返回首页

PatrickMcGinnisWWW_2019V-_如何更快做出决定_-
You're probably familiar with FOMO. 你一定了解 “错失恐惧症”（FOMO）这个词语。
familiar:adj.熟悉的;常见的;亲近的;n.常客;密友;
[This guy invented the term] 【是他发明了这个专有名词】
That's short for "Fear Of Missing Out." FOMO 即 “错失恐惧症” （fear of missing out）。
It's that feeling you get when it seems everyone else is doing something better than what you're doing now. 即,你会有种感觉—— 其他人在做的事 看上去都比你的厉害。
But there's another FO you need to know about, and it's far more dangerous. 可其实还有一个 以 FO 开头的恐惧症, 比 FOMO 更危险——
It's called FOBO, and it's short for "Fear Of a Better Option ." 它是“更佳选择恐惧症”。 即 FOBO （fear of a better option）。
Option:n.选择;可选择的东西;
[The Way We Work] 【我们的工作方式】
We live in a world of overwhelming choice. 这世上到处都有“重大抉择”。
overwhelming:adj.势不可挡的; v.压倒; (overwhelm的现在分词)
Even decisions that used to be simple, like choosing a restaurant or making everyday purchases , are now fraught with overanalysis. 甚至有些在过去很简单的选择, 比如去哪吃饭、买啥东西, 可是现在连这些选择 都得仔细斟酌。
purchases:v.[贸易]购买; n.所购物; fraught:adj.担心的,忧虑的;充满…的;
Technology has only made the issue more pronounced. 而科技只是让这一切变得更为明显。
Technology:n.技术;工艺;术语; issue:n.重要议题;争论的问题;v.宣布;公布;发出;发行;
If you want to buy a pair of white shoelaces online, you have to sort through thousands of items and read through hundreds of reviews . 如果你要网购两根白色鞋带, 你就得在几千个白色鞋带中 精挑细选, 还得翻看上百条买家评论。
shoelaces:n.鞋带;(shoelace的复数) items:n.项目;一件商品(或物品);一则,一条(新闻)(item的复数) reviews:n.综述; v.回顾;
That's an astounding amount of information to process to just buy two pieces of string that cost less than your morning latte . 信息量之大真是令人震惊, 而这一切,只是为了 比一杯拿铁还便宜的两根绳子。
astounding:adj.令人震惊的;使大吃一惊的;v.使震惊;使大惊;(astound的现在分词) process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的; string:n.字符串; v.悬挂; adj.由弦乐器组成的; latte:n.热牛奶咖啡,拿铁咖啡;
Chances are you've experienced FOBO when you've struggled to choose just one from a group of perfectly acceptable outcomes . 当你面对若干个完全可行的选项之时, 若你为选择最佳方案而苦苦纠结, 那你可能已被 FOBO 找上门。
struggled:v.奋斗;努力;争取;艰难地行进;抗争;(struggle的过去式和过去分词) acceptable:adj.认同的;可接受的;令人满意的; outcomes:n.结果;成果;后果;出路;(outcome的复数)
It's a symptom of a culture which sees value in collecting and preserving as many options as possible. 如果一种文化 鼓励人们拥有并保留尽可能多的选择, 这种文化就会催生 FOBO 。
symptom:n.症状;征候;征兆; preserving:n.保留,保存; options:n.选择; v.得到或获准进行选择; (option的三单形式)
You might wonder why all of this is so bad. 你可能会问:这有什么不好的？
It seems counterintuitive . 这很有违常理啊？
counterintuitive:adj.违反直觉的;
Shouldn't it be a privilege to have so many good options to choose from? 能从那么多好的选择中 作出抉择, 不是一件好事吗？
privilege:n.特权;优待;v.给与…特权;特免;
The problem is, FOBO induces such severe analysis paralysis that it can negatively impact both your personal and professional life. 问题就在于 FOBO 会让你 过于认真地思考问题, 这种过度认真会对你的生活和工作 产生负面影响。
