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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. Perhaps you even find you constantly have to work late hours to hit your deadlines. 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.
你管理时间的能力如何？如果你和很多人一样，那你的答案很可能是“不是太好。” 你可能经常感觉时间不够用，也许还会发现自己总是经常加班到很晚才能在最后期限前完成任务。或许你忙得都废寝忘食了。这些都是比较典型的现象，说明你可能无法有效地管理自己的时间。
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 ten proven time management skills you should learn today.
本杰明·富兰克林曾经说过，时间就是金钱。就像金钱一样，时间也必须妥善管理。如果你能妥善管理好时间，你会在工作、休闲和休息之间找到适当的平衡。你能有效完成生活中最重要的事情。最重要的是，你能减轻压力并感到特别开心。为了帮你更有效地管理时间，下面给出了你应该学会的十条行之有效的时间管理技巧。
1. Set Goals
1. 设定目标
Goals give you a vision, focus and destination to work towards. They help you have a clear mind on where you want to go and how best to manage your time and resources to get there. By setting goals, you are able to identify what’s worth spending your time on and what’s a distraction to avoid.
目标能给你远景，让你找到焦点朝目的地前进。它们能让你清楚你想去哪里、如何最好地管理时间和资源来到达那儿。通过设定目标，你能找出什么事情值得你花时间去做，什么事情会让你分心而应该避免。
Start by asking yourself where you want to be in six months time. You can go further and look at where you want to be in the next year or even decade from now. Set personal and professional goals that are realistic and achievable. This is a crucial step toward ensure you manage your time better.
首先问问自己，你要在半年内的时间里到达何种程度。你还可以进一步想想，从现在开始，在未来的一年后或十年后你想到达何种程度。设立符合现实的、能达到的个人和职业目标。这是让你更好地管理时间的关键步骤。
2. Prioritize
2. 设定优先级。
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. Ask yourself three basic questions to know what tasks should take first priority:
说到有效的时间管理，我们就要重点强调设定优先级。哪些任务该先处理，这似乎很难区分，尤其是当大量的任务看上去都是紧急时。然而，如果你已经设定了清晰的目标，设定优先事项相对来说就很简单了。问问自己三个简单的问题，来弄清楚哪些任务应该先做。
Why am I doing this task or activity?
我为什么要做这项任务或活动？
How does this task help me achieve my goals?
这项任务如何帮我实现目标？
To what extent does this task I’m doing help me achieve my goals?
我做这项任务到什么程度能帮助我实现我的目标？
Do the most important things first.
先做最重要的事情。
3. Keep a Task List
3. 使用任务清单
A task list (or “to-do 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. In most cases, trying to remember everything won’t work. Instead, keep a to-do list. A simple daily, weekly or monthly planner on a note pad or diary can do.
任务清单可以提醒你在什么时间做什么事情。使用任务清单可以让你做事有条理，让你能够对事情加以控制。它能把事情分解成小的、可以管理的任务或步骤，这样你就不会忘记做重要的事情。不要尝试把要做的每件事情都记在脑子里。在大多数情况下，想记住每件事情根本就行不通。你可以用任务清单来代替。可以在笔记本或日记本上做个简单的每日、每周或每月的计划。
Write down the things you need to do, including meetings, appointments and deadlines. Prioritize items on your list by listing items in order of importance from high priority to low priorities items or highlighting urgent or important tasks on your list with an asterisk. Cross out completed tasks as often as you add new tasks on your task list to ensure you keep moving forward.
写下你所需要做的事情，包括开会、约会和最后期限。把列表上的待办事项按照优先级从高到低的顺序排序或把紧急、重要的事项用星号进行标注。把完成的任务从列表中花去，尽可能频繁地在清单上加上新的任务来让自己继续前进。
4. Schedule Tasks
4. 为任务安排时间
“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.
“计划可以让你远离混乱和冲动，”作家安妮·迪拉德说。如果你是早起型的人，发现自己在早晨最有创造性、效率最高，可以把高价值的任务安排在早晨的尖峰创作/高效时间。如果当太阳下山时你的创造力和能量达到顶端，可以把高优先级的任务安排在那段时间。效率较低的时间可以安排像检查邮件或回电话这样不那么重要的任务。
Understand your rhythm of peak and dead times and schedule tasks appropriately to make the most of peak times. Remember you don’t find time for important things; you make time for important things best by scheduling.
了解自己何时效率高、何时效率低，然后合适地安排任务来更好地利用自己效率最高的时间段。记住，你不是找时间来做重要的事情；你是通过计划来为重要的事情安排时间。
5. Focus on One Task at a Time
5. 一次只专心做一件事情。
You get more done in the least time possible when you toggle between talking on your cell phone, browsing the internet and jotting down notes, right? Wrong! 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 work.
当你一边打电话、一边浏览网页、一边记笔记，你在最短的时间内完成了更多的事情。对吗？错！根据美国心理协会的发表的一项研究， 当你进行多任务处理时，你所花的时间多了20%到40%。除了浪费时间、降低效率外，多任务处理也降低了工作的质量。
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.
忘记多任务处理吧。使用多任务处理，你无法掌握住自己的工作。一次只专注于完成一项任务。研究人员表示，一次完成一项任务，按照顺序完成，会让你更好地利用时间。从一项任务切换到另一项不会让你更好地利用时间。
6. Minimize Distractions
6. 尽量减少干扰
Whether it’s client e-mail alerts, phone calls from friends or IM chats with prospects while working, distractions are a hindrance to effective use of time. Distractions break your concentration, lower your productivity and often prevent you from completing important tasks on time. They can also cause stress.
