wife and children, and it allowed me to better enjoy my journey.
星期天成了这样,我将专注于我的家人,开心玩乐并给自己充电。这个决定使得我的生产率增加,因为在接下来的六天里我感到更敏捷、更精神焕发。它改善了我与我妻子和孩子们的关系,,它让我更好的享受我的旅程。
One of the main reasons why Sundays are the best days to take off, beyond its Biblical significance, is that it is the one day when most people don’t expect you to be working. It’s the one day a week that most of us can go without responding to emails, text messages, phone calls, and other work-related business. We can fully shut down.
星期天是一个最好的休息日,除了有其圣经的意义,其中一个主要原因在于,这一天,大多数人不期望你工作。每周有这么一天,我们大多数人可以不回复电子邮件,短信,电话,和其他与工作相关的业务。我们可以完全停工。
So my first word of advice is to take Sundays off. If your chosen career does not allow you to take Sundays off, then find another day each week to relax, refresh, and spend time with the people important to you.
所以我的第一个忠告是周日休息。如果你选择的职业不允许你周日休息,然后每周另找一天休息放松,恢复精神,把时间花在对你重要的人身上。
Take Holiday Weekends Off
假期周末休假
This leads me into my second word of advice. Take holiday weekends off. Not only are these the best times to spend with those who are important to you but, like Sundays, they are times when people aren’t expecting you to be working. Holiday weekends are the few times each year when you can take off more than two days without having to be available to clients, business colleagues, and co-workers.
让我来说说我的第二条忠告。周末式度假休息。不仅是因为在这段美妙时光里,你有机会和那些对你来说很重要的人一起度过,而且就像星期天一样,人们不期望你工作。周末式度假是每年几次这样的日子,你可以超过两天不为客户,业务同事和同事提供服务。
I used to work through holiday weekends thinking, “While everyone else is resting, I am going gain market share.” My mind was programmed to attack when my competitors were relaxing. While I still think this way, it is not as extreme.
我曾经在周末式假期来一边工作一边考虑,“当别人都在休息,我要获得市场份额。”当我的竞争对手在放松,而我的头脑在规划行动。我仍然怀揣这样想法,它并不过分。