When things get busy, we all have tasks we put off. Sometimes items end up delayed out of necessity. If you are putting off the right things, it can be a good move to reduce your workload. But if you procrastinate on the wrong tasks, you might be setting yourself up for trouble later. So, what tasks should you avoid putting on your back burner?

　　如果有很多事情要忙，我們都會推后一些任務。有時候，有些事情就這么過期了，這本沒有必要。如果你把正確的事情推后了，你的工作量就被巧妙地減少了。但是，如果你拖延了一些錯誤的事情，你可能之后就會遇到麻煩了。那么，哪些事情是你不應該拖延的呢?

　　We all put tasks aside at some point. Sometimes it is for good reason when prioritizing your workload. For example, if the item is not a priority, then it should wait. Other times, we put things on the back burner merely because we are trying to avoid them.

　　我們都會在某些時候先擱置一些事情。有時候，這是出于給你的工作任務安排先后次序的原因。比如說，如果一件事不是需要優先考慮的事，就不著急做它。其他時候，我們拖延一些事情僅僅是因為不想做這些事情。

　　Maybe it is something you don't want to do. Or something you think you are not ready for yet. In these situations, putting things on the back burner that shouldn't be there can lead to trouble down the road. Important tasks can be forgotten, chances missed, and bigger issues created.

　　或許這是你不想做的某件事，或者你認為自己還沒準備好做這件事。在這些情況下，拖延了不該拖延的事情可能會引起麻煩。你可能會忘記重要的事情，失去一些機會，甚至引起了更加麻煩的事情。

　　"Putting off the wrong tasks can cause you to miss opportunities, incur penalties, or create more work for yourself." In other words, putting them off will cause even more difficulties than if you had dealt with them in the first place.

　　“拖延了不該拖延的事情會讓你錯失良機、自食其果或者是給自己帶來更多的事情?！睋Q句話說，如果你早點做這些事情，它們就不會給你造成這么多的麻煩了。

　　Ask yourself, "What do I have on the back burner?" Putting things on the back burner is not always a bad thing. If the item is of lesser priority or is a task that you really shouldn't be doing, then it can be appropriate to put it off.

　　問問你自己：“我手上有哪些處于次要地位的事情?” 拖后做一些事情有時候也是一件好事。如果一件事沒那么重要或者你現在真的不適合做某一件事，把這件事情拖后是很合理的。

　　However, when it is an important task, the back burner is a bad place for it. After all, being on the back burner leads to the task being out-of-sight, and out-of-mind. We tend to forget, ignore, or plain disregard the things we put off. For those reasons, there are some tasks that you should avoid relegating to the back burner.

　　然而，如果那是一件重要的事情，你就不該拖延了。畢竟，如果你把一件事情推后了，你就會暫時把它拋之腦后。我們很容易忘記、忽視或者干脆不管這件事了。出于以上原因，你應該避免把拖延某些不該拖延的事情。

　　Here are 10 Tasks You Should Never Put on the Back Burner:

　　下面是10件你不應該拖延的事情：

　　1. Tasks that Can't be Forgotten

　　應該牢記的事情

　　Task that are out-of-sight don't get done. If it is important, don't put it on the back burner where it might be forgotten.

　　事情要是被忽視了我們就完不成了。如果一件事很重要，那就不要拖后這件事，因為我們有可能忘掉這件事。

　　2. Quick To-dos

　　可以馬上完成的事情

　　Never put off what you can do immediately. Don't put off tasks that you can complete in just a few moments. If it can be done in the same amount of time as it takes to put it off, then get it done now!

　　不要推后任何你現在就可以完成的事情，不要拖延一些你能在很短時間內完成的事情。如果拖后做這件事情和現在做所花的時間是一樣，那就現在馬上做這件事。

　　3. Safety Issues

　　關于安全的事情

　　Never put off safety issues. The item that you delay could end up hurting you or someone else. Always fix safety issues right away.

　　絕不拖延任何有關安全的事情。如果你拖后了這件事，結果可能是你或者其他人因此而受傷了。永遠以最快速度處理好安全問題。

　　4. Tasks That Must be Done Today

　　今天必須完成的事情

　　If it needs to be done today, then get it done early. The back burner should be reserved for things that don't have to be addressed today and can sit idle for an unspecified time.

　　如果你必須在今天完成一件事，那就盡早完成這件事。你可以拖延的事情是不需要在今天馬上解決的事情，而且這件事情可以等到任意的時間來完成。

　　5. Opportunities That Will Pass

　　轉瞬即逝的機會

　　Have you ever put off a task that caused you to miss an opportunity? Never put off tasks that are time-sensitive or may expire. Many opportunities that come along have a limited shelf life. If you don't act on them, they might be gone when you return to them.

　　你是否曾經拖延了某件事情，而讓你錯失了一個機會?不要拖后有時效性或者會過期的事情。很多機會都是有一定保質期的，如果你不馬上行動，當你再次回看的時候這些機會可能已經不在了。

　　6. Promises to Others

　　對于他人的承諾

　　Promises to others should never go on the back burner. If you can't give it your priority at this time, then you shouldn't be promising it in the first place.

　　不要拖延向他人承諾過的事情。如果你現在不給這件事情優先權，你當初就不該許下承諾。

　　7. Tasks That Will Create More Work

　　現在如果不做會帶來更多工作量的事情

　　Some tasks are messier to clean up later. Tasks undone can create more work for you when you attempt to resume them at a later date. Don't let these to-dos rot on the back burner.

　　有些事情放到后面做會更加混亂。如果現在不完成一些事情，后面等你想繼續做完這些事情的時候，會有更多的事情等著你。不要讓這些待完成的事情繁衍滋長。

　　8. Tasks That Will Never Get Done

　　永遠不會做的事情

　　If there is a task that you never intend to do, then don't even bother putting it on your back burner. Instead, say "No" or delete it from your list. Otherwise, you'll be carrying the burden of tasks that you never intend to do anyway.

　　如果你從來都沒打算做一件事情，你就沒必要把它放到次要地位。相反的，你應該直接拒絕，把這件事情從你的清單上刪除掉。否則，你將會背負著一些你根本沒打算做的事情。

　　9. Tasks with a Looming Deadline

　　最后期限迫在眉睫的事情

　　Tasks with approaching deadlines should be front-and-center, not on the back burner. Otherwise, deadlines will be missed and deliverables will not be accomplished on time.

　　馬上就要到最后期限的事情應該是焦點，而不是放在次要地位。否則，你將錯過最后期限，而且不能按時完成任務。

　　10. Tasks with Financial Consequences

　　有可能讓你掏錢的事情

　　Have you ever incurred a monetary penalty (late fee, etc.) because you put something off? Don't let tasks with financial implications sit idle. They will end up costing you.

　　你有沒有因為推后了某件事而被罰款(比如超時費等)了呢?不要擱置可能會讓你掏錢的事情。這些事情會讓你變窮的。

　　Take a moment to ensure you haven't forgotten anything that is simmering away. Something that is creating a bigger mess that you will have to clean-up later.

　　花點時間來確保自己沒有忘記那些正在被遺忘的事情。如果你之后才處理這些事情，它們已經給你造成了更多的麻煩。

　　Always keep your most important tasks front-and-center where you can see and act on them now. Reserve the back burner for the low priority items that can afford to sit and wait.

　　永遠把你最重要的事情放在你能看見的焦點位置，馬上行動。把不是最重要，而且可以等待的事情放在次要地位。

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