人人都有拖延癥

拖延似乎成了現(xiàn)代人的通病。當(dāng)然，拖延不是什么大罪過，有些事拖一拖反而效果更好，有些好點(diǎn)子可能最后一刻才冒出來。但多數(shù)情況下，辦事拖拖拉拉會(huì)讓你在心理上疲憊不堪，同時(shí)有可能讓你的名譽(yù)受損。誰會(huì)喜歡和一個(gè)不守時(shí)的人合作呢？誰能忍受一件事一拖再拖總也做不完呢？所以，行動(dòng)起來，克服拖延，跑在時(shí)間的前頭，讓自己掌握主動(dòng)權(quán)。

我剛參加工作的時(shí)候，父親就告誡我說，如果我能把自己的工作——無論是科研、教書還是服務(wù)工作——按時(shí)、規(guī)范地完成，那我就比很多同輩擁有了更大的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)優(yōu)勢(shì)。

我一直覺得這條訓(xùn)誡很正確，并將其與我的研究生和同事們分享。我認(rèn)識(shí)的很多學(xué)者，有的提出了很棒的項(xiàng)目資助申請(qǐng)，卻沒能趕上提交申請(qǐng)的最后期限，有的本可以在一家學(xué)報(bào)上發(fā)表一篇高質(zhì)量的論文，卻把修訂論文和重新提交的工作一拖再拖，直到時(shí)機(jī)錯(cuò)過。這樣的人太多了，多得讓我吃驚。

拖延并非總是壞事：有時(shí)，推遲做一件工作總比不做好；有時(shí)，好點(diǎn)子會(huì)在最后關(guān)頭才冒出來。但如果一而再、再而三地把一切事務(wù)都拖到最后一刻才完成，那你的職業(yè)生涯可能就毀了。

幸運(yùn)的是，無論你有什么獨(dú)特的工作或思維習(xí)慣，拖延卻不是天生就有的習(xí)慣。我認(rèn)識(shí)很多人，他們都能按時(shí)并高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)地完成工作，但私底下都坦承自己其實(shí)是個(gè)習(xí)慣拖延的人，只不過學(xué)會(huì)了克服這個(gè)習(xí)慣——至少是在某些時(shí)候做到了這一點(diǎn)。我相信，在合理范圍內(nèi)，任何人都能成為按時(shí)完成工作的人，而不是事事拖延的人。

我知道一個(gè)對(duì)抗拖延的方法，它廣為“守時(shí)”的學(xué)者們采用，那就是列出多個(gè)短期的截止時(shí)間，從而把完成大工程的一個(gè)任務(wù)分解成若干個(gè)小項(xiàng)目。這就好像在通往火車終點(diǎn)站的路上要經(jīng)過很多車站一樣。比如說，我要和別人在一個(gè)會(huì)議的截止日期前合力完成一篇論文，那我就會(huì)請(qǐng)我的合作者在某個(gè)日期前完成引言部分，在之后的某個(gè)日期前完成研究方法部分，以此類推。對(duì)付拖延，科技也能幫上忙。我喜歡用日歷軟件或者電子郵件設(shè)置自動(dòng)提示，提醒我截止日期的到來。

很多習(xí)慣拖延的人聲稱，他們習(xí)慣把什么事都拖到最后一刻，這其實(shí)體現(xiàn)了一種更高貴的品質(zhì)：追求完美。對(duì)于事事追求完美這種做事理念，我既理解也認(rèn)同。但這些年來，雖然我和同事們就何為“完美”討論過很多次，大家卻一直無法達(dá)成一致意見。有誰寫過一本完美無缺的書或者做過一次盡善盡美的實(shí)驗(yàn)么？你曾對(duì)自己教的某一門課百分百地滿意么？完美，這是一個(gè)應(yīng)該歸入神圣領(lǐng)域的概念。每天，我們都有很多的工作要做，世界等不及我們把工作做到毫厘不差。所以，別對(duì)自己太苛刻。按你的時(shí)間，依你的資源，盡力把工作做好就行。

