【翻譯練習】為何老是覺得忙 (以及如何奪回時間掌控權、找回專注力、恢復頭腦清醒)

Why You Feel Busy All The Time (And How to Reclaim Your Time, Attention, And Mental Clarity

作者：Thomas Oppong
來源：https://medium.com/swlh/if-youre-busy-all-the-time-you-re-doing-something-wrong-8356c34eef23

　　身處過度忙碌的時代，想活出有意義、有目標的人生，唯一想得到的辦法，就是停止窮忙。

　　要是一味試圖趕上當今世界急匆匆的腳步，我們只會沒完沒了地淪為忙碌的奴隸。

　　新的價值觀，竟成了「忙」才算「好」。

　　很多人覺得自己「被時間追著跑」。

　　他們感到「一天的時間不夠用」。

　　還有人覺得「時間快用完了」。

　　這樣子的生活，實在是浪費時間，也可能壓力重重。

　　你根本沒辦法把全部的工作攬下來，也沒辦法一一滿足每件事、每個人的期待。

　　列出優先順序，對你非常有幫助。

　　審慎選擇你的日常行動。

　　列清楚優先順序，你就能精準鎖定最重要的任務，不重要的工作則暫且擱置，稍後再辦。

　　凡是沒有目的、只是為做而做的事，都在啃噬你的寶貴光陰。

　　忙碌會讓你覺得自己在做事的過程當中動作很快，生產力十足。然而事實可差遠了。

　　如果你花些時間衡量自己的所作所為，你會很驚訝地發現，你做的那些事簡直無足輕重。

　　BBC 記者奧利佛．柏克曼 (Oliver Burkeman) 寫道：「如果你很忙，那你選用的時間管理方式大概很差 —— 許下的承諾超出你的能力範圍，或是小事先做，大事延後。於是惡性循環開始，你的忙碌感害你變得比以前更忙。」

　　做正事能夠帶領你朝目標前進；忙東忙西只是你逃避做正事的藉口。

　　很多人誤以為「忙」就代表做事有成效、或者效率高。

　　譬如說，你上班第一件事就是先回覆電郵。

　　你大概會難以抽身，答覆接二連三的問題，回覆一封又一封的 email，處理的都是別人的事，不是自己的事。

　　對 email 掌握主動權吧。

　　不要陷入被動模式。

　　《火花：如何提攜自身與他人一同邁向成功》(Spark: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success) 一書的共同作者安姬．摩根 (Angie Morgan) 說道：「大部分人自甘忙碌，可是往往忙在不對的事情上。你可能整個上班時間只做了回 email 這件事而已，但是這件事並無法創造什麼成果，也無法令你朝著長遠目標更前進一步。如果有人嚷嚷著『我好忙喔』，其實真正的意思是『我的時間規劃能力很差』或是『我不曉得怎麼安排優先順序或分配工作』。」

　　奉行「一次做一件事」的原則。做出艱難的抉擇後，就全心全意辦好這件最重要的工作。

　　培養精準掌握任務和時間的能力。

　　其實你每天都有辦法停下忙亂的腳步，好好處理最要緊的工作。

　　不過天下沒有白吃的午餐，你得改變自己的行事原則，讓自己全力專注在工作上：瞄準一個更有重要性的焦點。

　　需要無比的自律，才能夠專心致志去做真正重要的工作。

　　光陰寶貴，不可能每件事都做好做滿。

　　一次做一件事，意思就是不要同時去做別件事。而且，應該去做的事和非做不可的事，這兩種事是差很大的。

　　拒絕誘惑，別以為自己可以一次做好幾件事。

　　如果你手上有好幾件待辦任務，而且都必須在同一天完成，那就想辦法把工作時間切割成短而精的小片段。

　　風靡多時的番茄鐘工作法，執行法則正是每工作 25 分鐘，就休息 5 分鐘。

　　如此一來，你不僅能夠專注在最重要的高價值工作上，還有餘裕可以切換到不同的任務。

　　我們活在一個「無限的世界」，這番形容出自《忙：世界過多過剩，我們仍能安然自得》(Busy: How to Thrive in a World of Too Much) 一書的作者東尼．克雷柏 (Tony Crabbe)。Email 永遠回不完，會議永遠開不完，資料永遠看不完，點子永遠想不完，計畫永遠生不完，工作永遠做不完。

