they might spread the work out a little like this: You get started a little bit slowly

他的工作規劃大概會像是這樣：開始的進度會有點慢

but you get enough done in the first week that with some heavier days later on, everything

不過在第一周結束時，已經有了足夠的進展；然後接下來有幾天負擔稍微重一點

gets done and things stay civil. I would have it all ready to go but then actually the paper

最後在時間安排尚可的情況下完成它。我已經規劃好要這麼完成我的報告了，但事實上

would come along and I would kind of do this. And that would happen every single paper.

當這份報告真的被指派下來後，我就會做出這樣的事，這件事發生在我的每份報告上

But then came my 90 page senior thesis. Those first few months, they came and went and I

接下來我迎來了我的90頁畢業論文。在頭幾個月，日子來了又去

couldn't quite do stuff. And one day I woke up with 3 days until the deadline, not having

我根本無法做任何事。然而當我在截止日前三天的早上醒來，發現我一個字都還沒寫

written a word, I wrote 90 pages over 72 hours, pulling not one but two all nighters. Now

我便在72小時內寫完了90頁，期間開了兩個晚上的夜車。

I had a hypothesis- that the brains of procrastinators were actually different from the brains of

現在我有一個假設─拖延者的頭腦事實上和其他人是不一樣的

other people. So, here's the brain of a non-procrastinator. Now, here's my brain: Both brains have a rational

所以，現在我們看到的是一個非拖延者的腦袋。而這個則是我的腦袋：兩個腦袋裡都有一個決策人

decision maker in them, but the procrastinator's brain also has an instant gratification monkey.

不過拖延者的腦袋多了一隻想要及時行樂的猴子

So the rational decision maker will make the rational decision to do something productive,

所以這位理性的決策人會做一些維持生產力的理性決定

but the monkey doesn't like that plan. And he says "Actually let's read the entire wikipedia

可是猴子不喜歡這個計畫，牠還說：「事實上我們先來看看關於

page of the Nancy Kerrigan Tonya Harding Scandal cause I just remembered that happened." The

坦雅·哈定的醜聞的維基百科頁面吧，我記得最近剛發生這件事呢。」

instant gratification monkey does not seem like a guy you would want behind the wheel,

及時行樂的猴子看起來並不是你所希望掌舵的傢伙

he lives entirely in the present moment, he only cares about two things: easy and fun.

牠僅僅完全的活在當下，而且牠只在意兩件事：輕鬆和有趣

How does the procrastinator ever get himself over to this blue zone? A less pleasant place

拖延者究竟如何克服這個藍色區塊的呢？ 這個讓拖延者們覺得不開心的區塊裡

but where really important things happen. The procrastinator has a guardian angel, someone

有件重要的事發生了，拖延者都擁有一個「保護天使」，有些人

called the "Panic Monster". The Panic Monster suddenly wakes up anytime a deadline gets

稱他為「恐慌怪獸」。恐慌怪獸會在任何截止日太靠近、或是在

too close or there's danger of public embarassment or some other scary consequence. This entire

人們有可能在大庭廣眾下丟臉的情形，以及其它可怕結果下甦醒。

situation with the three characters, this is the procrastinator's system. It's not pretty,

剛剛提到的三個角色構成了拖延者的決策系統，或許我的比喻不貼切

but in the end it works. Everything I've talked about today, the examples I've given, they

但最後，它們都會起作用的。到目前為止，我談到的拖延和相關的例子

all have deadlines. And when there's deadlines, the effects of procrastination are contained

全都是有截止日的類型。如果有截止日的話，拖延造成的影響

because the panic monster gets involved. But there's a second kind of procrastination:

會因為有恐慌怪獸的介入而被抑制。但還有第二種拖延模式：

when there is no deadline. So, if you wanna have a career where you wanna be a self starter:

就是沒有截止日的情況。例如現在，你想要當個自動自發的人來獲取一些經驗─

something in the arts, something entrepreneurial, or exercising and taking care of your health.

像是藝術方面，或是創業，或是維持運動的健康行為等等

There's no deadlines on those things at first. All of these non-deadline situations, the

首先，這些事情是沒有截止日的。在所有這些無截止日的情況下

panic monster doesn't show up. So the effects of procrastination, they're not contained,

恐慌怪獸是不會露面的。所以這種拖延情況的影響不會被抑制

they just extend outward forever. And it's this long-term kind of procrastination that's

而會永遠持續下去。再者，這種長期的拖延

much less visible. It's usually suffered quietly and privately and it can be the source of

是不明顯的。它會暗地裡默默的傷害你，最後可能會變成你

a huge amount of long term unhappiness. Now I wanna show you one last thing. I call this

大量長期不幸的來源。現在我要給大家看最後一個東西。我叫它

a "Life Calendar" That's one box for every week of a 90 year life. We need to think about

「生命日程表」，每一格代表你90年人生中的每個星期。我們必須想想

what we're really procrastinating on. We need to stay aware of the instant gratification

我們事實上到底在什麼事情上拖延。我們也需要注意那隻及時享樂的猴子

monkey. That's a job for all of us. And, because there's not that many boxes on there, it's

這是我們所有人的功課。最後，因為表格的格子其實沒有大家想像得多

a job you should probably start today. Thank you.

所以各位今天就該開始實行這份功課，謝謝大家。