This is, of course, not an all-inclusive list, but it’s a good start to reclaiming some time back. These were some of my biggest time-wasters:
當然我沒法給出一個囊括所有可能的列表，但這個列表會是一個好開始，保證幫你爭取不少時間。下面這些都是我本人浪費時間的常見行爲：
1. Television – just stop it. Besides the occasional news, a movie every once in a while, some documentaries, I found it to be a huge time-waster.
電視——直接忽略。我發現，除了偶爾看看新聞、電影和紀錄片，電視對我來說純粹是浪費。
2. Internet/web – It’s really become the new television, and as such, an equivalent waste of time. Ask yourself this, “Do I really need to see another cat video?”
互聯網/網絡——這些其實也都是變相“電視”，純粹浪費時間罷了。何不問問自己：“我就非得再看一個喵星人視頻嗎？”
3. Email – This was a more difficult one for me since responding to emails made me believe that I was being more productive. However, responding to emails all day was actually making me less productive by taking my focus off things that I really needed to get done. I now limit my time and frequency of responding to emails.
郵件——這個還真難下手。畢竟，我一直認爲回覆郵件可以提高效率。但事實卻是，每天回覆郵件反倒轉移我的注意力，大大降低了效率。現在我已經限制了自己回覆郵件的時間和頻率。
Seven Ways to Create More Time In Your Day
每天創造更多時間的七大方法
1. Get Up Earlier
早起
Get up fifteen minutes earlier. If you're like most folk, your morning probably feels rushed: you drag yourself out of bed at the last possible minute, grab a hasty shower, maybe get some breakfast if you're lucky, sort out the kids/cat/partner and dash off to work.
提前15分鐘起牀。你要是像大部分人那樣起牀，早上可能會覺得有點趕：在最後一刻掙扎着起來，趕緊衝個澡，來得及的話就吃兩口早餐，安頓好小孩/貓咪/愛人後衝出門上班。
Getting up just a bit earlier can give you some breathing space. Perhaps it'll give you time to actually sit down and enjoy your breakfast for once. Maybe you can use that fifteen minutes a day to read through that book or stack of journals that you keep meaning to get to.
稍微早點起牀就不至於那麼匆忙。或許至少可以真正坐下來吃頓早餐。你也可以利用每天早起的15分鐘看看書或者整理一下記事本。
2. Create a Plan
制定計劃
At the start of your workday, before you even check your emails, make a plan. Jot down the three most important tasks you want to accomplish that day. Put a big star next to the most important. Now, before you get into the busy work of emails and photocopying and tidying your desk, start on that important task and see it through to the end.
在你剛開始工作時，趁着還沒查看郵件，趕緊定個計劃吧。寫下當天必須完成的三個最重要的任務，最重要的那個打上標記。然後趁着還沒開始檢查郵件、影印資料或整理辦公桌等工作內容前，趕緊着手那個最重要的任務並保證完成它。
Surprisingly few people take the time to plan their workday, and end up spinning their wheels on a number of low-priority tasks without really accomplishing anything big.
奇怪的是，很少有人能有計劃地工作，一天下來後還是周旋在幾個效率甚低的任務上，最後其實什麼實事都沒做成。
3. Batch Tasks Together
分批處理任務
When you're going through the workday, try to keep similar tasks together. When you switch from one thing to another, your brain takes a few minutes to catch up and settle in: constantly jumping between answering emails and writing a report and tidying up your desk just means you'll lose track of where you'd got to. You might feel like you're working super-efficiently (because your mind is buzzing all over the place), but you'll actually be wasting a lot of time.
工作時可以將相似的任務並在一起處理。當你從一個任務換到另一個任務時，大腦會花幾分鐘進行調整：同時既要回復郵件、撰寫報告，又要整理辦公桌，到頭來你可能會手足無措。雖然這樣你可能覺得自己效率超級高（因爲大腦一刻沒停），但其實並沒有優化利用時間。
If you need to answer a number of emails, do them all at once. The same goes for phone calls, filing, photocopying and other similar tasks.
如果要回復的郵件很多，那就一起處理掉。電話、整理文案、影印等同樣如此。
4. Block Out Chunks of Time
騰出大段時間
Do you have some big project that you'd love to get round to? Maybe it's writing a novel, starting a business, training for a marathon... whatever your particular venture or goal, you never get around to making progress.
你是否有個大計劃總想花時間去做？比如寫小說、創業、或馬拉松訓練，不管個人想法或目標是什麼，你就是還沒時間去落實吧？
The best way to tackle big projects like this is to force them into your schedule. Spare time doesn't just appear from nowhere – you need to make a conscious effort to create it. Block out a weekend afternoon, for instance: tell family and friends you have another engagement that day. Then storm on ahead with that project. Trust me, you'll feel great for having made a start.
對付這種大計劃的辦法就是強行做出安排。時間就像海綿裡的水，你得用心去擠才行。比如，你可以騰出一個週末下午的時間，告訴親友自己另有安排，然後開始拿出行動吧。相信我，一旦開始你就會感到妙不可言。
5. Don't Multitask
不要一心多用
Although multitasking feels efficient – because it feels busy – it actually loses you time. By sticking to doing one thing at a time, you'll be much more focused and able to produce your best work: there's nothing efficient about rushing a job which you then end up having to redo.
雖然同時處理多個任務會使你感到很有效率（因爲一直在忙），但其實很耗時間。堅持一次只做一件事，你會更專注更有效率：與其匆忙“鬼畫符”後又返工，還不如先專心做好一件事呢。
6. Stay Focused
保持專注
When you are working on a task, make a conscious effort to remain focused. Sure, you'll have intrusive thoughts like maybe I should check my email or this desk could really do with tidying. Just recognize that those thoughts are impulses which you don't need to give into. If you think of something while you're working on your task like I really must phone Joe, then just make a note on a bit of paper or in your diary so you don't forget – and get on with the task at hand.
工作時一定要努力保持專注。當然，你可能會時不時想到“該查看郵件了”或“辦公桌真該整理一下了”，但請記住：這些都只是一時想法，不要陷進去。如果你工作時想到別的事情，比如“我真得打電話給喬了”，那就在紙上或記事本上寫下來以免忘記，然後繼續手頭的工作。
You'll accomplish much more by working in a deliberately focused way than if you let yourself jump around from task to task as things come to mind.
刻意保持專注比思想散漫時的工作效率要高得多。
7. Finish Work On Time
按時完成工作
Finally, one of the best ways to make more time in your life is to finish your work on time! If you work for an employer, make an effort to leave the office on time – at least a couple of days each week. (I know this is difficult if your workplace has a long-hours culture).
最後，在生活中創造更多時間的辦法就是——按時完成工作！如果你是上班族，就確保能按時下班——至少每週能有那麼幾天。（當然，如果你的公司有加班的習慣，這麼做也不那麼容易。
If you work for yourself, you need to be even more self-disciplined, as your work is likely to be very easily accessible when you're at home! Some good ways to create a boundary at the end of the day are to keep your work separate from the rooms in your house where you relax. You could also schedule something social in the evening (perhaps meeting friends for a drink) so that you can't get caught up in "just one more email".
如果你是爲自己工作，那就得更加自律了，因爲這樣你在家也很方便辦公！區分一天工作結束的辦法就是，將辦公的地方與休息的地方分開來。你也可以在晚上安排一些交際活動（比如跟朋友喝一杯），這樣你就不會爲“又來了一封郵件”犯難了。