Do you constantly say that you have too much to do and too little time? This seems to be a common sentiment in today's world. Everyone has too much on their list and too many obligations to keep up with.

你总是说要做的事太多，但时间太少? 这似乎是当今这个世界每个人的同感。每个人要做的事很多，要履行的义务也很多。

Have you stopped to consider why your load is so big? How did you end up under so many obligations in the first place? What is all of this weight holding you back?

你有没有停下来想过为什么你有这么多的负担呢?要从这么多的责任中解脱出来，首先你要怎么做? 在这些负担里是什么阻碍了你?

A better question may be…where did all this weight come from? If you are truly overloaded²,how did you get there? Over time you have taken on more than you can handle. It did not happen instantly or overnight.

一个更好的问题或许是……这一切的负担都是从何而来?如果你真的是承载得太多，你如何克服?每一次你接收的都多于你能处理的，它不是一时或一夜之间发生的。

Often,this is self-inflicted time management. You have been practicing habits and behaviors that have lead to this situation. You have been creating your own stress and life friction³. How can we limit this load that prevents us from being productive and enjoying our day?

通常这都是因为你的时间管理造成的。你已经熟悉了的习惯和行为导致了目前的状况。你自己造成了给自己的压力和生活摩擦。我们怎样才能限制这种阻碍我们积极工作享受生活的负荷呢?

There are many habits that can lead to task overload¹. Here are six behaviors to help avoid personal overload:

许多习惯会导致超负荷。这里的六种行为可以帮助避免自己超负荷：

1. Be Organized Enough to Know Your Load

1. 有序组织，明了工作量

This is an important first step. Do you even know how much you are carrying? When people say,"I have too much to do,"I immediately ask to see their todo list and project board. Ironically,many of them do not have a single organized view of what they need to do. Multiple lists and scattered⁴ papers present a jumbled⁵ perspective. If you don't know how much is on your plate,how can you hope to efficiently⁶ get it done?

这是重要的第一步。你知道你承载了多少吗?当人们说，“我有太多事情要做，” 我立即要求看一看他们的代办事项清单。很讽刺的是，他们中的许多人都没有条理性地组织好他们需要做些什么。多重清单和凌乱的纸条呈现的是乱七八糟的观念。如果你不知道你有多少，你怎么能希望有效地完成它呢?

2. Just Say No

2. 要会拒绝

Are you unable to tell others no? Do you constantly accept tasks and obligations from others? This can be a leading source of the extra weight that holds you back."Can you do this for me?""Can you help me with that?" Sometimes, the right answer is"No."

你不会拒绝别人?你总是接受别人给的任务和义务?这可能是产生阻碍你前进的额外负荷的一个主要来源。“你能帮我个忙吗?” “帮我一下?” 有时候，正确的回答是“No”。

3. Finish to Done

3. 做事要彻底

Another reason your load may be too big is that you do not ever fully⁷ complete things. Starting tasks is easy, but finishing them is hard. You start many tasks, but do not see them to completion. A few items completed is always more effective than many things begun.

负荷太沉重的另一个原因是你从来没有彻底地做完一件事。开始很容易，但是要完成是很困难的。你着手很多任务，但没有完成过。完成几项比着手很多项总是更为有效。

4. Don't Do Everything Yourself

4. 不要任何事都亲力亲为

Busy people are often guilty of trying to do everything themselves. They don't delegate, either because they are too busy to do so, or they believe that someone else could not do it as well as they can. Delegation⁸, where appropriate, is a key skill to productivity. Ensure you are not keeping tasks that would be better served by someone else.

忙绿的人们常常犯了这样的错：对任何事都试图亲力亲为。他们不会委派他人，要么因为他们太忙了没有时间这样做，要么他们认为别人不能做得和他自己一样好。授权，如果用的合适，会是提高工作效率的一种关键技能。要确保你把任务交给能完成得更好的人手里。

5. Set Clear Expectations

5. 设定清晰的期望

Clear expectations are essential to efficient workflow. "Who is going to do that?" "When is it going to get done?" Have you ever found yourself working on something, only to find out that someone else was also doing it? No one was clear about whose todo list it was on.

明确预期是有效的工作流程所必不可少的。“谁去做?” “什么时候完成?” 你有没有发现当自己在忙的时候，却发现别人也在做同样的事?没人清楚自己的代办事项清单中要做的事。

6. Defend Your Time

6. 捍卫你的时间

Do you defend your time? If not, people will steal it. Why is it acceptable to let people take our time? We wouldn't let them steal our money, yet time seems to be free game. You need to be ruthless in protecting your most valuable resource: your time. Ensure that you have first priority on your time and do not let others unnecessarily waste it. (A good method for this is to"Block Your Time.")

你保护好你的时间了吗?如果没有，人们就会窃取它。为什么让别人占用我们的时间?我们不让他们偷我们的钱，然而时间似乎是免费的。在保护最宝贵的资源——你的时间时，你需要做到无情。确保在时间管理上你有你的优先安排，不要被别人不必要地浪费。(一个好方法是“对时间进行分块”。)

It is difficult to perform at your best when you are under too much weight from your tasks and obligations. Keeping yourself from getting in an overloaded status is important. Be aware of what you are carrying. Make choices on what you take on.And take charge of your time and tasks.

当你背负太多来自你的工作和义务的重量，你很难全力以赴。让自己远离超负荷状态是重要的，留意你承载了什么。对你的担当之事要做出选择，管理好你的时间和工作。