I tend to get distracted easily.
我很容易分心。
I'm the type of person to close her computer at the end of the day only to realize that she had a half-written email she never sent.
我是那种人，会在一天要结束并合上电脑前，发现还有一封没写完也没寄出去的电子邮件。
I tend to get a bit of everything done, but I struggle to fully complete tasks well.
我很容易东做一点、西做一点，但很难好好完成每件事情。
This situation only worsened last fall when I went back to school part-time and found myself writing essays on a frequent basis.
去年秋天，这种分心的状况又更严重了，我当时回到学校打工，发现自己很常需要写报告。
After four years of writing essays during my undergraduate degree, the one thing I learned was to break up a big task, like writing an essay, into mini, accomplishable tasks and create a schedule for them.
大学期间写了四年报告之后，其中一件学到的事情就是，要将大的工作切割成小块，像是写报告，要切成自己能完成的小分量，并为这些分工安排时间表。
However, I still struggled to keep myself on schedule to complete those mini tasks, compiling research, creating an outline, etc.
然而，我还是很难按照时间完成那些小任务，像是汇整研究、写出大纲等等。
I could get organized by breaking it into those smaller tasks, but I still struggle to be productive.
我是可以有组织地完成那些小份量工作，但我还是很难有效率地产出。
I would constantly feel the urge to get a snack, go to the bathroom, check my blog, check social media...
我会一直有想要去吃点心的冲动、想去厕所、看一下我的部落格、检查一下我的社群网站...
If there was a distraction available, I would find it.
如果有任何可以分散注意力的东西，我就会去找出来。
And while I try to restrain myself and focus on writing my damn essay, I just couldn't bring myself to sit down and do it.
尽管我限制自己专注在我的报告上，我还是很难让自己坐下来好好做这件事情。
Then, while listening to The Perfectionism Project podcast, I was introduced to a new productivity technique called a "distraction journal".
后来我从《完美主义计划》中认识了一种新的提高产能的技巧，叫做分心日志。
The concept is super simple.
概念非常简单。
My distraction journal is essentially a table where I keep a running tally of my urges to check my phone.
分心日志基本上就是一个表格，让我记录想拿起手机的次数。
I make a list with columns, and at the top of each column, I write down all the reasons that I could possibly be distracted.
我做了一个栏位列表，在栏位最上面，我写下所有我有可能分心的原因。
For me, it's social media, emails/texts, personal finance, blogging updates and fidgeting.
对我来说，会让我分心的事情有社群网站、电子邮件、消息、个人财务、更新部落格、坐立不安。
This is how the distraction journal system works.
分心日志就是这么运作的。
After I create this table, I close up all of my tabs, put my phone in a drawer, and get to work.
我建立表格之后，就把所有的分页关掉，把手机放进抽屉，并开始工作。
Every time I feel the urge to reach for my phone to check my texts, instead of opening the drawer, I mark a tally under the emails/texts columns.
每次我想要拿出手机检查有没有人传讯息时，我不会直接打开抽屉，而会在电子邮件/消息那一栏下面画一条计数符号。
And whenever I think of something I need to do, I write it down as a task below my table instead of actually starting it.
另外，只要我突然想到需要做的事情，我就会在表格下方写下来，而不是直接去做这件事。
This way, I ensure I don't forget about the reminders popping up in my head, but I also prevent myself from diving headfirst into something totally different than what I was currently doing.
这样，我就能确保自己不会忘记在脑中突然跳出的提醒，同时也能避免自己一股脑儿跑去做与手边事情毫不相干的事。
I do this for about an hour.
我就这样进行了大约一小时。
And then I allow myself a five-minute break.
接下来让自己休息五分钟。
After about 10 months of using this system, this is what I've learned.
用这种工作系统进行十个月后，以下是我学到的事情。
One: I usually reach for my phone out of habit.
一：我经常习惯性地去拿手机。
One of the biggest revelations I made while keeping this journal is that I usually simply reach for my phone as a reflex.
我记录日志最大的发现就是我常常反射性地去拿手机。
When I try to tally the reason why I'm reaching for my phone, most of the time it goes under "fidgeting".
我试图要记录我为什么想拿手机，大部分的结果都是纪录在"坐立不安"那栏下面。
Because I can't come up with a solid answer.
因为我没办法想出一个确切的原因。
I've realized that the distractions I blamed for my unproductivity aren't coming to me.
我也发现，那些我怪罪会害我分心的事情并不是自己出现的。
I'm actually seeking them out.
其实是我自己去找来的。
Of course, writing an essay is not as much fun as scrolling through memes.
当然，写报告一定不会跟滑哏图一样有趣。
But that's not Instagram's fault.
但那不是 Instagram 的错。
Keeping this journal has taught me that I need to work on controlling my own urges to check social media, not on deleting or deactivating the apps themselves.
