Welcome to the YOLO Economy

Something strange is happening to the exhausted, type-A millennial workers of America. After a year spent hunched (弯腰驼背) over their MacBooks, 【小题1】 back-to-back Zooms, they are deciding to risk it all. Some are 【小题2】 stable jobs to start a new business, and others are stepping off the career treadmill altogether.

If this movement has a rallying cry, it’s “YOLO”—“you only live once,” an acronym (首字母缩略词) 【小题3】 by the rapper Drake a decade ago and used by cheerful risk-takers ever since. It has come to characterize the attitude that has 【小题4】 a certain type of bored office worker in recent months.

To be clear: The pandemic is not over, and millions of Americans are still experiencing 【小题5】 for the loss of jobs and loved ones. Not everyone can afford to throw 【小题6】 to the wind. But for a growing number of people with financial cushions and in-demand skills, the dread and anxiety of the past year are giving way to a new kind of professional fearlessness.

“It feels like we’ve been so 【小题7】 into careers for the past decade, and this is our opportunity to switch it up.” said Nate Moseley, 29, a buyer at a major clothing retailer. “The idea of going right back to the pre-Covid setup sounds so unappealing after this past year,” he said. “If not now, when will I ever do this?” If “languishing (受煎熬)” is 2021’s 【小题8】 emotion, YOLOing may be the year’s defining work force trend. A recent Microsoft survey found that more than 40 percent of workers globally were considering leaving their jobs this year.

【小题9】 of employees’ quitting jobs, bosses are trying to boost morale (士气) and prevent burnout. LinkedIn recently gave the majority of its employees a paid week off.

Raises and time off may persuade some employees to stay put. But for others, stasis (停滞) is the problem, and the only solution is 【小题10】 change.

As a columnist, my daily job is to create informative articles 【小题1】 to a wide audience. I start by choosing unique and interesting 【小题2】, which could be anything from the 【小题3】 benefits of exercise to the 【小题4】 importance of cybersecurity. Once I have my topic, I do extensive research to gather data and insights that will help me 【小题5】 my point effectively.

To ensure the quality of my writing, I stick to a strict schedule and am 【小题6】 to writing several drafts before finalizing a piece. This 【小题7】 effort helps me maintain a high level of consistency and ensures that my readers enjoy reading my work.

One of the most important aspects of my job is to remain 【小题8】 while covering sensitive topics. For instance, if I’m writing about cybersecurity, I need to 【小题9】 provide information without promoting any particular product or service.

Overall, being a columnist is a challenging but rewarding 【小题10】 that requires dedication, creativity, and a passion for writing.

People tend to think that productivity involves doing several things at once, but according to Cal Newport, the secret to success is the opposite of multitasking. Newport is the author of Deep Work, a book that describes the benefits of focusing on one thing and doing it with 【小题1】.

Newport defines deep work as “the ability to focus without 【小题2】 on a cognitively (认知地) demanding task.” It’s the opposite of shallow work, which is made up of simple tasks that are usually 【小题3】 while distracted.

According to Newport, deep work is a(n) 【小题4】 skill in today’s economy. It allows you to learn difficult things quickly and produce at a high level. Most people are distracted when they work, so you learn to work without distraction, that gives you 【小题5】. Deep work enables you to produce to the best of your ability and acquire new skills quickly. Developing excellence in one’s craft can be a deeply 【小题6】 try. But deep work itself is also a skill, which means the more time you spend at it, the easier it gets. Moreover, if you only work at a shallow level, your ability to do deep work decreases.

So how do you conduct deep work into your work life or your studies? It’s essentially important to 【小题7】 deep work into your day. Otherwise, it’s easy to let your time fill up with shallow work. Newport recommends doing deep work as your first task of the day. That way you get it done before distractions build up. Shallow work does need to get done, but if you save it for later in the day, you can get your deep work done, too.

Scheduling deep work sessions for the same time every day can turn them into a habit. This makes it easier to spend time on them.

Because deep work is by definition cognitively demanding, you won’t be able to do it all day. Beginners can usually only focus on deep work for 【小题8】 an hour, and even experts have trouble going more than four hours. So set 【小题9】 goals for yourself. If you really focus, you’ll be surprised at how much you accomplish in a few hours.

By focusing on 【小题10】 sessions of deep work, you can get more done in less time and feel more satisfied.