原文: Do it now not tomorrow

While a person is not always able to start a new project or task immediately upon receiving it, at least a mental outline will help to streamline the process of completing the task. It’s important to start projects relatively soon after receiving information and to complete them as soon as possible after beginning them in an unbroken line of completed sub projects.

You should begin a new project as soon as possible after the assignment because the details of the project are still fresh in your mind. You may have discussed specifics with someone, but if you allow days to go by before actually beginning the project, you will have forgotten some of the details. It will require more of your preparation time and thus completion time just to attempt to reconstruct or learn details that have been forgotten because you didn’t begin your task promptly. At a minimum, take time to jot down the pertinent details in a file folder. Things like a project title, length, who is the projected audience for the report or final result, when the deadline is, are all important details when it’s time to finish the project. This can be a paper or virtual file folder.

Because your project is assigned in the present, the knowledge you have about it is current knowledge. You cannot be held responsible for what has not yet happened. Therefore, doing your project with your current knowledge is likely to provide less need for relearning or for changes in the situation which would require additional preparation time.

Another reason for doing your task now is so that you can meet your deadlines promptly. If you know when the project is due and you know precisely how long it will take you, it’s easy to put off starting until you know there is no leeway left in your time schedule till completion. But all too often, something happens to create a roadblock in your expected schedule. Maybe you had an internet outage just when an important piece of information from a webpage was required. Perhaps a friend dropped by to chat for a while. In other words, if you have allowed no time at the end of your project before it’s due, you run the risk of turning in slipshod work or not being able to complete it at all.

If, on the other hand you begin and complete your project promptly, it leaves you free to do other things without worrying about the status of the project. You won’t worry about meeting a deadline, because you’ve already gone on to other things by7 the time the deadline arrives.

If you are in a position at work or socially where you want to make the best possible impression upon others, begin your project promptly and complete it as soon as possible. This will ensure that others know you can be counted on to deliver the goods on time, and will certainly count in your favor when the bosses are handing out bonuses and awards.

Finally, not to put too grim reflection on it, but life is uncertain. We do not know what tomorrow will bring. It is better to complete the task early and have time to spare should a family emergency arise, than to be torn between completing a project and dealing with a sick or injured family member.

译文: 今天的事情要今天完成

  
      虽然人们没法每次在接到任务后就立即着手工作，但在每次接到任务后, 如果人们能够在脑中大致的构想一下这个工作的话, 这将帮助人们更有效率的完成工作。在得到关于工作的信息后要尽快的开始工作, 之后要一气呵成地完成其中的每个环节, 并尽快地达成目标。这些都是十分重要的.

      你应该在收到任务后立即开始工作，这是因为那时该工作的细节在你脑中还处于新鲜状态。 你也可能已同别人讨论过这个项目，但是如果在讨论之后你拖沓着不立刻开始工作的话，你会忘记关于这个工作的一些细节。 因为你没有及时开始工作，为了重新回忆你所忘记的细节, 你要花更多的时间去做准备，工作的时间也会延长。至少，你应该把一些细节存到电脑里。 比如，项目名称，时间，报告针对的观众，预期目标，截止日期，这些都是对于你成功完成项目十分重要的细节。你可以把他们写在纸上或者打在电脑里。

      因为工作项目是现在布置给你的，所以你所掌握的只有目前的状况，你无法预期将来会发生些什么。所以如果你运用现在的知识完成工作，你就可以省去将来因为突发事件而不得不重新学习或作改变的麻烦. 这些调整都会耗费你更多的准备时间.

     另一个要及时工作的原因是你可以及时的在截至日前完成任务。 如果你知道工作的截至日期也知道这个工作将花费的时间，你很容易会延后工作, 等到快没有时间的时候才去碰它。 然而，突发事件常常发生，打乱我们原本的计划。可能你需要在网页上获取一点信息，但是你发现你的网页注册过期了。又或者你的朋友突然不期而止要和你闲聊家常。换句话说，如果你在安排工作时间的时候没有考虑到特殊情况的话，你最终可能会交个烂摊子或者压根没时间去完成工作。

      与之相反, 如果你及时地开始并完成工作, 你就会有足够的时间去做其他的事情, 完全不用牵挂着之前布置下的任务. 你也不用担心截至的问题, 因为你早就完成了任务, 开始作其他工作了.

      如果你接到任务的时候正在工作或者你希望在社会中给别人留下最好的印象，你应该及时开始工作, 毫不迟延并尽可能快速地完成它。这能够增加别人对你的信赖感，相信你会准时的提交货物. 这样的话当老板要发奖金的时候，他们就一定会帮你美言几句。