第1507期:The dangers of cyberloafing

Time to own up. When you’re sitting at your computer, do you work solidly all day? Or do you allow yourself to become distracted now and again… to open a few extra tabs, check social media, read a spot of news, browse the latest fashion trends, maybe catch up on some celebrity gossip, and look at some… 

是时候拥有了。当您坐在电脑前时，您是否整天都在认真工作？或者你是否允许自己不时分心……打开一些额外的标签，查看社交媒体，阅读新闻，浏览最新的流行趋势，也许赶上一些名人八卦，看看一些……

Stop! You’re ‘cyberloafing’. The unwieldy word is a combination of ‘cyber’, which means ‘related to computers’, and ‘loafing’, which means ‘relaxing in a lazy way’. We do it, and we do it a lot. A study from the University of Texas suggests we are guilty of this form of procrastination for 14% of our working day. On a Friday afternoon, I expect it’s more than that.   

停止！你在“网络闲逛”。这个笨拙的词是“cyber”和“loafing”的组合，意思是“与计算机有关”，意思是“以懒惰的方式放松”。我们这样做，而且我们经常这样做。德克萨斯大学的一项研究表明，我们在工作日的 14% 中都犯了这种形式的拖延。在星期五的下午，我希望它不止于此。

I’ll admit to indulging in the odd bout of cyberloafing myself. In fact I’ve already done it in the course of writing this story. OK, more than once. 

我承认自己沉迷于奇怪的网络游荡。事实上，我在写这个故事的过程中已经这样做了。好的，不止一次。

But it’s a slippery slope. It can damage your productivity and even your career. Because according to the Univeristy of Texas research, each time a worker gets sidetracked by the internet it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back to work.

但这是一个滑坡。它会损害您的工作效率，甚至损害您的职业生涯。因为根据得克萨斯大学的研究，每次有员工被互联网转移，平均需要 23 分钟才能重新开始工作。

More than that, cyberloafing has a dark side, according to a report published in The Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace. It argues that cyberloafing is connected to several negative personality traits. People who cyberloaf are more likely to be manipulative, self-interested and narcissistic. Furthermore, people with these traits are less likely to feel remorse about avoiding work, and less concerned about getting caught.

不仅如此，根据发表在《网络空间心理社会研究杂志》上的一份报告，网络游荡也有阴暗面。它认为网络闲逛与几个负面的人格特征有关。网络游荡的人更有可能是操纵者、自私自利和自恋的。此外，具有这些特征的人不太可能对逃避工作感到懊悔，也不太担心被抓住。

Why do we do it? For some, it’s undoubtedly an escape from the drudgery of what they’re supposed to be doing. Or a way of avoiding tackling that ever growing in-tray. Some might get a feeling of satisfaction, get a buzz from finding a great deal online. But overall, it’s something that takes you away from what you’re actually being paid to do, or paying to do: if you’re a student. 

为什么这样做呢？对于一些人来说，这无疑是从他们应该做的苦差事中解脱出来。或者是一种避免处理不断增长的托盘的方法。有些人可能会感到满足，从网上找到很多东西而引起轰动。但总的来说，这会让你远离你实际得到报酬或付出代价去做的事情：如果你是一名学生。

When you have the whole world of the internet at your fingertips, it’s hard to resist.

当您触手可及整个互联网世界时，您将难以抗拒。

How do we nip it in the bud? If you can truly ask yourself why you are cyberloafing, then that can help identify the base problem. And if that sounds like too much hard work, you could just switch off the internet for a couple of hours! 

我们如何将它扼杀在萌芽状态？如果你能真正问自己为什么要在网上闲逛，那么这可以帮助确定根本问题。如果这听起来太辛苦了，你可以关掉互联网几个小时！

So in the meantime, let me just close those extra tabs…

所以与此同时，让我关闭那些额外的标签......

词汇表

own up 承认，坦白（错误）

solidly 扎扎实实地，连续地
now and again 不时的
tab （浏览器）窗口
gossip 八卦，流言蜚语
unwieldy 笨拙的
indulge in 沉溺于
odd 偶尔的
bout（某活动的）一阵
slippery slope 滑坡效应，下坡路
productivity 生产率
get sidetracked 使分心，注意力被转移了
dark side 阴暗面，黑暗面
manipulative 有控制欲的，爱摆布（他人）的
self-interested 利己主义的，只为自己着想的
narcissistic 自我欣赏的
get a buzz 让人感到异常兴奋
at your fingertips 近在手边
to nip (something) in the bud 防患于未然