摘要:Jason Fried: Why work doesn't happen at workhttps://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_workNigel Marsh: How to make work-life balance workhttps://www.ted.com/talks/nigel_marsh_ho ... ...
The real problems are what I like to call the M&Ms, the Managers and the Meetings. Those are the real problems in the modern office today. And this is why things don't get done at work, it's because of the M&Ms. Now what's interesting is, if you listen to all the places that people talk about doing work, like at home, in the car, on a plane, late at night, or early in the morning. you don't find managers and meetings. You find a lot of other distractions, but not managers and meetings. So these are the things that you don't find elsewhere, but you do find at the office. And managers are basically people whose job it is to interrupt people. That's pretty much what managers are for. They're for interrupting people. They don't really do the work, so they make sure everyone else is doing work, which is an interruption. We have lots of managers in the world now, and a lot of people in the world, and a lot of interruptions by these managers. They have to check in:"Hey, how's it going? Show me what's up." This sort of thing. They keep interrupting you at the wrong time, while you're actually trying to do something they're paying you to do, they tend to interrupt you. That's kind of bad.
Companies often think of a one-hour meeting as a one-hour meeting, but that's not true, unless there's only one person. If there are 10 people, it's a 10-hour meeting, not a one-hour meeting. It's 10 hours of productivity taken from the rest of the organization to have this one-hour meeting, which probably should have been handled by two or three people talking for a few minutes.
Now the first step in solving any problem is acknowledging the reality of the situation you're in. And the reality of the society that we're in is there are thousands and thousands of people out there leading lives of quiet, screaming desperation, where they work long, hard hours at jobs they hate to oenable them to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like.
If you don't design your life, someone else will design it for you, and you may just not like their idea of balance.
如果你自己不设计自己的人生，别人就会替你设计。
Now my point is the small things matter. Being more balanced doesn't mean dramatic upheaval in your life. With the smallest investment in the right places, you can radically transform the quality of your relationships and the quality of your life. Moreover, I think, it can transform society. Because if enough people do it, we can change society's definition of success away from the moronically simplistic notion that the person with the most money when he dies wins, to a more thoughtful and balanced definition of what a life well lived looks like.
And positive psychology posits that if we study what is mearly average, we will remain merely average. Then instead of deleting those positive ourliers, what I intentionally do is come into a population like this one and say why? Whye are some of you high abover the curve in terms of intellectual, athletic, musical ability, creativity, energy levels, resiliency in the face of challenge, sense of humor? Whatever it is, instead of deleting you, what I want to do is study you. Because maybe we can glean information, not just how to move people up to the average, but move the entire average up in our companies and schools worldwide.
We're finding it's not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time.
And the problem is it's scientifically broken and backwards for two reasons. Every time your brain has a success, you just changed the goalpost of what success looked like. You got good grades, now you have to get better grades, you got into a good school and after you get into a better one, you got a good job, now you have to get a better job, you hit your sales target, we're going to change it. And if happiness is on the opposite side of success, your brain never gets there. We've pushed happiness over the cognitive horizon, as a society. And that's because we think we have to be successful, then we'll be happier.
But our brains work in the opposite order. If you can raise somebody's level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage, which is your brain at positive performs significantly better than at negative, neutral or stressed. Your intelligence rises, your creativity rises, your energy levels rise. In fact, we've found that every single business outcome improves. Your brain at positive is 31% more productive than your brain at negative, neutral or stressed. You're 37% better at sales. Doctors are 19 percent faster, more accurate at coming up with the correct diagnosis when positive instead of negative, neutral or stressed.
Which means we can reverse the formula. If we can find a way of becoming positive in the present, then our brains work even more successfully as we're able to work harder, faster and more intelligently. We need to be able to reverse this formula so we can start to see what our brains are actually capable of. Because dopamine, which floods into your system when you're positive, has two functions. Not only does it make you happier, it turns on all of the learning centers in your brain allowing you to adapt to the world in a different way.
It was that I would ask one simple question. It was, "Why are you doing the work that you're doing?" And so often their answer would be" Well, because somebody told me I'm supposed to." And I realized that so many people around us are climbing their way up this ladder that someone tells them to climb, and it ends up being leaned up against the wrong wall, or no wall at all.
The first part of this three-step passionate work framework is becoming a self-expert and understanding yourself, because if you don't know what you're looking for, you're never going to find it. And the thing is that no one is going to do this for us. There's no major in university on passion and purpose and career.
And so the first step of our compa ss is finding out what our unique strengths are. What are the things that we wake up loving to do no matter what, whether we're paid or we're not paid, the things that people thank us for?
