七條有用的時間管理技巧

Seven Tips to Make Use of Time

How well do you manage your time？ If you are like many of us， your answer may be “Not too well”. You may often feel like there is not enough time in a day. Maybe you even feel too busy that you miss meals and sleep. These are all classic signs that you may not be managing your time effectively.

你管理時間的能力如何？如果你和很多人一樣，那你的答案很可能是“不是太好”。你可能經常感覺時間不夠用，也許你忙得都廢寢忘食了。這些都是比較典型的現象，說明你可能無法有效地管理自己的時間。

Benjamin Franklin once said that time is money. Just like money， time must be managed properly. If you manage time properly you find the right balance between your work， leisure and rest time. You effectively accomplish the things that matter most in your life. On top of that， you reduce your stress level and feel a lot happier. To help you manage time more effectively， here are seven proven time management skills you should learn today.

本杰明·富蘭克林曾經說過，時間就是金錢。就像金錢一樣，時間也必須妥善管理。如果你能妥善管理好時間，你會在學習、休閑和休息之間找到適當的平衡。你能有效完成生活中最重要的事情。最重要的是，你能減輕壓力并感到特別開心。為了幫你更有效地管理時間，下面給出了你應該學會的七條行之有效的時間管理技巧。

Goals give you a vision， focus and destination to work towards. By setting goals， you are able to identify what’s worth spending your time on and what’s a distraction to avoid.

目標能給你遠景，讓你找到焦點朝目的地前進。通過設定目標，你能找出什么事情值得你花時間去做，什么事情會讓你分心而應該避免。

Prioritizing cannot be overemphasized when it comes to effective time management. It can be difficult to know what tasks to tackle first， especially when a flood of tasks all seem urgent. It is， however， relatively easy to prioritize activities if you have clear goals already set.

說到有效的時間管理，我們就要重點強調設定優先級。哪些任務該先處理，這似乎很難區分，尤其是當大量的任務似乎都很緊急時。然而，如果你已經設定了清晰的目標，設定優先事項相對來說就很簡單了。

A task list is a reminder system that tells you when you need to do what. Keeping a to-do list helps you remain organized and on top of things. It helps break things down into small， manageable tasks or steps so that you never forget to do the important stuff. Don’t try to remember everything you need to do in your head.

任務清單可以提醒你在什么時間做什么事情。使用任務清單可以讓你做事有條理，讓你能夠對事情加以控制。它能把事情分解成小的、可以管理的任務或步驟，這樣你就不會忘記做重要的事情。不要嘗試把要做的每件事情都記在腦子里。

“A schedule defends from chaos and whim，” says author Annie Dillard. If you are a morning person and find you are at your most creative and productive early in the morning， schedule high-value tasks in the morning at your peak creative/productive time. If your creativity and energy picks up when the sun is setting， schedule high priority tasks then. Your “down” time can be scheduled for less important tasks like checking e-mail or returning phone calls.

“計劃可以讓你遠離混亂和沖動，”作家安妮·迪拉德說。如果你是早起型的人，發現自己在早晨最有創造性、效率最高，可以把高價值的任務安排在早晨的尖峰創作/高效時間。如果當太陽下山時你的創造力和能量達到頂端，可以把高優先級的任務安排在那段時間。效率較低的時間可以安排像檢查郵件或回電話這樣不那么重要的任務。

一次只專心做一件事情

According to a study published by the American Psychological Association， you actually spend between 20 and 40 percent more time when you multitask. Besides costing you time and efficiency， multitasking can also reduce the quality of your study.

根據美國心理協會發表的一項研究， 當你進行多任務處理時，你所花的時間多了20%到40%。除了浪費時間、降低效率外，多任務處理也降低了學習的質量。

Forget multitasking. You don’t get on top of your workload by multitasking. Focus more on completing one task at a time. Completing tasks in sequence one at a time leads to better use of time， says the study researchers. Switching from one task to another does not usually lend itself to good use of time.

忘記多任務處理吧！使用多任務處理，你無法掌握住自己的工作。一次只專注于完成一項任務。研究人員表示，一次完成一項任務，按照順序完成，會讓你更好地利用時間。從一項任務切換到另一項不會讓你更好地利用時間。

Distractions break your concentration， lower your productivity and often prevent you from completing important tasks on time. They can also cause stress.

分心會打斷你的注意力，降低你的效率，經常讓你無法按時完成重要的任務。這些也會導致壓力。

Identify what is distracting you from doing core tasks and put a stop to it. Kill that television and turn off your Internet connection. This ensures you take control of your days and maximizes your productivity.

找出什么事情會阻止你做核心的任務，然后把它停下來。把電視關上、斷開網絡，這能讓你對時間加以控制，讓你的學習效率最高。

Unless you are Superman， you can’t sustain studying long hours on end without burning out. You need have a rest. This way you give your brain valuable time to rest and recharge. Taking breaks from study is not time wasting. It is smart time management. You produce top quality study when you are well rested.

除非你是超人，否則你不可能一直長時間學習而沒有筋疲力盡。你需要休息一下。這樣你能給大腦寶貴的時間來休息和恢復精力。學習時休息并不是浪費時間。這是一種聰明的時間管理方式。當你休息好的時候，你學習的質量也會較高。

Vocabulary

classic "adj. "典型的;傳統式樣的

effectively "adv. "有效地;實際上，事實上

properly "adv. "適當地;恰當地

identify "vt. "識別;認出

spending "v. "用錢，花錢（spend的現在分詞）

distraction "n. "注意力分散

avoid "vt. "避開;避免

overemphasized "v. "過分強調（overemphasize的過去式和過去分詞）

effective "adj. "有效的

especially "adv. "尤其地;主要地

urgent "adj. "急迫的;催促的

relatively "adv. "關系上地;相對地

reminder "n. "令人回憶起……的東西;提醒……的東西

remain "v. "留下;保持

stuff "n. "材料;事情

chaos "n. "混亂;紊亂

creative "adj. "創造性的

productive "adj. "富有成效的

energy "n. "能量;活力

priority "n. "優先;優先權

multitask "vt. "使多任務化

reduce "vt. "減少;縮小

sequence "n. "數列;順序

switching "v. "轉變，改變（switch的現在分詞）

concentration "n. "集中;專心

maximizes "v. "使（某事物）增至最大限度（maximize的第三人稱單數）

productivity "n. "生產率，生產力

sustain "vt. "維持;支撐