如何挤出时间学习新东西?

 I recently read a piece about a guy in his late 30s who took up learning guitar as a hobby and actually became a proficient¹ player. Then I read about a young man who decided² to devote an hour a day learning about something just for fun - including banjo, juggling³ and astrophysics.

我最近看到一篇文章，讲的是一个快四十的男人开始学习弹吉他，原本纯属业余爱好，最后竟成了一名娴熟的吉他演奏家。之后，我又看到一篇文章，写的是一个男青年决定每天花一小时学点什么，仅仅为了自娱自乐，包括五弦琴、戏法和天体物理学。

Those pieces revved⁴ me up to go out and learn something new. Although I love that journalism⁵ allows me to dabble⁶ in a range of topics, I miss the thrill of structured, focused education. I'm not talking about going back to school full-time⁷ for a degree program, but taking a course or even reading a book to learn something just for the sake of it, such as a new language or skill. (Italian! Guitar! Indian cooking!) I don't need to become a master-the basics are fine with me.

Getty Images你能挤出时间学习新东西吗？这些文章启发我走出去，学些新东西。新闻事业使我可以涉猎各种不同的题材，我喜欢这一点，但我也怀念系统性、专注式教育的乐趣。我指的并不是重返校园做个全职学生并拿个学位，而是完全出于兴趣去修一门课程，或是看书自学些什么，比如学一门新的语言或技能。（意大利语！吉他！印度菜！）我不需要成为大师，只要学些基础的东西就可以了。

Easier said than done, of course. The problem isn't just that my aging brain makes it harder to absorb new information. It's squeezing in the time.

当然，说起来容易做起来难。问题不仅仅是我老化的大脑更加难以吸收新的知识，时间也挤不出来。

But when you think about it, a dedicated⁸ hour or even half-hour a day isn't that hard to fit in; I surely accumulate that much time watching TV, reading, exercising or futzing round the house. Maybe I could listen to an instructional tape while jogging? Or read some educational nonfiction before bed instead of my go-to novels or mysteries? Or take a web course instead of vegging out to 'Modern Family'?

不过，当你细想一下，每天挤出一小时甚至半小时并不太难；我看电视、看书、锻炼或在家里闲混的时间就足够了。或许我可以在慢跑的同时听教学录音带？或是在睡前看些有教育性的非小说类图书，而不是看口水书或推理小说？或是修一门网络课程，而不是沉溺于《摩登家庭》(Modern Family)？

Despite my gung-ho intentions to learn, I have a feeling that I may simply be too undisciplined-and tired-at the end of the day to make this happen at this young-kid stage of my life.

尽管有着学习的强烈愿望，我却有种感觉：我可能管不住自己或每天下班累得精疲力尽，难以在我尚年轻的时候实现这些想法。

It's not just me, either. My husband recently signed up for Rosetta Stone to learn Brazilian Portuguese⁹. His initial enthusiasm has now waned¹⁰ and while he still wants to complete the course, work, family and sleep needs have made it tough to master. He's also trying to teach himself programming through Codecademy, which provides free online courses.

也不仅仅只有我是这样。我丈夫最近注册了语言教学公司Rosetta Stone的巴西葡萄牙语课程。他最初的热情如今已经消退，尽管他仍希望完成课程，但工作、家庭和睡眠需要使他难以应付。他还力图通过Codecademy免费网络课程自学编程。

Readers, have any of you done any adult education or learned a new skill or hobby as an adult? How did you find the time?

读者们，你们成年后是否曾进修过或学门新技能或爱好？你是如何挤出时间的？

1 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 juggling   

n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was charged with some dishonest juggling with the accounts. 他被指控用欺骗手段窜改账目。
• The accountant went to prison for juggling his firm's accounts. 会计因涂改公司的帐目而入狱。

4 revved   

v.（使）加速( rev的过去式和过去分词 )；（数量、活动等）激增；（使发动机）快速旋转；（使）活跃起来

参考例句：

• The taxi driver revved up his engine. 出租车司机把发动机发动起来。
• The car revved up and roared away. 汽车发动起来，然后轰鸣着开走了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

6 dabble   

v.涉足，浅赏

参考例句：

• They dabble in the stock market.他们少量投资于股市。
• Never dabble with things of which you have no knowledge.绝不要插手你不了解的事物。

7 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

8 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

9 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

10 waned   

v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》
• The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》