And next, what's our framework or our hierarchy for making decisions? Do we care about the people, our family, health, or is it achievement, success, all this stuff? We have to figure out what it is to make these decisions, so we know what our soul is made of, so that we don't go selling it to some cause we don't give a shit about.
And then the next step is our experiences. All of us have these experiences. We learn things every day, every minute about what we love, what we hate, what we're good at, what we're terrible at. And if we don't spend time paying attention to that and assimilating that learning and applying it to the rest of our lives, it's all for nothing. Every day, every week, every month of every year I spend some time just reflecting on what went right, what went wrong, and what do I want to repeat, what can I apply more to my life.
And even more so than that, as you see people, especially today, who inspire you, who are doing things where you say "Oh God, what Jeff is doing, I want be like him." Why are you saying that? Open up a journal. Write down what it is about them that inspires you. It's not going to be everything about their life, but whatever it is, take note on that, so over time we'll have this repository of things that we can use to apply to our life and have a more passionate existence and make a better impact. Becase when we start to put these things together, we can then define what success actually means to us, and without these different parts of the compass, it's impossible. We end up in the situation -- we have that scripted life that everybody seems to be living going up this ladder to nowhere.
The things is, everything was impossible until somebody did it. Every invention, every new thing in the world, people thought were crazy at first. Roger Bannister and the four-minute mile, it was a physical impossibility to break the four-minute mile in a foot race until Roger Bannister stood up and did it. And then what happened? Two months later, 16 people broke the four-minute mile. The things that we have in our head that we think are impossible are often just milestones waiting to be accomplished if we can push those limits a bit.
And the best way to do this is to surround yourself with passionate people. The fastest things to do things you don't think can be done is to surround yourself with people already doing them. There's this quote by Jim Rohn and it says. "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with."
"First they igore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
And it's what is the work you can't not do? Discover that, live it.
When I wake up in the morning, I check my phone, and then I have a cup of coffee. But then my day truly starts. It may not be like yours, because I live my life as an artwork. Picture yourself in a giant jewelry box with all the beautiful things that you have ever seen in your life. Then imagine that your body is a canvas. And on that canvas, you have a mission to create a masterpiece using the contents of your giant jewelry box. Once you've created your masterpiece, you might think, "Wow, I created that. This is who I am today."
Things don't need to be expensive to be beautiful.
Section 1 Work
to fulfill duties for money or compensation (payment)
To function correctly
My computer isn't working today, what happened!
The mechanic fixed my car and now it works perfectly.
To produce a desired effect or result to succeed at sth.
His plan is crazy but I think it might work!
I don't think that will work.
To control; to cause; to labor
Management worked the team way too hard last year.
Today we're working the computer remotely.
Work on -- affect, influent
Politicians often work on voter's fears.
The movie works on viewers' sympathy.
Work out -- excercise
I never work out.
Work up -- gradually make progress but with difficulty
He worked up to asking the girl on a date.
She worked her way up to becoming CEO of a company.
Section 2 About Work
Computer tasks
to send over -- send digital file
to look into -- to research, to find data, to find information
I'm looking into some upgrades information for our equipment.
to fill in/out -- write in a form
to plug in/unplug-- connect sth. to electricity
to pull up -- open a file on the screen
Can you pull up the latest version of the poster?
Meetings
to write down/take down -- quickly make notes
to write up -- write up a draft; to prepare sth. by writing; to take time to prepare
to speak up -- share your idea and opinion, speak more loudly
to fill someone in -- to give someone a update
Please fill us in about the project.
to check in -- to ask for a update
I'd like to check in about our new program.
check in on sb.
to follow up
to follow up my last email
to take up -- make sth./sb. sounds very good
My manager talked up our team at the meeting.
to talk down to -- talk to someone as if they are less intelligent than you or not important.
Don't talk down to your colleagues.
Specific Situation Vocabulary
to clock in/out -- to record your start time/end time
Clock in when you get to the office.
Clock out when you leave the office.
to set up -- one's desk/work station
Let's set up work stations for the new staff.
to skip out on -- means to not attend sth. on purpose like you decide to say "I don't have time for this meeting."
to head out -- to leave
It's late I'm gonna head out.
to hand in -- to submit
to call in (sick) -- only use for sick excuse
Section 3 300 Useful Phrases and Vocabularies
Omitted
Section 4 Documentaries
Omitted
A. Colleagues
Philip is my opposite number in the company’s New York office. We have a good working relationship and there’s a lot of day-to-day collaboration. Having a counterpart like Philip in another branch is a great support. Last month we got a new boss, who quickly established a good rapport with everyone. She likes us to take the initiative. The company is very hierarchical; there’s a pecking order for everything. I do a job-share with a woman called Rose, which suits us as we each have childcare responsibilities. I socialise with my workmates outside of work, but we try not to talk shop on those occasions.
