[摘要]時間管理是職場永恒的話題。職場前景就是由飛逝的時光造就的，怎樣在一天朝九晚五的工作事件中完成重要的項目，同時面對各方瑣事臨陣不亂呢？本文將分享職場時間管理的八大妙招，一起瞧瞧吧！

8 Ways To Save Time

You can't change the number of hours in a day, but you can fill them more efficiently, with less stress and mental effort. You've likely heard this before, and perhaps your past efforts at time management have been, well, a waste of time. But most people's attempts to increase productivity get derailed by two virtues of modern living: technology and options.

一天有多少個小時，你改變不了。可是，你可以更輕松有效地度過這段時間。很可能你之前聽說過，也曾浪費時間在時間管理上的。但是，因為現(xiàn)代生活帶來的科技和選擇兩大便利，大多數(shù)人想要提高效率的各種嘗試都偏軌了。

Today's onslaught of tech -- smartphones, iPads, search engines, social media -- is fragmenting our attention spans, gumming our mental gears with useless facts, and turning us into surface-level thinkers. At the same time, all the communication choices we have today -- email, IM, text, Skype or Gmail chat -- are thwarting efficiency.

今日的科技沖擊——智能手機，蘋果平板，搜索引擎，社交媒體——正在分散我們的注意廣度，用無用的事實影響我們的心理裝備，與此同時將我們變成膚淺的思考者。同時，所有可用的交流方式——郵件，實時通訊，短信，網(wǎng)絡(luò)電話或者谷歌聊天——都在阻礙效率。

But we don't have to give up technology to regain control. "You need to set expectations of yourself and other people," says Daniel Markovitz, a blogger on time management for the Harvard Business Review. "You need to say, 'Here's the Bat Phone number. Use it if there's an emergency. Otherwise, leave me alone to do my job.'" Here, eight ways to manage time.

但是，我們不用放棄科技去重掌時間。“你需要給自己和他人定好期望，”為《哈佛商業(yè)評論》寫關(guān)于時間管理博文的丹尼爾·馬科維茨講道。你需要說清楚，“這是私人電話號碼。有緊急事情可以打。否則，不要打擾我工作?！币韵率前朔N時間管理的方式。

1. Finish simple tasks

1. 完成簡單的任務(wù)

Always complete easy tasks, like reading a memo -- never switch between small projects. "The mind holds only about seven pieces of information at a time," says Carnegie Mellon psychologist David Creswell. "If you switch to other tasks, those pieces of information get scrambled and need to be relearned. It's a complete time waster." Bottom line: Don't try to do two simple tasks at once.

記得完成簡單的任務(wù)，比如讀便箋——絕對不要在簡單的任務(wù)之間切換。“大腦一次最多可以保存七條信息，”卡耐基梅隆大學(xué)的心理學(xué)家大衛(wèi)·克雷斯韋爾講道?！叭绻戕D(zhuǎn)而去做其他，這些已有信息被擾亂，就需要重新獲取了。這純屬浪費時間?！钡拙€是：不要試著一次去完成兩項簡單的任務(wù)。

2. Break up complex tasks

2. 分解復(fù)雜的任務(wù)

Complex tasks like building a budget differ from simple ones: You can complete them more quickly and efficiently by breaking them up. Creswell found people who had to complete challenging tasks did so more effectively when they took a two-minute break and worked on something completely different -- for example, doing a crossword when trying to finish your taxes.

諸如做預(yù)算這樣的復(fù)雜任務(wù)和簡單任務(wù)不同：分解后，你可以更快速有效地完成?？死姿鬼f爾發(fā)現(xiàn)當(dāng)人們花兩分鐘時間的中斷時間去做完全不同的事情時，可以更高效地完成挑戰(zhàn)性的工作——比如，在結(jié)算稅務(wù)的間歇做做填字游戲。

"Your brain is unconsciously processing information during distractor tasks, and it does a better job," Creswell says. "Even a two-minute period of checking email can have a beneficial effect." But note he's not advising multitasking here -- always learn the contours of a problem thoroughly before distracting yourself with a menial task for a few minutes. Also, choose something completely different from your main project. "The more distinct it is, the better," he says.

“當(dāng)你轉(zhuǎn)移注意力時，大腦在不知不覺地處理信息，而且這樣的效果更好，” 克雷斯韋爾講道。“即使只是花兩分鐘去查郵件也很有益。”但是注意他不是提倡同時處理多項任務(wù)——在用小事轉(zhuǎn)移注意力之前，總要先徹底弄懂大問題的概要。同時，選和你的主要項目完全不同的事情來做?！霸讲煌胶?，”他講道。

3. Build willpower

3. 培養(yǎng)意志力

Willpower is key to efficiency -- and just like the muscles in your body, if you exercise it more frequently, you can improve it.

