教你擺脫拖延症:拖延症與焦慮的恩恩怨怨

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.
很奇怪爲什麼要到萬不得已關頭，我們纔會充滿戰鬥力地整理壁櫥或收藏的電影。尤其是在困難麻煩的事情逼近之時。我曾一度與拖延症抗衡。功夫不負有心人，最終我找到了一個既有效又簡單的方式。

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:
如果你像我一樣容易拖延，或者對已開頭的事物無法持之以恆。那麼我堅信這個方式同樣能幫助你。請看下面：

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).
拖延症主要有兩種表現形式。一種是很難開始需要做的事情。另一種是無法堅持已經開始了的事情（中途會被其他精彩或輕鬆的事物分散注意）。

Today, I'm going to tell you how to beat the second one.
今天，我就要告訴你怎樣克服第二種。

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.
舉個例子，你現在正在節食，或者在做一個重要的項目。大多數人都會分成很多個步驟，然後在每一天裏慢慢完成這些步驟，最後成功達到目的。

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.
但如果你是個慢性拖延症患者，你就很難看到這個過程，相反你只看得見最終的成果（瘦身成功，還有六塊腹肌；或者完成了一個讓老闆或大老闆刮目相看的項目）。這就麻煩了，就像一個人只看得見一大片森林，卻看不見每一棵樹一樣。

What happens when you can only imagine the perfect final product?
當你只在乎完美的成品時會怎樣呢？

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.
那你就無法構思出成功所需要的步驟，繼而變得焦慮和不知所措。這就好比要你去登月，但你腦中有的僅僅是站在月球上的場景。