随身英语

Is it OK to precrastinate? “提前赶工” 真的有效吗？

“Precrastination（提前赶工）” 指过早地快速完成一项任务，通常是为了降低对尚未完成某事的焦虑。提前赶工并不是只有好处。比如，在截止日期前提早交论文虽然会让你颇感轻松，但也让你失去了按照老师在最后一刻给的建议进行修改的机会。我们虽然生活在一个快节奏的世界中，但你依然可以选择慢下来，按时完成任务。这么做也许会让你更加高效。本文介绍了提前赶工这种做法的缺点。

词汇：precrastination 提前赶工，急于提前完成某事的行为

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 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

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What does precrastinate mean?  

2. What is precrastination closely linked to? 

3. True or False? People precrastinate for physical, financial or mental reasons.    

4. Why can precrastination be seen as a bad thing? 

5. What can precrastinators do to avoid doing things too quickly? 

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. He doesn't know the answer. Let's give him some ________.

inclination                 neuroticism               procrastination             breathing room

2. I like to do tasks quickly because it makes me feel more ________.

rushed                      fast-paced                 deliberate                    productive

3. I hate washing up. I always _______ for as long as possible!

categorise it              smell the flowers       prioritise it                   put it off

4. When I wake up, I make a coffee ________.

for the sake of           at the expense of      straight away              lead to

5. Stop _______! Just wait and focus on the task more closely.

precrastination          procrastinate             precrastinating            precrastinate

答案

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What does precrastinate mean? 

It means completing tasks before you need to.  

2. What is precrastination closely linked to?

Precrastination is closely linked to anxiety and neuroticism.  

3. True or False? People precrastinate for physical, financial or mental reasons.   

False. People precrastinate at the expense of things that are physical, financial or mental.  

4. What happens if tasks are rushed?

They are likely to be less carefully planned, meaning results are incomplete or i naccurate.

5. What can precrastinators do to avoid doing things too quickly?

They can try to prioritise and categorise tasks that need to be done straight away with those that can be put off.

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. He doesn't know the answer. Let's give him some breathing room.

2. I like to do tasks quickly because it makes me feel more productive. 

3. I hate washing up. I always put it off for as long as possible!

4. When I wake up, I make a coffee straight away.

5. Stop precrastinating! Just wait and focus on the task more closely.