There are only 50 days left in 2013. And while I love the fresh beginning of a new year, as you head into the next couple months, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the resolutions you want to make for next year, rather than focusing on finishing this year strong.

2013年只剩下50天的时间了。虽然我喜欢新年伊始的那种新鲜感，接下来的两个月，做新年新计划实在是太容易不过了，你会不再努力专注于完成今年的计划。

You see, I don’t want you to wake up on January 1 thinking you should have—and could have—done something better last year. You’ve still got time! Whether it’s a big project you want to attack or a small habit you want to change, you can go into the new year feeling triumphant.

你瞧，我不希望你在1月1日这天早上醒来想到去年应该把某件事做得更好。不管它是你想攻下的一个大项目还是你想改变的一个小习惯，你还有时间去争取去改进！这样进入新的一年你会感到胜利的喜悦。

And so, since I’m all for making progress by achieving small wins, here are three common challenges you can master before the end of the year: one thing for today, one for next week, and one before year end. Then, when the new year rolls around, you’ll be way ahead of the game—and ready to tackle a new set of resolutions.

这样可以通过小胜利取得大进步，在今年年底前，你要把握住这三个大家都会遇到的挑战：今天的挑战、下周的挑战、年底前的挑战。这样在新年来临之际，你却走在了前头，并准备处理一系列新年新愿望。

 

Today: Stop Living Out of Your Inbox

今天：从收件箱的工作方式中跳出来

There’s a reason that you probably struggle with this one (and many of my clients do, too): Responding to the constant “ding” fills your brain with dopamine, a little squirt of happy juice that gives you satisfaction.

你在跟收件箱较劲可能有一个原因（我的众多客户其实也是这样）：对收件箱发出 “叮”的一声作出回应，会让你的大脑充满多巴胺，一丝快感涌现让你小有满足。

Despite that good feeling, centering your work around your inbox isn’t exactly effective—constantly stopping to check and respond to messages is a distraction that keeps you from staying focused on your bigger tasks and priorities.

尽管感觉如此之美好，围着收件箱转工作效率是不会高的，不断停下手头工作检查邮件回复信息使得你在大的工作任务和工作重点上分心。

The good news is, there are some quick steps you can take to break this habit today.

是今天你可以采取一些快捷贴士打破这个习惯。

 

1. Check Your Email Only at Certain Times of Day

只在一定时间段查收邮件

At the beginning of the day, determine a few designated email checkpoints—maybe once in the morning, once at midday, and once before you leave for the night.

在开始每天的工作之前，确定几个指定的时间点收发邮件，早上查收一次、中午查收一次，晚上下班之前查收一次。

 

2. Turn Off Your Email Feed

关闭邮件提醒功能

Instead of letting new email alerts interrupt your work, try using an app like Freedom to turn off the internet and allow you to focus on the task at hand.

不让新邮件提醒打断你的手头工作，尝试使用Freedom等应用程序关闭网络，这样你就能专心做手头工作任务。

 

3. Change Your Outlook

换掉Outlook邮件

Essentially, your inbox is a place where other people get to send their priorities, issues, and demands for your time. And so, when you base your workday around your email, you’re letting others control your time. Once you realize that, it’ll be a lot easier to prioritize the things that are important to you, rather than simply what comes into your inbox.

从本质上讲，收件箱是这样一个地方：别人可以把他们的优先事宜、议题和需求等方面的内容发给你，占据你的时间。所以如果你根据邮件安排工作日，那就是让别人控制你的时间。一旦你意识到这一点，优先处理对你更重要的事情就容易得多，你不再只是单单查收一下收件箱而已。

 

By Next Week: Stop Hating Monday

从下周开始：不要憎恨星期一这天

Ask anyone, and you’ll get a pretty universal consensus: Monday is the worst day of the week. The weekend’s gone, and it’ll be another long five days before another comes around. And so, most working hours are spent complaining about how awful the day is. (Sound familiar?)

你问任何人都会有这样一个相当普遍的共识：星期一是一周中最郁闷的。周末过完了，即将开始另一个漫长的5天工作日，另一个周末还远着呢。因此，大部分工作时间都在抱怨这有多么讨厌。（听起来很熟悉吧？）

The thing is, hating Monday doesn’t actually do anything to make it better. The way I see it, Monday offers huge opportunities—if you approach it the right way. Regain control over your Monday with these three steps over the next week.

憎恨星期一实际上并不能把任何事情都做得更好。在我看来，如果你用对方法，周一会给你提供很大的机会。下周用这三个步骤，重新调整你的周一状态。

 

1. Create a Clear Plan for the Week

做一个明确的本周计划

This fresh start to the week is the perfect opportunity to create a road map for what you want to accomplish over the next five days. So, take some time Monday morning to identify your key priorities and block off the time you’ll spend on each one on your calendar. (This step is essential to help you leave work on time and feel good about the work you’ve accomplished!)

