One Powerful Tip to Stop Procrastination in its Tracks

Isn’t it amazing how energetically we clean our closets or organize the movie collection when a dreaded project is looming? Especially when that project feels abstract and difficult…I battle with this type of procrastination a LOT. And after much trial and error, I’ve found a simple system that works for me.

很奇怪为什么要到万不得已关头，我们才会充满战斗力地整理壁橱或收藏的电影。尤其是在困难麻烦的事情逼近之时。我曾一度与拖延症抗衡。功夫不负有心人，最终我找到了一个既有效又简单的方式。

If, like me, you tend to put things off or can’t seem to stick with it once you start, then I am confident it will help you too. Here it is:

如果你像我一样容易拖延，或者对已开头的事物无法持之以恒。那么我坚信这个方式同样能帮助你。请看下面：

There are two critical parts to procrastination. One is difficulty getting started on something you need to do. The other is not sticking to something you started (and getting distracted by more exciting or easier things).

拖延症主要有两种表现形式。一种是很难开始需要做的事情。另一种是无法坚持已经开始了的事情（中途会被其他精彩或轻松的事物分散注意）。

Today, I’m going to tell you how to beat the second one.

今天，我就要告诉你怎样克服第二种。

So let’s say you have just started a new diet, or an important work project. Most people are able to see it as a series of small steps that have to be done one day at a time to get to the successful end point.

举个例子，你现在正在节食，或者在做一个重要的项目。大多数人都会分成很多个步骤，然后在每一天里慢慢完成这些步骤，最后成功达到目的。

But if you are a chronic procrastinator, you will have trouble seeing the process, and instead you see only the final product (the super thin, six pack physique; or the perfectly done work project that impresses your boss and his boss). This is a big problem, kind of like seeing the forest and forgetting the trees.

但如果你是个慢性拖延症患者，你就很难看到这个过程，相反你只看得见最终的成果（瘦身成功，还有六块腹肌；或者完成了一个让老板或大老板刮目相看的项目）。这就麻烦了，就像一个人只看得见一大片森林，却看不见每一棵树一样。

What happens when you can only imagine the perfect final product?

当你只在乎完美的成品时会怎样呢？

You are unable to imagine the steps it would take to get there and thus feel anxious and overwhelmed. It’s like being told to get to the moon and all you have for help is a mental picture of you standing on the moon.

那你就无法构思出成功所需要的步骤，继而变得焦虑和不知所措。这就好比要你去登月，但你脑中有的仅仅是站在月球上的场景。

Who wouldn’t get anxious?! So to get rid of the anxiety, you convince yourself that ‘there’s still plenty of time” and that you will “get it done perfectly tomorrow” and turn to Facebook or cleaning out your closets. This inability to imagine the process is one of the biggest problems faced by those of us who struggle with procrastination.

谁不会焦虑？所以为了克服焦虑，你就用“仍然还有大量时间”来宽慰自己，觉得“留到明天就可以圆满完成”然后转到脸书上，或者去打扫你的壁橱。构思不到事情的步骤，这就是我们这些拖延症患者所面临的最大问题。

So what’s the solution? Simple:

所以要怎样解决呢？很简单：

1. Write down the smaller tasks under each project and select the first small task.

1.写下每个项目的步骤，然后从首要的小步骤着手。

2. Then, make a pre-decision about what you will do when you feel frustrated or a distraction beckons. A pre-decision has the “If X, then Y formula”.

2.接着，在你觉得沮丧或者分心时，预先决定你要去做的事情。做这个预先决定有一个“如果....，那么....”公式。

For example, “If I feel anxious or frustrated, then I will remind myself to just focus on this one small piece and not the entire forest” OR “If I begin to doodle or think of calling my friend, then I will call my friend and ask him to help me stay on track” etc;

例如，“如果我感到焦虑或沮丧，那么我就要提醒自己专注在一小块事情上，而非整片森林。”或者，“如果我开始涂鸦或者想打电话给朋友，那么我就要请他帮我坚持到底”等等。

Only you know what your usual distractions are and so you can make “If X, then Y” pre-decisions that are uniquelydesigned for you.

你只有了解了平常影响你的事物，才能够写出“如果...那么...”的公式来预先决定，这可是为你量身订造的公式。

I used this technique to lose 20 pounds in the last few months. My main problem is resisting a temptation to eat desserts. I allow myself to eat one yummy dessert a week. When my mind asks for it any other time, I have a pre-decision that goes like this “If my mind makes me crave a dessert during the week, I will imagine that dessert morphing into a pound of fat in front of my eyes”.Trust me, it worked.

我用这个方法在过去短短几个月里就减掉了20磅。我主要的挑战是要抵抗甜点的诱惑。那我只允许自己每周吃一次美味的甜品。其余时间想吃的时候，我就会做个“预先决策”，像这样“如果我内心在工作日里渴望甜点，那么我就会幻想糖分在我眼前转化为脂肪的景象。”相信我，这个方法起作用了。

The trick here is to have made this pre-decision ahead of time (writing it down is even better) so that you can do it automatically without having to thinkwhen you are hit by distraction or temptation.

有个技巧就是提前做出“预先决策”（写下来会更好），所以当你被干扰或者克制不住时，你就会不由自主地做出决定。

Every decision point in your life is like a road diverging in the woods. By learning to imagine the process and having a plan to deal with obstacles, you can beat procrastination and choose the road that unleashes your full potential.

每一个决策点就像通往森林的岔路。一旦你学会了构思每件事情的步骤，懂得有计划性地处理问题，你就能够彻底摆脱拖延症，最终走向释放自身所有潜力的道路。