焦虑工具箱 第8章片段更小规模任务

Practice Doing Scaled-Down Versions of Tasks 练习更小规模版本的任务

As a behavioral experiment, try doing a simpler version of something you’ve been putting off. While chipping away is sometimes necessary, where possible, shrink the task rather than just spreading it out. Personalize the task in a way that meets your needs, preferences, and the amount of time/money/energy/willpower you have available. Some examples will show you exactly what I mean.

作为一个行为性实验，尝试做一些小版本的你过去放弃的事情。在可能的地方进行削减有时是必要的，在可以的地方，缩小任务而不是让它不断延展。定制化这个任务让它符合你的需求，喜好以及你所拥有的时间/金钱/能量/意志力。下面给些例子解释下我是什么意思：

Note that I’m not saying the scaled-down examples are better choices than the comprehensive versions. It’s just that sometimes the best option requires too much willpower to implement. Therefore, look for the best choice for the amount of willpower you have available to spend. Using a framework like the one shown in the table guides you to think of your choices in terms of a limited set of alternatives and therefore helps you overcome choice overload. Tweak the framework if you want to personalize it.

注意下我不是说缩小规模的例子是比完全版本更好的选择。仅仅是有时候最好的选项需要太多的意志力去实施。因此，寻找你所可以花费的意志力程度最好的选择。使用一个像上面例子表格一样的框架来指引你思考你的选项，展现一些有限的备选方案，这样就可以帮助你克服选择过载。如果你想定制化的话，微调这个框架。

As we covered in Chapter 4, you should assume that if you don’t plan when and where you’re going to do something, you’re probably not going to do it. If you avoid choosing when and where you’ll do a task, take that as a clue that you’re not committed to doing it. Most likely, you’re biting off something that is bigger than the willpower you currently have available. Pick a smaller action for which you are willing to plan when and where you’ll do it.

正如我们在第4章涵盖的，你应该假设如果你没有做计划何时何地要做某件事情，你很有可能不去做它。如果你逃避了何时何地做一件任务，把这当成是你不承诺做它的一个线索。你很有可能在啃一块比你当前有的意志力能应对的更大的骨头。选一个你愿意计划何时何地你要做的小的行动吧。

Adopt a Flexible Approach to Reducing Procrastination 采取一个更灵活的方法来减少拖延。

Procrastination isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes the urge to procrastinate is a cue that you need a mental break, so that when you restart a task, you’re refreshed and more productive. However, if you think procrastination is a problem for you, try these principles:

拖延并不总是坏事。有时愿意拖延意味着你需要一个思想上的休息，这样当你重新开始一项任务的时候，你焕然一新并更有生产力。但是，如果你认为拖延是你的问题，尝试下面的规则：

• Take breaks after you’ve done some work, not before.

• 在做了一些工作之后休息，而不是做工作前。

• If you’re going to procrastinate, at least procrastinate by doing something useful. Do an avoided task that’s slightly more appealing than whatever task you’re most keen to avoid. Thinking back to high school or college, you may remember how cleaning your room all of a sudden became much more appealing when you were supposed to be studying for exams.

• 如果你马上要拖延了，至少通过做一些有用的事情来拖延。做一个比你渴望逃避的任务更有吸引力的你规避的任务。想想上高中或者大学的时候，你可能记起来当时突然间清理你的房间比你要准备考试更有吸引力。

• Anti-procrastination strategies that can work well for a while can stop working. Accept that you’ll need to switch strategies in and out. For example, you may find that putting a clean set of gym clothes in your car before you go to bed each night makes you more likely to go to the gym the next day. However, this might work for only a couple of months before you start skipping the gym again. When this happens, switch up your strategies. Maybe you need to try another type of exercise. Maybe the problem is that you’re too busy at work and therefore don’t have any willpower available for the gym. If this is the case, you’d want to solve the problem at its source—by reducing your willpower drain at work.

• 反拖延策略可以有效一段时间。接受你需要切换策略。例如，你可能发现在睡觉前在你的车里放一套健身服会更可能让你第二天去健身房。然而，这个可能有效一段时间，之后你又开始逃避去健身房了。当这样事情发生时，切换你的策略。也许你需要尝试另一类的健身。也许问题是你的工作太忙了因此没有任何的健身的意志力了。如果是这种情景，你最好从源头解决——减少你在工作上被消耗的意志力。