　　想當然，我們一定快崩潰了：人類是有極限的，卻還設法用有限的精力和能力，承接無限湧出的任務。

　　不管在職場還是家庭，我們背負著「全都要做」的社會壓力，可是一手全包不僅難度破表，更是完全無解的習題。

　　凱爾．紐柏特 (Cal Newport) 推薦「每日簽到」(Daily Check-In) 法，讓你做事情有始有終，辦好真正重要的任務。他寫道：

　　每天早上，看看自己的計畫表，問問自己：「今天我最多可以達到怎樣的進度，一項項劃掉這張表上面列出的待辦事項？」完成計畫，是你最大的目標。如果你知道有什麼辦法可以完成計畫 (即使這個辦法需要你一鼓作氣往前衝，譬如加班)，就去付諸實踐。如果連一項計畫也完成不了，至少想想看可以做哪一件事，一件事就好，讓你能夠在接下來幾天內離目標更近。非把計畫表給搞定不可，一定要一直記掛著這個念頭！

　　下定決心，就算有其他被動任務來攪局，你還是得盡量努力推進自己正規工作的進度。

　　忙，是你給自己找的理由，也是為別人編的藉口，如此一來你就能理直氣壯地不用去做那些確實能對成果帶來幫助的重要的事、可怕的事、困難的事、棘手的事。

　　做事情有效率，意思是做事情會精打細算。你必須選擇去做高產值的工作。

　　難免會碰上低產值的工作。為低產值工作安排時間，衡量一下你會花多少時間在這種工作上。

　　這聽起來跟直覺不符，不過其實有其道理。

　　限制自己只能花多少時間在緊急但不重要的任務上，就等於強迫自己必須在有限時間內投入更多精力，這樣才有辦法提早完成低產值任務，於是騰出時間給高產值工作。

其實你時間很夠，只是沒有善用

　　「我時間沒那麼多。」大家想必都這麼說過。

　　缺乏時間這個問題，癥結點在於時間分配。

　　很多人不喜歡無所事事的感覺。他們重視生產力，所以盲目崇尚忙就是好。他們為了讓自己處在很忙的狀態，就找差事把自己變得很忙。

　　他們老是覺得時間不夠用，但他們擁有的時間比自己以為的還要多。

　　對很多人來說，「時間沒那麼多」的主要原因，是我們從來沒有好好弄懂該把多少時間用在最重要的各種事情上。

　　很多人覺得想做的事太多，但時間沒那麼多，令人沮喪不已。其實我們都想太多。

　　假如你總覺得時間不夠用，通常是因為你承接太多任務，搞得自己分身乏術。

　　有時你會糾結在不曉得早上到底最該優先做哪件事，或是哪件事可以延後到晚一點再做。

　　這種窘境令你進退兩難，無所適從。

　　《完事禪：最最簡易的生產力系統》(Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System 作者李奧．巴柏塔 (Leo Babauta) 表示：「假設你的時間是一個寶盒，如果你有考慮寶盒的大小，你就會審慎選擇要接洽的任務。不管你選的是重要的還是輕鬆的任務，你都很清楚自己的選擇。你對待這個時間寶盒，就像對待一項珍貴的禮物：限量的，高價的，只有最優質的美物好物可以放在裡面，而且不可以塞得亂七八糟。」

　　如果你會固定安排每週或每日的待辦事項順序，那麼一定有足夠時間處理高產值工作。

　　分清楚事情輕重緩急，能夠讓你分配時間更有效率。

　　先退一步想想，哪些事情對自己來說才是真正要緊。不重要的事就擱置一旁，做不到的事就別冒然答應，好好構思長期或短期的改變方針。

　　你本來就有充裕的時間，讓你創造價值，俐落處理最擅長的工作，發揮個人影響力。

　　時間是一種資產，是一種你可能習慣了它的存在、但重要性不容小覷的工作層面。

　　你是在浪費時間，消耗時間，還是投資時間？

　　史都華．史塔佛 (Stewart Stafford) 說過：「最快把時間花光的辦法，就是自以為時間還很多。」

　　如果你淨挑些低產值的工作來做，就是在浪費時間。

　　如果你選擇把時間用在有益個人長期成長的活動上，就是在投資時間。

　　「時間是你一生中最有價值的財產。你能決定、也唯有你有資格決定如何花費這項財產。小心，別讓別人替你花掉這筆錢，」卡爾．桑德堡 (Carl Sandburg) 如是說。

