In today’s hectic, multi-tasking society it can be difficult to maintain your focus on a project. We become easily distracted by many things – co-workers, the telephone, e-mail, or the television. We also lose our focus as we try to juggle several projects at once, finding ourselves pulled in many directions.
In order to accomplish more during your day, you must learn the technique of focusing your attention on one thing at a time. The more thought you can dedicate to one project, the quicker you will be able to complete it. Honing your ability to focus as a time management technique will translate directly into greater success completing your projects, and a greater amount of free time once you are finished.
- Keep a Calendar: Schedule time to work on projects, then make sure nothing interrupts you. This may mean turning off your email program, your instant messenger, etc. Every time you switch your thoughts away from your project to answer an e-mail, take a phone call, chat with a co-worker, or watch something on television, it takes your mind time to readjust to the project and regroup the necessary information. If you have 100 such distractions each day – which is entirely possible in a busy office – you could easily lose ½ to one hour of productive time. That adds up to between 10 and 20 hours a month – enough for an extra day or two off!
- One Thing at a Time: Do not switch back and forth between tasks or projects. Each time you move away from a project and then return to it later, it takes your brain a certain amount of time to dig around for all of the information it needs to focus on your goal. You will greatly increase your productivity if you can work one project through to completion before moving on to another project. This allows your brain to compile all of the necessary information, then hang onto it until you are through without losing time switching back and forth.
- Have a Plan: Some people work blindly, without any idea of where they are going with a project. Formulate a set of goals or a roadmap to a particular objective before you sit down to work on a project. Stabbing at it blindly will get you nowhere, and you may even find yourself making mistakes that need to be corrected later. Having an idea of where you want to take your project will help you work more efficiently.
- Control Your Thoughts: Intrusions from the telephone, from friends, and from co-workers are not the only distractions that can derail your efficiency. Your own mind can sabotage your efforts to work quickly, quietly, and concisely.
As you notice unrelated thoughts invading your head, acknowledge them and then consciously remove them from your mind. Put them to bed for the moment and return to the task at hand. Occupy your mind by musing about your project, keeping the thoughts related to it at the forefront of your mind. As you practice quieting your mind, you will notice it becomes easier and easier. Eventually you will be able to wipe your mind of all irrelevant thoughts and keep them at bay without ever making a conscious effort to do so.
When preparing to begin work on a project or task, prepare the area so it is free of distractions. Have your secretary answer the phone or allow the machine to pick up, close your e-mail accounts, and turn off the radio or television. Some people like the background noise from the television or radio, but the noise from it can be more distracting than helpful. The mind was not designed to think in parallel realms, and if it finds something on the radio more interesting than your project, your efficiency is going to suffer.
Try to employ these tips for successful time management. Once you have developed your concentration skills, you may feel like you suddenly have been given more hours in your workday. The truth is, you will have given yourself the gift of time. Who knows, maybe you can spend that well deserved hour at the local spa after work, letting a nimble fingered masseuse erase the stresses of the day from your memory.
译文:
如何提高工作效率？
04/23/2008，《立刻减速》作者David B. Bohl
现代社会的快节奏、多样化，使得我们很难集中注意力，很容易被其它事物影响， 比如，同事，电话，电邮，电视等等。在几项工作同时进行的时候，我们也很难专注，感觉分身乏术。
为了提高每天的工作效率，我们必须学会如何集中精力做一件事。精力越集中，工作效率越高。作为一项管理时间的技能，集中注意力直接关系到任务的顺利完成以及更多的业余时间。
列好时间表：列好各项工作的时间表，确保不受干扰。这意味着要关掉邮箱和聊天工具。每次我们转移注意力去回个邮件，接个电话，和同事聊会天或者看会电视之后，大脑要花一定的时间重新专注于工作中，重新整理必要的信息。假设我们每天转移注意力100次—这在忙碌的办公室里很常见，一天要浪费0.5-1个小时，一个月就是10-20个小时。这相当于一两天的假期了。
集中做好一件事：不要在几项任务中来回转换。每次我们暂停工作之后再继续，大脑都耗费一定的时间收集所有相关的信息。如果我们能完成一项任务后再开始另一项任务，工作效率就会有显著提高。这使得大脑能够集中处理所有信息直至任务完成，而不必浪费时间来回切换信息。
做好计划：有些人工作很盲目，从来没有目标。为了达到特定的目标，在开始工作之前，一定要设定一系列的目标。漫无目的地工作达不到目标，有时甚至会让我们犯错。有个明确的目标可以提高我们的工作效率。
控制思绪：来自电话，朋友以及同事的干扰不是降低工作效率的唯一因素。我们的大脑也能产生干扰，使得我们无法高效，专心地工作。
一旦发现杂念侵入大脑，我们就要果断地把它们“请”出去，重新专注于工作中。让工作占据整个大脑，所有与之相关的脑细胞占据主导。当我们开始下意识地练习时，就会发现集中注意力变得越来越容易。渐渐地，我们就能不费吹灰之力清除大脑中的杂念。
准备开始工作的时候，要先清理工作环境，清除所有干扰物。将电话转到秘书处或者设定成自动留言，退出邮箱，关掉收音机和电视。有些人习惯在收音机或者电视产生的背景声音中工作，但是这些声音只会产生干扰，没有帮助。大脑通常只能专注于一个领域，当它发现收音机里的内容比工作有趣时，我们的工作效率就会受到影响。
采用以上建议可以有效地管理好时间。一旦学会了如何集中注意力，我们会感觉到日子好像突然变长了。实际上，这些时间是我们给自己的礼物。或许下班之后，我们就可以有时间去好好地享受一下Spa，借助按摩师灵巧的双手，从一天的紧张工作中解放出来。