5.拖拖拉拉
I hated being late to school because I'd have to go the attendance office for a tardy slip – and too many tardies might mean a detention.
上学时我很讨厌迟到，因为那样我就必须去签到处填写迟到说明单，而如果有太多迟到单，放学后就会被留校。
You may not get a detention as an adult for being tardy, but you can get fired from your job if it happens often enough. Even if it doesn't reach that point, being late makes you look disorganized and unprofessional. In private life, your friends and family can get resentful really quickly if you're always the last one to arrive to a gathering, or if you miss the big moment at events. Tardiness may stem from a lack of self-motivation or from an overscheduled life. Additionally, some people actually get an adrenaline high from keeping others waiting. Others are just overly optimistic about how long it really takes to get from Point A to Point B. But you can become more punctual if you work at it. First, stop trusting your internal clock. Actually time how long it takes to get you to work, for example, including rush-hour traffic, as well as the time to walk from your car to your office building to your suite. If you're a very busy person, or get so wrapped up in one thing that you easily forget about other commitments, set appointment reminders on your smartphone or laptop and be sure to schedule some down time during the day.
作为成年人，你一般不会因为迟到而受到留校处罚，但如果经常如此，也许就会被辞退。即使事态没有这么严重，经常迟到也会让你看起来毫无组织纪律性并且十分不专业。即使在私生活中，如果你总是在聚会中姗姗来迟，或者干脆错过一些重要的时刻，你的家人朋友肯定也会很生气。行动迟缓也许起因于自我激励机制的缺失或者过分忙碌的生活。除有些人是真的沉醉于让别人久等的快感中无法自拔之外，其他人拖拉只是因为对于从A地到B地实际需要花费的时间做了过分乐观的估计。但是如果你下决心改变，你一定可以变得更守时。那么首先，停止过分相信你的生物钟。事实上，你上班路上所需花费的时间应该包括交通高峰期塞车的时间，以及从你下车走到办公楼再到你的办公室所花的时间。如果你非常忙碌，或者全神贯注于某件事以至于极易忘记其他预约时，不妨尝试在你的手机或笔记本电脑上面设置事件提醒，以确保在一天当中你有一小段时间让自己缓冲一会，也更容易记得已安排好的约会。
4.总打岔
Life is full of constant interruptions. I've been interrupted by a needy cat, multiple buzzing noises from my phone and the sound of someone edging their yard in just the past few minutes. But I find verbal interruptions the most irritating, especially when it's the same person doing it repeatedly. The implication is that what the interrupter has to say is far more important than what I was saying. Yet, even though interrupting is considered rude, we all do it.
生活中充斥着无穷无尽的干扰。我曾被一只黏人的猫干扰，也曾被手机里传来的多重嗡嗡声烦扰，甚至就在几分钟前还被人们整理庭院所产生的噪音干扰。但我发现最令人恼火的是言语干扰（打岔），尤其是当同一个人反复打断你的时候，就像他要说的内容远比你所说的重要得多似的。然而，尽管打岔被认为是件粗鲁的事，我们还是会这么做。
One reason is that sometimes interrupting is necessary. If you have an important question to ask during a presentation that won't be relevant if you wait until the end, sometimes getting the speaker's attention is acceptable. You just have to do it politely. But like many bad habits, interrupting can also be about power -- who is allowed to speak and who isn't. You might not hesitate to interrupt a subordinate at work, but you would never interrupt your own boss. No matter what the relationship is, though, it's usually still better to wait until the other person finishes speaking. Try to focus on what she's saying and formulate a thoughtful response. If you feel the urge to interrupt, ask yourself what would happen if you waited. (Probably, nothing.) You might even take notes if you're afraid that you'll forget what you're going to say later.
原因之一就在于打岔有时是必要的。如果你在一个演说报告途中有十分重要的问题需要提问，而等到演说结束后再问又将没有任何意义的话，那偶尔打断一下报告者的发言是可以被原谅的，但你一定要有礼貌。就像很多恶习一样，打岔其实也与话语权问题相关——谁可以发言的而谁又不可以发言。你或许会毫不犹豫地打断正在工作的下属，而你决不会去干扰你的顶头上司。无论你们之间的关系如何，等他人讲完话再发言始终更为妥当。你可以试着去注意聆听别人所讲的内容，然后再给出一个经过深思熟虑后的答复。如若你迫切地想要打断别人说话，那就先问问自己如果再等会儿会怎么样。（多半什么事都不会发生）如果你怕忘记自己接下来要说什么，那就可以做点笔记呀。
3.爱八卦
If gossiping weren't fun and entertaining, there wouldn't be so many TV shows, websites and magazines devoted to talking about what celebrities are doing. Most have chosen to be in the public eye, and to a certain degree, they expect their personal lives will be under a microscope. We regular folk, however, usually don't appreciate having our foibles and quirks as the topic of conversation in the office break room.
如果八卦新闻没有那么搞笑又有趣的话，就不会有那么多的电视节目、网站和杂志都把功夫花在议论名人们在干什么上面了。大多数名人选择出现在公共视野中，在某种程度上就意味着他们希望自己的私人生活被人关注。然而我们这些普通人，却并不喜欢让自己的缺点和怪癖成为同事们茶余饭后闲聊的谈资。
Some of us just can't resist sharing a juicy piece of information though. It's a way of connecting with other people and even raising our social status in their eyes. Sometimes it helps boost our own self-esteem: "At least I'd never make that bad of a mistake," we might think. Gossiping may seem like a harmless way to pass the time, but it has significant repercussions. In the workplace, gossip can be a huge problem because it can lower morale, decrease productivity and increase turnover. Families have been torn apart by secrets that were not to supposed to have been revealed. Gossip can also be about power: One person has information the others don't have and keeps the power by deciding who to share the tidbits with. If you're concerned that you're a gossip, pay attention to your topics of conversations. Are you telling positive or negative stories about others? If it's difficult to stop gossiping (because it just feels so good), try putting yourself in the subject's shoes. How would you feel if everyone was talking badly about you?