　　一旦人們把時間當成金錢，通常就會捨不得亂花時間，如此才有辦法盡可能積聚金錢。

從正確分配時間做起

　　首先，請檢視自己的日常例行事務。

　　追蹤日常活動一段時間，搞清楚自己到底把時間花在哪裡。會議、來電、email、手機通知、閒聊等等諸多雜事，會不斷令你分心。

　　各種約會，任務截止期限，以及這當中發生的每一件事，通通記錄起來。分析你花在每項活動的實際時間，並且比對一下自認為這些活動應占用的合理時間。

　　別讓無意義的瑣事出現在你的行程表。凡事都要預先安排妥當。

　　擬好計畫，哪一天該做哪些事，必須了然於心。

　　如此你便能明白自己究竟把時間花在哪些地方。

　　注意有無活動令你虛度光陰，再把個人行程去蕪存菁一番。

　　定期重新檢討個人行程。每星期回顧一下，看看行程是否照著你當初的規劃在走。

　　總之，重點就是：

　　盡量不要因為那些對個人工作、願景或長期目標沒有實質意義的事情而忙得團團轉。

　　你愈是審慎規劃自己運用時間和精力的方式，就愈不會卡在令你覺得老是被時間追著跑的煩人瑣事上。

　　享受平靜生活，何樂而不為？

In an era of extreme busyness, the only conceivable way to live a meaningful and a purpose-driven life is to stop doing busy work.

Trying to keep up with the overwhelming pace of today's world keeps us in a constant state of busyness.

Busy' has become the new 'Fine'.

Many people feel like they are "pressed for time."

They feel like there is "not enough time in the day."

Others feel like they are "running out of time."

It's time-consuming and can be stressful.

You simply can't do it all and respond to everything and everyone.

It pays to prioritize.

Choose your daily actions carefully.

Prioritization empowers you to focus on the most important tasks while shelving unimportant work for later.

Everything you do with no real purpose is a waste of your precious time.

Busy work makes you feel like you are moving quickly and being productive in the process. But in effect, you are not.

If you took time to measure your work, you will be surprised at how little valuable work you are doing.

Oliver Burkeman of BBC writes, "When you're busy, you're more likely to make poor time-management choices — taking on commitments you can't handle, or prioritizing trifling tasks over crucial ones. A vicious spiral kicks in, your feelings of busyness leave you even busier than before."

Real work advances your goals while busy work is what you do to avoid real work.

Many of us confuse being "busy" with being effective, or efficient.

If you start your day by answering emails.

You could get sucked into answering questions, replying to every email, and advancing the cause of other people's actions.

Be proactive about your emails.

Don't get caught up in a reactive mode.

"Most of us have no problem with being busy, but we're often busy on the wrong things," says Angie Morgan, co-author of Spark: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success. "You could spend nine to five just emailing, but that's not driving results or moving you toward longer, bigger goals. When people say, 'I'm so busy,' it really means, 'I'm a poor planner,' or, 'I don't know how to prioritize or delegate."

Adopt the "one thing" approach. Make the hard choices and work on your most important priorities.

Develop task and time mastery.

You can stop busy work and do your best work every day.

But it comes at a cost because you have to change your approach to work entirely: Develop a greater focus.

Committing to only doing really important work takes an incredible amount of discipline.

Your time is limited. Doing everything is not an option.

Doing one thing means not doing something else. And there is a big difference between the things that should be done and the things that must be done.

Resist the temptation to multitask.

If you have several items to focus on within the same day, try breaking your work time into short, focused bursts.

The Pomodoro method is a popular strategy where you spend 25 minutes working and 5 in between tasks to rest.