记录这个日志教会我，我必须克制自己想要看社群媒体的冲动，而不是直接删掉或关闭应用程序。
Number two: Nothing earth-shattering happens when I'm working.
第二：我工作的时候不会有什么惊天动地的事情发生。
Throughout the years, I've lied to myself by thinking, "Oh, I have to keep my phone on in case of an emergency or in case something big happens".
过去几年我都这样骗自己：哦！我一定要将手机开机，以免有什么紧急状况或大事发生。
But it's always been just an excuse.
但这都只是借口而已。、
Plus, there is a way around this idea of always having your phone on for emergency purposes.
再加上手机有功能可以让你为紧急状况保持畅通。
On the iPhone, there's a feature called "Emergency Bypass".
iPhone 上有一个东西叫做"紧急联络人设定"。
You can select this feature under ringtones for a specific person, and it will even ring when your phone is on silent.
你可以选择特定联络人，并在铃声设定里将这个选项开启，这样一来，你的手机即使是静音也会响铃。
I use this feature occasionally, but I've learned that everything else on social media will still be there after I'm done with my work.
我偶尔会用这个功能，但我学到，等我做完工作之后，社群媒体上的所有东西还是会在那里。
Number three: Setting breaks is healthy.
第三：设定休息时间是健康的。
I used to think that I could work without breaks.
我以前都觉得自己不用休息，可以一直工作。
Because I was just so productive, and I should be using that five to ten minutes to work on another task.
因为我实在生产力太高了，所以我一定要用那五到十分钟去做另一个工作。
However, I found that I'm more productive when I give myself a set break time instead of letting those nagging questions like "Am I hungry"? and "Should I go to the bathroom now or later"? bounce around in my head.
然而，我发现给自己固定的休息时间会比较有效率，宁愿不要让自己脑袋一直想着"我是不是饿了？"或是"我该现在去厕所还是等等再去？"这种问题。
Now I don't think about them.
我现在根本不会想到这些问题。
I address those issues during my break time.
我会在休息时间处理那些事情。
Setting a break time also means that I allow myself a specific amount of time to check my phone.
设定休息时间也就代表我让我自己有固定的时间可以看手机。
However, it also prevents me from going into a 30-minute self-pity spiral as I scroll through perfect photos on Instagram.
然而，这也能阻止我陷入恶性循环，避免我看 IG 时看到完美的照片就自怜自艾地给自己 30 分钟的休息时间。
Number four: It is better to finish a few tasks well instead of a million tasks half-assed.
第四：好好完成几项工作比一堆工作只做了一半还要好。
I used to pride myself on being the person who's always busy.
我以前都很骄傲自己是那种无时无刻都很忙的人。
But what that has actually translated to is me completing semi-mediocre work most of the time, only to polish it off at the last minute.
但事实上，我常常产出一堆质量不怎么样的内容，拖到最后一秒才赶紧修改、完成。
Whenever I used to write essays, I would lack a lot of structure.
我以前每次要写报告时，都没什么组织架构。
Keeping this distraction journal method gave me more accountability and forced me to assess how much work I was completing every hour since I was taking regular breaks.
开始用分心日志的记录方式之后，我变得更有责任感，并且强迫我评估规律休息后，自己每小时能完成多少工作。
I am amazed by the amount of work I can get done in two to three hours in the evening instead of eight hours in the library.
我很惊讶在傍晚两到三个小时的时间内能完成这么多的工作，而不是在图书馆待了八小时才做完。
I used to wonder why it would take me a whole day to complete a task that should've taken hours.
我以前总是在想，为什么本该花几小时的工作我花一整天才做得完。
I now know that it was my constant need for distractions.
我现在知道，这是因为我需要不断找寻让我分心的事物。
I originally started keeping a distraction journal because I needed to get my school work done.
我原本是因为需要完成学校功课才开始记录分心日志。
However, I've slowly started to incorporate it into my work life.
后来我慢慢开始将它融入到我的工作生活中。
It has allowed me to create realistic deadlines for my tasks, which both keeps me from feeling overwhelmed and helps me stick to what I need to get done, which makes it easier on everyone around me.
它让我为每项工作任务设立实际的截止日期，不仅能使我不要感到被压得喘不过气，也帮助我坚持做完代办事项，让我身边的人都感到比较轻松。
I've learned that it's so easy to glorify being busy, but that doesn't always translate to being productive.
我也学到，我们很容易因为自己忙碌就感到沾沾自喜，但那并不总是代表自己有效率。
Taking a long time to complete a task doesn't mean I'm actually doing it better.
花很长的时间做完一件工作并不代表做得比较好。
I now strive to complete things well and hopefully reduce the number of tally marks in the "fidgeting" column.
我现在的努力目标就是以良好质量完成事情，并希望能减少我在"坐立不安"那一栏画下的计数符号。
海阔天空_Htr
非常好