译者 seez_franco
8 Tips to Stop Procrastinating
8个小贴士治愈你的拖延症
《赫芬顿邮报》 2011年10月12日讯
作者 Gretchen Rubin
译者 seez_franco
Every Wednesday is Tip Day.
周三都是我们的“贴士日”。
This Wednesday: Eight tips to stop procrastinating, and get yourself to do something you don't want to do.
本周三：8个小贴士治愈拖延症，从此不再“万事开头难”。
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对付那些让你头大的事？你若跟我差不多，那怎么也得三五次吧。没有什么比那些压根连头都开不了的活儿更折腾人了，所以呢，为了让自己早日行动起来，我鼓捣出下面几个妙招：
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.假设自己在监狱里
如果那些需要你一个猛子扎进去并恨不能一时半会儿就能搞定的工作让你倍感压力①，甚至因此无从下手，那么我有时会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时间。你无需着急，无需寻求捷径或试着一口气搞定一堆事。你可以集中精力慢慢儿来，力求每个细节都处理得恰到好处。
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.寻求帮助
这可是我最好用的“成年秘密”之一。这有什么难的？我真搞不懂。每当我感到难以下手多半是因为我不知道到底应该做什么，这时候我便会寻求帮助，你绝对猜不到这一招有多灵。
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.请记住：大多数决定并不需要你事先做太多的功课
我常常为自己无法做决定而头痛不已，但是，通过不时提醒自己选项A跟选项B其实相差无几，我便能够让自己动手做起来。此外，我还留意那些行家是怎样做的，然后只管依葫芦画瓢便是。
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.采用婴儿学步的方式
如果你对一连串亟待你完成的任务深感力不从心，那么请告诉自己：今天只要走好第一步就好。明天，再走好第二步。踏步向前总是鼓舞人心的，不久你便会发现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分钟
随便做点什么，做满15分钟就好。每天15分钟，日日如是，用不了多久便可聚沙成塔、集腋成裘。正是通过这种方法，我从那堆数码照片的破碎载荷②中逃出升天。很简单，每天15分钟就好。
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. 将不想做的事情当成当天要做的第一件事
前一天夜里，对自己发誓第二天一早必须把最棘手的任务搞定。做好充分的准备——查好你需要的电话号码或其他信息，整理汇总好所有档案卷宗。总之一句话，让一切准备就绪。第二天，当你刚进入单位或刚开始办公或随便什么时候（尽可能趁早就行）只管着手去做就行。别给自己时间去反思或拖拉。在运动健身方面尤其如此。如果你实在懒得活动筋骨，那就敦促自己从一大早开始锻炼吧。
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.为自己摒除干扰
有多少次你终于说服自己着手去处理那些麻烦的工作，却在最后时刻被打断？这无疑让局面雪上加霜。要学会自己抽时间用于工作。
8.Remember, work can be one of the most pernicious forms of procrastination. Don't kid yourself.
8.记住，工作可能是拖延症杀伤力最大的形式之一。
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：请留意你花了多少时间去做你讨厌的事。没人喜欢做外科医疗检测或办理退税手续，但如果你感到自己的生活几乎就是一桩接一桩的烦心事儿，你不妨可以考虑下如何彻头彻尾地避免这些麻烦。
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.
我很擅长说服自己去做那些我不爱做的事。虽说这在许多场合帮了我大忙，但也使我在事业上碰过几次壁。事实上，当你生活或工作的方方面面都好像在拖你后腿的时候，你断不会感到愉快或成功。别急着责怪自己是个懒鬼或做事拖拉的人，反过来，你应该问问自己，这到底有何难？如果你发现强迫自己去做某件事实在是困难重重，这事实上是一种暗示——你不如趁早回头是岸，做点别的吧。
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，尽管新鲜事和挑战令人不安，但它们确实令人欣快。那些今天在你看来是繁重的活儿一旦被你拿下，或许到了明天，它们可以带给你巨大的满足感。这一点也要记住。
What are some other strategies that you've found useful in trying to get yourself to jump some hurdle?
关于帮助自己克服阻碍，你还有哪些妙招呢？
译者注：
① 很显然，这句译文柴废了。求大师斧正。
② crushing (if virtual) load of digital photos 求科普
