Bad news: We’re biologically hardwired to procrastinate. Research shows we possess a limited amount of willpower that drains throughout the day, regardless of what we do.

壞消息是：從生理上講，我們天生就會(huì)拖延，簡(jiǎn)直就像被編程了一樣。研究表明：我們的意志力是有限的，它在一天當(dāng)中持續(xù)衰減，不管我們做什么都無(wú)法改變。

We can’t avoid procrastination. Instead, embrace it as a necessary chance to recharge, restore your confidence, and generate new ideas.

我們無(wú)法避免拖延癥。所以就接受它吧，讓他成為一個(gè)必要的充電過(guò)程，用它來(lái)恢復(fù)信心、促進(jìn)自己產(chǎn)生新點(diǎn)子。

To use procrastination to your advantage, you first need to understand what’s behind your excuses.

要想利用拖延癥，你首先需要理解它背后的那些借口。

For your procrastination to be functional, here are break activities that address the reasons you want to procrastinate in the first place.

為了讓你的拖延癥更有用，我們?cè)诖私o出一些休閑活動(dòng)，可以讓你應(yīng)對(duì)那些使你想拖延的原因。

EXCUSE 1: YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START

借口1：你不知道如何著手

What’s the difference between procrastinating and taking a break? A plan for what to do next. When we waste time indefinitely without any concrete plan, we create a secondary anxiety about what to do next.

“拖延”和“休息一下”的區(qū)別是什么？是一個(gè)“接下來(lái)干什么”的計(jì)劃。當(dāng)我們無(wú)限地地浪費(fèi)時(shí)間，而又沒(méi)有一個(gè)切實(shí)的計(jì)劃時(shí)，我們會(huì)給自己創(chuàng)造出第二重的焦慮——對(duì)“接下來(lái)要做什么”的焦慮。

Write an extensively detailed to-do list. Once you’ve at least planned to complete your tasks, you’ll feel more relaxed during your downtime and fully reap the benefits of procrastination.

寫(xiě)一個(gè)詳細(xì)的待辦事項(xiàng)清單。一旦你開(kāi)始計(jì)劃完成你的任務(wù)時(shí)，你在停工時(shí)就會(huì)感到更放松，這樣也能最大限度地發(fā)揮拖延的好處。

EXCUSE 2: YOU’RE TOTALLY BURNED OUT

借口2：你已經(jīng)徹底累翻了

After a week of working without a break, you can barely string two thoughts together, let alone produce anything worth presenting to others. Time to hit reset.

在連著一個(gè)星期無(wú)休地工作之后，你幾乎都不能把自己的思維捋順，就更不用說(shuō)產(chǎn)出什么可以給人看的東西了。現(xiàn)在，是時(shí)候給自己充充電了。

Add a side hustle. Your guitar jam sessions or personal blog serve a purpose beyond scratching your creative itch–it can help us withstand work stress and prepare us to solve problems in innovative ways.

搞點(diǎn)業(yè)余愛(ài)好當(dāng)副業(yè)。演奏吉他或是寫(xiě)個(gè)人博客，都能在你的累心工作之外給你提供一種目的感——這能幫助我們對(duì)抗工作壓力，并能促使我們用更有創(chuàng)造力的方法來(lái)解決問(wèn)題。

EXCUSE 3: YOU DON’T HAVE A DEADLINE

借口3：這些任務(wù)沒(méi)有截止日期

Create a coworking group.

成立一個(gè)協(xié)同工作小組吧。

You’ll need encouragement to push through.

你需要有人鼓勵(lì)才能堅(jiān)持下去。

For that, reach out to other creatives in networking groups–on social media or in person–and organize a weekly or monthly meeting to discuss your progress on your various projects.

為了獲得這種鼓勵(lì)，去你的關(guān)系網(wǎng)中找找其他的創(chuàng)意從業(yè)者吧——通過(guò)社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)找或者直接面對(duì)面找都行——組織一個(gè)周度或者月度的機(jī)制，讓大家可以聚在一起討論彼此的工作進(jìn)展。

EXCUSE 4: YOU’RE AFRAID OF DISCOMFORT

借口4：害怕會(huì)感到不適

Procrastination often stems from our tendency to avoid things that make us feel physically or psychologically uncomfortable.

