“都四点了，等下班/下课吧……”这句话是否也常在你脑中循环播放？瘫在工位刷手机、对着课本神游、甚至点开了外卖软件？？用“都四点了”合理化一切摆烂行为，自动切换成“明天再说”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.

最近有个挺有意思的话题引发了网友热议：“不要放弃下午四点。”

有网友提出，别因为觉得下午四点太晚了，就放弃接下来的安排。从常见的作息时间来看（早8点到晚12点），下午四点其实正好是一天的中点，后面还有整整8个小时，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.

这么一想也确实如此。也有不少网友表示：别说四点了，晚上七点回去，都觉得还能干好多事情。





然而，经过大半天的学习和工作，很多小伙伴下午的疲惫和压力难以避免。

与其被“四点魔咒”绑架，不如一起用三把“钥匙”重启状态吧!

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.

钥匙一：运动

TED演讲“The Brain-Changing Benefits of Exercise”中提到，运动对大脑有即时的影响，有助于提升转移和集中注意力的能力，并可以持续一段时间。



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.

只需要一次锻炼，大脑里的多巴胺、血清素和去甲肾上腺素这些神经递质水平就会立刻上升。情绪会马上变好——我当时就是这种感觉。

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.

我们实验室还发现，一次锻炼就能提升注意力的转移和集中能力，而且注意力的提升至少能持续两个小时。

钥匙二：冥想

TED演讲“All It Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes”则推荐大家用短冥想清理“精神缓存”，提升专注力、调节焦虑情绪。



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

我们在寻找一种平衡，一种放松但专注的状态，在这种状态下，我们可以让思绪来来去去，而无需像往常那样过度投入。

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分钟，让自己暂时抽离，回到当下，这样一来，生活中就能多一点专注、多一点平静，也多一点清晰感。

钥匙三：提前规划

TED演讲“How to Gain Control of Your Free Time”提出：我们要抽时间做最重要的事情，让我们可以“利用所拥有的时间来创造我们想要的生活”。而提前规划就是一个很好的方式。



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

周五下午花点时间，给自己列个三类优先事项清单：工作、人际关系、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.

这个清单的意义在于提醒我们，三方面都该有内容。工作我们常常会想到，但关系和自我常被忽略。清单不用长，每类写两三个就够。然后看一眼接下来一周的安排，找时间把这些事情安排进去。

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——我们有时间。哪怕再忙，我们也有时间做重要的事。而当我们专注于真正重要的事，就能在有限的时间里，活出自己想要的生活。

正如有网友说：“幸福从来不在远方，而在我们用心对待的每个瞬间。”



你在下午四点后高效完成任务的高光瞬间有哪些？快来评论区分享吧！

编辑：左卓

见习编辑：裴禧盈

实习生：韩沐辰

来源：外研社UNIPUS