induces:v.劝说;诱使;引起;引产;(induce的第三人称单数) severe:adj.极为恶劣的;十分严重的;严厉的;苛刻的; analysis:n.分析;分解;验定; paralysis:n.麻痹;无力;停顿; negatively:adv.消极地;否定地; impact:n.影响;效果;碰撞;冲击力;v.挤入,压紧;撞击;对…产生影响; personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词; professional:adj.专业的;职业的;职业性的;n.专业人员;职业运动员;
When you can't make decisions with conviction , you waste precious time and energy. 你的犹豫不决 会浪费你宝贵的时间与精力。
conviction:n.判罪;定罪;坚定的看法(或信念);坚信;肯定; precious:adj.宝贵的;珍贵的;矫揉造作的;
Luckily, there is a way to overcome FOBO. 幸好 FOBO 是可以被克服的。
overcome:vt.克服;胜过;vi.克服;得胜;
Here's a secret. 秘诀如下。
With any decision you make, you first have to determine the stakes , as this will inform your decision-making strategy . 在做出每一个决定前, 你都要确定该选项的风险大小, 这样你也能因此制定抉择策略。
determine:v.决定;确定;测定;查明;形成;影响;裁决;安排; stakes:n.桩; v.以…打赌,拿…冒险; inform:v.通知;告诉;报告;告发;告密; decision-making:n.决策; strategy:n.策略;行动计划;部署;战略;
When it comes down to it, you only really face three types of decisions in life: high stakes, low stakes and no stakes. 确定风险之后, 留下的就只有三类决定: 高风险、低风险,和无风险。
Let's start with no-stakes decisions. 首先来看无风险选项。
These are the minor details of life, where there is almost never an incorrect answer, and in a few hours, you won't even remember making the decision. 生活中有些细节 永远没有正确答案, 几小时后,你甚至不会记得 你做出了这个决定。
minor:adj.未成年的; n.未成年人; vi.副修;
A good example of this is choosing what to watch on TV. 对电视节目的选择 就是一个很好的例子。
With thousands of shows, it's easy to get overwhelmed , yet no matter what you pick, the consequences are basically nonexistent . 电视节目成千上万, 足以让你迷失其中, 但不管你选择哪个节目 都不会有什么后果。
overwhelmed:v.受打击,压倒;淹没;(overwhelm的过去分词和过去式) no matter what:不管什么…; consequences:n.后果,结果;影响(consequence的复数); basically:adv.主要地,基本上; nonexistent:adj.不存在的;
So spending more than a few moments on FOBO is a massive waste of energy. 所以,在这种问题上花太多时间 就是对精力的巨大浪费。
massive:adj.大量的;巨大的,厚重的;魁伟的;
You just need to move on. 你只需要做完了事就好。
When it comes to no-stakes decisions, the key is to outsource them to the universe. 无风险决定的关键 在于听天由命。
outsource:vt.把…外包;vi.外包;
For example, you can whittle down your choices to just two and then flip a coin. 比如你可以将结果精简为两种, 然后掷硬币。
whittle:vt.削;削减;切;削弱;vi.削;削木头;弄坏身体;n.屠刀; flip:n.浏览;空翻;轻抛;捻掷;v.迅速翻动;按(开关);按(按钮);开(或关)(机器等);
Or try my personal favorite -- ask the watch. 或者像我一样——问手表。
Assign each one of your choices to one half of your watch, then let the second hand tell you what you're going to do. 将你的选择分配到手表的两个半面, 秒针走在哪个半面, 你就选哪个——
Assign:v.指定;指派;转让;分派;n.[法]受让人; second hand:adj.旧的,二手的;adv.间接地,第二手地;
Looks like I'll be having the fish. 看样子我得吃鱼。
That brings us to low-stakes decisions. 现在来看看低风险选项。
These have consequences, but none are earth-shattering , and there are plenty of acceptable outcomes. 这些决定会有后果, 但后果不严重。 这些选项的结果大多可以接受。
earth-shattering:adj.惊天动地的;极其重大的;
Many routine things at work, like purchasing a printer, booking a hotel or choosing between possible venues for an off-site are classically low-stakes in nature. 很多生活中的日常, 比如买哪台打印机？ 订哪个酒店？去哪里出差？ 这些在本质上都是低风险决定。
