双语美文：三件小事让你做个晨型人

 　　In years past, you couldn't talk to me before 10:00 in the morning, much less expect me to get anything useful done. And the weekends? Forget it. If the time had "a.m." attached to the end of it, you'd better believe I was face-down in a pillow. Nowadays, however, despite my best efforts I cannot sleep past 8. I'm mentally forming my to-do list before I even open my eyes. I find that my best writing is done within the first few hours after I wake up, and my go-getter mentality¹ has dimmed into a quieter energy come late afternoon.

　　过去，在上午10点之前你根本就不可能和我说上话，更不可能希望我完成什么有意义的事。周末?算了吧。如果时间安排后面标注着“上午”，你最好相信我正抱头大睡。但是，现在呢，一过早晨8点钟我就怎么也睡不着了。甚至在睁眼之前，我就已经开始在大脑中列数今天要做的事项清单了。我发现我最好的文章都是在刚醒来的最初几个小时内写就的，而傍晚时分我的勤奋精进会化作一种更为安静的能量。

　　So what's my secret?

　　那么，我的秘诀是什么呢?

　　1. For starters, night time prep is half the battle.

　　首先，晚间准备是成功的一半

　　A few minutes at night to set up the coffee pot, lay out an outfit², and get your lunch together for the following day can be a godsend come sun-up.

　　晚上拿出几分钟时间设置好咖啡壶，收拾好一套衣服，准备好第二天的午餐，你会感到早晨如有神助。

　　2. Set two alarms.

　　设两个闹钟。

　　The first one is gentle, within reach and set for five minutes before you really need it. This soothingsound will slowly wake you up. The second one should be louder, placed across the room and set for the time you actually need to get up.

　　第一个闹钟比较柔和，在你够得着的范围内，设置在你真正想起床的5分钟之前，温柔的铃音会慢慢将你唤醒。第二个闹钟声音要大一些，放在房间另一端，设置成你真正需要起床的时间。

　　3. Do something that is genuinely, authentically³ YOU.

　　真正为你自己做些事。

　　Give yourself a little "me" time before the hustle⁴ begins. Enjoy your coffee slowly. Take a walk or do 10 minutes of yoga. If you walk out the door with peace in your heart, you'll carry it with you throughout the day.

　　在繁忙的一天开始之前，给自己一点“自我”时间，慢慢地享用一杯咖啡，散个步，或者做10分钟瑜伽。如果你在出门时心情平静，那么一整天都会如此。

　　If you generally thrive in the evening hours, don't push yourself too hard to go against nature. Lean into your afternoon energy but use these tips to help you embrace those tough mornings with a bit more grace. In time you might find yourself transition into a "morning person" after all!

　　如果你通常都是在晚上才能精力旺盛，也不要逼自己太紧而违背天性。继续利用好下午的好精力，但是可以运用这些小贴士来帮助你在拥抱痛苦的清晨时更从容一点。假以时日，你可能就会发现自己最终转变成“晨型人”了!

 

1 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

2 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

3 authentically   

ad.sincerely真诚地

参考例句：

• Gina: And we should give him something 2 authentically Taiwanese. 吉娜：而且我们应该送他有纯正台湾味的东西。
• A loser is one who fails to correspond authentically. 失败者则指那些未能做到诚实可靠的人。

4 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。