How to be more efficient: stop 'precrastinating'
如何提高效率：避免“凡事爱赶早”
Whether or not we care to admit it, we're all familiar with procrastination: waiting until the last minute to catch up with pressing tasks. The antidote — while easier said than done — is simply to start on your assignments sooner. But in your quest to beat procrastination, is it possible to go too far?
不管我们是否愿意承认，我们都很熟悉拖延症，也就是非要等到最后一刻才开始赶紧迫任务的毛病。矫正拖延症有一剂良方——虽然说时容易做时难——只要提早开始处理任务就行了。但是当你试图战胜拖延症的时候，是否也有可能会矫枉过正呢？
David Rosenbaum, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, certainly thinks so. His research focuses on the perils of "precrastination", the tendency to rush too quickly into tasks.
显然，在加利福尼亚大学河滨分校的心理学教授大卫·罗森鲍姆看来，答案是肯定的。他的研究重点关注“提前症”的危害——提前症指太过着急地完成任务的倾向。
As opposed to a procrastinator, who might leave an inbox full of emails untouched until the next day, a precrastinator would read and respond to each of them first thing in the morning. This can mean depleting the precious energy they might need for a more urgent task later on.
一个拖延症患者可能会放着满满一个收件箱的邮件不管，一直拖到第二天才看。与之相反，提前症患者会把阅读和回复邮件当成早上头一件事。这可能意味着他们耗费了宝贵的精力，而之后或许有更紧迫的任务需要这些精力。
So why do people precrastinate? Rosenbaum says that for most, it's tough to resist reaching for low-hanging fruit. When you complete simple short-term tasks, you have one fewer thing to think about — "I can wrap this up in five minutes. Why not take care of it now?"
所以人们为什么要提前呢？罗森鲍姆表示，对于大多数人来说，要忍住不去摘唾手可及的果实是很难的。当你完成了简单的短期任务，你要操心的事情也就少了一件——“这件事我五分钟就可以搞定。干嘛不现在就处理掉呢？
The real downside of precrastination comes when, in your rush to finish, you encounter the naturally higher chance of doing your work incompletely or inaccurately. In the case of emails, sometimes waiting to respond can show respect for careful thought over expediency.
提前症真正的弊病在于，当你急着去完成一件事情的时候，你很自然地会更有可能漏做或者做错。就邮件的例子来说，有时等一等再回复可以体现出相较于方便自己，你更看重谨慎的思考。
Of course, precrastination is not without its benefits, but it's critical to do so only when it makes sense. Chronic precrastinators must also realise that it's OK to set trivial things aside, because they will not require huge mental energy later in the day, Rosenbaum says.
当然，提前症并非没有好处，但重要的是得在合乎情理的时候提前。罗森鲍姆说，习惯提前的人还必须认识到，把不重要的琐事先搁在一边也是可以的，因为这种事不需要你在之后花费巨大的精力来处理。
主编：Jojo
品控：毛西
审核：Pita
重点词汇
care to
愿意；喜欢
例句：Would you care to do sth.?
例句：Would you care to step this way?
procrastination
/proʊˌkræs.tɪˈneɪ.ʃən/
n. 拖延，耽搁；拖延症
相关词汇：procrastinate（v. 拖延，耽搁）
catch up
补做，赶做
英文释义：to do something you did not have time to do earlier
搭配短语：to catch up with / on sth.
例句：She's staying late at the office to catch up with / on some reports.
pressing
/ˈpres.ɪŋ/
adj. 紧迫的，迫切的
相关词汇：press（v. 挤，压）
例句：I'm afraid I have some pressing business to deal with.
antidote
/ˈæn.t̬i.doʊt/
n. 矫正方法，对抗手段；解毒剂
词根词缀：anti-（表示“反对”）
例句：Massage is a wonderful antidote to stress.
easier said than done
说时容易做时难
例句：Finding the perfect house was easier said than done.
quest
/kwest/
n. 寻求，追求
例句：The quest for a reliable vaccine has intensified.
go too far
做得（或说得）太过分了
例句：It's all very well having a joke but sometimes you go too far.
peril
/ˈper.əl/
n. 危险，风险
搭配短语：at one's peril（（尤指用于告诫别人）自担风险）
例句：You go in his car at your peril. He's a terrible driver.
deplete
/dɪˈpliːt/
v. 耗费（资源、金钱、精力等）
词根词缀：plete（表示“充满”）
相关词汇：complete
词根词缀：de-（表示“否定，相反”）
搭配短语：to deplete the earth's natural resources
low-hanging fruit
容易实现的目标
英文释义：something that is easy to obtain, achieve, or take advantage of
wrap up
完成，结束
例句：That wraps it up for today.
downside
/ˈdaʊn.saɪd/
n.（某事物的）不足之处，负面，缺点
近义词：disadvantage（n. 缺点，不利条件）
反义词：upside（n. 好的方面，积极面）
例句：Technology has its upsides and downsides.
in the case of
在...的情况下，就...来说
相关词汇：case（n. 具体情况，实例）
相关词汇：in case of（要是......，万一......（尤用于官方告示））
例句：In case of fire, break the glass.
expediency
/ɪkˈspiː.di.ənsi/
n. 方便；权宜之计，应急办法
英文释义：convenience; action that is quickest or most effective in a particular situation, even if it is morally wrong
例句：We should not sacrifice quality for the sake of expediency.
make sense
是明智的，合乎情理
例句：It would make sense to go later in the year when it's cooler.
chronic
/ˈkrɑː.nɪk/
adj.（人）积习难改的，有某恶习的；（疾病）慢性的，长期的
搭配短语：chronic back pain
搭配短语：a chronic smoker
set aside
暂时不考虑，不理会
例句：He set all our objections aside.