你可以制訂一個(gè)總體規(guī)劃或者計(jì)劃表，在上面列明所有的工作項(xiàng)目，并附上預(yù)計(jì)完成的時(shí)間表?？萍际侄我呀?jīng)使這項(xiàng)工作變得比以往任何時(shí)候都簡(jiǎn)單。

你的計(jì)劃表首先要全面，這很關(guān)鍵。你或許聽說過，在食品研究中，研究人員會(huì)要求實(shí)驗(yàn)對(duì)象記錄下每天吃過的東西，但這樣做會(huì)遇到問題：實(shí)驗(yàn)對(duì)象多數(shù)情況下都會(huì)誠實(shí)記錄自己每天的飲食，但可能也會(huì)“忘記”記錄下在餐館隨意吃的一頓便飯。與此類似，我曾遇到過很多這樣的學(xué)者，他們向我描述了自己制定的看似巨細(xì)無遺的五年研究計(jì)劃，結(jié)果卻幾乎是有意地忘記了還要把自己在另外一些項(xiàng)目中承擔(dān)的任務(wù)考慮進(jìn)去。拖延自然也就發(fā)生了。

其次，一個(gè)計(jì)劃表應(yīng)該在完成項(xiàng)目所需的時(shí)間和資源方面切合實(shí)際。我曾聽說一些教師——尤其是年紀(jì)較輕者——會(huì)宣稱自己要同時(shí)完成很多項(xiàng)工作，這簡(jiǎn)直是不可能的壯舉，比如他們會(huì)說：“在參加研討會(huì)期間，我會(huì)設(shè)計(jì)這門新課，同時(shí)完成那篇論文。哦，對(duì)，我剛才有沒有說我家人要來？”

對(duì)于任何值得做的事，我們都低估了需要花在上面的時(shí)間和精力。所以，在你完成工作所需時(shí)間的基礎(chǔ)上最好再多預(yù)留幾天，早點(diǎn)完成比拖延要好。

準(zhǔn)備應(yīng)對(duì)意外狀況。有時(shí)，面對(duì)意外狀況，除了修改計(jì)劃之外別無他法。不過，我們也有別的應(yīng)對(duì)措施。首先，想一想，你面臨的障礙實(shí)際上是否是一個(gè)警示。一位年輕的科學(xué)家曾告訴過我他的遭遇，他的實(shí)驗(yàn)由于出現(xiàn)反常結(jié)果而多次延遲。他絞盡腦汁，終于找到了答案：原來他們?cè)谛?zhǔn)某個(gè)特殊的測(cè)量?jī)x器時(shí)出現(xiàn)了錯(cuò)誤，因此得到了錯(cuò)誤的讀數(shù)。

要應(yīng)對(duì)意外狀況，經(jīng)驗(yàn)可以作為向?qū)?。我第一次坐下來決意寫書時(shí)，先是聯(lián)系了自己十分敬重的幾位同行前輩，詢問他們的意見。他們大多提出了相似的告誡，我發(fā)現(xiàn)非常受用。無論你正在做什么項(xiàng)目，都應(yīng)該向那些已經(jīng)在這條路上走過的勇敢的開拓者們請(qǐng)教。

退出也可以是勝利。有時(shí)，你的指導(dǎo)原則應(yīng)該是“不做要比遲做好”。雖然經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)、心理學(xué)以及相關(guān)領(lǐng)域的研究不在我的研究范圍之內(nèi)，但數(shù)十年來我一直癡迷其中。而這些研究似乎都表明，“放棄者絕不會(huì)成功，成功者絕不會(huì)放棄”這一格言并不正確。相反，事實(shí)證明，世界上一些最成功的人士——不管是發(fā)明家、軍事戰(zhàn)略家、政治家還是企業(yè)家——都深知放棄常常是明智之舉。

當(dāng)你發(fā)現(xiàn)自己總是處境艱難，或者被重重困難拖累，或者對(duì)手中的事業(yè)似乎已經(jīng)失去了熱情，那你也許應(yīng)該考慮放棄了。

