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In the 70s, there was an experiment where they took a look at students
在七十年代，有一个观察学生的试验，
and the assumption was that there would be a positive correlation
此试验的假设是
between the students turning in their assignments on time and wearing clean socks.
按时上交作业的学生和穿着干净袜子的学生之间有一定的正相关性。
But the results were absolutely the opposite.
但是结果却恰恰相反。
Indeed, the psychologist jokingly said,
心理学家开玩笑的说道确实是这样的。
Apparently, the students could either get their homework done or change their socks every day but not both.
很显然，学生们每天要么完成作业要么换洗袜子，但是不能二者同时完成。
There was another experiment that took place in Baumeister's lab, where hungry students walked in
还有另一个在鲍迈斯特实验室做过的试验，让处于饥饿状态的学生进去，
and some of them were allowed to eat freshly baked cookies but others were only given radishes.
允许其中的一部分可以吃新鲜的烤饼干，而其他的则只给他们小萝卜。
And of course these students had to exercise a lot of self-control not to eat the cookies
当然了这些学生需要锻炼不吃饼干的自我控制能力，
especially as the researchers left the lab and observed the participants through a hidden window.
尤其是在研究员们离开实验室并通过暗格观察参与者的时候。
So after successfully tortuing them, the researchers brought in these two sets of students
在成功折磨之后，研究员们引入这两批学生，
and gave them an impossible puzzle to solve. And the results were quite fascinating...
并让他们解一个迷之难题。试验结果非常令人兴奋…
The group who'd been allowed to eat the cookies,
被允许吃饼干的那一组
along with a control group of hungry students who weren't given any kind of food,
和没有任何食物的一个控制组
went on to work on the puzzle for 20 minutes!
用时20分钟！
While the group who'd been assigned to eat the radishes
而被分配吃萝卜的那一组
and had already exercised their willpower earlier went on to work on the puzzles for only 8 minutes.
之前就锻炼过他们的意志力,只用8分钟就解开了谜题。
And these sorts of expirements have been replicated over and over again.
类似试验重复了很多遍。
Turns out if you walk into a mall and give people simple math problems to solve,
试验证明如果你去到商场并让人们解答一些简单的数学题，
the ones who have been shopping for much longer will give up on the problems much faster.
购物时间稍长的人会更快的放弃解答。
So you might be sitting there thinking, "Ok, cool, these experiments are fascinating,"
所以你可能坐下来沉思，“这种试验真有趣，”
or maybe you're bored out of your mind,
又或者你会觉得无聊至极，
but understanding the implications of these experiments can make you a lot more productive
但是明白了这些试验的含意，能让你更有效率
and completely change how you plan out your day just like it did for me.
并完全改变你的日常计划，就像改变我一样。
So what are the implications? Well, one...
所以有什么含意呢？第一…
You have to understand that you have a finite amount of willpower
你需要明白的是你的意志力是有限的，
and it gets depleted as you use it.
会随着你的使用而消耗掉。
And two... You use the same stock of willpower for all tasks.
第二…你用同样的意志力储备来对待所有的任务。
A lot of people say things like, "Well, I have enough willpower to do my work
很多人会说，“我有足够的毅力来做我的工作，
but I never have enough willpower for exercising when I come home."
但是当我回家后就没有足够的毅力来锻炼了。”
Well, it's not that you have a different stock of willpower for work and exercising.
并不是对于工作和锻炼有不同的毅力储备。
It's more likely that you've completely depleted your willpower at work
更可能的是你在工作中把毅力消耗尽了
and now you don't have enough to go exercise.
所以现在就没有足够的意志力来锻炼了。
It's the same thing if we look back at the sock experiment.
如果我们回顾袜子试验，也是同样的道理。
If you go to the laundry room for two hours and do your laundry,
如果你去洗衣房洗了两个小时的衣服，
it's a lot harder for you to now get working on your assignment
再做作业的话就有点困难了，
as opposed to a student who went straight to the homework.
对于一个先去做作业的同学也是一样的道理
It's the same thing if you wake up on a Saturday,
同样的道理，如果你在周六的早上醒来后，
and instead of doing your creative work first, you go grocery shopping.
