Vik Nithy.

Vik Nithy

He is a young man who has already founded

這個年輕人在20歲時

three companies at the age of twenty.

就已經創立了3所公司

Sorry, I was about to say twenty companies at the age of three.

抱歉，我剛剛原本要說成”3歲就創立了20所公司”

And this is after being diagnosed

這種錯誤在很多情況下被診斷為

post-HAC with a number of conditions.

”錯誤因果”(post-HOC)

So he's a truly inspiring young enterpreneur

這位講者是一位很能激勵人心的企業家

and he is going to tell you why we procrastinate.

他將告訴大家，為什麼我們做事情會拖拖拉拉

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

I finished high school about two years ago.

大約兩年前我從高中畢業

And although I did fairly well,

雖然我高中的表現很好

I didn't do nearly as well as I could have done

但如果不是因為戒不掉做事拖拖拉拉的習慣

if I didn't suffer from a chronic

我的表現應該遠遠超越當時

debilitating addiction to procrastination.

I would put off studying until the night before

我總是盡可能拖延念書的時間

every assignment and every exam wherever possible.

直到繳交作業和考試的前一天晚上

Is anyone else guilty of cramming?

有人對這種死記硬背的念書方式覺得有罪惡感嗎?

Yeah. So you probably know how it feels

沒錯，那你們大概知道這是什麼樣的感覺

to maybe take a five-minute Facebook break

可能在開始做事前

before you start working and then

在臉書上休息五分鐘

realize that three hours have gone past,

然後才意識到三個小時已經過去了

or promise yourself that you'll start working tomorrow

又或者下定決心明天要開始

every day for a week. Tomorrow, tomorrow.

但一個禮拜過去了，每一天都仍在承諾下一個明天

It's not just studying that we procrastinate on,

我們不只在讀書這件事上拖延

we procrastinate on things like doing chores,

我們拖延做家事

we procrastinate on thinking about our future,

我們拖延去思考我們的未來

and we procrastinate on saving money and getting fit.

對於儲蓄和健身也同樣的拖延

I think procrastination is a really serious problem,

我認為做事拖拖拉拉是一個很嚴重的問題

because it's about not being able to bring ourselves

因為拖拖拉拉

to do the things that we know we want to do.

我們無法促使自己去做想做的事情

So tonight I'm going to talk to you about

所以今晚我將和你們討論

the reasons why we procrastinate

我們之所以做事拖拖拉拉的原因

and then hopefully give you some tips on how to overcome it

並且希望能給予你們一些訣竅來克服

if you can get around to doing that.

如果你們能找到時間來克服的話

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Okay.

好的

So, procrastination is not a disease.

所以，拖拖拉拉不是一種病

It's more about the decisions that you make,

而是你所做的決定

the decision not to do what you need to do now

決定待會再做該做的事情

but to do it later instead.

而不是現在去做

It's really like you're having an argument in your head, isn't it?

這真的就像是在你腦中辯論，不是嗎?

One part of you wants to work

一部分的你想要工作

another part of your brain wants to play Angry Birds.

另一部分的你想要玩憤怒鳥

And for some reason you always manage to convince yourself,

但基於某種原因，你總能設法說服自己:

"Oh it's okay, I can do whatever I need to do tomorrow,

“沒關係的。不管是什麼事，我可以明天再做，

I don't need to do it now."

不必現在馬上做。”

So as a psychology student

身為一個心理系的學生

I have the opportunity to find out what exactly is going on

我有機會發現當我們在拖拖拉拉時

inside our brains when we procrastinate.

腦袋裡到底發生了什麼事

And I found that there actually is an argument in our heads

我發現在大腦中

between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex.

我們的邊緣系統和前額葉皮質間的確存在衝突

So, this is the prefrontal cortex.

這就是前額葉皮質

This is the part of our brain that tells us:

它會在我們腦中告訴我們:

"You should be working Vik, you have a 40% assignment due tomorrow."

“Vik，該做事了，你的作業只完成了4成，而且明天就要繳交了”

This is a higher level part of your brain;

它是在我們大腦中較高階層的部分

the other part of your brain involved in procrastination

大腦中的另一個，和我們拖拖拉拉有關的部分

is the limbic system.

就是邊緣系統

So this is a more primitive part of your brain

所以這是大腦中比較基層的部分

that wants to watch another episode of Gossip Girl

會讓你在開始念書前還想要再看一集花邊教主

before you start studying.

So why is that the limbic system

那麼為什麼邊緣系統

always seems to win the argument?

似乎總是能贏得兩者間的相爭呢?

