第2279期:Is it OK to precrastinate

You've heard of procrastination, putting off tasks you'd rather avoid doing until you have to, but what about precrastination? The name gives a clue. Pre- means before, so it's the opposite – completing tasks before you need to. So, why do we precrastinate, and is it a good thing, or not?

你听说过拖延症，即把你宁愿避免做的任务推迟到必须做的时候，但是提前拖延又如何呢？ 这个名字给出了线索。 Pre- 意味着之前，所以它是相反的——在你需要之前完成任务。 那么，我们为什么要拖延，这是好事还是坏事呢？

Precrastination is closely linked to anxiety and neuroticism. People want to finish tasks early so they don't have to worry about them any more. Ed Wasserman, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Iowa, said precrastination is "the inclination to complete tasks quickly just for the sake of getting things done sooner rather than later". This means you're doing something early at the expense of something else. That could be a physical, financial or mental expense. Imagine you submit an essay a week before the deadline. You feel a huge sense of relief that it's over, but also can't add the last-minute tips your teachers gave you. If your marks are then lower than they could be, will you feel better in the long run? Possibly not. Also, if tasks are rushed, they are more likely to be less carefully planned, so results could be incomplete or inaccurate.

拖延与焦虑和神经质密切相关。 人们希望早点完成任务，这样就不用再担心了。 爱荷华大学实验心理学教授埃德·沃瑟曼（Ed Wasserman）表示，拖延是“为了尽快完成任务而快速完成任务的倾向”。 这意味着你过早地做某件事而牺牲了其他事情。 这可能是身体、财务或精神上的支出。 想象一下您在截止日期前一周提交了一篇论文。 一切都结束了，你感到如释重负，但也无法添加老师在最后一刻给你的提示。 如果你的分数低于应有的水平，从长远来看你会感觉更好吗？ 可能不是。 此外，如果任务仓促，则更有可能没有经过仔细计划，因此结果可能不完整或不准确。

But we live in a fast-paced world, so it's hardly surprising that we want to tick off tasks as soon as we can. David Rosenbaum, a professor of psychology at the University of California, believes "It should be agreed in our society that it's OK to smell the flowers. To be deliberate, mindful and to be allowed to slow down. " 

但我们生活在一个快节奏的世界，因此我们希望尽快完成任务也就不足为奇了。 加州大学心理学教授大卫·罗森鲍姆认为，“我们的社会应该一致认为闻花香是可以的。要深思熟虑、留心并允许放慢脚步。

” If you think you are a precrastinator, what can you do to still feel productive? Prioritise and categorise tasks. What needs to be done straight away, and what can be put off? Recognise that some tasks need breathing room – they can even benefit from it.

如果您认为自己是一个喜欢拖延的人，那么您可以做什么来保持高效呢？ 对任务进行优先级排序和分类。 哪些事情需要立即做，哪些事情可以推迟？ 认识到有些任务需要喘息空间——他们甚至可以从中受益。 

词汇表

procrastination 拖延
put off 推迟
precrastination 提前赶工，急于提前完成某事的行为
neuroticism 神经质
inclination 倾向
for the sake of 为了…的目的
sooner rather than later 宁早不晚
at the expense of 以…为代价
in the long run 从长期来看
rushed 仓促而就的
inaccurate 不准确的，不精确的
fast-paced 快节奏的
tick off 打记号表示完成
smell the flowers 闻花香，指 “停下来欣赏周遭的美好景色”
deliberate 从容的
mindful 小心留意的
productive 富有成效的
prioritise 按照优先顺序排序
categorise 分类
straight away 马上，即刻
breathing room 喘息的空间，指用于休息的时间