致白領們：你有傳說中的下午拖延症嗎？

It’s 2:30pm and I’m procrastinating. The project is due by 5 o’clock and I can’t seem to find the motivation to get it done. This is a common problem for everyone. Whether working from home or an office, creating the next big startup or pushing papers for a corporation, we all procrastinate.
下午2:30，磨磨蹭蹭拖延中。項目5:00必須搞定，可我根本就提不起勁兒去做。這是很多人都遇到過的情況吧。不論是在家辦公還是坐辦公室，無論是策劃下一個重大啓動項目還是爲公司文案絞盡腦汁，每個人都會拖延磨蹭。

The biggest reason you’re tired is because of physical or mental fatigue. When you’re tired you don’t have the motivation to work, so you end up procrastinating.
身心疲乏讓你覺得累，而當你累的時候你根本沒心工作，所以變得拖拉磨嘰起來。

Foggy Mind
思維混沌

When your mind is in a foggy state, it prevents you from thinking straight. A foggy mind can be a headache or information overload. Whatever the form, it’s hard to get anything done when your mind isn’t working right.
當大腦變得混沌時，你根本無法清晰思考。大腦混沌可能表現爲頭痛或信息超載，不管形式如何，反正只要大腦運轉不靈，你就無法完成任務。

No Motivation
毫無動力

If you’re not moving toward a goal, you can excuse myself from getting work done. You can do it tomorrow, right? If nothing is due or your to-do list is full of meaningless work, you might procrastinate.
要是不急着完成目標，你完全有理由把任務放一放，等明天再做，對吧？如果不必趕計劃，或任務清單上都是無關緊要的事情，那你很可能就會變得拖拉起來。

Interruptions
干擾

Phone calls, emails, meetings or text messages can turn a quick break into an afternoon. If something urgent gets put on your desk, it could ruin the rest of your afternoon — it’s easy to slip into “why start if I know I’m going to get interrupted” mentality.
電話、郵件、會議或短訊很可能會在下午接二連三轟炸過來。要是手頭正好有緊急任務，這些干擾極可能毀掉整個下午——你會陷入“早知道會被打擾幹嘛還要開始”的心理狀態。

Ways to deal with Afternoon Procrastination
解決“下午拖延症”的辦法

Now you have some ideas why afternoon procrastination happens. Try these strategies to help deal with it and get more done.
現在你已經知道爲什麼會出現“下午拖延症”了，下面就試試這些方法去解決問題，爭取搞定更多工作吧。

1. Prioritize tasks
任務優先化

The most common reason afternoon procrastination hits is because your tasks are not clear. Writing down what you have to do and which tasks are most important can help you refocus and get back to work.
造成下午拖延症的最常見原因就是：你的任務不夠明確。把你需要完成的事情寫下來，確定哪些任務比較重要，這樣你就能重新把精力投入到工作中了。

2. set a timer
設定計時器

Beat afternoon procrastination by setting a timer. Set a timer for 25 minutes and try your best to complete a single task in that time. If you fail to complete the task, write it down and set another 25-minute timer. The idea is that if you define how long a task will take, you will get it done in that amount of time (or close to it). I usually procrastinate in the afternoon because I don’t have any expectations how long it will take me to get my work done for the day, and because of that, I will end up working all afternoon and probably not get anything done.
設定計時器來戰勝下午拖延症吧。設定25分鐘時間，然後爭取在這段時間內完成一項任務。要是沒能完成任務，那就寫下來再設定一個25分鐘。如果你清楚某項任務大概要花多長時間，你就可以在大致時間段內去完成該任務了。我下午也常會拖拖拉拉，因爲我從沒想過完成當天工作到底需要多長時間，結果我整個下午都在忙活，到頭還是沒能把所有事做完。3. Take a break
休息一會

Sometimes it’s easy not to stop and let your mind rest. When you choose to intentionally take a break and allow yourself to not focus on anything, it allows you to relax and prepare for the rest of the work day.
有時候停下來讓大腦休息一會也不是那麼容易。如果刻意暫停，要求自己不去關注任何事情，就能讓你稍微休息一會兒，那麼接下來的工作中你會變得很有精力。

4. Drink water
喝水

According to my doctor, we’re supposed to drink like 8 glasses of water per day. Even if you can’t chug down 8 glasses of water, you sure can get a glass or two down after lunch. Staying hydrated helps keep the mind clear and focused. All too often, afternoon procrastination comes from a foggy head which can be fixed with a glass of water.
在我的醫生看來，人們每天大概要喝8杯水。就算你喝不到8杯水，午飯後至少也該喝一兩杯。足量的水分有利於保持大腦清晰專注。通常，一杯水足以拯救混沌思維造成的下午拖延症。

5. Have a snack (the right kind)
吃點健康零食

Seeing that bag of Doritos may get you hungry, but junk food is the worst thing you can eat when trying to fight afternoon procrastination. Instead, choose nuts, fruit, or crackers. A light, healthy, snack can be just as helpful as a glass of water. The food offers a boost of (healthy) energy and also fights against a foggy mind.
看到那袋多力多滋玉米片你可能覺得餓了，但若想克服下午拖延症，千萬不能吃這樣的垃圾食品。相反，你應該選擇堅果、水果或餅乾。健康的小零食和一杯水一樣，也很有益處。零食能補充能量，驅散混沌不清的思維。

6. Exercise at lunch
午餐時進行鍛鍊

Often when you’re able to get up and move around, your day is always better. When you go for a walk, it allows your brain to process the morning’s information and think through what you need to do the rest of the day. Exercise also works out the body from sitting in a chair all morning. Be careful not to over due it, because you want to make sure you have enough energy for the rest of the work day.
通常，如果你能站起來四處走動走動，那麼這一天也會過得比較有精神。如果你能散散步，大腦就可以趁機反饋上午遇到的問題，然後思考接下來要做哪些事情。運動還可以活躍一下整個上午僵坐着的身體。但是，注意別運動過頭，因爲你必須留足夠的精力處理下午的工作呢。

7. Take a nap
打個盹

There are some days you just can’t overcome afternoon procrastination. You’ll go through everything you know to do and your body still doesn’t want to keep working. When that happens, you know it’s time to take a nap. You usually can recognize the need for a nap if you’ve slept poorly the night before, or you’re going through a major life decision or big project that is taking a lot of mental energy. Whatever the reason, set a timer for 20 or 40 minutes (depending on the available time) and lie down. Some days it’s not possible, but when it is, taking a nap really helps refresh the mind and get back to work when you wake up.
有時候你就是沒法克服下午拖延症。你試過了所有知道的辦法，可身體就是運轉不起來。這時，你就該打個盹兒了。如果你前一天晚上睡得不好，或者遇到需要大量精力的重大人生決策或項目，那你應該清楚自己需要小睡一會兒了。不管理由爲何，不妨把計時器調到20-40分鐘（視情況而定），躺下打個盹吧。有時情況不允許，但若有條件的話，打個盹真的能使大腦清醒，並讓你重新投入到工作中去。