意志力是高效的關(guān)鍵——就如你身體的肌肉一樣，鍛煉越多，越能提升。

Florida State University psychologist Roy Baumeister found that making people perform simple willpower exercises -- like using their nondominant hand to open doors or brush their teeth -- strengthened their focus during more important tasks.

弗羅里達州立大學(xué)的心理學(xué)家羅伊·鮑邁斯特發(fā)現(xiàn)，讓人們做簡單的意志力練習(xí)——比如用不慣用的手去開門或者刷牙——能讓他們在做重要任務(wù)時加強注意力。

"When you practice overriding habitual ways, you are exerting deliberate control over your actions," says Baumeister. "If you can get people to do willpower exercises like these, it will improve how well they manage their time and help them develop the willpower to make better decisions." Hone your willpower by breaking a routine like driving the same way to work or by giving up a bad habit like junk food for a week.

“當(dāng)你練習(xí)戰(zhàn)勝慣常方式時，你在特意地控制自己的行為，” 鮑邁斯特講道?！白鲞@些意志力練習(xí)會幫助人們提高時間管理的能力，同時鍛煉他們的意志力從而做出更好的決定?！贝蚱瞥Ｒ?guī)的習(xí)慣——比如每天開同樣的路回家，或者堅持一星期放棄壞習(xí)慣——比如垃圾食品，能幫助你培養(yǎng)意志力。

Willpower gets depleted when you use it too much -- which is why judges and surgeons, who make decisions all day, begin to make generic or underinformed ones later on. Avoid making major decisions after a series of hard choices. When possible, make the toughest decisions when your willpower is strongest -- in the morning for most, says Baumeister. You can identify this time by experience, he says. Are you more likely to forgo a workout in the morning or afternoon? Do you get more done at work when you first get in or before you leave?

意志力，用太多就少了——這就是為何整日做決定的法官和外科醫(yī)生，時間久了會開始做泛泛的、信息不足的決定。避免在一系列艱難的抉擇之后做任何重大決定?？赡艿脑挘谝庵玖ψ顝姷臅r候做最艱難的決定——對大多數(shù)人而言是早晨，鮑邁斯特講道。你可以通過練習(xí)找出這個時間，他說。你更可能在早晨還是下午取消健身計劃？你會在剛到公司時還是下班離開前做更多的工作？

4. Develop Google discipline

4. 限制網(wǎng)上搜索

Gorging on all the data available today has made us a nation of distracted thinkers. How many times have you searched for an answer online only to find yourself wandering through a hyperlink forest, gobbling up factoids, switching from LinkedIn to Facebook to email?

現(xiàn)今，吞食所有可用信息讓我們的國家充斥著注意力渙散的思考者。有多少次，你在網(wǎng)上搜尋答案，最終卻發(fā)現(xiàn)自己被淹沒在超鏈接的森林里，風(fēng)卷殘云般略過各種說法，從“領(lǐng)英網(wǎng)”調(diào)到“臉譜網(wǎng)”，再跳去郵箱？

Research shows when people look for an answer on the Web, they visit too many sites when only one or two would do. Limit your searching to what you need for a project. Whenever possible, turn off all other technology, like email and your phone, when completing a project on your computer.

研究顯示， 在網(wǎng)上搜尋答案時，事實上只有一兩個網(wǎng)站就可以提供解答，而人們往往會去瀏覽很多網(wǎng)站。在項目工作中，限制自己的搜尋在需要范圍內(nèi)。用電腦做項目時，可能的時候，關(guān)掉諸如郵箱和電話的其他所有高科技。

5. Keep a calendar, not a to-do list

5. 安排日程表，而不是待辦清單

To-do lists are ineffective because they lack context: Research shows people leave the most difficult tasks undone at the end of the day. Instead, Markovitz advises laying out blocks of time for each task. "I tell people to have a healthy relationship with their calendars," he says. "How can you prioritize if you don't know how much time you have? You need to make mindful decisions about the finite amount of time you have to work." Blocking out time provides structure and gives you micro-deadlines to complete tasks. Leave a few empty spaces for inevitable crises and interruptions, and to make room for tasks that may take longer.

待辦清單缺乏內(nèi)容，因為不是很有效：研究表明一天結(jié)束的時候，人們最難的任務(wù)往往還沒做。與此相對，馬科維茨建議給每項任務(wù)分配時間版塊?！拔腋嬖V人們要和自己的日程表建立健康的關(guān)系，”他講道，“如果你都不知道自己有多少時間可用，怎么去安排優(yōu)先級？你要在自己有限的工作時間里，有意識地做決定。“標(biāo)出時間版塊能讓你更有條理，同時幫你給各項任務(wù)設(shè)置了微觀的截止時間。記得留出空白時間給無可避免的危機和干擾，以及可能需要延長工作時間的任務(wù)。

6. Pull, don't push

6. 提取信息，而非推送

Most of us are bombarded with emails, calls, and requests that don't necessarily need our attention that moment -- or even that day.

