Bad news: We’re biologically hardwired to procrastinate. Research shows we possess a limited amount of willpower that drains throughout the day, regardless of what we do.

　　坏消息是：从生理上讲，我们天生就会拖延，简直就像被编程了一样。研究表明：我们的意志力是有限的，它在一天当中持续衰减，不管我们做什么都无法改变。

　　We can’t avoid procrastination. Instead, embrace it as a necessary chance to recharge, restore your confidence, and generate new ideas.

　　我们无法避免拖延症。所以就接受它吧，让他成为一个必要的充电过程，用它来恢复信心、促进自己产生新点子。

　　To use procrastination to your advantage, you first need to understand what’s behind your excuses.

　　要想利用拖延症，你首先需要理解它背后的那些借口。

　　For your procrastination to be functional, here are break activities that address the reasons you want to procrastinate in the first place.

　　为了让你的拖延症更有用，我们在此给出一些休闲活动，可以让你应对那些使你想拖延的原因。

　　EXCUSE 1: YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START

　　借口1：你不知道如何着手

　　What’s the difference between procrastinating and taking a break? A plan for what to do next. When we waste time indefinitely without any concrete plan, we create a secondary anxiety about what to do next.

　　“拖延”和“休息一下”的区别是什么?是一个“接下来干什么”的计划。当我们无限地地浪费时间，而又没有一个切实的计划时，我们会给自己创造出第二重的焦虑——对“接下来要做什么”的焦虑。

　　Write an extensively detailed to-do list. Once you’ve at least planned to complete your tasks, you’ll feel more relaxed during your downtime and fully reap the benefits of procrastination.

　　写一个详细的待办事项清单。一旦你开始计划完成你的任务时，你在停工时就会感到更放松，这样也能最大限度地发挥拖延的好处。

　　EXCUSE 2: YOU’RE TOTALLY BURNED OUT

　　借口2：你已经彻底累翻了

　　After a week of working without a break, you can barely string two thoughts together, let alone produce anything worth presenting to others. Time to hit reset.

　　在连着一个星期无休地工作之后，你几乎都不能把自己的思维捋顺，就更不用说产出什么可以给人看的东西了。现在，是时候给自己充充电了。

　　Add a side hustle. Your guitar jam sessions or personal blog serve a purpose beyond scratching your creative itch–it can help us withstand work stress and prepare us to solve problems in innovative ways.

　　搞点业余爱好当副业。演奏吉他或是写个人博客，都能在你的累心工作之外给你提供一种目的感——这能帮助我们对抗工作压力，并能促使我们用更有创造力的方法来解决问题。

　　EXCUSE 3: YOU DON’T HAVE A DEADLINE

　　借口3：这些任务没有截止日期

　　Create a coworking group.

　　成立一个协同工作小组吧。

　　You’ll need encouragement to push through.

　　你需要有人鼓励才能坚持下去。

　　For that, reach out to other creatives in networking groups–on social media or in person–and organize a weekly or monthly meeting to discuss your progress on your various projects.

　　为了获得这种鼓励，去你的关系网中找找其他的创意从业者吧——通过社交网络找或者直接面对面找都行——组织一个周度或者月度的机制，让大家可以聚在一起讨论彼此的工作进展。

　　EXCUSE 4: YOU’RE AFRAID OF DISCOMFORT

　　借口4：害怕会感到不适

　　Procrastination often stems from our tendency to avoid things that make us feel physically or psychologically uncomfortable.

　　拖延症的出现，通常是因为我们想要规避那些让我们在生理或心理上不舒服的东西。

　　Intellectually, you probably realize that putting off those projects doesn’t permanently relieve your discomfort–it just delays it.

　　理智地想，你可能已经意识到拖延这些工作并不能让你永久地从这些不适当中解脱，它们只是把它推后了。

　　Have a cup of coffee. Have some snack. Eat your favorite hamburger. Anyway, treat yourself something. This will make it easier for you to face the discomfort.

　　喝杯咖啡，来点零食，吃吃你最喜欢的那款汉堡。总之，犒劳你自己一下。这会让你在面对那些不适的时候感到更轻松。

　　EXCUSE 5: PROCRASTINATION IS YOUR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

　　借口5：拖延就是你的常规行为模式

　　Like any other bad habit, our procrastination follows a pattern.

　　就像所有其他的坏习惯一样，我们的拖延症也有套路可循。

　　We enter a project with the best intentions.

　　我们踌躇满志地开始一个项目。

　　Then . . . we encounter a roadblock.

　　然后……我们遭遇了阻力。

　　As the deadline draws closer, we continue making excuses and avoiding our work until the final hour, when we throw together some random thoughts, send it into the ether, and hope it works.

　　随着截止时间越来越近，我们不停地制造借口，一直到最后一刻都在回避工作;而最后只能随便想想，然后就把做出的东西送出去，还指望它能奏效。

　　Though it takes between 18 and 254 days to create a lasting behavioral pattern, you can remotivate yourself in time for today’s big meeting with one last tip: Watching a movie in which an underdogbecomes a hero.

　　虽然，培养一个持久的习惯需要18到254天，但你仍有最后一招让你自己在今天的重要会议前及时满血复活：看一部草包逆袭成英雄的电影。

　　This does work. It will give you the willpower to carry on.

　　这真的有用。它会让你有坚持下去的意志力的。