为你想要在接下来的五天内完成的工作创造一个完美的机会开个好头。因此，周一早上找时间确定一下你的主要重点并锁定日历上每天的时间计划。（这一步至关重要，有助于你按时完成工作，也会对已完成的工作感觉很美好！）

 

 

 

2. Visualize Friday

幻想星期五

Once you have your plan for the week, think about how you’ll feel when you leave work on Friday with these key priorities completed. (Hint: It should get you excited to get going on the uber-productive week you’re about to have!)

你若有本周计划，周五下班时候你完成了本周计划的工作重点，想想那种美好的感觉。（提示：这会让你兴奋起来，开动起来迎来未来超级高效的一周！）

 

3. Put Something You Look Forward to on Your Monday Calendar

把你的期望写在星期一的日历上

Maybe you bring (or buy) a splurge of a lunch. Or maybe you set aside a new outfit to wear. Perhaps you bring fresh flowers to your desk to make the day a little more cheerful. One thing’s for sure: You’ll dread Monday less if you put something on the calendar that you’ll look forward to!

也许你带了或买了一顿午餐大餐；也许你挑了一套新衣服穿在身上；也许你带了鲜花摆在你的桌子上让这有个好心情。有一件事是可以肯定的：如果你把你的期待放在日历上，你会不那么惧怕周一的到来。

 

By the End of This Year: Crush Procrastination

今年年末：一定改掉拖延症

Putting off a few small tasks until tomorrow seems OK—until tomorrow turns into next week, and next week turns into next month. And suddenly, you have a lot more stress, tighter deadlines, and longer days at the office.

把几个小任务推到明天，再从明天推到下周，从下周推到下个月，貌似也没什么。突然间，你会有很多的压力，期限又变短了，在办公室的加班日又变多了。

When you’ve waited until the last minute to do something, there’s no time to go the extra mile; usually, you just have to settle for whatever you can churn out at the last minute. Procrastination keeps your work ordinary, at best.

有些事情你等到一分钟才去做，时间不够充裕；往往在一刻只有粗制滥造的份了。拖延使你的工作成绩充其量达到一般水平而已。

Now, tackling a challenge like this won’t take just a day or a week. But with these three steps to get you started, you can certainly help turn your procrastination around by the end of the year.

现在，解决这个挑战只或一周的时间可能不够用，但按照这三个步骤开始做出改变，一定可以帮你在今年年底改掉你的拖延症。

 

1. Schedule Your Priorities

规划你的重点

When you tell yourself, “I’ll do this tomorrow,” actually block off some time in your calendar the next day to work on it. Scheduling helps give you both the structure and the dedicated time you need to actually make significant progress.

当你告诉自己：“我明天就做这个工作，”实际上把日历上第二天的时间表打乱了。规划时间表对规划时间结构、规划专门时间都有帮助作用，这些都需要实际取得大进展。

 

2. Practice Focusing

练习注意力

Try this: Pick a task you’ve been putting off, and work on it for 20 minutes without looking up. Take a short, five-minute break, then do it again. This will help you form new habits that will, over time, allow you to be (and feel) more productive.

试试这个：选择一个你一直在拖延的工作任务并为之努力埋头工作20分钟。休息5分钟的时间，接着再做。慢慢会有助于你形成新的习惯，你会（感觉）更有效率。

 

3. Phone a Friend

给朋友打个电话

Tempted to procrastinate? Ask a friend or colleague to hold you accountable. Give this person the details on what you want to accomplish, and the deadline that goes along with it. Then, ask him or her to check in with you for daily updates on your progress. You’ll be much more motivated when you know someone’s keeping tabs on your work.

想拖延吗？找朋友或同事负责监督你完成此事。把你想完成的工作任务的细节内容、期限都一并提供出来。然后，让他或她检查每日更新进度。你知道有人在密切关注你的工作，你才会更有积极性。

Sure, you’ll have plenty of resolutions in just a couple months. But why wait? Start practicing now—while there’s less pressure and no one’s looking. Think about how great you’ll feel waking up in 2014 knowing you’ve mastered these three simple ideals. And everyone else? They’ll be amazed at how much progress you’ve made so quickly in the new year!

当然，你在仅仅几个月的时间内会有众多新年新愿望。但是为什么还在等呢？趁压力小又没有人盯着你的时候，从现在开始练习。想想你在2014年的天早上醒来时，自己心中已掌握了这三个小小愿望会是怎样的感觉。而其他人呢？他们会惊讶地发现你在新的一年进步如此之快！