10个好习惯让你最大化利用时间
作者:商绮羽 译
来源:赫芬顿邮报
2014-05-07 09:00
Time. You can't recover it, make up for it, or reverse it. There are 24 hours in a day and 168 in a week, and those numbers aren't changing. What you can do is use the hours more efficiently and wisely to free up at least 60 minutes a week.
时间——既不能收回,也无法弥补或倒流。一天24小时,一周168小时,永远不多不少。你能做的只有更有效地利用好这些时间,努力争取每周挤哪怕60分钟出来。
Many of my executive clients work 60-plus hours a week still find a way to do things for themselves and their families. How? They do it by prioritizing. They know what's truly important, what's urgent, and what isn't. They know how to say no to certain things and yes to other things. And they know how to maximize the time that they do have and not dwell on time that they don't have.
我的很多管理层客户每周至少工作60小时,却依然可以挤出私人与家庭时间。他们是怎么做到的呢?通过优先处理。他们知道什么才是真正重要的、哪些紧急而哪些又可以缓一缓。他们懂得如何拒绝或接受某些事情。而且,他们知道怎样最大化利用自己拥有的时间,而不是一味想着没有的。
Here's how you can optimize your time:
下面就教你如何最大化利用时间:
1. Track how you spend your time
记下自己都把时间花在了哪里
Do this for one week. Many people are entirely unaware of what they do hour to hour and where the day goes. This simple exercise of noting what you're doing each hour can have a huge impact.
坚持记录一个星期。很多人根本不清楚自己是怎么混过每时每天的。记下每小时做了什么虽然简单,却能发挥重要作用。
One recent client told me how she spent 15 minutes every morning trying to decide what to wear each day. That's almost two hours a week she spent deciding what to wear. Another client told me how he spent almost an hour a day in one sitting reading sports scores even though his intention was to just "check them quickly." Track your time and know where you're spending it.
最近有个客户告诉我,她每天早上要花15分钟决定该穿什么衣服。也就是说,她每周几乎花掉2小时来决定穿衣服这件事。还有一个客户跟我说,就算原本只想“快速扫一眼”,他每天还是会花掉将近1小时用来查看比赛得分。记下你的时间分配,看看自己到底都干了些什么吧。
2. Determine which tasks and activities are vital and which are optional
确定哪些任务和活动比较重要,而哪些是可有可无的
Structure other tasks around those that are vital. Schedule your day by doing the important tasks first. This is when you are freshest and energetic. So often the less important tasks get in the way of other things that need to be done. For many this is a distraction. It's easier to do the things that aren't as important. Fear leads to procrastination and ends us keeping us stagnant. Here's how to overcome procrastination.
其他都以重要任务为中心进行安排。日程安排要先处理重要任务。这时你大脑清晰、精力充沛。通常,不太重要的事情会半路插进其他必做事情中,而且往往造成干扰。因为不太重要的事情更容易处理。畏难心理进而导致拖延,最后使我们毫无进展。下面就教你如何克服拖延症。
3. Get up 15 minutes earlier than you normally do
比平常早起15分钟
Doing so will provide you with an extra 75 minutes in your work week. Many of my clients who are business leaders talk about how they maximize their mornings and see it as a time to respond to emails without the distraction of telephone calls or they use it to do their daily workout.
这么做可以让你每个工作周多出75分钟。我有很多客户是商业领导,在说到如何最大化利用早晨时间时,他们认为这段时间不受电话干扰,可以用来回复邮件,或者进行日常锻炼。
4. Schedule Internet use
计划上网时间
So often people lose their sense of time when they are online. Given the sensory overload, people are drawn into cyberspace and rarely can stick to just their intended task. Think about how many times you went online to read the news or check the weather and ended up staying online much longer reading other articles. Or perhaps you're like so many of my clients whose intention is to check sports scores quickly, yet they spend seven hours a week doing that. Schedule time and stick to it.
很多时候,人们一上网就容易忘了时间。人们被网络空间吸引,思维被满满占据,很难坚持做完原本计划的任务。想想有多少次你上网看新闻或看天气预报,最后却因为浏览其他文章而长时间耽搁吧。或者,你就像我的某些客户,原本只想快速扫一眼比赛得分,最后却每周浪费数小时在这件事上。请计划好时间,并坚持执行吧。
5. Plan
计划
At the beginning of your week, schedule what you need to do with a "to-do" list. Similarly, at the end of your work day, plan the next day.
每周开始时,列出任务清单,计划好需要做的事情。以此类推,下班后计划好隔天的事情。
6. Log out of email and social media accounts
退出邮箱和社交媒体账户
Staying connected to such accounts will only distract you and waste time, especially when you are on a deadline or working on an important project. Schedule time to use your social media sites.
登录这些账户只会使你分心并浪费时间,尤其当你在赶任务或处理重大项目的时候。规划好使用社交媒体网站的时间。
7. Keep your expectations in check
随时检查自己的期望
Are these expectations reasonable or unreasonable? For example, are you trying to go to the gym, get the kids ready for school, do laundry, and walk the dog all before 9:00 a.m.? Make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew.
这些期望是否合理?举个例子,你有没有计划在早上9:00之前全部搞定健身运动、送小孩上学、洗衣服和遛狗?请量力而行,不要奢望一口吃成胖子。
8. Change your thinking
改变自身思维
"I'm so busy" and "I don't have time for anything" are negative comments that are sure to keep you feeling overwhelmed. You might think instead, "I will make good use of the time that I do have" or "I can only do so much in one day and I will make sure I accomplish what is reasonable today."
“我很忙”和“我根本没时间做任何事”都是消极想法,会让你觉得不堪负重。或许你可以这样想:“我将好好利用拥有的时间”,或者“我一天只能做这么多事,还是先完成今天能够搞定的事情吧”。
9. Group your errands in one place
一次包揽所有杂事
For example, if you know you're going to be downtown for an appointment and you know you go to a grocery store in that area, then consolidate the trips into one.
举个例子,如果你确定要到市区赴约,而且你还要去趟那边的杂货店,那么何不一次就把两件事一起搞定呢?
10. Keep your surroundings clean and organized
保持周围环境整洁有序
A cluttered desk will distract you as will a messy home. By keeping things in order you'll keep information organized in your head and minimize the possibility of losing items and having to spend time looking for them.
乱七八糟的桌面或家里会让你分心。让物品井然有序,你也就能让大脑中的信息有条不紊,并且还能减少丢失物品的几率,免得浪费时间到处寻找。