purchasing:n.购买;采购;v.买;购买;采购;(purchase的现在分词) venues:n.场地,场馆(venue复数形式);犯罪现场,发生地点; off-site:n.工地外;厂区外; classically:adv.拟古地;古典主义地;
Some thinking is required, but these aren't make-or-break deliberations , and you'll probably forget about them in a few weeks. 这些决定需要你做出思考, 但就算做错也没啥大不了, 你过几周可能就会忘记此事。
make-or-break:adj.不成则败的;孤注一掷的; deliberations:n.商议(deliberation的复数);审议意见;
Here, you can also outsource decision-making, but you want some critical thinking involved , as there are some stakes. 你也可以再玩一次”听天由命“, 但因为毕竟风险还是存在的, 所以你会想要认真思考一番。
critical:adj.鉴定的;[核]临界的;批评的,爱挑剔的;危险的;决定性的;评论的; involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词)
This time, you'll outsource to a person. 这一次 你可以听”人“由命。
Set some basic criteria , select someone to present a recommendation , and then take their advice. 先设下一些基本标准, 然后请他人提出建议, 并听从这些建议。
criteria:n.标准,条件(criterion的复数); recommendation:n.推荐;介绍;提议;正式建议;
Make sure to avoid the temptation to canvass . 你千万不要游说他人,
temptation:n.诱惑;引诱;煽诱人的事物; canvass:vt.细究;彻底检查;向…拉票或拉生意;vi.游说;拉选票;n.讨论;细查;劝诱;
Your goal is to clear your plate, not to kick the can down the road . 因为你的目的是解决问题, 而不是制造问题。
down the road:只要沿着这条路;将来;在路上;
Now that you tackled low-stakes and no-stakes decisions, you've created the space and time you'll need to handle high-stakes decisions. 现在你把无风险和低风险选项 都解决了, 你已经把时间和空间都 腾给了高风险选项。
tackled:v,解决,处理,对付;(tackle的过去式和过去分词) handle:n.[建]把手;柄;手感;口实;v.处理;操作;运用;买卖;触摸; high-stakes:adj.高风险;
These are things like "which house should I buy" 你免不了会遇到 “在哪里买房？”
or "which job should I accept." “去哪里工作？”等问题。
Since the stakes are high and there are long-term implications , you absolutely want to get it right. 因为风险高 意味着它对你有着长远的影响, 于是你必定想做出正确决定。
long-term:adj.长期的;从长远来看; implications:n.蕴涵式;暗指,暗示;含蓄,含意;卷入(implication的复数); absolutely:adv.绝对地;完全地;
Before we get to work, let's establish a few basic principles to guide you through the process. 开始之前, 我们先确立一些基本原则, 来指导你做出正确决定的流程。
establish:v.创立;设立;建立;确立;使立足;查实; principles:n.原则;主义;本质;政策;(principle的复数)
First, think about what really matters to you, and set your criteria accordingly . 其一,想想什么对你来说真正重要, 并依此设定选择标准。
accordingly:adv.因此,于是;相应地;照著;
Second, gather the relevant facts. 其二,收集相关事实。
relevant:adj.相关的;切题的;中肯的;有重大关系的;有意义的,目的明确的;
Make sure you collect data about all of the options, so you can be confident that you're truly making an informed decision. 确保你对所有选择都了如指掌, 这样你就能确信 你的决定的确是基于事实的。
confident:adj.自信的;确信的; informed:adj.见多识广的; v.通知; (inform的过去分词和过去式)
And third, remember that FOBO, by nature, comes when you struggle to choose just one from a group of perfectly acceptable options. 其三,记住 FOBO 会在你面对若干个完全可行的选择 而你只能选择其中一个时 才会出现。
So no matter what you choose, you can rest assured that the downside is limited . 所以不论你选哪个, 你都可以放心, 因为每个选项的不利因素是有限的。
rest assured:放心;确信无疑; downside:n.下降趋势;底侧;adj.底侧的; limited:adj.有限的; n.高级快车; v.限制; (limit的过去分词和过去式)