我們中的大多數(shù)人，每天都被郵件、電話和要求轟炸，而這些大都是不需要我們當(dāng)下——或者甚至當(dāng)天就去注意。

"People push information on us when it's ready, not when we need it," says Markovitz. Instead, Markovitz suggests pulling information when needed rather than passively receiving it anytime.

“人們在準(zhǔn)備就緒時講信息推向我們，而不是在我們需要的時候，” 馬科維茨講道。與此相對，馬科維茨建議在需要的時候去提取信息，而不是任何時候都被動地接收信息。

How to pull, not push? If a project is complicated and involves multiple people, talk about it instead of emailing. Don't constantly check and respond to emails – process messages in batches, like once every three hours. Create an email signature that says you don't have time to respond to everything, and if it's urgent, to call. The same goes for meetings: Do you really need to be there? "You need to set expectations," says Markovitz. "You need to slow down the avalanche of information coming at you.

"怎樣去提取，而不是推送呢？當(dāng)項目本身復(fù)雜同時有多方人員參與時，與其發(fā)郵件，不如口頭交流。不要頻繁地查看和回復(fù)郵件——批量處理信息，比如每三小時一次。創(chuàng)建一個電子簽名，說明你沒有時間回復(fù)所有郵件，有緊急事件請打電話。開會也一樣：你一定要在場么？“你需要設(shè)定期望值，” 馬科維茨講道?！澳阈枰怕加慷鴣淼男畔?。”

7. Limit your choices

7. 限制你的日常選擇

While you can't change the number of decisions you make for your job, you can limit daily choices at home. For instance, President Obama wears only blue or gray suits to curb unnecessary decisions. He also uses "decision" memos with three check boxes: agree, disagree and discuss.

你無法改變出于工作需求所做的決定數(shù)量，卻可以限制自己在家的選擇。比如，奧巴馬總統(tǒng)只穿藍色和灰色西裝以避免不必要的選擇。他也使用只有三個選項的“決定”便箋：同意，不同意和再議。

"Too much choice is paralyzing," says Sheena Iyengar, a Columbia University business professor. "You walk into your office and a bazillion people will come at you from every side -- emails, calls, meetings. Ask yourself: Are you being proactive or just reacting? If you're reacting, then half the day goes by before you say, 'Wait a minute, what am I supposed to be working on?'" Establish routines that let you focus on what you need to do first.

“選擇太多讓人不知所措，”哥倫比亞大學(xué)商業(yè)學(xué)教授席娜·艾揚格講道。“你走進辦公室，一大撥人從四面八方向你襲來——通過郵件，電話和會議。問問你自己：現(xiàn)在的你，是主動的，還是只在被動接收？如果你實在被動反應(yīng)，那么在你講“等等，我該干什么來著？”之前，大半天已經(jīng)過去了。建立例行程序，讓自己首先集中在需要做的事情上。

8. Prep the night before

8. 前一天做好準(zhǔn)備

While it's important to get a good night's sleep, the time just before bed is ideal for getting your thoughts together for the next day -- and not just because it lessens what you have to do tomorrow.

好的睡眠固然重要，然而睡前時間是為第二天整理思緒的理想時段——不僅僅因為這樣做可以減輕明天的工作任務(wù)。

Scans of sleeping people show our brains work on solving problems when we're not awake, so reviewing a little work before bed helps imprint on your brain exactly what needs to be solved. "We've all had that aha moment in the shower the next morning," says Creswell. "That's because you've let the unconscious mind operate organically on the imprinted information." But avoid overly stressful projects before bed, which may cause you to toss and turn with worry. And don't work on anything with a screen within an hour of bed: Studies show the blue light in screens can lead to fitful sleep.

對入睡后人們的大腦掃描顯示：在我們沒醒著的時候，大腦在自行解決問題，因此睡前小小地回顧下工作可以幫助大腦留下印象，知道在睡眠階段應(yīng)該解決什么問題?！暗诙烨宄肯丛钑r，我們都有過靈光乍現(xiàn)的瞬間，” 克雷斯韋爾講道?！澳鞘且驗槟阕尨竽X在留下信息印象之后無意識地運轉(zhuǎn)了?！钡潜苊庠谒叭ハ雺毫艽蟮捻椖?，這樣做可能會讓你輾轉(zhuǎn)憂慮。而且，睡前一小時不要對著屏幕做事：研究顯示屏幕輻射出的藍光會讓睡眠斷斷續(xù)續(xù)。

[發(fā)布者：yezi]

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