“都四點了，等下班/下課吧……”這句話是否也常在你腦中循環播放？癱在工位刷手機、對著課本神游、甚至點開了外賣軟件？？用“都四點了”合理化一切擺爛行為，自動切換成“明天再說”模式……

For many people, 4 pm feels like a mental turning point — but not always in a good way. Whether it's slumping over your desk, mindlessly scrolling through your phone, or browsing food delivery apps, the phrase "It's already 4 pm" often becomes a convenient excuse to put everything off until tomorrow.

最近有個挺有意思的話題引發了網友熱議：“不要放棄下午四點。”

有網友提出，別因為覺得下午四點太晚了，就放棄接下來的安排。從常見的作息時間來看（早8點到晚12點），下午四點其實正好是一天的中點，后面還有整整8個小時，完全可以再做很多事！

But a trending online discussion titled "Don't give up on 4 pm" offers a different perspective. Many netizens have pointed out that, based on a typical daily schedule from 8 am to midnight, 4 pm actually marks the halfway point of someone's day. That means there are still eight full hours left — plenty of time to finish tasks, explore hobbies, or even start something new.

這么一想也確實如此。也有不少網友表示：別說四點了，晚上七點回去，都覺得還能干好多事情。

然而，經過大半天的學習和工作， 很多小伙伴 下午的疲憊和壓力難以避免。

與其被“四點魔咒”綁架，不如一起用三把“鑰匙”重啟狀態吧!

So rather than surrendering to the so-called "4 pm curse", why not find simple ways to reset your energy and mindset? Sometimes, all it takes is a few small steps to get back on track.

鑰匙一：運動

TED演講“The Brain-Changing Benefits of Exercise”中提到，運動對大腦有即時的影響，有助于提升轉移和集中注意力的能力，并可以持續一段時間。

A single workout that you do will immediately increase levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline. That is going to increase your mood right after that workout, exactly what I was feeling.

只需要一次鍛煉，大腦里的多巴胺、血清素和去甲腎上腺素這些神經遞質水平就會立刻上升。情緒會馬上變好——我當時就是這種感覺。

My lab showed that a single workout can improve your ability to shift and focus attention, and that focus improvement will last for at least two hours.

我們實驗室還發現，一次鍛煉就能提升注意力的轉移和集中能力，而且注意力的提升至少能持續兩個小時。

鑰匙二：冥想

TED演講“All It Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes”則推薦大家用短冥想清理“精神緩存”，提升專注力、調節焦慮情緒。

We're looking for a balance, a focused relaxation where we can allow thoughts to come and go without all the usual involvement.

我們在尋找一種平衡，一種放松但專注的狀態，在這種狀態下，我們可以讓思緒來來去去，而無需像往常那樣過度投入。

All you need to do is to take 10 minutes out a day to step back, to familiarize yourself with the present moment so that you get to experience a greater sense of focus, calm and clarity in your life.

你只需要每天抽出10分鐘，讓自己暫時抽離，回到當下，這樣一來，生活中就能多一點專注、多一點平靜，也多一點清晰感。

鑰匙三：提前規劃

TED演講“How to Gain Control of Your Free Time”提出：我們要抽時間做最重要的事情，讓我們可以“利用所擁有的時間來創造我們想要的生活”。而提前規劃就是一個很好的方式。

Take a little bit of time Friday afternoon, make yourself a three-category priority list: career, relationships, self.

周五下午花點時間，給自己列個三類優先事項清單：工作、人際關系、自我。

Making a three-category list reminds us that there should be something in all three categories. Career, we think about; relationships, self — not so much. But anyway, just a short list, two to three items in each. Then look out over the whole of the next week, and see where you can plan them in.

這個清單的意義在于提醒我們，三方面都該有內容。工作我們常常會想到，但關系和自我常被忽略。清單不用長，每類寫兩三個就夠。然后看一眼接下來一周的安排，找時間把這些事情安排進去。

I truly believe this. There is time. Even if we are busy, we have time for what matters. And when we focus on what matters, we can build the lives we want in the time we've got.

我真的相信——我們有時間。哪怕再忙，我們也有時間做重要的事。而當我們專注于真正重要的事，就能在有限的時間里，活出自己想要的生活。

正如有網友說：“幸福從來不在遠方，而在我們用心對待的每個瞬間。”

你在下午四點后高效完成任務的高光瞬間有哪些？快來評論區分享吧！

編輯：左 卓

見習編輯：裴禧 盈

實習生：韓沐辰

來源：外研社UNIPUS

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