If you don’t have time for an hour-long break in your workday, a series of ‘microbreaks’ can also have a powerful effect on your body and your mind.
如果你没有时间在工作日休息一小时，那么一系列的“微缩”（极少的休息时间）也会对你的身体和思想产生强大的影响。
There’s a scene in the classic sitcom The Office, where David Brent – the ultimate boss, with zero self-awareness – is doing some motivational speaking. “Laughter is the best medicine,” he says, explaining to his staff that it reduces stress and that he likes to do it several times during the working day. He demonstrates the technique by bursting into a solo manic cackle; though it only lasts about 30 seconds, it seems to go on forever. The whole room stares back in lethal silence.
在经典的情景喜剧《办公室》中有一个场景，大卫布伦特（DavidBrent）——一个完全没有自我意识的老板——正在做一些励志演讲。“笑是最好的药，”他说，并向他的员工解释说，它可以减轻压力，他喜欢在工作日做几次。他用独奏狂笑来演示这一技巧；虽然只持续了大约30秒，但似乎会一直持续下去。整个房间都目瞪口呆地回望着。
It turns out that, for once, Brent may have been onto something. He was inadvertently describing what experts call a “microbreak” – any brief activity that helps to break up the monotony of physically or mentally draining tasks. They can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes and involve anything from making a cup of tea to stretching or watching a music video.
事实证明，布伦特可能曾经有过这样的想法。他无意中描述了专家们所说的“微缩”（极少的休息时间）——任何有助于打破体力或精神消耗任务单调乏味的简短活动。他们可以在任何地方持续几秒到几分钟，包括从泡茶到伸展身体或观看音乐视频。
Though the breaks are tiny, they can have a disproportionately powerful impact – studies have shown that they can improve workers’ ability to concentrate, change the way they see their jobs, and even help them avoid the typical injuries that people get when they’re tied to their desks all day.
尽管休息很少，但它们可能会产生不成比例的强大影响 - 研究表明，它们可以提高工人集中注意力的能力，改变他们看待工作的方式，甚至可以帮助他们避免人们在工作时受到的典型伤害整天绑在他们的办公桌上。
Since there’s no consensus on how long the ideal microbreak should last or how often you should have them, it’s up to workers to experiment with what works best for them. In fact, if you regularly lean back to talk to the person next to you or sneak a look at your phone, it’s possible that you’re a master of the technique already. According to Sooyeol Kim, a doctoral student from the University of Illinois and expert on microbreaks, there are only two rules: they should be short and voluntary.
由于对于理想的“微缩”应该持续多长时间或者你应该多久使用它们没有达成共识，因此工人可以尝试最适合它们的方法。事实上，如果你经常回头跟你旁边的人说话或偷看你的手机，你可能已经掌握了这项技能。根据伊利诺伊大学博士生和微生物专家Sooyeol Kim的说法，只有两条规则：它们应该简短且自愿。
Kim sees the breaks as a way to cope with the fact that most people spend the majority of their day at work. “But in reality our only official break is usually just lunch – though some companies provide a tea-time or half-time break, which is 10 or 15 minutes.”
Kim认为休息是一种应对的方法，因为大多数人一天的大部分时间都花在工作上。“但实际上，我们唯一的正式休息时间通常是午餐-尽管有些公司提供茶时间或半日休息时间，即10或15分钟。”
There are now mountains of evidence to suggest that they can be beneficial – reducing stress, keeping workers engaged and making work more enjoyable.
现在有大量的证据表明，他们可以有助于减轻压力，保持员工的积极性，使工作更加愉快。
Between 2017 and 2018 there were 469,000 workers in the UK suffering from musculoskeletal injuries acquired because of their jobs. According to Zaheer Osman, the founder and director of ergonomics consultancy Adept Ergonomics, most people don’t notice that they’re damaging themselves until they’re in pain – by which point it’s already too late.
2017年至2018年期间，英国有46.9万名工人因工作而受到肌肉骨骼损伤。根据人体工程学咨询公司Acept人机工程学的创始人和主管扎希尔·奥斯曼的说法，大多数人不会注意到他们正在伤害自己，直到他们感到疼痛——到那时已经太迟了。
The minuscule breaks are thought to help us to cope with long periods at our desks by taking the strain off certain body structures – such as the neck – that we’re using all day. “The important thing is that they are taken regularly,” says Metters. It should go without saying, but if you’re getting into microbreaks to give your body – rather than your brain – a rest, watching music videos won’t do the trick – it’s best to do something physical like standing up or changing position.
这些微小的休息被认为可以帮助我们通过减轻我们整天使用的某些身体结构（比如脖子）的压力来应付长时间坐在办公桌前的情况。梅特斯说：“重要的是有规律的使用，如果你进入'微缩'，让你的身体而不是大脑休息，看音乐视频并不能达到目的，最好是做一些身体上的事情，比如站着休息。”拉伸或改变位置。
