英語四級雙語：提高工作效率的三個小秘訣

同時處理多項任務，最終的成效并非更高，而是更低。如果你真正專注于完成一些小的關鍵任務，最終你會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己完成的工作更多。

雙語：

This post is in partnership with Entrepreneur. The article below was originally published at Entrepreneur.com.

本文為與《創(chuàng)業(yè)者》雜志(Entrepreneur)的合作內(nèi)容，最初發(fā)表于Entrepreneur.com。

Everyone is looking for ways to boost productivity. Talks about productivity usually involve intense time-management systems that have you putting time into quadrants or downloading a new app. Despite good intentions, a week later you’re back to trying to remember everything and rushing around, feeling overwhelmed.

所有人都在想方設法地提高工作效率。關于工作效率的話題通常會涉及到緊張的時間管理系統(tǒng)，你必須把自己的時間放到象限里，或者下載一個新的應用。盡管出發(fā)點是好的，但一周后，你又將恢復到拼命記住所有事情、四處奔波、疲于奔命的狀態(tài)。

The problem with most approaches to productivity is that they require too much adjustment in a person’s day-to-day life. Someone who is doing everything on the fly isn’t going to easily move into a structured schedule tomorrow. He or she needs more time to ease into making changes. Here are three small, but doable ways to become wildly more productive:

大多數(shù)提高工作效率的方法都存在一個問題：它們都需要對個人日常生活做過多的調(diào)整。一個整天忙忙碌碌的人，不可能在一夜之間便能適應有條理的時間安排。他或她需要更多時間才能改變。下面是三個雖不起眼但卻可行的大幅提高效率的方法。

1. Create “on” and “off” weeks for meetings.

1. 明確設定會議時間和工作時間。

When you’re constantly rushing between tasks, client appointments and employee meetings, life feels more overwhelming, and there are a lot more interruptions. Instead, experiment with having weeks solely devoted to meetings and weeks solely devoted to completing work. During the weeks scheduled for meetings, you’ll meet with clients, employees and contractors, with work tasks filling out the edges.

如果你總是在工作任務、客戶預約和員工會議之間奔波，你會感覺疲于應付，而且你還會遇到更多干擾。因此，可以嘗試拿出幾周時間只用于會議，幾周時間專門用于完成工作。在計劃用于會議的時間里，你可以與客戶、員工和承包商會談，中間的空閑時間用于完成工作任務。

During weeks it no meetings, work will be your sole focus, giving you time for a deep dive into projects and getting things done. Be protective of those weeks and don’t schedule anything then. Perhaps even use a highlighter tool to create a visual reminder in your calendar.

而在非會議時間，工作將是你的唯一重點，你要拿出時間深入研究項目，完成工作任務。要堅持自己的時間安排，在此期間不要計劃其他事情?？梢允褂脽晒夤P，在日歷上做一個醒目的提醒。

2. Create buffer days around all projects.

2. 在所有項目之前劃定緩沖期

Working until the moment that something’s due is a recipe for burnout. If you’ve got a big talk coming up, an important client presentation or a project launch, decide that you’ll finish the preparation or the work 48 hours before the actual deadline ― and stick to the earlier due date.

在最終期限到來之際，還在為完成任務而奮戰(zhàn)，必然會令人疲憊不堪。如果你有一場重要的會議，一次重要的客戶演示或項目啟動，你應該在實際最終期限48小時前完成準備工作，并且要始終堅持自己設定的較早期限。

Then you’ll have a buffer day before the real deadline for stepping back and getting some breathing space from the project, which will allow you to see everything clearly and perhaps even catch a few things in need of tweaking. Touch base with the content one last time before giving your presentation or turning in the goods.

這樣一來，在真正的最終期限到來之前，你便有一個緩沖期，使你可以后退一步，得到喘息的機會，而且你可以更清晰地進行觀察，甚至會發(fā)現(xiàn)一些需要調(diào)整的地方。在進行演示或提交商品之前，最后一次處理內(nèi)容中的細節(jié)問題。

3. Use the Post-it trick.

3. 用好便利貼。

Instead of accomplishing more, people who multitask get less done. Research has shown that multitasking is not effective. Rather than adopting the “make a to-do list and start working your way through it” approach to productivity, start each day by looking through your task lineup and then choose only as many items as you can fit on a 3 inch-by-3 inch Post-it note. (Don’t cheat by using smaller than usual print.)

同時處理多項任務，最終的成效并非更高，而是更低。研究顯示，多任務處理效率低下。因此，不要采用“制定一個待辦事項清單，然后去逐項完成所有任務”的方法來提高效率，而是應該每天首先瀏覽一下手頭的任務，然后選擇自己當天需要完成的項目，任務數(shù)量到寫滿一張3x3英寸的便利貼為止。(不要使用比普通打印字號更小的字號來欺騙自己。)

Those tasks will your focus for the day. You’ll find that when you’re really focused on getting a few small, key tasks completed, you’ll end up getting more done.

這些任務便是你一天工作的中心。如果你真正專注于完成一些小的關鍵任務，最終你會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己完成的工作更多。

For most busy entrepreneurs, being 100 percent organized is a fantastical ideal, sort of like hitting “inbox zero.” It’s nice when it happens and certainly something to strive for, but chances are that more tasks will always arise. Rather than trying to rigidly control the minutes of the day in order to be productive, give yourself a wide fence. You’ll rein yourself in just enough to become more focused and get things done, without being overwhelmed or the pressure.

對于大多數(shù)繁忙的創(chuàng)業(yè)者而言，做到百分百井然有序是不切實際的幻想，就好像要實現(xiàn)“收件箱零郵件”一樣。如果真能做到井然有序，當然是好事，而且也應該是每個人努力的方向，但未來總會有更多任務出現(xiàn)。與其為了效率而嚴格控制每天的時間，不如給自己更大的回旋余地。你會慢慢地控制自己，逐漸變得更加專注，完成自己的工作，但又不會感覺疲憊。(財富中文網(wǎng))

譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

quadrant n. 象限;[海洋][天] 象限儀;四分之一圓