While it’s true that we all have the same amount of time in each day, there are ways we can better use the time we have to make it feel like we have more of it. That’s why others are able to get more out of their day than others.
虽然我们每个人每天的时间都是一样的,但总有让我们更好利用时间的办法,来让我们比别人拥有更多的时间。这也就是为什么有些人一天之内做的事可以比其他人多。
But there’s no reason why we all can’t have the appearance of more hours and minutes in our day. It just takes implementing a few simple tips each and every day to see that it happens. Here are 6 tips that you can use to get more time out of your day – and get more time on your side as a result.
但我们绝对不可能真正去给一天增加几个小时抑或几分钟,我们只要用几个简单的小贴士看看每天都会发生什么变化。下面是六个贴士能让你从一天中挤出更多的时间——也就是为自己争取更多的时间。
1. Check email less
少看邮件
Email is one of the greatest time sucks that we have coming at us every day of the week. If we treated it more like the mail it was meant to replace (snail mail) and not like a command or an order, we’d be able to save tons of time sticking to the task at hand and not diverting our attention to our inboxes.
邮件是最能会让我们的时间不断流失的东西。如果我们只是把它当做是一封信而不是一个命令或者要求,我们就有更多的时间去完成手头上的事情,而不是把注意力始终放在收件箱上。
Create a rule for yourself – and everyone that corresponds with you via email – that you are going to limit the amount of times you check email per day. Be ruthless about it. If someone really needs to get a hold of you, there’s always instant messaging or the telephone. Set some standards to live by with your email management and you’ll find you’ll more hours to live with in the end.
为自己和那些与你通过邮件联系的人定条规定吧:你要去控制每天查阅邮件的时间。神经大条一点,如果有人真的需要找到你,还有即时通讯工具和电话。制定一些合理安排邮件时间的标准,你会发现自己拥有了更多的时间。
2. Plan the night before
头一天晚上提前做好计划
Take some time the night before – or even at the end of your work day – to map out what you plan to do the next day. Doing this will accomplish two things:
在之前的晚上花点时间——或者是在自己工作日结束的时候——去给自己第二天需要做什么制定一个计划。这样可以帮助你达到两件事:
It will remove the mental clutter from your head so you can leave all of your work for the day behind until the following day.
这可以让你把脑袋清空,把工作的事情完全留到第二个工作日去解决。
It will allow you to come in the next day and know exactly where to start; no more slow starts to the day…just action.
这让你在第二天可以很清楚的知道从哪开始工作,而不会花时间延误,只需要做就够了。
3. Don’t fight your body clock
不要打乱自己的生物钟
If you’re an early riser, great. If you’re a night owl, that’s fine. Just don’t try to change that unless you absolutely have to for reasons that can’t be avoided.
如果你习惯于早起,很好。如果你是个夜猫子,也没问题。除非有什么不可避免的因素迫使你不得不打乱,请不要试着去改变。
Night owls and early risers are equally productive; they just produce the results at different times of the day. For example, I’m writing this piece at nearly midnight, just as my creative juices are beginning to wind down for the night. Other writers may have already gone to bed well before this time and are up at the crack of dawn to tackle their next work. I’ve tried to fight my body clock more times than I’d like to recall – and it isn’t worth the battle. go with the flow on this one – you’ll be better off for it and so will your work.
夜猫子和早起者的效率都是十分高的,他们只是在一天的不同时间段进行工作。例如,我在接近午夜的时候写着这篇东西,我的创作灵感也是在晚上不断涌现。其他作家也许早就已经上床睡觉了,在黎明破晓之前就起床开始他们的工作。我曾经试图去打破自己的生物钟——但实际是毫无意义的,就顺着你的生物钟就好——这对于你和你的工作来说都会很好。
4. Eat less and eat well – but eat more frequently
吃得少吃得好——但频率要高
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are key meals to have every day, but they aren’t enough if you want to keep the energy going. You need to eat a little bit less during those pre-ordained meals and at 2-3 more eating periods during your day.
早餐、中餐和晚餐是每天的主要三餐,如果没有足够的摄入你将不能获得一天工作的能量。你需要在吃固定餐之前少量进食,一天多吃两到三次。
Of course, you need to eat well. Try to limit your sugar and caffeine intake. I have found that a small amount of almonds and some cucumber at the ready always makes for a good snack to keep me going. Don’t sacrifice your health for more time – because doing that will have the opposite effect.
当然,你需要吃得好。尽量限制糖和咖啡因的摄入。我发现少量的杏仁和黄瓜真的是让我继续工作的好零食。不要为了获得更多时间来牺牲自己的健康,因为效果会适得其反。
5. Stay hydrated
时刻补水
Drink plenty of water. Keep a water bottle nearby and try to drink water that isn’t ice cold – the body has an easier time dealing with it that way.
喝大量的水。在身边就放一瓶水,不要喝冰水,让身体可以更好的去消化。
Tea is also great if you need a break from the mundane. But remember to limit the caffeine intake – some teas are chock full of the stuff.
如果你需要休息的话,茶也是不错的选择。但是记住要限制咖啡因的摄入——有些茶的咖啡因含量非常高。
6. Do the hard work up front
不要一开始就做难的工作
Get the tough stuff out of the way early on. Whether that’s setting up a system so that you can be more productive or whether it is a task that is going to take more mental and physical energy to complete, do those things off the top.
一开始的时候把那些困难的活先放一边吧。无论是建立一个让你更有效率的系统还是需要你花很多脑力体力完成的任务,都把它们放到后面去做。
Setting up an app like Evernote, Hazel or whatever task manager you choose takes some doing in the beginning, but if you spend the time doing the hard work up front it will pay off in spades over the long haul.
一开始你可以先做个笔记,或者选择其他任何对任务的安排,但如果你一开始就做最难的部分,那么接下来你的工作会遭到很长的停滞。
These 6 tips may seem simple enough, but they are not so simple to maintain. But if you keep at it and keep your eyes on the prize – which is more time for you to do what you really want – then you’ll find that sticking to them is time well spent.
这六个小贴士似乎够简单的了,但要坚持下去却不容易。但如果你坚持下去,关注一下成效——你有更多的时间做自己想做的事情——那么你会发现坚持它们可以更好的利用时间。