My opposite number has the same position / does the same job as me 对应的人
Collaboration working together to achieve shared goals
counterpart more formal equivalent of opposite number 对应部分
rapport communication / relationship [ræˈpɔr, -ˈpor, rə-] 友好关系
Take the initiative make decisions without being told what to do 带头
Hierarchical has a structure with important and less important people [ˌhaɪəˈrɑ:rkɪkl]
Pecking order a system where some people have the right to get benefits / promotions before others 次序 等级
Workmates colleagues you are friendly with (especially in non-professional occupations); informal
Talk shop talk about work; informal
B. During the day (different work patterns)
I do fairly mundane tasks. Occasionally I have to meet a deadline or they need someone to volunteer for something. Then the job is more rewarding and stimulating. Sometimes I have a heavy workload but at other times it can be quite light.
mundane ordinary, not interesting [mʌnˈden, ˈmʌnˌden] 平凡 世俗
volunteer offer to do something without being asked or told to do it [ˌvɑ:lənˈtɪr]
workload amount of work I have to do
I start work at my machine at seven o’clock when I’m on the day shift. The job’s mechanical and repetitive. All I ever think about is knocking off at three o’clock. The shift I hate most is the night shift. I start at ten and work till six in the morning. It’s a bit monotonous. It’s not a satisfying job - I feel I need something a bit more challenging.
Day shift
Knocking off finishing work; informal
Monotonous boring because it never changes [məˈnɑ:tənəs]
I have a pretty glamorous job. I’m a pilot. But the hours are irregular and anti-social. I’m not stuck behind a desk, but long-haul flights can be a bit mind-numbing; most of the time the plane just flies itself. We work to very tight schedules. But I shouldn’t complain. I feel sorry for people who are stuck in a rut or who are in dead-end jobs.
Glamorous very exciting, which everyone admires
Anti-social do not enable one to have a normal social life
Stuck behind a desk sitting at a desk all day; informal （stick）
Mind-numbing extremely boring
Stuck in a rut stuck / trapped in a job they can’t escape from
Dead-end with no prospects of promotion
I started off as a technician. After retraining, I worked for a software company, and later I went in with a friend and we formed our own software company as a start-up in 2009, so now I’m self-employed. My husband is freelance-he works for several different companies as and when they need work done-he’s a computer programmer.
Went in with formed a business partnership with
Start-up a small business that has just started
Freelance or works freelance [ˈfri:læns]
A. Getting a job
Look at this job ad for a position in a software development company.
Are you looking for a stimulating and challenging position in a fast-moving and dynamic industry?
Primeloc Software needs ambitious sales professionals with the talent and drive to develop a rewarding career in software sales. You will work in close-knit teams, developing relationships with a wide range of clients nationally and internationally. If you have previous IT sales experience, a good, up-to-date knowledge of industry software needs, if you’re a team player with a strong desire to succeed, this may be the job for you. If you fit this description and are seeking a lucrative career in software sales, then contact us.
Drive strong motivation
Rewarding giving you a lot back
Close-knit working in a close relationship
Lucrative producing a lot of money [ˈlukrətɪv]
B. Expressions connected with working life
In many countries, women are allowed maternity leave and men paternity leave if they’re having a baby. If they adopt a child, they may have a right to adoption leave.
What perks (informal)/ benefits (formal)do you get in your job? [extra things apart from salary, e.g. a car, health insurance]
What does job satisfaction mean?
Is it just having a pleasant workplace or is it more than that?
Can a run-of-the-mill job be satisfying? [ordinary, not special or exciting]
What’s your holiday entitlement? I get four weeks a year. [number of days you have the right to take as holiday]
Do you get regular salary increments or do you have to ask for pay rises?
Most pool think they are overworked and underpaid.[often said together as an informal, humorous fixed expression]
Because of the bad financial situation, the company announced that there would have to be voluntary / compulsory redundancies. [people losing their jobs, by offering to do so / having no choice]
During the strike, the airport managed to continue running with a skeleton staff of volunteers. [the minimum number of workers needed to keep operating]
The people on the interview panel at the last job I applied for were so unfriendly that I got very nervous. [the group of people interviewing someone for a job]
Language Help
It is a good idea to learn them in pairs:
stimulating and challenging (job)
fast-moving and dynamic (industry/profession)
seeking a career in ......
looking for work in .......
Note: we say look to, meaning consider or plan, not look for.
