BBC随身英语｜“提前赶工” 真的有效吗？
英音听力｜BBC & 经济学人等
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?
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.
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. "
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.
词汇表
procrastination [prəˌkræstɪˈneɪʃn] n. 拖延，拖延症
put off 推迟，拖延
precrastination [priːˌkræstɪˈneɪʃn] n. 提前赶工，过早完成任务
precrastinate [priːˈkræstɪneɪt] vi. 提前赶工，过早完成任务
neuroticism [njʊəˈrɒtɪsɪzəm] n. 神经质，神经质倾向
inclination [ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃn] n. 倾向，意愿
for the sake of 为了…起见，为了…的目的
at the expense of 以…为代价，牺牲
last-minute adj. 最后一刻的，紧急关头的
rushed [rʌʃt] adj. 仓促的，匆忙的
fast-paced [ˌfɑːst ˈpeɪst] adj. 快节奏的
tick off 打勾标记（待办事项），完成
smell the flowers 停下来感受美好，放慢节奏享受生活
deliberate [dɪˈlɪbərət] adj. 从容不迫的，深思熟虑的
mindful [ˈmaɪndfl] adj. 留心的，注意的，正念的
precrastinator [priːˈkræstɪneɪtə(r)] n. 提前赶工者，过早完成任务的人
straight away 立刻，马上
breathing room 喘息空间，缓冲时间
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