Now that you've established some ground rules, the process can begin. 现在一些基本原则已被确立, 你可以开始选择了。
established:adj.已确立的;著名的;v.建立;创立;设立;(establish的过去分词和过去式)
Start by identifying a front-runner based on your intuition , then compare each of your options head-to-head with the front-runner, one-by-one. 首先凭直觉选出一个最佳选项, 然后将其他选项与该最佳选项进行 逐一的、一对一比较。
identifying:n.识别,标识;标识关系;v.识别;(identify的现在分词) front-runner:n.竞争中的领先者;赛跑中跑在前头的人; intuition:n.直觉;直觉力;直觉的知识; compare:v.比较;对比;n.比较; head-to-head:交头接耳地;
Each time, choose the better of the two based on the criteria, and discard the other one. 每次比较均须根据选择标准, 从两个选项中选出一个 并淘汰另外一个。
the better of:在…中占上风; discard:v.丢弃; n.被抛弃的人(或物); (尤指纸牌游戏中)垫出的牌;
Here's the trick to avoiding FOBO. 这里有一个避开 FOBO 的秘诀:
When you eliminate an option, it's gone forever. 不要让已被淘汰的选项再次出现。
eliminate:v.消除;排除;
If you keep returning to discarded options, you risk getting stuck. 如果你不停地“复活”淘汰选项, 你将陷入纠结之中。
discarded:v.丢弃;抛弃;垫(牌);打出(无用的牌);(discard的过去式和过去分词)
Now repeat this process until you get down to one final choice. 重复刚才的步骤, 直到你得出最终选择。
get down to:开始认真考虑;着手处理;
If you follow this system, you will usually end up with a decision on your own. 如果你遵循这一流程, 你通常能 得出自己的结论、作出自己的选择。
On the rare occasion that you get stuck, you will outsource the final decision to a small group of qualified people who you trust and who are equipped to provide you with guidance on this particular topic. 除非你遇到的情况相当罕见, 如果是这样, 你就得把最终决定权 交由一群可靠的、你信任的人, 这些人还需要有能力就此话题 向你提供意见。
qualified:adj.有资格的; v.合格; (qualify的过去分词和过去式)
Engage a group of five or less, ideally an odd number of people so that you have a built-in tiebreaker if you need it. 人数不要超过 5 位,最好是奇数位, 因为一旦出现平票状况, 就会有人一锤定音。
Engage:v.吸引,占用;使参加;雇佣;使订婚;预定; ideally:adv.理想地;观念上地; odd:adj.古怪的;奇数的;n.奇数; built-in:adj.嵌入的;固定的;n.内置; tiebreaker:n.决胜局;
Now that you've made your choice, one last challenge remains. 现在你已经做出了选择, 但还剩下一个挑战——
You have to commit . 就是执行这一选择。
commit:v.犯(罪等);干(坏事等);[法]提(审);判处;
I can't promise you that you'll ever truly know if you've made the perfect decision, but I can tell you this: a significant percentage of people in the world will never have to worry about FOBO. 我不能保证你的选择一定是完美的 但我可以告诉你 这世界上将有一大部分人 可以告别 FOBO 的烦扰。
significant:adj.重大的;有效的;有意义的;值得注意的;意味深长的;n.象征;有意义的事物; percentage:n.百分比;百分率;利润的分成;提成;
Unlike the billions of people who have few options, if any, due to war, poverty or illness, you have plentiful opportunities to live decisively . 还有成万上亿的人可能 没有什么选择, 因为他们被战争、贫穷, 或疾病所困扰。 但与他们不同的是, 你有很多机会来做出抉择,
poverty:n.贫困;困难;缺少;低劣; plentiful:adj.丰富的;许多的;丰饶的; decisively:adv.果断地;决然地;
You may not get everything you want, but the mere fact you get to decide is powerful. 虽然并非你的所有愿望 都能得以满足。 但决定权本身已能让你十分强大。
mere:adj.仅仅的;只不过的;n.小湖;池塘;
In fact, it's a gift. 其实,决定权是一份馈赠。
Make the most of it. 请充分使用！
Make the most of:尽量利用;十分重视;