The answer lies in this deceptively cute part of the brain

答案就在我們大腦裡這個看似小巧又可愛的部分

called the amygdala.

它叫做杏仁核

The amygdala is a part of your brain

杏仁核在我們腦中

that controls fear and anxiety

控制恐懼、焦慮

and the fight or flight response to threatening stimulus.

還有在我們面臨威脅的刺激時，做出是否要作戰或是逃跑的反應

So for example, if you are in a jungle

舉例來說，如果你在一個叢林裡

and you see a wild lion in the distance,

你看到一隻野生的獅子在遠處

what do you do?

你會怎麼做?

I have no idea, I've never seen a wild lion

我從來沒看過野生的獅子，所以我也不知道

but I have seen a teacher approach me

但我看過當我沒有做作業的時後

when I haven't done my homework.

老師逼近我的樣子

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And I think the response in the amygdala is quite similar:

我想在杏仁核中的反應也是十分類似的:

The first thing you do is freeze;

一開始是發抖

your palms get sweaty, your heart starts beating fast

手掌冒汗，心跳加快

and your prefrontal cortex, the decision maker shuts down.

然後負責決策的前額葉皮質便停止運作

Because if you see a wild lion in the jungle,

這是因為如果你在野外叢林看到獅子時

you don't want a voice in your head to remind you

你並不會想要你的腦海中有個聲音提醒你

that you have an essay to write,

你還有一篇文章要寫

you have to focus on what's going on in the world around you

你想要的是將專注力放在你周遭的世界所發生的事情

and responding to physiological needs.

並且對你的生理需求產生反應

So, when we procrastinate,

所以，當我們拖拖拉拉時

we experience a mild anxiety response

to a threatening stimulus which just happens to be

我們對於有威脅性的刺激

an assignment that you may have to complete.

像是我們必須完成的作業，會有輕微的焦慮反應

So, what is it that we're afraid of?

我們在害怕什麼?

What is it that we are afraid of? Well, meet your monkey mind!

我們在害怕什麼呢? 來見見你的猴子腦袋吧!

This is the part of your brain,

這是你的大腦

the voice in your head that reacts to the threatening stimulus of an essay.

腦中的聲音會對作文的威脅性刺激產生反應

You may be afraid of an overwhelming --

你可能會對很害怕一個壓倒性的 ---

You might find that the task is overwhelming

你可能會發現這項任務是具壓倒性的

and you don't know where to start.

你不知道該如何著手

You might -- if it's an unpleasant task,

也許 --- 如果是個不盡人意的工作

you might dread the displeasure of doing the task,

你可能會懼怕做這個工作時的不快

and if it's a more complex task with a --

如果是個較複雜的工作

when your performance is being measured

而且有人在旁評量你的表現

then you may have a fear of actual failure.

那麼你可能會害怕自己會真的失敗

So perfectionists use procrastination

因此完美主義者把拖延這件事

as a self-handicapping tool to avoid

當成自我妨礙的工具以來避免

personal failure.

個人的失敗

So for example, if you have an assignment due on Friday,

例如，如果你有個作業的期限是星期五

and it's Monday today, you can finish the assignment tomorrow.

而今天是星期一，你本可以隔天就完成作業了

But if you don't do well,

但如果你最後作業的表現卻不好

then what does it say about your capacity to do well in the exams.

那麼你在考試中的能力又是如何呢?

Whereas if you start on Thursday night and cram

反之，如果你星期四晚上才開始死記硬背

then if you fail, it's just because you're lazy and you crammed.

那麼你的失敗就只是因為你懶惰並且臨陣磨槍的結果

You're not stupid, you're perfectly normal.

並不代表你笨，你完全的正常且健全

Now, your prefrontal cortex,

此時，你的前額葉皮質

it knows that this is a stupid decision.

它知道這是一個愚蠢的決定

You know that failure is a positive learning experience

你也知道失敗是正向的學習經驗

and that it's better to be safe than sorry.

你應該寧願保險一點也不要事後遺憾後悔

But remember that your amygdala is about subconscious reactions.

但記得，你的杏仁核和潛意識的反應有關

So how can we overcome procrastination

那當我們的腦中的猴子替我們做決定時

if we have a monkey in our brains making decisions on our behalf?

我們該如何克服拖拖拉拉的行為呢

The answer is something called "metacognition":

這個答案就叫做”後設認知”:

Thinking about thinking.

思索我們自己如何思考

So we have to acknowledge that

我們必須承認

we aren't gonna be the ones making the decision

我們無法決定是否明天要念書

to study tomorrow.

