4. The Past Is Already Written
过去已成定局
Have you ever made a mistake so monumental that you wish you could go back in time and do it all over again? Join the club. It’s called being human. I know you might feel immense regret, but beating yourself up over something that is already done serves no purpose. Shift your attention to the present, where you can take control of your life and move forward into a better future.
你以前是不是犯过重大错误，以至你真心希望时光倒流、从头再来？得了吧，你只是普普通通的人而已。或许你悔得肠子都青 了，但盯着过去的事情耿耿于怀又能怎样呢？还是活在当下，经营好现在的生活，努力创造更好的未来吧。
5. Tomorrow Is Not Guaranteed
明天是不确定的
Steve Jobs said it best, so I’m going to defer to him for this harsh truth:
史蒂夫·乔布斯说得很好，我引申为下面这个残酷事实：
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”
“因为意识到自己不久将辞别人世，我竟能更好地做出人生重大抉择。要知道，所有一切——不论是外界期许、个人骄傲、对窘迫或失败的恐惧，在死亡面前都显得毫无意义，唯留下那些真正重要的。”
The next time you catch yourself playing the “I will do it tomorrow” game, remember that tomorrow is not guaranteed. Traffic accidents, heart attacks, and acts of violence do happen. Live in the present and take action today, because that is where progress happens.
下次你再说“明天再做”时，请提醒自己：明天是不确定的。说不定你就会遇到交通事故、心脏病或暴力行为。所以，活在当下，今天就去行动，这样才能取得进步。
6. Just Because You’re “Busy” Doesn’t Mean You’re Accomplishing Something
“忙碌”并不代表你完成了什么事情
If you like to brag about how great you are at multitasking, stop it, because you are only kidding yourself. Changing tasks without rhyme or reason is wasting your productivity, stressing you out, and possibly causing you to make mistakes.
如果你喜欢吹嘘自己多么擅长同时处理多项任务，那还是算了吧，别自欺欺人了。毫无节拍或理由地换任务只会浪费精力、徒增压力，甚至使你犯错。
It will probably take you longer to complete two tasks that you are switching back-and-forth between than it would to complete each one separately. If you want to save time, instead of multitasking, try grouping similar tasks together. Have a bunch of e-mails you need to send? Do them all at once.
相比一次只完成一个任务而言，同时反复处理两个任务或许要花更多功夫。如果你想节约时间，与其同时处理多个任务，不如尝试分批处理类似任务。是不是要发多封邮件？那就一次发出去吧。
Have an article or essay you need to write? Get it done before moving onto anything else. Different tasks require different mind-sets, so focus on one thing at a time. Being “busy” does not guarantee that you are doing something useful (it probably just means you are doing a lot of things badly).
有文章或论文要写？写好了再做其他事吧。不同任务需要不同的思维状态，所以，最好一次只专注一件事。“忙忙碌碌”并不表示你在有效做事，或许你只是在焦头烂额斡旋于多个事情中罢了。
7. You Have More Time Than You Think You Do
时间比你认为的多
You should eliminate the phrase, “I don’t have the time,” from your vocabulary, because it is profoundly untrue. There are 168 hours every week. Let that sink in for a moment. That is a monumental amount of time. Where could it possibly go? The average person spends 4.09 hours on leisure activities per day according to a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
你应该把“我没时间”从你的字典中删除，因为这完全不符合事实。一周有168小时，用心想想，这绝对是大把大把的时间啊。这些时间都用来干嘛了？根据劳动统计局调查显示，一般人每天要花4.09小时用来娱乐。
Most of that time, 2.8 hours per day, is devoted to the television. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think watching TV does much to help me grow as a person. You could spend that time creating art that adds value to the world, reading books that will help you improve your life, or exercising for a better body and health. The next time you say you “don’t have the time,” change your wording to say “it isn’t a priority.”
其中，每天有2.8小时贡献给了电视机。我不清楚你怎么想，但我觉得看电视对个人成长并无益处。有这个时间，还不如搞搞艺术，为世界创造价值，或阅读来改善个人生活，或健身塑型保养呢。下次你再说“我没时间”时，赶紧改口告诉自己“这事儿不是当务之急”。
No time to exercise? Your fitness isn’t a priority. No time to prepare healthy meals at home? Your health isn’t a priority. No time to do something nice for the love of your life? Your relationship isn’t a priority. It’s harsh, but it’s true. How you spend your time is a choice, so spend it wisely.
没时间运动？健身不是当务之急；没时间在家做健康饭菜？健康不是当务之急；没时间为爱人制造浪漫？伴侣关系不是当务之急。很讽刺，不是？可这也都是现实啊。时间怎么分配在于你如何选择，所以，请明智利用时间吧。