This way, you're still focusing on your most important high-value work, but also giving yourself the freedom to jump between different tasks.

We live in an "infinite world", says Tony Crabbe, author of the book Busy: How to Thrive in a World of Too Much. There are always more incoming emails, more meetings, more things to read, more ideas, projects and work to follow up.

The result, inevitably, is feeling overwhelmed: we're each finite human beings, with finite energy and abilities, attempting to get through an infinite amount.

We feel a social pressure to "do it all", at work and at home, but that's not just really difficult; it's a mathematical impossibility.

To finish what you start, and get real work done, Cal Newport recommends the Daily Check-In method. He writes:

Each morning, look at your project page and ask: "What's the most progress I can make toward completing this list today?" Your biggest goal should be to complete projects. If you see a way to do it (even if it requires a big push, perhaps working late) go for it. If you can't finish one, think of the single thing you could do that would get you closest to this goal over the next few days.Harbor an obsession for killing this list!

Aim to make as much progress on your work, as possible despite the other reactive tasks that demand your attention.

Being busy is an excuse to ourselves and others for not doing the important things, the scary things, the difficult things, the hard work that makes the real impact on results.

Being effective means being deliberate. You have to choose to pursue high-value work.

Low-value work is inevitable. Schedule time for low-value tasks to measure how much time you spend on them.

This seems counterintuitive, but it isn't in practice.

When you limit how much time you give yourself to work on urgent but not important tasks, you force yourself to expend more energy over less time so you can get the tasks done faster to make time for high-value work.

You have more than enough time, you're just not spending it right

"I don't have enough time." We've all said it before.

Time poverty is a distribution issue.

Many people hate being idle. They value productivity, so they glorify being busy. They seek out busyness for the sake of being busy.

They sense a feeling that they are time-constrained, yet they are more time-affluent than they think.

For many of us, the key reason we "don't have enough time" is that we never adequately clarify how much time we should be devoting to the different things we most value.

One of the biggest frustrations many of us feel is having too much to do, and not feeling like we have enough time to do it. We are overwhelmed.

If you keep running out of time, it's typically because you are spreading yourself too thin.

Sometimes part of the conflict is not having a clear idea of what you should be doing first thing in the morning, or what could be postponed until midday.

This can make you feel like you're being pulled in a different direction.

Leo Babauta, author of Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System, explains, "By picking your tasks carefully, you're taking care with the container of your time. You can pick important tasks or joyful ones, but you're being conscious about the choices. You're treating it like the precious gift that it is: limited, valuable, to be filled with the best things, and not overstuffed."

If you systematically set priorities for your week, or day, there will be enough time for your high-value work.

Prioritization and organizing can lead to a more efficient allocation of time.

Step back and figure out what is important to you. Get rid of the unimportant, de-commit, brainstorm long or short-term changes.

You have all the time you need to create value, work on your best work and make an impact.

Time is an asset. It's a huge aspect of work you probably take for granted.

Are you wasting, spending, or investing your time?

Stewart Stafford once said, "The quickest way to run out of time is to think you have enough of it."

You waste time when you focus on low-value work.

You invest time when you choose to use it for activities that contribute to your long-term growth.

"Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you," says Carl Sandburg.

When people see their time in terms of money, they often grow stingy with the former to maximise the latter.

Start distributing your time right

Start by reviewing your daily routine.

Track your daily activities for some time to clearly see where your time is being spent. Meetings, phone calls, emails, notifications, small chats, and many other distractions are constantly splitting your attention.

Record ALL your appointments, deadlines, and everything in-between. Analyse the actual time you spend on each activity with what you think is the best amount for each.

Schedule the heck out of your days. Schedule everything in advance.

Make a plan and know what's going on each day.

This helps you figure out how you're spending your time

Notice where time leaks, then declutter your routine.

Revisit your schedule regularly. Check in with yourself weekly to see if your schedule reflects what you want it to.

The key takeaway is this:

Lean to avoid the busy work that adds no real value to your work, vision or long-term goal.

The more deliberate you are about how you spend your time and energy, the less likely you will get bogged down in trivial tasks that make you feel like you are pressed for time all the time.

It's okay to be happy with a calm life.