凡事要敢于盡早。我出生在一個(gè)中歐國家，那是一個(gè)以山脈、奶酪和準(zhǔn)時(shí)聞名的國度。我要是參加什么活動(dòng)遲到了就會(huì)感到異常緊張，大家都知道我習(xí)慣于早到——有時(shí)候到得實(shí)在是太早了。然而，我仍認(rèn)為，凡事盡早是一種良好的品質(zhì)，對(duì)于那些遵循古老的英語諺語“早起的鳥兒有蟲吃”的人來說如此，對(duì)于一名21世紀(jì)的學(xué)者來說亦然。

提早完成工作有如下好處。首先，你會(huì)給他人帶來驚喜。系主任、項(xiàng)目資助主管、學(xué)報(bào)編輯都會(huì)對(duì)我的請(qǐng)求或提交的稿件青睞有加，因?yàn)槲沂堑谝粋€(gè)這么做的人。我也常從別人那里得到有價(jià)值的反饋，因?yàn)閯e人有更多的時(shí)間來評(píng)估我的工作。提早完成工作對(duì)自身也很有益。提早完成工作，你可以把它先放一段時(shí)間，等到截止日期快到時(shí)可以再拿出來用全新的眼光重新審視一番。最后，及時(shí)完成工作還能為別的重要事務(wù)騰出更多的時(shí)間，包括在工作和家庭之間找到平衡點(diǎn)。

拖延不是什么大罪過。好事的確可能姍姍來遲。但是把什么事都拖到最后一刻才完成，你就會(huì)總是落于人后，會(huì)使他人失望，也會(huì)讓你的信譽(yù)受損。所以你得明白，什么時(shí)候拖一拖沒問題，什么時(shí)候拖延會(huì)對(duì)你不利。

Early in my career my father advised me that if I managed to finish my work—whether it was research， teaching， or service—on time and in the correct format， I would have a huge competitive advantage over many of my peers.

I’ve always found that principle to be correct and have passed it on to graduate students and colleagues. I am shocked at how many academics I’ve met who had a terrific grant proposal but missed the deadline， or who could have published a great paper in a journal but put off writing the “revise and resubmit” version until too much time had passed.

Procrastination is not always bad： Sometimes the work you put off doing is better than left undone. And sometimes the best ideas just come late. But perennially1） postponing everything until the last minute can be a career killer.

Luckily， no matter your particular habits of work or mind， procrastination is not preordained2）. I know many people who manage to get their work done on time， and at a high standard， yet privately admit they are procrastinators who learned to overcome the tendency， at least some of the time. I believe that， within reason3）， anyone can learn to be a completer， not a delayer.

One anti-procrastination measure I’ve seen employed by “on time” academics is to create mini-deadlines that break down the completion of a larger project into smaller segments. Think multiple train stops on the way to the final destination. When I co-write a paper under a conference deadline， for example， I ask my partners to finish the introduction by a certain date， the methodology section by a subsequent date， and so on. Technology can help， too. I like to create auto-alerts through my calendar or e-mail program that remind me about a deadline.

Many procrastinators claim that their last-minute habit is just a symptom of a more noble character trait： perfectionism. I sympathize and identify with that belief. But over the years， after many discussions with colleagues， we have never agreed on a particular definition of perfection. Has anyone truly written a perfect book or conducted a perfect experiment？ Have you ever been completely satisfied with a course you taught？ Perfection is something that should be relegated to the realm of the divine. We have lots of work to get done， every day， and the world cannot wait for us to get it just right. So don’t be too hard on yourself. Do the best job you can with the time and resources you have.

Creating a master4） plan or chart that lays out5） all of your projects， along with timetables for completion. Technology makes that easier than ever before.

The first key element of your chart should be comprehensiveness. You’ve probably heard about the problem of asking people engaged in a food study to keep a diary of what they eat： Subjects6） will mostly be honest but may “forget” to log the impromptu7） porterhouse8） dinner. Likewise， I have met scholars who describe to me a seemingly detailed five-year research plan， only to almost willfully neglect to factor in9） some additional projects to which they have committed. Delays then ensue10） on everything.

