Nothing makes a week drag on quite like staying late at the office. Working into the wee hours totally disrupts¹ work-life balance, causes you to miss out on time with loved ones, and more often than not, leads you to lose precious hours of sleep. There are times when it simply can't be avoided, but often it's just a bad habit that's hard to break.

一周里没有什么比加班更让人烦心的了。加班过劲儿不仅会打乱工作与生活间的平衡，将你和爱人阻挡在鹊桥两边，更有甚者，能让你连你的睡觉时间都无法保证。加班这事儿也不是你想拒绝就拒绝得了的，不过对于有些人来说，这不良的工作方式似乎变成了难以改正的积习。

It doesn't have to be such a struggle. You don't always have to wait to leave the office until it's dark outside, nor should you feel guilty about leaving right on time or even if you slip out early every once in a while. To help ensure you're balancing your work life and your personal life, we've come up with nine tips to help you leave your cubicle² at a reasonable hour.

其实何必纠结。不一定要等到天黑再下班，也不用因为偶尔的提前回家或是正常时间一到点就下班而有任何负罪感。我们在这里总结了九个方法，帮助你保证工作与生活间的平衡——帮你脱离加班小隔间。

1.Sign up and pay for a workout class after work. That way, there will be more of an incentive³ to get out earlier.

1.报名一个时间在下班后的健身培训班。通过这个方法，能使你更有早下班的动力。

2.If hitting the gym isn't your thing, make a standing⁴ dinner date with a friend. If you get stuck at the office, it will mean having to bail⁵ on a someone, which is even more motivation to finish up and get out.

2.如果健身不是你的菜，那么找个朋友做个每晚一起吃饭的约定。如果你想在公司久留，就意味着你要爽约，通过这种方法，你的拖延症可能有救了。

3.It's easy to lose track of time when you're working away at your desk, but if you set an alarm to go off at the time you hope to leave the office, you'll have a gentle reminder⁶ that it's time to go home.

3.当你工作忙到团团转时，很可能会忘记时间。但是若你能够设定一个希望下班时间的闹铃，那么当你该回家时就像多了一个温柔的提醒。

4.Catching⁷ up on e-mail is a big reason people stay late. Never schedule meetings during the last half hour of your day, so you can use this time to get through your inbox and get out.

4.忙于处理电子邮件是导致很多人晚下班的罪魁祸首。因此，千万不要把会议安排在下班前的最后半小时。把这一段时间用于处理邮件，这样便能按时下班了。

5.If you have to schedule a meeting at the end of the day, make it an offsite meeting. That way, when you're finished, you'll be more inclined⁸ to go home instead of back to the office.

5.如果必须要在下班时间安排会议，那么尽量安排异地会议。这样当开完会后，你就可以直接回家而不是回到工作岗位上了。

6.Carpool with a coworker, so you both leave at an agreed upon time.

6.与同事拼车回家，这样能保证你俩都知道要按时下班。

7.If you're really trying to get something done in order to leave at the end of the day, put on a pair of headphones so people will be less likely to interrupt you.

7.如果你想在下班时分高效完成工作按时回家，那么戴上一副耳机吧，这样就象在对别人说：“我很忙，没时间。”

8. Enforce deadlines. If your co-workers are handing in projects late, it will likely cause you to work late, too.

8.强化截止时间。如果你的同事们也拖延项目进度的话，那很有可能导致你也要加班。

9. Leave something in your slow cooker that will overcook if you don't get home in time. (But of course, be responsible about it!)

9.用慢烧锅炖点儿东西，如果你晚归就会糊了的那种。（当然，这需要你负责！）