拖延癥的出現(xiàn)，通常是因?yàn)槲覀兿胍?guī)避那些讓我們?cè)谏砘蛐睦砩喜皇娣臇|西。

Intellectually, you probably realize that putting off those projects doesn’t permanently relieve your discomfort–it just delays it.

理智地想，你可能已經(jīng)意識(shí)到拖延這些工作并不能讓你永久地從這些不適當(dāng)中解脫，它們只是把它推后了。

Have a cup of coffee. Have some snack. Eat your favorite hamburger. Anyway, treat yourself something. This will make it easier for you to face the discomfort.

喝杯咖啡，來(lái)點(diǎn)零食，吃吃你最喜歡的那款漢堡。總之，犒勞你自己一下。這會(huì)讓你在面對(duì)那些不適的時(shí)候感到更輕松。

EXCUSE 5: PROCRASTINATION IS YOUR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

借口5：拖延就是你的常規(guī)行為模式

Like any other bad habit, our procrastination follows a pattern.

就像所有其他的壞習(xí)慣一樣，我們的拖延癥也有套路可循。

We enter a project with the best intentions.

我們躊躇滿志地開(kāi)始一個(gè)項(xiàng)目。

Then . . . we encounter a roadblock.

然后……我們?cè)庥隽俗枇Α?/p>

As the deadline draws closer, we continue making excuses and avoiding our work until the final hour, when we throw together some random thoughts, send it into the ether, and hope it works.

隨著截止時(shí)間越來(lái)越近，我們不停地制造借口，一直到最后一刻都在回避工作；而最后只能隨便想想，然后就把做出的東西送出去，還指望它能奏效。

Though it takes between 18 and 254 days to create a lasting behavioral pattern, you can remotivate yourself in time for today’s big meeting with one last tip: Watching a movie in which an underdog becomes a hero.

雖然，培養(yǎng)一個(gè)持久的習(xí)慣需要18到254天，但你仍有最后一招讓你自己在今天的重要會(huì)議前及時(shí)滿血復(fù)活：看一部草包逆襲成英雄的電影。

This does work. It will give you the willpower to carry on.

這真的有用。它會(huì)讓你有堅(jiān)持下去的意志力的。

Bad news: We’re biologically hardwired to procrastinate. Research shows we possess a limited amount of willpower that drains throughout the day, regardless of what we do.

壞消息是：從生理上講，我們天生就會(huì)拖延，簡(jiǎn)直就像被編程了一樣。研究表明：我們的意志力是有限的，它在一天當(dāng)中持續(xù)衰減，不管我們做什么都無(wú)法改變。

We can’t avoid procrastination. Instead, embrace it as a necessary chance to recharge, restore your confidence, and generate new ideas.

我們無(wú)法避免拖延癥。所以就接受它吧，讓他成為一個(gè)必要的充電過(guò)程，用它來(lái)恢復(fù)信心、促進(jìn)自己產(chǎn)生新點(diǎn)子。

To use procrastination to your advantage, you first need to understand what’s behind your excuses.

要想利用拖延癥，你首先需要理解它背后的那些借口。

For your procrastination to be functional, here are break activities that address the reasons you want to procrastinate in the first place.

為了讓你的拖延癥更有用，我們?cè)诖私o出一些休閑活動(dòng)，可以讓你應(yīng)對(duì)那些使你想拖延的原因。

EXCUSE 1: YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START

借口1：你不知道如何著手

What’s the difference between procrastinating and taking a break? A plan for what to do next. When we waste time indefinitely without any concrete plan, we create a secondary anxiety about what to do next.

“拖延”和“休息一下”的區(qū)別是什么？是一個(gè)“接下來(lái)干什么”的計(jì)劃。當(dāng)我們無(wú)限地地浪費(fèi)時(shí)間，而又沒(méi)有一個(gè)切實(shí)的計(jì)劃時(shí)，我們會(huì)給自己創(chuàng)造出第二重的焦慮——對(duì)“接下來(lái)要做什么”的焦慮。

Write an extensively detailed to-do list. Once you’ve at least planned to complete your tasks, you’ll feel more relaxed during your downtime and fully reap the benefits of procrastination.