Second， a planning chart should be realistic about time and resources needed to complete a project. I have heard faculty members， especially young colleagues， forecast unlikely feats11） of multitasking， as in： “I’ll design that new class while I’m at a conference and get that paper done， too. Oh， and did I mention the family is coming along？”

We all underestimate how much time and effort it takes to do anything worth doing. It is better to chart out more days than you’ll need and finish early than the opposite.

Expecting the unexpected. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do when confronted with the unexpected but revise your plans. There are， however， other ways to respond. First， consider whether an obstacle is actually a red flag12）. A young scientist once described to me a situation in which the completion of an experiment was constantly delayed by anomalous13） findings. Much puzzling finally resulted in an answer： A particular measurement device had been adjusted incorrectly and was giving the wrong readings.

Experience can be a guide toward expecting the unexpected. The first time I sat down with the intention to write a book， I contacted authors in my field whom I greatly respected and asked for their advice. Many of them offered similar warnings， which I found extremely useful. Whatever project you are undertaking， seek the counsel of some hardy pathfinders who have gone up that trail before.

Quitters can be winners. Sometimes your guiding principle should be “better never than late14）.” It’s not my area of research， but I’ve been fascinated for decades by studies in economics， psychology， and related fields that seem to belie15） the aphorism16） “quitters never win and winners never quit.” As it turns out， however， some of the world’s most successful people—whether inventors， military strategists， politicians， or entrepreneurs—have learned that quitting can be the smart move.

When you find yourself continuously stymied17）， when problem after problem delays you， when you seem to have lost your enthusiasm for some venture， maybe you should just give up.

Dare to be early. I was born in a certain central European country famous for its mountains， cheese， and punctuality. I endure tremendous stress if I am running late to any event and am known for always arriving early—sometimes far too early. Nevertheless， I think earliness is as much a positive trait for an academic in the 21st century as it was for those adhering to the old English proverb “the early bird catcheth the worm.”

Finishing work early has the following benefits. First， you pleasantly surprise others. Deans， grant-program officers， and journal editors have smiled with favor upon my petitions or submissions because I was first in line. I have also gotten good feedback from people sometimes because they had the extra time to review my work. That can help internally as well. Get a task done early， and you can let it sit for a while and return to it with fresh eyes before the deadline. Finally， finishing something promptly creates more time for other important tasks， including finding some balance of work and family.

Procrastination is not a sin. Good things can indeed come late. But put off everything until the last minute， and you will perennially fall behind， disappoint others， and hurt your reputation. So learn when it’s OK to be late， and when you’re only hurting yourself.

1.perennially [p??reni?li] adv. 永久地

2.preordained [?pri???r?de?nd] adj. 注定的，天命的

3.within reason：在合理范圍內(nèi)；合情合理地

4.master [?mɑ?st?（r）] adj. 總的

5.lay out：展示，陳列；清楚地表達(dá)

6.subject [?s?bd??kt] n. 實(shí)驗(yàn)或研究的對(duì)象

7.impromptu [?m?pr?mptju?] adj. 臨時(shí)的；事先無準(zhǔn)備的

8.porterhouse [?p??t?ha?s] n. 小酒店，餐館

9.factor in：將……因素包括進(jìn)來，把……計(jì)算在內(nèi)

10.ensue [?n?sju?] vi. 隨即發(fā)生，結(jié)果產(chǎn)生

11.feat [fi?t] n. 功績(jī)；業(yè)績(jī)；成就

12.red flag：危險(xiǎn)信號(hào)

13.anomalous [??n?m?l?s] adj. 反常的，異常的

14.better never than late：這句話源自英文諺語“better late than never”（遲做總比不做好）。

15.belie [b??la?] vt. 顯示（或證明）……為虛偽

16.aphorism [??f??r?z（?）m] n. 格言，警語，諺語

17.stymie [?sta?mi] vt. 使處于困境，使進(jìn)退維谷