It has been shown time and again that people adapt their habits and behavior to fall in line with others around them. It really doesn’t matter why: whether it is science, social, or just a need to fit in. This can be applied to exercise, health, eating, beliefs, habits, …and yes, productivity.

　　時間一次又一次地證明了人們會調整他們的習慣和行為來符合他們周圍的人。為什么會這樣真的不重要：可能是科學因素，也可能是社會因素，或只是一個適應的需求。這個對于運動、健康、飲食、信仰、習慣同樣適用……哦，對，還有工作效率。

　　So, it is for this reason that you need to be aware that procrastination is contagious. In fact, it is a sickness that can destroy individuals and companies. Are you in danger of catching procrastination from those around you? Or did you already?

　　所以這就是你需要意識到拖延癥會傳染的原因。事實上，這是一種能摧毀個人和公司的病。你是否正處于從你周圍的人群中感染上拖延癥習慣的危險中?或者你已經有了拖延癥了?

　　Good Influences or Bad?

　　好的影響還是壞的影響?

　　Are the people you hang out with a good influence on your productivity? Do they build you up with good habits and efficiency? Or do they drag you down with slackness and procrastination?

　　經常跟你玩在一起的那些人是否對你的工作效率有一個好的影響?他們是否幫你養成了好的習慣和變得高效?或者是影響你讓你變得懶散和拖延癥?

　　Here are some things to consider. Do the people you associate with:

　　下面這些事情值得思考。 和你關系比較親近的人是否：

　　Consistently show up late to meetings?

　　開會經常遲到?

　　Do they miss appointments?

　　他們是否經常爽約?

　　Are they always rushing?

　　他們是不是經常很匆忙?

　　Do they finish things at the last minute?

　　他們是否在最后時候才完成任務?

　　Do they fail to meet deadlines?

　　他們是否經常不能按時完成?

　　Do they procrastinate?

　　他們是否有拖延癥?

　　If so, you could be following the same behaviors. Have any of these become acceptable or the norm in your life?

　　如果是的話，你可能也正在跟隨著他們做出同樣的行為。這樣的行為是否讓你覺得可以接受，或已經變成了你的生活規范?

　　Is Your Company Sick?

　　你的公司出問題了嗎?

　　It is not just individuals that are susceptible to the catching the “procrastination.” Companies can fall ill with it, too. In fact, for a company it can be so destructive that some companies ultimately do not survive the procrastination sickness.

　　不僅僅是個人容易養成 “拖延癥” 的習慣，公司同樣也會感染這種習慣。 事實上，對于一個公司這可能有很強的摧毀性，以至于一些公司一旦感染了拖延癥這個毛病最終不能存活下去。

　　Does your company show any of the following symptoms:

　　你的公司是否表現出了任何以下的癥狀：

　　Do projects finish late? – At some companies this is so regular, that projects are given “automatic” extensions.

　　項目是否延時完成?——在一些公司這是很常見的現象：會讓項目“自動”的延長時間。

　　Do people sit around for hours shooting the breeze? - Of course, these companies are quick to say that their culture is based on “relationships.” But, sitting around every day for 3 hours discussing sports or gossip is not productive. This is not an exaggeration. Studies have shown that many workers get less than 3 hours of actual work completed in a typical day.

　　人們是否經常坐在一起閑聊幾個小時?當然，這些公司馬上會說它們的文化是基于“關系”。但是，每天坐在一起花三個小時聊體育或是八卦是沒有效率的，我這不是夸張。研究表明很多職工在一個正常的工作日，其真正工作的時間不超過三個小時。

　　Are people habitually late with no consequence? - Many companies would rather look the other way than deal with workers who are habitually late.

　　人們是不是習慣遲到不會受到處罰?——許多公司寧可裝作沒看到也不會去處罰那些經常遲到的員工。Does the company fail to meet goals and objectives? – You may not think that your company failing to reach its goals is a direct result of procrastination.

　　你的公司是否經常不能完成目標和目的?——你可能認為你的公司不能達到預期的目標不是因為拖延癥。

　　However, in many environments it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Work and projects are not successfully completed on time and then executives wonder why the company is not succeeding.

　　然而，在很多環境下，這是一種自我實現的預言。工作和項目不能順利按時完成，而高管們質疑為什么公司不能成功。

　　Do people regularly skip out? If your office is a ghost town by 3PM every Friday, it is a pretty good sign that procrastination is running rampant.

　　人們是否經常早退?如果你的辦公室主每周五下午3點就變成了一個鬼城，這是說明拖延癥正在猖獗進行的一個很明顯的信號。

　　What do you think? Is your company sick? Is procrastination the norm or does your company drive productivity and results?

　　你怎么看?你的公司是否出問題了?拖延癥成了你的生活規范了嗎?或是你的公司提高生產力和績效了嗎?

　　How Do You Avoid Catching the Procrastination?

　　你該怎么樣才能避免養成拖延癥習慣嗎?

　　Procrastination is a habit that is not quickly or easily resolved. It takes long term effort and the forming of new productivity habits.

　　拖延癥是一種不容易很快改掉的習慣。這需要花費長久的努力和要養成新的高效率工作習慣。

　　Here are some short term tips to help prevent you and your company from catching the procrastination illness:

　　下面是一些短期的提示幫助你預防你和你的公司養成拖延癥這個毛病：

　　Learn from those who are getting it done– Get a mentor who is productive from which you can learn.

　　向那些做得好的人學習——從你能學習的人群中找到一個高效率的導師。

　　Don’t hang out with the procrastinators– This one seems obvious, but cannot be overstated. You need to stop hanging out with those who are not meeting deadlines. Those who are always late. Those who are taking 2 hour lunches.

　　不要和那些拖延癥的人混在一起——這似乎是顯而易見的，但也不要矯枉過正。你不要再與那些不能按時完成任務的人混在一起，那些經常遲到，那些吃個午飯都要兩個小時的人。

　　Hold yourself accountable- Even when others are not, hold yourself accountable to being on time and getting things done by prescribed deadlines.

　　要對自己負責——即使別人辦不到，你也要確保自己準時，在截止時間之前按時完成工作。

　　Make sure your workspace is workable–Make sure that your area of work is suitable for productive work. If it is a mess, clean it up. If others make it loud or unworkable, find a quiet area to work. Every Monday morning I used to go to a meeting room by myself while my co-workers debriefed the weekend for the first 3 hours of the day.

　　請確保你的工作空間是可工作的——確保你的工作區域益于高效率工作。如果它很亂的話，請整理干凈。如果別人聲音很大或是讓你不能很好工作，請找一個安靜的地方工作。每周一的早上我習慣去會議室工作，而我的同事們會浪費早上3小時的時間閑聊他們的周末時光是如何度過的。

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