如果不必工作，我就会把电脑关掉。只要看不到书桌上电脑屏幕的亮光，我就会觉得出奇的平静。
Achieving Life/Work Balance While Attending Graduate School
身处研究生院，如何平衡生活和工作
I have this little note tacked up above my desk – a place where I invariably find myself spending more time than I’d like:
因平时总习惯到书桌旁坐坐，我就在上面贴了一张小纸条，上面写着：
“Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” - Robert Fulgham
要学会发现奇迹。去过一种平衡的生活——学习、思考、绘画、唱歌、跳舞、娱乐加上工作样样都不能少——罗伯特▪富尔姆
It reminds me that we have this one, short, wonderful life to live. And as I embark on a professional journey, I need reminders that it isn’t all about work, it’s about play too. This is my first year in a doctoral program. Finding a healthy balance between my professional pursuits and personal wellbeing has been a challenge I’ve faced for years in school, but is especially important in the rigorous, high-stress environment in which I find myself now.
看到纸条时，我就会想到人生只有一次，因为短暂，所以要活得精彩。当我开始我的专业工作时，总需要有些东西来提醒提醒我：生活不全关乎工作，生活也需要有娱乐。今年我刚参加到一个博士项目中。在学校这些年来我一直面对这样的挑战，那就是如何在专业追求与个人幸福之间找到一个合理的平衡点，而我现在又正处在严峻的、高压力的环境中，所以找到这种平衡就更加重要。
The underlying message I hear with some regularity is essentially: “the more/harder you work, the more successful you’ll be in this field.” I see some students take that to heart – they work 16 hours a day, never go to happy hour, don’t sleep enough, never take breaks, and lead very productive but unhappy lives.
我时常听到的一些流言，很多都是说：“在某一领域，你做得越多、工作越努力，你就会越成功。”同时我注意到许多学生对此深信不疑——他们会每天工作16个小时，从不和同事结伴去喝喝酒、聚聚餐，睡眠也不足，工作从不间断，过着一种看似高效的生活，实则并不幸福。
I can’t be that person. I can work hard, but working too much means that what I create is strained – it’s lower quality, less interesting, and ultimately bad work. When I treat myself well (physically, mentally, and emotionally), I feel better and work better. I am more than just my work, and I remind myself of that by engaging in my hobbies, spending time with people I love, and exploring new things.
我肯定成不了这种人。我会努力地工作，但工作过度意味着我的工作成果只是在应付——质量低、乏味，简直糟糕透顶。但是如果我好好待自己，使自己保持身体健康、精神振奋、心情舒畅的状态，然后再去工作，我就觉得很好，工作也好得多。为了不断提醒自己“工作不是生活的全部”，我便时常醉心于爱好中，或者去陪陪所爱的人，或者去探究新奇事物。
Below are some things that have helped me maintain balance in my life ¬– learned by experience, and from my mom, dear friends, professional mentors, books, articles, songs, and lots more. Not every trick works for everyone, and finding a formula that is successful for YOU is key – one person’s solution to a balanced life may be doing yoga, while another person’s is attending rock concerts. Ultimately, you decide what’s best for you, but this is my approach.
下面介绍一些曾助我维持生活和工作平衡的小方法，这些方法总结了我的母亲、好友、专业导师的经验，又有从书籍、文章、歌曲以及许多其他渠道获取的经验。因为一种技巧不一定对所有人都适用，最重要的是找到对你最实用的那种——用什么方法解决生活中的平衡问题因人而异，有人可能去练瑜伽，有人可能去参加摇滚音乐会。但最终还是由你自己来决定用哪种方法最好，下面介绍的是我采取的办法。
▷Closing my computer. Whenever I’m at home, if my computer is on, I feel obligated to be on it and working. So when I don’t need to work, I put it to sleep. It’s amazing how much calmer I feel when I can’t see that glow emanating from my desk.
▷把电脑关机。不管我什么时候在家，只要电脑开着，我就觉得自己有必要用它来工作。 因此，如果不必工作，我就会把电脑关掉。只要看不到书桌上电脑屏幕的亮光，我就会觉得出奇的平静。
▷Reading for pleasure. I read for school almost all day, but reading something that hasn’t been assigned is always a joy.
▷读书寻乐。我几乎整天都得看学校指定的书，尽管如此，读些课外的东西总能带给我某种快乐。
Arts and crafts. Whether I’m crocheting, scrap-booking, card-making, taking photographs, or sewing, I find all creative pursuits both soothing and relaxing.
▷做些艺术品和手工制品。无论是钩针编织、做剪贴簿、做卡片，还是照相、做针线活，我都能在这些富有创造性的活动中获得安慰和放松。
▷Exercise. It’s well known that keeping your body active is an essential part to overall health. Even getting a short bit of exercise in every day works as a great de-stressor.
▷加强锻炼。众所周知，保持身体旺盛的活力是拥有全方位健康不可缺少的条件。即使每天的运动量很小，也能起到类似“强力降压剂”的作用。
▷Staying organized. It’s important as a graduate student that I stay on top of my homework, meetings, teaching responsibilities, appointments, assignments, essays, research agenda… the list goes on. Trying to keep everything I need to get done in my head is impossible – I keep a planner with dates and to-do lists with me at all times so I have everything I need to know all in one place.
▷做事有条理。这一点很重要。对于一个研究生来说，有一大堆事等着处理，家庭作业、会议、教学责任、约会、任务、论文、调查报告……当然不止这些，清单还很长。要把所有需要做的事情都记在脑里是不可能的——我一直都是把要做的事按时间顺序列在记事本上，这样只需要翻翻笔记本，我就能知道自己需要什么了。
▷Taking breaks. Whether I’m at school working or at home studying, I take breaks, even for five minutes. Taking a deep breath, turning away from my work, and focusing my attention on something else is always helpful.
▷适时休息。不论是在学校工作，还是在家里学习，我都会适时歇歇，哪怕只休息五分钟。做一下深呼吸，让自己把注意力从工作移到其他东西上，这样很有帮助。
▷Maintaining boundaries. I don’t do reading for school in bed; I don’t multitask while I eat meals; I don’t return school-related emails after a certain time every evening. Maintaining a separation from work and home with some boundaries is essential for me.
▷工作、生活要分开。睡觉前我不会再读专业书；吃饭就专心吃饭；每晚在某个时间段内我不会回复与学校有关的邮件。把工作和生活分开，并维持这一界限，对我来说，很有必要。
▷Spending time with friends and family. This is the key to it all – remaining connected to the people I care about reminds me that I am part of a larger community, and that there’s more to life than just my schoolwork.
▷与亲朋共度时光。这点很关键——与自己所关心的人还保持着联系，让我觉得自己还属于一个更大的群体，工作不是生活的唯一形式。
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