The mental hacks that level up your self-control

By definition, self-control is the ability to do something that benefits your long-term goals, instead of something that might satisfy your immediate desires. But for many of us, short-term satiations are irresistible – we end up sacrificing the well-being of our future selves all too easily.

根据定义，自我控制是能够做有利于你的长期目标的事情，而不是一些可能满足你眼前的欲望的事情。但是对于我们中的许多人来说，短期的满足是不可抗拒的——我们最终很容易牺牲我们未来自我的幸福。

hack

好的方案；好的建议

✏️Here are 50 life hacks that will change your life for the better.这是50个会让你人生更美好的建议。

immediate desires

眼前的欲望

✏️Gratifying our most immediate needs and desires provides bursts of pleasure, but they're usually short-lived. 满足我们最迫切的需要和愿望会使人感到极大的快乐，但这种快乐是不长久的。

irresistible

不可抗拒的，无法抵挡的

✏️an irresistible offer无法拒绝的提议

✏️She gave me one of those irresistible smiles and I just had to agree.她对我那莞尔一笑真是令人无法抗拒，我只好同意了。

end up doing sth

最终成为，以…告终

✏️After working her way around the world, she ended up teaching English as a foreign language.靠打工游遍世界后，她最后做了教师，教外国人学英语。

well-being

幸福；安康

✏️People doing yoga benefit from an increased feeling of well-being.练瑜伽的人内心的幸福感会不断增强。

all too

太，过于（用于形容词或副词前，强调不好的意味）

✏️The holidays flew by all too quickly.假期过得太快了。

Why is exercising proper self-control so tricky for some, and how can you harness your own restraint for good?

为什么对有些人来说，适当的自我控制如此困难，有如何能够一直利用自己的克制力呢？

exercise

VERB行使；运用；使用

✏️I exercised my democratic right by not voting in the election.在选举中，我通过拒不投票的方式来行使我的民主权利。

✏️Always exercise caution when handling radioactive substances.处理放射性物质时要时刻小心谨慎。

✏️We've decided to exercise the option (= use the part of a legal agreement) to buy the house we now lease.我们已经决定行使合同赋予的买卖选择权，买下我们现在租住的房子。

tricky

难办的；难对付的

✏️It's tricky to learn to ride a skateboard, but you never forget how.学习滑板挺难的，但是一旦学会就不会忘记。

✏️I'm in a tricky situation - whatever I do I'll offend someone.我的处境真有点儿难办——我无论怎么做都会得罪人。

harness

控制；利用…的动力

✏️There is a great deal of interest in harnessing wind and waves as new sources of power.人们对开发利用风和波浪这些新能源非常感兴趣。

restrait

克制；平心静气；冷静

✏️He showed admirable restraint, and refused to be provoked.他表现出极大的克制，面对挑衅泰然处之。

✏️The security forces exercised (= used) great restraint by not responding to hostile attacks and threats.面对充满敌意的攻击和威胁，安全部队没有进行还击，表现出极大的克制。

for good

永久地，永远地

✏️She's gone and this time it's for good.她走了，这一次是永不回头了。

Angela Duckworth, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, says allocating resources between your present self and future self is an ongoing struggle. Even though you know the importance of preparing for your future, your present self also wants their fair share. It’s a tough negotiation, especially during the moments when the ‘easy road’ is laying right in front of you.

宾夕法尼亚大学心理学教授安吉拉·达克沃斯说，在现在的自我和未来的自我之间分配资源是一场持续的斗争。即使你知道为未来做准备的重要性，你现在的自己也受到平等的对待。这是一个艰难的谈判，尤其是在一条"轻松的路"正躺在你面前的时候。

ongoing

持续存在的；不断发展的；继续进行的；进行中的

✏️an ongoing investigation/process/project持续进行的调查／持续的过程／正在实施的工程

✏️No agreement has yet been reached and the negotiations are still ongoing.还没有达成任何协议，谈判仍在进行。

For example, exhibiting self-control over spending time on video games and social media, two of the most common temptations of the current era, means battling against age-old mechanisms in your brain – like your desire for social interaction or penchant for hunting. “That’s really what drives us to keep checking our feeds, to see whether our friends posted anything or whether they liked our last photo,” says Duckworth.

例如，在视频游戏和社交媒体，这两个当前时代的最常见的诱惑上表现出自我控制，意味着要与大脑中古老的机制作斗争——比如你对社交的渴望或对打猎的喜爱。Duckworth 说："这正是促使我们不断检查我们的消息，看看我们的朋友是否发布什么，或者他们是否喜欢我们的最新的照片。

temptation

很有诱惑力的事物

✏️He knew it was wrong to steal, but the money just lying there was too great a temptation.他知道偷盗是不对的，但钱就摆在那儿，对他的诱惑实在太大了。

current era

当今时代，当前时代

✏️Peace and development still remain the theme of the current era, as well as the common aspiration of people across the world.  (36KB)和平与发展仍是当今时代的主题，也是世界各国人民的共同愿望。

penchant for sth

偏好，倾向，嗜好

✏️a penchant for melodrama/skiing/exotic clothes偏爱情节剧／滑雪／奇装异服

✏️Her penchant for disappearing for days at a time worries her family.她喜欢时不时失踪几天，这让她的家人非常担心。

One of the most important discoveries about self-control in recent years, says Duckworth, is that people vary widely in terms of what tempts them. If you’re willing to look deeply into your tendencies and weak points, you can recognise the handful of problems that you need to work on. Once you understand the sources of your self-control woes, you can begin devoting energy toward fixing them.