We're gonna have this spontaneous lazy monkey

因為我們太害怕親自去做這些事，我們會讓這隻無意識的懶猴子

making decisions on our behalf

為我們做決定

because we're too scared to do it ourselves.

And there is a few things that we have to plan

並且為了克服這樣的事發生我們必須計畫一些事情:

in order to overcome this:

我們必須計畫一些事情:

We have to plan goals.

我們必須規劃目標。

So plan exactly what you need to do,

規劃需辦事項後，

split it up into parts, and we find that

將之劃分成許多部分，然後我們會發現

the task is a lot less overwhelming for all in a monkey.

儘管是對於我們的猴腦袋來說，這個工作其實並不是那麼嚇人

Plan time. So figure out exactly

做時間規劃。弄清楚

what you're gonna get done in what time frame

你將在多少時間限制下完成什麼事

and remember guys,

並且記得

this is not something you need to do everytime you need to study,

並不是你每一次念書時都得這樣做

this is just something that you need to get into the habit of doing automatically

而是在你知道自己得完成某些事情時

when you realize that you need to get something done.

你必須讓規劃成為你自動開啟的習慣

Plan resources.

規劃資源。

So if you spend ten minutes before you start working

若是在你開始工作前花個十分鐘

to get everything you need in the table in front of you,

把所需要的東西準備好在面前的桌上

you can't go ahead and later convince yourself that

你不能在開始之後又說服自己

you need to use Google

得用Google

or you need to go on Facebook to get something

或是臉書

because everything you need is in front of you.

因為你需要的所有東西就在你面前

Plan the process. So research has shown that

過程規劃。 研究顯示，

if you visualize the process of doing something,

如果你先設想做這件事的過程

the task becomes easier to do.

那麼真正要完成它時就會變得更簡單

If you close your eyes and think about what you need to do,

如果你閉上雙眼，想著你該做的事

then, you brain is tricked into thinking that you've done it before

那麼你的腦子便會誤以為你之前已經做過這件事了

and it becomes so much easier to get things done.

然後完成這些事情就會變得簡單多了

Plan for distractions: so you know that you monkey mind

為讓你分心的事物規劃: 那麼你知道你的猴腦袋

is gonna wanna check Facebook every five minutes.

會每五分鐘就想要上臉書一次

You have to make a commitment to stay focused

你必須許下承諾，會專注

and not get distracted.

不讓自己分神

And lastly plan for failure.

最後，為失敗做規劃。

So, say you're doing a maths problem

比如說你正在解決一個數學問題

and you come to a question that you can't do:

然後遇到了一個不會的問題

this is usually the time

通常就是此時

when people decide to take a five-minute break!

人們會決定來休息個五分鐘!

I know that the saying "Don't give up!" is cliché

我知道”永不言棄”這句話是陳腔濫調了

but I think that when it comes to roadblocks

但我認為，提到有關

when we are trying to do something

我們嘗試做事時遇到的障礙

it's especially relevant,

這句話十分的切題

and it's not just while we are studying, it's in every part of life.

不只是念書，它在我們生命中的每一部分都適用

If we procrastinate when we come to a roadblock,

若是我們在遇到障礙的時後遲疑、拖拖拉拉，

then I don't think we're ever gonna get around to

那麼我不覺得我們能有機會再

solving the problem.

解決這些問題

You have to learn to grind your teeth and get through it.

你得學會咬緊牙關撐過去

Oh dear!

我的天!

So, this quote said:

這條引文寫著:

"Don't wait. The time will never be just right."

“不要再等待，現在就是行動的最佳時刻”

and it's by Napoleon Hill.

來自於拿破崙∙希爾所說過的話

So I think, as students, the number one reason why we tend to procrastinate

我認為，身為學生，我們之所以會拖拖拉拉的最主要原因

is because we don't think the conditions are perfect for proactivity.

是因為我們覺得在如此情況下不適合正面的行動

We wait until the weekend to write an essay,

我們等到周末才開始寫作文

we wait until we're in the "zone" to be creative,

我們等到我們在“某種場合”下才具創造力

we wait until we have money to give to charity...

我們等待，直到有錢能夠捐獻給慈善機構

I think that if we get into the habit of planning,

我認為，若是我們能養成規畫的習慣

thinking about thinking and getting things done quickly

思索自己是如何思考的，並且快速的完成事情

then the world becomes our oyster

那麼這個世界就由我們自己做主

and our future will become a lot more prosperous.

這個世界也會變得更加繁榮

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(鼓掌)