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Albert Einstein’s breakthrough moments often came via thought experiments in which he let his imagination drift.
阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦的突破性時刻往往來自于他的思想實驗，實驗中他任自己的想象力漫游。
What would it be like to travel as fast as a light beam?
像光一樣快地運動會是什么樣子？
What happens if double lightning strikes are observed from different perspectives?
如果從不同的角度觀察到兩次閃電會怎樣？
Einstein is admittedly a pretty high bar, but zoning out can help mere mortals, too.
誠然，愛因斯坦是一個相當高的門檻，但開小差也能幫到普通人。
Research published in 2021 found that tricky work-related problems sparked more daydreaming among professional employees, and that this daydreaming in turn boosted creativity.
2021年發表的一項研究發現，工作相關的棘手問題會引發專業員工產生更多幻想，而這種白日夢反過來又會激發創造力。
In similar vein, going for a walk is not just a break from work, but can be a form of it.
同樣，散步不只是工作之余的一種休息，它也可以是工作的一種形式。
An experiment from 2014 asked participants to think of creative uses for a common object (a button, say) while sitting down and while walking.
2014年的一項實驗要求參與者在坐著或走路的時候思考一個普通物體（比如說一個按鈕）的創造性用途。
Perambulation was associated with big increases in creativity.
散步與創造力的大幅增長相關。
Being outside generally seems to improve lateral thinking.
一般來說，處于戶外似乎能提升橫向思維。
In another study, hikers who had been yomping away in the wilderness did much better on a problem-solving task than those who had yet to set off.
在另一項研究中，那些一直在野外負重跋涉的徒步旅行者在解決問題時的表現比那些還沒出門的人的表現好得多。
Loafing has clear limits.
游手好閑是有明確限制的。
If you miss a deadline because you were staring soulfully out of the window, you still missed a deadline.
如果你因為深情凝視窗外而錯過了任務最后期限，那么你就是沒完成任務。
Not every problem requires a backpack and a journey into the countryside.
并不是每個問題都需要一個背包和一次鄉村之旅來解決。
If you don’t much like your work in the first place, you are likely to daydream about other things.
如果你壓根就不太喜歡你的工作，那你很可能會幻想其他事情。
But time to muse is valuable in virtually every role.
但是，幾乎在每一個職位中，用來沉思的時間都很寶貴。
To take one example, customer-service representatives can be good sources of ideas on how to improve a company’s products, but they are often rated on how well they adhere to a schedule of fielding calls.
舉個例子，客戶服務代表可能會想到改進公司產品的好主意，但對他們的評定通常是基于他們對處理電話的流程的遵守程度。
Reflection is not part of the routine.
反思不是日常工作的一部分。
The post-pandemic rethink of work is focused on "when" and "where" questions.
后疫情時代對工作的反思集中在“何時”和“何處”的問題上。
Firms are experimenting with four-day workweeks as a way to improve retention and avoid burnout.
公司正在試行每周四天工作制，以提高員工留任率，避免出現工作倦怠。
Asynchronous working is a way for individuals to collaborate at times that suit them.
異步工作是一種讓個人可以在適合自己的時間進行協作的方式。
Lots of thought is going into how to make a success of hybrid work.
人們對于如何讓混合工作取得成功進行了大量的思考。
The "what is work" question gets much less attention.
“什么是工作”這個問題得到的關注要少得多。
The bias towards familiar forms of activity is deeply entrenched.
對熟悉的活動形式的偏向根深蒂固。
But if you see a colleague meandering through the park or examining the ceiling for hours, don’t assume that work isn’t being done.
但是，如果你看到一位同事在公園里閑逛，或者連續幾個小時盯著天花板，不要認為他沒有在工作。
What looks like idleness may be the very moment when serendipity strikes.
看似無所事事之時，可能恰恰是意外收獲來臨的時刻。
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