Flexible thinking for your career 日常工作中的 “弹性思维”

　　在工作和生活中，人们需要解决各类问题、对不同的情况做出预测并应对大大小小的挑战。换位思考、灵活变通可能会让看似棘手的问题迎刃而解。“弹性思维” 指的就是根据当前的状况来调整自己的想法、行动和感受的思维方式。人们可以通过激发想象力、尝试新事物和接触新体验来提高自己的变通能力。本期 “随身英语” 节目探讨日常工作中的 “弹性思维”。

　　词汇：work 工作

　　Does work ever leave you feeling stuck in a rut with limited opportunities to be creative? To thrive, you might want to increase your brain's flexibility¹. But is this even possible, and if so, how?

　　Most jobs require the ability to problem-solve and cope with challenges, at least to a certain extent. Imagine a teacher who has a new and very nervous student in their class. If that teacher is a flexible thinker, they will be able to adapt their classroom management, even if they haven't seen this situation before. According to Leonard Mlodinow, author of Elastic², flexible thinkers rely on idea generation and imagination – they are willing to experiment and take risks. "Elastic thinking is what you need when the circumstances change, and you are dealing³ with something new. It's not about following rules." Therefore, instead of following the typical procedure for inducting a new student, the teacher might come up with a tailored response, based on prediction and previous experience.

　　So, how can you become a more flexible thinker? According to Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett, it's all about exercising the brain. One way of doing this, she says, is through exposure to a variety of experiences which make it easier to adjust to new situations. A lot of companies now consider flexible thinking in the workplace, especially when it comes to design. Workspaces may have couches where workers can lie down and relax, giving them the space to come up with and process new ideas. Mlodinow says it's very important to take time to daydream⁴, listen to ideas and concepts you disagree with and spend time doing activities outside of your comfort zone. This will help you understand multiple points of view and therefore blossom in many different aspects of your career.

　　So, if you want to make a change, you can become a flexible thinker too, with a little practice.

　　词汇表

　　stuck in a rut 一成不变

　　flexibility 灵活性

　　problem-solve 解决问题

　　cope with 应对

　　adapt 适应

　　idea generation 创意生成

　　imagination 想象力

　　experiment 实践，尝试

　　circumstance （客观）环境，状况

　　typical 典型的

　　come up with 想出，提出

　　tailored 特制的，有针对性的

　　prediction 预测

　　exposure 接触

　　adjust 适应

　　daydream 白日做梦，幻想

　　concept 观念，概念

　　comfort zone 舒适区

 

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