寫(xiě)一個(gè)詳細(xì)的待辦事項(xiàng)清單。一旦你開(kāi)始計(jì)劃完成你的任務(wù)時(shí)，你在停工時(shí)就會(huì)感到更放松，這樣也能最大限度地發(fā)揮拖延的好處。

EXCUSE 2: YOU’RE TOTALLY BURNED OUT

借口2：你已經(jīng)徹底累翻了

After a week of working without a break, you can barely string two thoughts together, let alone produce anything worth presenting to others. Time to hit reset.

在連著一個(gè)星期無(wú)休地工作之后，你幾乎都不能把自己的思維捋順，就更不用說(shuō)產(chǎn)出什么可以給人看的東西了。現(xiàn)在，是時(shí)候給自己充充電了。

Add a side hustle. Your guitar jam sessions or personal blog serve a purpose beyond scratching your creative itch–it can help us withstand work stress and prepare us to solve problems in innovative ways.

搞點(diǎn)業(yè)余愛(ài)好當(dāng)副業(yè)。演奏吉他或是寫(xiě)個(gè)人博客，都能在你的累心工作之外給你提供一種目的感——這能幫助我們對(duì)抗工作壓力，并能促使我們用更有創(chuàng)造力的方法來(lái)解決問(wèn)題。

EXCUSE 3: YOU DON’T HAVE A DEADLINE

借口3：這些任務(wù)沒(méi)有截止日期

Create a coworking group.

成立一個(gè)協(xié)同工作小組吧。

You’ll need encouragement to push through.

你需要有人鼓勵(lì)才能堅(jiān)持下去。

For that, reach out to other creatives in networking groups–on social media or in person–and organize a weekly or monthly meeting to discuss your progress on your various projects.

為了獲得這種鼓勵(lì)，去你的關(guān)系網(wǎng)中找找其他的創(chuàng)意從業(yè)者吧——通過(guò)社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)找或者直接面對(duì)面找都行——組織一個(gè)周度或者月度的機(jī)制，讓大家可以聚在一起討論彼此的工作進(jìn)展。

EXCUSE 4: YOU’RE AFRAID OF DISCOMFORT

借口4：害怕會(huì)感到不適

Procrastination often stems from our tendency to avoid things that make us feel physically or psychologically uncomfortable.

拖延癥的出現(xiàn)，通常是因?yàn)槲覀兿胍?guī)避那些讓我們?cè)谏砘蛐睦砩喜皇娣臇|西。

Intellectually, you probably realize that putting off those projects doesn’t permanently relieve your discomfort–it just delays it.

理智地想，你可能已經(jīng)意識(shí)到拖延這些工作并不能讓你永久地從這些不適當(dāng)中解脫，它們只是把它推后了。

Have a cup of coffee. Have some snack. Eat your favorite hamburger. Anyway, treat yourself something. This will make it easier for you to face the discomfort.

喝杯咖啡，來(lái)點(diǎn)零食，吃吃你最喜歡的那款漢堡。總之，犒勞你自己一下。這會(huì)讓你在面對(duì)那些不適的時(shí)候感到更輕松。

EXCUSE 5: PROCRASTINATION IS YOUR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

借口5：拖延就是你的常規(guī)行為模式

Like any other bad habit, our procrastination follows a pattern.

就像所有其他的壞習(xí)慣一樣，我們的拖延癥也有套路可循。

We enter a project with the best intentions.

我們躊躇滿志地開(kāi)始一個(gè)項(xiàng)目。

Then . . . we encounter a roadblock.

然后……我們?cè)庥隽俗枇Α?/p>

As the deadline draws closer, we continue making excuses and avoiding our work until the final hour, when we throw together some random thoughts, send it into the ether, and hope it works.

隨著截止時(shí)間越來(lái)越近，我們不停地制造借口，一直到最后一刻都在回避工作；而最后只能隨便想想，然后就把做出的東西送出去，還指望它能奏效。

Though it takes between 18 and 254 days to create a lasting behavioral pattern, you can remotivate yourself in time for today’s big meeting with one last tip: Watching a movie in which an underdog becomes a hero.

雖然，培養(yǎng)一個(gè)持久的習(xí)慣需要18到254天，但你仍有最后一招讓你自己在今天的重要會(huì)議前及時(shí)滿血復(fù)活：看一部草包逆襲成英雄的電影。

This does work. It will give you the willpower to carry on.

這真的有用。它會(huì)讓你有堅(jiān)持下去的意志力的。