BY LEO BABAUTA
LEO BABAUTA是博客-禪習慣（Zenhabits）創始人，專注寫作25年，博客文章版權全部公開。
這篇文章原文版權歸屬Leo，譯文版權歸我。譯文只是我的理解，也不一定百分百正確，歡迎討論，或提供更好譯文供參考學習。
——Article——
This week, I am cramming out work, because I’m leaving on a cruise that’s going to last almost a month.
我這周疲于滿滿的工作，因為我將參加一次為期一個月的游輪航行。
I am not usually this productive, but I’m really killing it because I want to get all my work done before I leave.
通常我沒這么高效，但我真心想在走之前把工作都搞定，所以效率高到飛。
On the cruise, I have two big projects I’ve set for myself, with a deadline to finish them before the cruise ends.
在游輪上，我給自己設置了兩個大項目，航行結束時間就是項目截止時間。
Before the cruise, I also have a challenge to finish the first 60 lessons of the Pimsleur Spanish course, which I’ve tried and failed to do a few times before (!) but am now going to complete.
在這次航行之前，我也給自己設定了一項挑戰，要學完皮姆斯勒西班牙語課的前60節，我以前試圖學過好幾次都沒學完，不過這次我馬上就要學完了。
How am I able to complete it this time? I gave myself a deadline to finish the lessons by the cruise, or my friend Tynan will get to punch me in the face if I don’t.
我這次是如何完成的呢？我給自己設置了“航行前完成”這個截止線，完不成的話我朋友tynan就會一拳揍我臉上。
These are self-imposed deadlines, and they’re absolutely working.
這是自我強制的截止線，絕對有用。
I’m not always a fan of deadlines and goals, but it’s good to be able to use whatever works best for you. If you’re working great without deadlines and goals, then by all means, keep going. But if you’re struggling to push a project forward (or a learning project like language lessons), then you might try a self-imposed deadline.
我也不是一直喜歡截止線和目標設定，但能應用最適合你的方法還是好的。如果你不用截止線和目標設定，也能工作很棒，那么堅持下去。但如果你掙扎于推進項目（或者完成學習，比如語言課），你可以試試自我強制設定截止線。
Here are some things that work for me:
以下幾點對我有用：
1. Have an external motivation for meeting the deadline. For example, leaving for my trip is a deadline for all the work I have to do, because I won’t have good internet connections on the trip, so I really need to get pretty much everything done. Having Tynan punch me in the face if I don’t do all my Spanish lessons means I’m definitely going to do my lessons.
1. 為按期完成找到外部動力。
比如說，去旅行就是我必須完成的所有工作的截止線，因為旅行中我網絡不好，所以我真的需要把所有工作都做完。讓tynan在我完不成所有西班牙語課時揍我也就意味著我必須完成所有課程。
2. But have a stronger internal motivation. The external motivation helps a lot to give you that extra push, but if you really don’t care about a project, your heart won’t be in it. The heart is the important part. So for me, I know that I’m doing all my work because I want to help people who are struggling, and that connection with them and intention to help is what really motivates me. For the Spanish lessons, I’m motivated by a desire to connect more deeply with locals when I travel, rather than just being a tourist and expecting everyone to speak English to me.
2. 但也要有更強烈的內部動力。
外部動力能給你很大的外部推力，不過如果你自己不在乎項目，也無法全心投入。心之所向很重要。所以對我來說，我知道我做的所有工作都是因為我想幫助那些糾結的人們，與他們的關聯和助人的意愿是真正激勵我的。而學西班牙語的動力在于我渴望在旅行中與當地人聯系更緊密，而不是只能作個游客，盼著別人都跟我講英語。
3. Set yourself up for success. Just having the motivation and deadline won’t do the trick … you have to figure out how you’re going to execute. When exactly will you do the Spanish lessons? What parts of your day will you block off for doing the work? Actually block them off, and learn to focus while you’re in those blocks. For me, remembering my deeper motivation and the external deadline reasons will usually pull me into focus when I want to run to distraction.
3. 為獲取成功設定自己
只有動力和截止線也不夠用……你得明白你如何操作。你具體幾點學西班牙語？為完成工作你鎖定了一天中的哪個時間段？確定下來，在鎖定時間內全神貫注。通常，我通過牢記更深刻的初心和外部截止線集中注意力，避免走神。
There are two big reasons why all of this works, even if it seems extrinsic and excessive.