在工作时无论是客户端的电子邮件提醒、或是朋友的电话、还是IM的聊天窗口， 这些干扰都阻止你有效地利用时间。分心会打断你的注意力，降低你的效率，经常让你无法按时完成重要的任务。这些也会导致压力。
Identify what is distracting you from doing core tasks and put a stop to it. Kill that television and turn off your Internet connection and IM chat. Put up a “Do not disturb” or similar sign at the entrance of your dedicated work space to prevent interruptions. Just do whatever it takes to minimize distractions. This ensures you take control of your days and maximizes your productivity.
找出什么事情阻止你做核心的任务，然后把它停下来。把电视关上、断开网络和IM聊天工具。在工作空间的入口处放置“不要干扰”或类似的标志来阻止别人的打扰。这能让你对时间加以控制，让你的工作效率最高。
7. Overcome Procrastination
7. 克服拖延症
Edward Young, the English poet best remembered for Night Thoughts, once said procrastination is the thief of time. Don’t put off tasks that you should be focusing on right now and let procrastination steal your time. Remind yourself that the best time to do somethings is usually NOW. Push yourself a little harder to beat procrastination and get what needs to be done DONE.
以《夜之思》而闻名的英国诗人爱德华·杨曾经说过拖延症是时间的小偷。不要把你现在该做的事情往后推迟，让拖延症偷走了你的时间。提醒自己做事情最好的时间通常是现在。强迫自己，打败拖延症，把该完成的事情都完成。
An effective strategy to beat procrastination is to tell yourself you are only going to embark on a project for a few minutes, say ten minutes. Once you start the project, your creative juices will start flowing. You will then find you want to continue with the task and quite possibly take it to the end. The trick to beat procrastination can be as simple as devoting a small amount of time to start. Just that！
打败拖延症的一种有效的策略是告诉自己，你只打算工作几分钟，比如十分钟。一旦你开始工作，你的创意就开始流动。接下来你会发现你想要继续做这项任务，很有可能一直做完。打败拖延症的技巧可以简单到拿出一点儿时间来开始做。
8. Take Breaks
8. 休息一下
Unless you are Superman, you can’t sustain working long hours on end without burning out and sacrificing on quality. However tempting it may be to work to a deadline for 8-10 hours straight, take breaks in between work. This way you give your brain valuable time to rest and recharge. Taking breaks from work is not time wasting. It is smart time management. You produce top quality work when you are well rested.
除非你是超人，否则你不可能一直长时间工作而没有精疲力尽或牺牲质量。无论在最后期限前连续工作8-10小时有多么诱人，也要在中间休息一下。这样你能给大脑宝贵的时间来休息和恢复精力。工作时休息并不是浪费时间。这是一种聪明的时间管理方式。当你休息好的时候，你工作的质量也会较高。
Squeeze short breaks in between work for down-time. Ideally, take a five minute break every hour or two to rest and think creatively. You may set an alarm to remind you when your break is due. Stop working and just sit and meditate at your desk or go out for a cup of coffee or short walk. Don’t forget to give yourself ample time for lunch too. You can’t work optimally on an empty stomach.
在工作时，挤出短的时间来休息。理想情况下， 每一两个小时拿出五分钟来休息并进行创造性的思考。你可以设定闹钟来提醒自己休息一下。停止工作，仅在桌子前坐着进行冥想或出去喝杯咖啡或来一次短距离的散步。别忘了给自己充足的时间来吃午餐。饿着肚子工作时效果不可能很好。
9. Say “No”
9. 说“不”
One skill that many high achievers like President Obama, Bill Gates and Richard Branson have mastered is the gentle art of saying “no” to things that are not a priority. Saying “no” to things that are not a priority allows you to focus on those things that are really important. You only have exactly 24 hours in a day to do the things that matter. If you don’t learn to say “no” to things that are not important, other peoples’ priorities will precede your own and you will be swamped with far too many projects and commitments.
像美国总统奥巴马、比尔·盖茨和理查德·布兰森这些富有成就的人，所掌握的一项技巧就是对优先级不高的事情说“不”的技巧。 对优先级不高的事情说“不”能让你关注真正重要的事情。你一天只有24小时来做重要的事情。如果你不会对不重要的事情说“不”， 其他人的优先事项会排在自己的优先事项之前， 你会淹没在太多的任务和承诺中。
Say “no” amicably to everything that doesn’t support your values or help you achieve your goals. You have the right to say “no” no matter who you are talking to. When you get better at saying “no,” you put you time to good use and defend yourself from rushed work, poor performance and work overload.
友好地对那些不符合自己价值观或无法帮你实现目标的事情说“不”。无论你和谁谈话，你都有说“不”的权利。当你擅长说“不”时，你会很好地利用时间，远离仓促的工作、表现不佳的工作和超负荷的工作。
10. Delegate Tasks
10. 委托任务
The old adage by 17th century author John Donne that no one is an island still holds true today. You can’t manage everything on your own. Sometimes it is prudent to let other people help you with tasks, especially when you are swamped. You save time, reduce stress and accomplish a lot more when you assign tasks to the right people.
17世纪作家约翰·多恩的一句古老的格言“没有人是座孤岛”在今天仍然适用。你不可能一切都靠自己。有时让别人帮你完成任务是聪明的举措，尤其是当你有很多任务时。当你把任务安排给合适的人时， 你节省了时间、减轻了压力，并能完成很多任务。
Relinquish your grip on the wheel and grant authority with responsibility to qualified people. Delegating is not dumping. Give tasks with consequences. This way you promote accountability and ensure goals and deadlines are met.
适时放手，把责任授权给合适的人。委托不是倾销，委托任务时要说明后果。这样能促进问责制，确保能达到目标和最后期限。