没有最先做创造性的工作，反而去杂货店购物。
You have to make a decision for every little thing you buy
你需要决定买东西的所有细枝末节，
and you're probably familiar with the exhaustion that comes from shopping for a long time.
你可能也非常熟悉那种长时间购物所带来的疲惫感。
Another person will wake up and start doing the creative work first
另一个人会醒来之后先做创造性工作，
and he's going to get a lot more accomplished.
他就会完成的更多。
So it's extremely important to understand how willpower works.
所以明白意志力是怎么起作用的极其重要。
The people who understand this are much more effective in life than the ones who don't.
明白此道理的人比不明白的人在生活中更加有效力。
The author Neil Strauss for example has his meals automatically delivered to him every day.
举个例子，比如作家尼尔·史特劳斯每天都定外卖（与后面的自己做饭形成对比，他点外卖是为了节省精力）。
Now a person who doesn't understand how willpower works might say,
现在一个不懂意志力作用的人可能会说，
"Well, what a waste of money. You know what, that's stupid. I'm gonna cook my own meals..."
“哎，多么浪费钱啊。太愚蠢了。我就打算自己做饭…”
And save the $10 or whatever it is.
以此来存下十美元或是别的。
Except he'll deplete his willpower and won't be able to dedicate his time to writing as much
除非他把毅力消耗尽，而且不把时间尽可能的花在写作上
so in turn he'll lose out on mastering writing
所以反过来，他不可能掌握写作技能，
and even if you were to look at it purely financially, lose thousands and thousands of dollars in the end.
即使单纯从经济的角度看待这个问题，结果也只会是失去很多的钱。
So my hope with creating this video is that next time you wake up
所以我做这个视频就是希望，下次你醒来后，
and your intentions for that day are to get things done,
那一天的打算是要完成某些事情，
you won't start your day off with opening up Facebook the first thing in the morning
不要早上一醒来就打开Facebook，
and wasting willpower on whether you wanna click on britney's pictures first
把意志力都浪费在是否想要先点击布兰妮的图片
or the blog that's gonna lie to you.
或者是对你撒谎的博客上。
You won't open up your email first thing in the morning
早上在做创造性工作之前，不要打开你的邮箱
and reply to every little thing before you make time for your creative work.
回复每一件小事。
You won't wake up and spend thirty minutes thinking about what you want to have for breakfast that day.
不要醒了之后花三十分钟思考你早餐想吃什么。
In fact, you'll automate as much as you can
事实上，你可以尽可能的自动化，
even if it has to be food being delivered to you like Neil Strauss
即使像尼尔那样点外卖，
so you can focus on what is actually important.
这样你就可以把精力集中在真正重要的事情上。
Because you realize that every unimportant thing you do depletes your willpower
因为你意识到每一件不重要的事都消耗了你的毅力，
that you could have dedicated to the one important thing that you most want in your life.
它们原本可以用在你一生最期盼的一件重要的事上。
Again, most people do not understand how willpower works, are completely wasteful with it,
大多数人并不理解意志力的作用，完全浪费了它，
and are always unable to get things done.
而且还不能完成某些任务。
You have that understanding. Now all you need to do is take a look at your day
你已经理解了。现在你需要的就是审视一下你的一天，
and see if you're honoring the science of willpower.
看看你是否尊重了意志力的科学性。
Are you starting your day off by wasting time and willpower deciding what you're going to eat every morning?
你的一天是始于通过浪费时间和意志力来决定的你早餐吃什么吗？
Well, maybe it's time you go back to the board and do some planning.
可能你应该回到黑板上做些计划了。
Are you saving your creative work for some time later in the day?
你是把创造性工作留在当天晚些时候吗？
Well, maybe it's time that you realize that it has to come first.
或许你该意识到应该先进行创造性工作的。
Are you focusing on accomplishing twenty different things?
你还专注于完成二十件不同的事情吗？
Well, maybe it's time that you realize that that's realistically never going to happen
或许你该意识到那种事情根本不现实，
and it's time to pick the one important thing and do it well.
是时候挑选出一件重要的事情并把它做好了。