即便它們看上去來自外部（而非內部）又很過分，這些為什么會起作用有兩大原因。
The first reason is that it pushes you past the fear. Even if we have good internal motivation, we put off the work or learning projects we really want to do because of fear. ?We fear failure, discomfort, not knowing, not being good at something. In other words, we fear uncertainty. And we run from uncertainty, every day, throughout the day. But the deadline, set up in this way, helps push past this fear. That puts you where you want to be, doing the work and not thinking about whether you should do it. Not trying to run from it.
第一個原因是它能推動我們跨越恐懼。即便我們內心動力十足，也會因為恐懼而拖延真心想做的工作或學習項目。我們害怕失敗，恐懼不適，懼怕未知，或做不好。換句話說，我們害怕不確定性。每天從早到晚，我們都在避免不確定性。但是這種設定好的截止線有助于推動我們克服恐懼。它讓我們及時出發，埋頭做事，不去想是否應該這么做，也不試圖逃避。
The second reason is that it takes away choice. All day, we have choices — check email, check social media, read blogs and news sites, clean the house, do an errand, or do the work we want to do. We’re exhausted by all this choice, and when push comes to shove, we often choose not to do the things we really want to do but are afraid of.
第二個原因是它讓我們別無選擇。我們總是有很多選擇——收郵件，瀏覽社交媒體，讀博客和新聞網，打掃屋子，買日用品，或者做我們想做的工作。選擇太多讓人疲憊，于是受到推動力壓迫時，我們經常是感到害怕而不是選擇自己真正想做的事。
Deadlines with strong motivators (like getting punched in the face, or losing $10,000 if you don’t do it) will remove the choice. Suddenly, you know for sure that you’re going to do the work, or do the language lessons. You’ll sit down, and just do it, without thinking about it, because the choice has been made for you.
帶有強烈刺激的截止線（比如臉上挨揍，或者做不到就罰一萬塊） 會驅散其他選擇。突然之間，你明確的知道你將完成工作，或學完語言課。你會坐下來，投入工作，因為決定已下達。
You don’t need deadlines every day, all the time. But sometimes, setting up a powerful deadline to remove choice and push you past the fear is exactly what you need.
你不一定每天時刻都需要截止線。但有時候，設定強有力的截止線，驅除過多選擇，推動你克服恐懼，正是你需要的。
——Thoughts——
確實！說得太對了！
有時候盡管我們知道自己該做什么，內心也確實是想做的，但總是行動力不足，設定一個截止線（deadline也直白的被叫做死線哈哈）可以作為外部約束力量，無論是到期要參加的考試，還是周五要上交的報告，或者像里奧一樣馬上要乘游輪出去玩，時鐘滴答響，越來越近給人一種必須做點什么的緊迫感。比如筆譯考試11月6號進行，還有兩個月零十天的時間提升英語水平，報了名的小伙伴們，想想就覺得時間很緊迫啊，動力十足！
——vocabulary——
1. cram
US[kr?m] ?UK[kr?m]
n.克拉姆；填塞；填鴨式用功；考試前臨時硬記
v.把…塞進；擠滿；塞滿；（為應考）臨時死記硬背
2. cruise
US[kruz] ?UK[kru?z]
n.航行；乘船游覽
v.乘船游覽；以平穩的速度行駛；巡行；輕而易舉贏得
3. self-imposed
US[.self ?m'po?zd]
UK[.self ?m'p??zd]
adj.自愿承擔的
4. by all means
na.必定；千方百計；不惜一切；好的
5. intention
US [?n'ten?(?)n]
UK [?n'ten?(?)n]
n.意圖；打算；目的；計劃
6. set up
na.建立；創立；發起；開辦
7. block off
v.擋住
8. extrinsic
US[eks'tr?ns?k]
UK[eks'tr?ns?k]
adj.非固有的；非本質的；外在的；外來的
9. excessive
US[?k'ses?v]
UK[?k'ses?v]
adj.過分的；過度的
10. put off
na.延期，辯解
11. shove
US[??v]UK[??v]
v.猛推；亂擠；推撞；亂放n.猛推
12. Pimsleur
皮姆斯勒(Pimsleur)語言學習系統是一套語言學習方法，由保羅·皮姆斯勒博士研創，依據四個原則而成。
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