爲什麼我們常說一日之計在於晨？

In the morning, we start off feeling fresh and rested (ideally, at least). As the day wears on, sustained cognitive engagement depletes our mental resources, and our behavior changes for the worse.
早晨，我們覺得既清爽又精力充沛（至少理想中是這樣）。隨着時間流逝，持續的認知投入使我們的精神資源衰竭，而我們的舉止也每況愈下。

Every day we make decisions that have important implications for our happiness and how we live our lives. Whether we are studying for an exam, preparing for a job interview, or deciding on the best outfit for a first blind date, these very different situations have something in common: They happen at a certain time of day, a time we often can choose or control.
每一天我們會做出對我們的幸福有着重要影響的決定並決定如何生活。不論我們是爲了一次考試而學習、爲了一次求職面試而做準備或是爲了初次約會而決定好好打扮，這些非常特殊的情況有一些共同之處：他們發生在一天中的某一時刻裏，而那個時刻經常是我們可以選擇或控制的。

When making decisions, we often don’t consider how the time of day might affect our choices. Rather, we decide on a time based on what’s most convenient to us. Yet recent research suggests that time of day has an important effect on our behavior and the actions of others.
當做決定的時候，我們通常不會考慮時刻可能會如何影響我們的選擇。更確切的說，我們會選擇對我們最方便的時間段。然而最近的研究顯示時刻對我們的舉止以及其他人的舉止有着重要的影響。

In addition, time of day influences how we interact with others. In recent research (not yet published), Maryam Kouchaki (of Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management), Dan Cable (of the London Business School), and I reviewed field data from the MBA admissions office of a top U.S. business school. Somewhat shockingly, we found that time of day influences admissions officers’ evaluations of applicants as much as their educational background and work experience. Specifically, applicants were evaluated worse later in the day because interviewers conducted less structured interviews as the day wore on. Interestingly, neither students nor admission officers were aware of the relevance of such time-of-day effects.
另外，時刻也影響着我們如何與他人互動。在最近的研究（還未發表）中，（西北大學凱洛格管理學院的）Maryam Kouchaki以及（倫敦商學院的）Dan Cable和我回顧了一所美國頂級商學院MBA招生辦公室的現場數據。有點令人震驚的是，我們發現在招生辦公室對申請者進行評估時，時刻與申請者的教育背景以及工作經驗對評估結果有着差不多的影響。特別的，在一天中晚些的時候，申請者的評估結果會比較糟，因爲隨着時間流逝，面試官會進行較少的結構化面試。有趣的是，學生和招生辦公室都沒有意識到時刻會有這樣相關的影響。

We know that fatigue tends to accumulate over the day, but we generally fail to consider that our performance suffers as a result. Add to that the fact that we often feel concerned about being as productive as we can and thus often turn opportunities for a break into additional work (e.g., eating lunch at our desk). We can do better by taking breaks, and by carefully choosing the time of that appointment, interview, or date.
我們知道在一天中疲勞會慢慢累積，但是我們通常不會考慮到我們的行爲會因此而變糟。另外，事實上，我們時常掛念着自己可以儘可能高效一點，因此常常把休息的機會用於額外的工作（如：在辦公桌上吃午飯）。我們可以通過休息以及精心選擇約定、面試以及約會的時間來做得更好。