但是总有部分人会忍不住向他人爆料，这算是他们与人沟通、甚至提高自己在别人眼中社会地位的一种方式。八卦有时也能使我们的自尊心膨胀，因为我们或许会想：“反正我才不会犯这种低级的错误。”八卦似乎是一种无害的打发时间的方式，但其实它会带来很严重的影响。在工作场所，说长道短是一个很大的问题。因为它会使员工士气低落，降低生产效率，以及增加人员变更率。一些本不该泄露的秘密被揭开甚至可以导致家庭破裂。八卦还可以使人处于优势地位——有人能够掌握别人了解不到的信息，并通过决定与谁分享这类花边消息来保持他们的优势地位。如果你担心自己成为八卦天王，那么请你关注一下自己所谈论的话题：你经常议论人是非吗？如果停止八卦对你来说很困难的话（因为你通常自我感觉良好），那就设身处地为他人想想吧！如果每个人都在说你的坏话，你又将作何感想？
2.坐立不安
Fidgeting simply means that you're incapable of keeping still. Like nail biting and other so-called "nervous habits," it can be a way to fight boredom, expend excess energy or relieve stress.
坐立不安，简单来说就是指无法使自己安静下来。就像咬指甲或者其他“缓解焦虑的习惯性动作”一样，这通常也是一种打发无聊时间、消耗过剩精力或者是缓解压力的方式。
This bad habit isn't all bad, though; some researchers believe that fidgeting reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Since cortisol can negatively affect learning, fidgeting during a test might actually make you perform better on it. Because the parts of the brain that control movement and speech are in the same area, fidgeting or moving may also help you formulate a thought before saying it out loud. You might even burn an extra 350 calories from fidgeting throughout the day. But fidgeting is one of those bad habits that can have a social impact, especially if it is constant, loud or distracting. Usually when someone calls attention to fidgeting, the person will stop doing it, or at least find a way to be unobtrusive about it. But if he can't stop, the fidgeting is constant, or he seems to be involuntarily twitching or making noises, there could be something more serious at work. Extreme fidgeting is a possible symptom of several conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder and Tourette's syndrome. Professional help is necessary in those cases.
不过，这个“坏习惯”并不见得就一无是处。一些研究人员发现坐立不安能够降低压力荷尔蒙皮质醇的分泌水平。由于皮质醇会对学习产生不良影响，所以考试时这种坐立不安的状态反而有助于你发挥的更好。而控制人类行动和语言的神经中枢位于大脑中的同一个区域，所以坐立不安或者不时活动一下也有助于你深思熟虑后更好的表达自己的想法。同时，如果一个人一整天都坐不住，总是做些小动作，还能额外消耗350卡路里的热量。尽管如此，坐立不安仍是一种影响社交生活的坏习惯，尤其是当你坐立不安成为一种常态，让旁人感到聒噪，注意力不能集中之时。一般来说，有人坐立不安、小动作不断时，就会有人提醒他不要这样，至少不要肆无忌惮地去做这些事。但是，如果他难以控制自己的行为，继续做小动作，或者总是不由自主地扭来扭去、制造噪音，那么很可能是他在工作中遇到了大麻烦。过度的焦躁不安可能是患有以下疾病的征兆：例如多动症，躁郁症或图洛特氏综合征。在这些情况下，你可能需要寻求专业帮助。
1.长时间对着屏幕
It's incredibly easy to spend almost every waking hour of your day staring at a screen -- whether from a computer, TV, tablet or phone. Most of us have to use computers at work, so being in front of a screen for at least 40 hours a week is nonnegotiable. But what about binge-watching a TV show or spending hours on Facebook? How does that affect you?
人们极易把每天清醒的几个小时几乎全都用于看屏幕——无论是电脑，电视，平板或是手机屏幕。大多数人的工作都离不开电脑，因而我们每周至少有40个小时都必须与电脑打交道。那我们毫无节制地看电视节目或者浏览社交网络所花时间又是多少呢？这又将如何影响我们的生活呢？
Scientists have found that too much screen time can cause eye fatigue and blurred vision. These symptoms are not permanent, but they are unpleasant. Research also indicates that excessive screen time can actually hurt your brain -- scans of Internet- and gaming-addicted teenagers showed damage to the frontal lobe. While watching TV or surfing the Web certainly has benefits, if you put off spending time with friends, hear complaints from your family, or fail to accomplish something that you needed to do because you were too busy online, you might need to start setting some limits. If you always take your phone with you to the bathroom, make a conscious effort to leave it in another room. Eat meals at the table instead of in front of the TV. Read an actual paper book on occasion. Or download some great, informative podcasts and listen while you go for a stroll.
科学家们发现，看屏幕的时间过长会造成视疲劳和视物模糊。这些症状虽不是永久性的，但一样令人烦恼。同时，研究还表明盯着屏幕浏览网页的时间过长会损伤大脑。那些沉迷于游戏的少年们，他们的大脑前额叶早已损伤。看电视或上网的确有很多好处，但你如果因为忙于上网而疏于与朋友相聚、承受家人的指责，抑或是无法完成必要的任务时，你就有必要收敛一下了。可以尝试用以下方法来改善这种状况：如果你去洗手间也总是带着手机，那么就应该有意地把它搁在另一个房间；要在餐桌前而不是电视机前吃饭；有时候也要阅读纸质书籍；还可以下载一些有“有营养”的播客，边听边散步。
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