《赫芬頓郵報(bào)》 2011年10月12日訊
作者 Gretchen Rubin
譯者 seez_franco
Every Wednesday is Tip Day.
周三都是我們的“貼士日”。
This Wednesday: Eight tips to stop procrastinating, and get yourself to do something you don't want to do.
本周三：8個(gè)小貼士治愈拖延癥，從此不再“萬事開頭難”。
How many times each day do you try to work yourself up to tackle some undesirable task? If you're like me, several. Nothing is more exhausting than the task that is never started, so I've come up with some tricks to use on myself, to prod myself to get started:
你一天要逼自己多少次去對(duì)付那些讓你頭大的事？你若跟我差不多，那怎么也得三五次吧。沒有什么比那些壓根連頭都開不了的活兒更折騰人了，所以呢，為了讓自己早日行動(dòng)起來，我鼓搗出下面幾個(gè)妙招：
1. Put yourself in jail. If I feel pressure to jump in and finish something in a rush, and therefore can't bear to start, sometimes I put myself in jail. If you're in jail, you have all the time in the world. You have no reason to hurry, no reason to cut corners or to try to do too many things at once. You can slow down, concentrate. You can take the time to get every single detail right.
1.假設(shè)自己在監(jiān)獄里
如果那些需要你一個(gè)猛子扎進(jìn)去并恨不能一時(shí)半會(huì)兒就能搞定的工作讓你倍感壓力①，甚至因此無從下手，那么我有時(shí)會(huì)假想自己正身陷囹圄。如果你在蹲班房，你便有了大把大把的時(shí)間。你無需著急，無需尋求捷徑或試著一口氣搞定一堆事。你可以集中精力慢慢兒來，力求每個(gè)細(xì)節(jié)都處理得恰到好處。
2. Ask for help. This is one of my most useful "Secrets of Adulthood." Why is this so hard? I have no idea. But whenever I have trouble getting started because I don't know exactly what to do, and I ask for help, I'm amazed at how much it... helps.
2.尋求幫助
這可是我最好用的“成年秘密”之一。這有什么難的？我真搞不懂。每當(dāng)我感到難以下手多半是因?yàn)槲也恢赖降讘?yīng)該做什么，這時(shí)候我便會(huì)尋求幫助，你絕對(duì)猜不到這一招有多靈。
3. Remember: Most decisions don't require extensive research. I often get paralyzed by my inability to make a decision, but by reminding myself that often, one choice just isn't that much different from another choice, I can get started. Also, I try to identify a knowledgeable person and just follow whatever that person does.
3.請(qǐng)記?。捍蠖鄶?shù)決定并不需要你事先做太多的功課
我常常為自己無法做決定而頭痛不已，但是，通過不時(shí)提醒自己選項(xiàng)A跟選項(xiàng)B其實(shí)相差無幾，我便能夠讓自己動(dòng)手做起來。此外，我還留意那些行家是怎樣做的，然后只管依葫蘆畫瓢便是。
4. Take a baby step. If you feel yourself dismayed at the prospect of the chain of awful tasks that you have to accomplish, just take one step today. Tomorrow, take the next step. The forward motion is encouraging, and before long, you'll probably find yourself speeding toward completion. In the same vein...
4.采用嬰兒學(xué)步的方式
如果你對(duì)一連串亟待你完成的任務(wù)深感力不從心，那么請(qǐng)告訴自己：今天只要走好第一步就好。明天，再走好第二步。踏步向前總是鼓舞人心的，不久你便會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)你正一步步靠近成功的彼岸。
5. Suffer for 15 minutes. You can do anything for 15 minutes, and 15 minutes, day after day, adds up surprisingly fast. That's how I finally dug myself out of my crushing (if virtual) load of digital photos. Fifteen minutes at a time.
5.痛苦15分鐘
隨便做點(diǎn)什么，做滿15分鐘就好。每天15分鐘，日日如是，用不了多久便可聚沙成塔、集腋成裘。正是通過這種方法，我從那堆數(shù)碼照片的破碎載荷②中逃出升天。很簡(jiǎn)單，每天15分鐘就好。
6. Do it first thing in the morning. The night before, vow to yourself to do the dreaded task. Get everything ready -- any phone numbers or information you need, files assembled, everything ready to go. And the next day, at the first possible moment -- as soon as you walk into work, or when the office opens, or whenever -- just do it. Don't allow yourself to reflect or procrastinate. This is particularly true of exercise. If you think you'll be tempted to skip, try to work out in the morning.
