Have you ever felt that you spend way too much time on something? You started reading a book, but eventually realized that the time you spend on it far exceeds the value you get. Or maybe you worked on a project, but after completing it you realized that the project could actually be finished much sooner.

你曾觉得自己在某件事上耗费了过多的时间吗？你开始读一本书，但最终意识到你应该得到的要比在这段时间里真正得到的要多得多。又或者你在在做某项工作，可等你做完了，你才觉得你本能在更短的时间里完成它的。

Why do such things happen? While there might be external factors that contribute to the situation, I believe that there is one main cause: we waste our time on unnecessary stuff. We spend our time on things which do not contribute to the final results, and that eventually causes us to overspend our time. Obviously, the cure is:
为什么会这样呢？当然，之所以会造成这种局面肯定是有一定的外界因素，但我认为造成这种局面的主要原因，是我们把时间都耗在了那些琐碎之事上。把时间花在无关最终结果的问题上导致我们在预定的时间里完成不了本该完成的事。解决这一问题的办法就是：


Do no more than what is necessary   只做该做的。

It is easier said than done though. Here are some tips to help you do that:
说起来容易做起来难，下面就来教你怎么做

1. Set a clear expected output
1：制定清晰的预期规划

An important reason why we overspend our time on something is not knowing precisely what the final result we expect is. If we don’t even know what we want, how can we decide whether or not something is necessary? As a result, we do things which will later be found as unnecessary. So the important first step is to set a clear expected output. It should be specific so that you can know for sure whether or not you have achieved it.

导致我们花过多时间的一个重要原因便是目标不明确，如果自己都还不清楚自己想要什么，又怎么区分什么是该做的，什么是不该做的呢？反之，当我们在做些浪费时间的事，随后就能反应过来。所以问题的关键是制定一个详细的预期规划，这样你在预期内有没有完成某事，一目了然。

2. Write down the expected output in a prominent place
2:把预期工作写在一个显眼的地方

Having a clear expected output is good, but it’s often not enough. The problem is we may forget it once we dive into work. So we need to somehow remind ourselves about it.

有一个清晰的工作计划是件好事，但是这还不够。因为我们一扎进工作堆儿马上就把什么计划都给忘了，所以我们需要一种能刺激我们记起它的方法来。

One way to do so is by writing the expected output in a prominent place you can easily see. For example, if you are working on computer and use Google Desktop, you can write it in Scratch Pad (see screenshot). Since Scratch Pad is always visible, you can easily reread the expected output of what you are doing. 

 一种方法便是把你所预计的目标写在显眼的地方，比如，你在用电脑，用的是谷歌桌面，你可以把它写在你的可视便签上，因为便签很容易看到，所以你可以经常检查你到底做到计划的哪部份了。

3. Realign yourself with the expected output every now and then
3：偶尔重新调整你的工作规划

While you are busy working on something, it’s easy to get off track. So you need to regularly realign yourself with the expected output. To do so, whenever you are about to do a subtask you should ask: “Do I really need to do this to get the job done? Can I just skip it or do it in a different - more efficient - way?” These questions help you evaluate the way you work and get yourself back on track.

忙着干某事的时候很容易让你把计划抛在一边，所以你需要要规律的重新整理你的计划，这样的话要着手做计划的任一步，你都能想到：有必要这么做吗？能不不做这个，或者是换个更行之有效的方法。这些问题能帮你衡量你的工作方法，调整你的工作状态。

If asking these questions before doing a subtask is difficult, you can alternatively ask them at a regular interval. For example, if you usually do 50 minutes of work followed by 10 minutes of break time, you can then ask these questions whenever you enter the break time. 

如果在开始做事的时候闻起来比较难，你可以选择在工作点和点之间的休息时间来问。比如，通常你是工作50分钟，有一个10分钟的休息时间，你可以一到休息时间就对自己提那些问题。

4. Set a deadline and work with inverted pyramid structure
4：制定一个工作期限，使用倒金字塔的工作结构

Setting a deadline is another way to help you do only what is necessary. By setting a deadline, you are forced to prioritize the things you are doing. The best way to work within a deadline is using inverted pyramid structure: do the subtasks from the most important down to the least important. This way, if the time is up you can still deliver the best possible output.

给出完工期限也是让你只做该做的的另一种方法。因为有了明确的完工日期，你不得不提高你的工作效率。要在指定的时间完成工作的最佳方法是采用倒金字塔的方式，先做工作最关键的部分，把最次要的部分留在最后。这样的话就算期限一到。你也可以交出最好的工作答卷。
 

Working in this way is actually similar to the way newspaper articles are written. By placing the most important facts first and the least important ones later, a newspaper editor can easily trim an article to fit into the available space. Similarly, by using the inverted pyramid structure you can easily trim your work when you hit the deadline. 

用这种方式工作其实和报纸文章的编辑很相似，报纸编辑也是先排重要的后排不太重要的，这样编辑就能轻易的把文章放到该放的位置。同样的，你工作也可以选择这种倒金字塔的方式，合理的规划你的工作进程直到最终期限那天。

5. Stop when you already get the expected output
5：完成了工作计划就停

It may seem obvious, but when we already get the output and still have some time left, we may be tempted to spend more time to polish it. At the end, it may introduce some unnecessary stuff into your otherwise productive day.

很明显，当我们在预期内完成了该做的工作，但还有多于的时间，便老想着怎么让自己的工作看起来更加完美。到最后，又会导致自己干些没必要的事了。