Duckworth说，近年来关于自我控制最重要的发现之一是，人们在诱惑他们方面差异很大。如果你愿意深入地研究你的倾向和弱点，你可以认识到你需要处理的少数问题。一旦你了解了自我控制困境的根源，你就可以开始把精力投入到解决它们上。

vary widely in terms of

在…方面差异很大

✏️They vary widely in terms of size and in looks.它们在大小和外形上有很大的不同。

tempt

引诱，诱惑

✏️The offer of free credit tempted her into buying a new car.可享受免费贷款让她禁不住诱惑买了一辆新车。

✏️They tempted him to join the company by offering him a huge salary and a company car.他们许诺给他优厚的薪水和一辆公司汽车，以吸引他加入该公司。

look deeply into sth

深入研究，深入调查

✏️We're looking deeply into the possibility of merging the two departments.我们正在深入研究这两个部门合并的可能性。

handful

少数，少量

✏️She invited all her friends to her party, but only a handful of them turned up.她请了很多朋友参加她的聚会，但只有少数几个到场。

work on

修理；改善

✏️His dancing technique is good, but he needs to work on his stamina.他的舞技不错，但还需要提高耐力。

devote sth to sth/sb

将…贡献给，把…奉献给

✏️He left the Senate to devote more time to his family.为了能有更多时间陪伴家人，他离开了参议院。

✏️She has devoted all her energies/life to the care of homeless people.她为照料无家可归者倾注了全部心血／奉献了一生。

✏️At the age of 25, he decided to devote himself to God.他25岁时决定献身上帝。

One place to start would be the office. To improve self-control at work, Duckworth first recommends taking a future-oriented approach to your day, such as planning breaks and the time slots for checking emails in advance. If you can refrain from resigning to your urges before the time you’ve allotted for yourself, you may achieve a greater handle on your overall self-control.

一个地方开始是办公室。为了提高工作上的自制力，Duckworth 首先建议采取面向未来的方法处理您的一天，例如提前计划休息和检查电子邮件的时间段。如果你能在计划的时间之前忍住听从自己的欲望，那么你就可以更好地掌控你的整体自控能力。

at work

在工作中

✏️I should get going. Big day at work.我得走了，我今天工作很忙。

✏️I've experienced exploitation and violence at work.工作中我经历过剥削和暴力。

take an approach

采取方法

✏️In doing so, they're more likely to take an active approach to solving problems. 正因为这样，他们总能采取更有效的方法来解决问题。

time slot

时段

✏️the show's 9pm time slot这个节目晚上九点钟的播出时段

refrain from

避免；忍住；节制

✏️We refrained from talking until we knew that it was safe.我们缄默不语，直到确定安全了才开始说话。

✏️The sign on the wall said "Please refrain from smoking."墙上有个牌子，上写“请勿吸烟”。

resign yourself to sth

听任；顺从；不得不接受

✏️He resigned himself to living alone.他只好安于孤独的生活。

allot

（尤指将现有的东西）分配；分派

✏️They allotted everyone a separate desk.他们给每个人都配备了个人专用的办公桌。

✏️They allotted a separate desk to everyone.他们给每一个人都单独配发了桌子。

✏️Three hours have been allotted to/for this task.这项任务限定在3小时内完成。

get/have a handle on idiom

理解/处理某事

✏️I can't quite get a handle on the way this machine works. 我弄不清楚这台机器的工作方式。

✏️It seemed like she had a good handle on the situation. 看上起她能应对的很好。

Of course, after you’ve done the planning, you must actually change your behaviour. The problem of looking at your cell phone too often, say, can be solved by putting it on mute or, better yet, sticking it in your bag until lunch. Removing the temptation from sight is key to ensuring you’re faithful to your mission.

当然，在完成计划后，您必须真正改变自己的行为。比来说，经常看手机的问题可以通过静音解决，或者，更好的是，把它放在包里直到午饭。消除视线中的诱惑是确保你忠于使命的关键。

put sth on mute

把…设置成静音

stick

（尤指随意）放置，放

✏️"Where shall I put these books?" "Oh, just stick them on the table for now."“我该把这些书放在哪儿？＂“噢，就先放在桌子上吧。＂

✏️She stuck her fingers in her ears so that she couldn't hear the noise.她用手指塞住耳朵，这样就听不到那些噪音了。

✏️I'll pay for lunch - I can stick it on my expenses.午餐我来请客——我可以把它算入报销费用。

temptation

很有诱惑力的事物

✏️He knew it was wrong to steal, but the money just lying there was too great a temptation.他知道偷盗是不对的，但钱就摆在那儿，对他的诱惑实在太大了。

be faithful to

对…忠诚

✏️He was faithful to his wife throughout their 30-year marriage.在30年的婚姻生活中，他一直忠于他的妻子。

Finally, Duckworth advises laying a foundation of self-control that you can build off of in the future. We’ve all experienced unproductive workdays because of too little sleep the night before, or an insufficient meal in the morning. By practicing healthier living away from the workplace, you can gather the strength and stamina to help you control your worst urges when it matters most.

最后，Duckworth 建议打下自我控制的基础，以便将来在此基础上建立。我们都经历过效率不高工作日，因为前一天晚上睡眠不足，或早饭吃没吃饱。通过在工作场所之外过上更健康的生活，你可以收集力量和耐力，在最重要的时候帮助你控制你最糟糕的冲动。

lay a foundation

奠定基础，打下基础

✏️This was the generation that literally saved the world—that ended the war and laid a foundation for peace.正是这一代人，真正挽救了这个世界，结束了战争，为世界和平奠定了基础。

build off of

建立在

✏️What an incredible base to build off of.构建了一个多么难以置信的基础。

stamina

耐力；耐性；持久力

✏️The triathlon is a great test of stamina.铁人三项运动是对耐力的极大考验。