6. 將不想做的事情當(dāng)成當(dāng)天要做的第一件事
前一天夜里，對(duì)自己發(fā)誓第二天一早必須把最棘手的任務(wù)搞定。做好充分的準(zhǔn)備——查好你需要的電話號(hào)碼或其他信息，整理匯總好所有檔案卷宗。總之一句話，讓一切準(zhǔn)備就緒。第二天，當(dāng)你剛進(jìn)入單位或剛開始辦公或隨便什么時(shí)候（盡可能趁早就行）只管著手去做就行。別給自己時(shí)間去反思或拖拉。在運(yùn)動(dòng)健身方面尤其如此。如果你實(shí)在懶得活動(dòng)筋骨，那就敦促自己從一大早開始鍛煉吧。
7. Protect yourself from interruption. How often have you finally steeled yourself to start some difficult project, only to be interrupted the minute you get going? This makes a hard task much harder. Carve out some time to work.
7.為自己摒除干擾
有多少次你終于說服自己著手去處理那些麻煩的工作，卻在最后時(shí)刻被打斷？這無疑讓局面雪上加霜。要學(xué)會(huì)自己抽時(shí)間用于工作。
8.Remember, work can be one of the most pernicious forms of procrastination. Don't kid yourself.
8.記住，工作可能是拖延癥殺傷力最大的形式之一。
不要自欺欺人。
Note:Pay attention to the amount of time you spend working on tasks you dislike. No one enjoys getting invasive medical tests or preparing tax returns, but if you feel like your life consists of nothing but going from one dreaded chore to the next, you might be better off figuring out a way to avoid some of those tasks altogether.
提醒：請(qǐng)留意你花了多少時(shí)間去做你討厭的事。沒人喜歡做外科醫(yī)療檢測(cè)或辦理退稅手續(xù)，但如果你感到自己的生活幾乎就是一樁接一樁的煩心事兒，你不妨可以考慮下如何徹頭徹尾地避免這些麻煩。
I'm very good at making myself do things I don't want to do, and while this is an enormous help in many situations, it has also allowed me to go down some dead ends in my career. The fact is, you're unlikely to be happy or successful when every aspect of your life or job feels like a big drag. Don't accuse yourself of being lazy or being a procrastinator, but ask, what's making this so difficult? The fact that you're finding it hard to make yourself do something is a sign that maybe you should be doing something else.
我很擅長(zhǎng)說服自己去做那些我不愛做的事。雖說這在許多場(chǎng)合幫了我大忙，但也使我在事業(yè)上碰過幾次壁。事實(shí)上，當(dāng)你生活或工作的方方面面都好像在拖你后腿的時(shí)候，你斷不會(huì)感到愉快或成功。別急著責(zé)怪自己是個(gè)懶鬼或做事拖拉的人，反過來，你應(yīng)該問問自己，這到底有何難？如果你發(fā)現(xiàn)強(qiáng)迫自己去做某件事實(shí)在是困難重重，這事實(shí)上是一種暗示——你不如趁早回頭是岸，做點(diǎn)別的吧。
On the other hand, novelty and challenge, as uncomfortable as they can be, do bring happiness. The chore that feels onerous today may give you a huge boost of satisfaction tomorrow, when it's behind you. Keep that in mind, too.
另一方面，盡管新鮮事和挑戰(zhàn)令人不安，但它們確實(shí)令人欣快。那些今天在你看來是繁重的活兒一旦被你拿下，或許到了明天，它們可以帶給你巨大的滿足感。這一點(diǎn)也要記住。
What are some other strategies that you've found useful in trying to get yourself to jump some hurdle?
關(guān)于幫助自己克服阻礙，你還有哪些妙招呢？
譯者注：
① 很顯然，這句譯文柴廢了。求大師斧正。
② crushing (if virtual) load of digital photos 求科普
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