Writing a “done” list instead of a to-do list, and leaving your problem-solving to when you are tired are two of the productivity tips in a new book, Brainhack.

列出一个“已完成工作”清单，而不是待办清单，同时把解决问题的任务留到你感觉疲劳的时候，这是新书《Brainhack》提出的两条提高工作效率的建议。

Neil Pavitt, the author, says a to-do list often turns into a “what you haven’t done” list, leaving you feeling stressed and demotivated. He suggests keeping a “done list” — a journal of your biggest achievements, which will remind you of your successes and motivate you.

该书作者尼尔•帕维特(Neil Pavitt)表示，待办清单往往会变成“未完成”清单，让你备感压力和消沉。他认为，列出一个“已完成”清单，记录你取得的最重要成就，将让你想起自己的成功并产生动力。

“Get a nice paper diary and only put down things that are really of value to you, whether inside or outside of work,” Mr Pavitt says. He makes three entries a week and reappraises it every couple of months to give himself a boost.

帕维特表示：“准备一个漂亮的日记本，只记下对你来说真正有价值的事情，不管是工作外还是工作内。”他每周列三条，每隔两个月进行重新评估来激励自己。

A hack that may work for some is to save creative thinking for when you are tired. “If you have to be focused and analytical you need to be fresh, but if you want to come up with creative ideas, late at night or when you have just woken up are useful times.”

有一个怪招可能对一些人管用：把创造性思考留到身体感到疲倦时。“如果你必须集中注意力和分析问题，你需要头脑清醒，但如果你希望迸发创造性想法，深夜或者你刚睡醒时是有用的时机。”

Mr Pavitt says that because your brain is in a different state, it operates in a less rational way. “Your mind will wander more and therefore you’ll be far more likely to create new connections and come up with unexpected ideas.”

帕维特表示，由于你的大脑处于一种不同状态，它的运转方式不那么理性。“你的思路将更多地游荡，因此你更有可能建立新的连接，冒出意想不到的创意。”

Just keep a pad to hand to jot down ideas before you forget them, he adds.

他补充称，只是需要在手边准备一个笔记本记下这些想法，以免忘记。

Morning, McKinsey-style

麦肯锡(McKinsey)风格的早晨

A compulsive checking of emails as soon as he woke was a productivity-destroying habit for Manish Chopra, a partner at McKinsey, the management consultancy. He dropped the habit as part of an overhaul of his morning routine.

对于管理咨询机构麦肯锡合伙人曼尼什•乔普拉(Manish Chopra)而言，早晨一醒来就强迫性地查看电邮是一种破坏生产率的习惯。作为改变晨间作息的一部分，他放弃了这种习惯。

Where previously he felt stressed, he says he now feels energetic and enjoys a greater sense of purpose.

他表示，以前这个时候他会感觉压力极大，如今他却觉得精力充沛，并且怀有更强的使命感。

The first thing Mr Chopra aims to do after waking at between 5am and 6am, is up to an hour’s meditation.

在清晨5点至6点醒来后，乔普拉争取做的头一件事是长达一小时的冥想。

Ideally, he then exercises for 20 to 30 minutes on a treadmill before eating breakfast and spending time with his family. During his first two waking hours, he finds 10 minutes to plan his day. He does this before opening his laptop and becoming embroiled in emails. He also writes down on an index card the five things he would like to get done, keeping it in his pocket for reference. At 7am he will start on work emails and phone calls.

在理想情况下，接着他会在跑步机上锻炼20至30分钟，然后与家人一起吃早餐。在他醒来的头两个小时内，他用10分钟为当天做计划。他是在打开笔记本电脑、被电邮淹没之前做这些的。他还会在索引卡上记下自己希望完成的5件事，把它放到口袋里以备参考。早晨7点，他开始处理工作邮件和电话。

Under his old routine, he would not have woken up before 7am and would not have meditated or exercised. By shifting his day so he gets up and winds down earlier, he has made time to fit these in.

根据过去的作息，他不会在早晨7点以前醒来，也不会冥想和锻炼。但在改变作息后，他每天更早起床也更早结束工作，合理利用了时间。

Checking emails in bed or rushing to get dressed will not set you up for the day in the best way, says Benjamin Spall, co-founder of My Morning Routine, an online collection of interviews with successful people about their morning habits.

汇集与成功人士探讨晨间习惯的访谈的网站My Morning Routine联合创始人本雅明•斯帕尔(Benjamin Spall)表示，在床上查看电邮或急急忙忙穿衣服，不会让你以最佳状态为一天做好准备。

Mr Spall recommends spending quality time with family, or working on a personal project that you enjoy, to make the morning a time that you will look forward to.

斯帕尔建议与家人共享天伦之乐，或者投入你喜欢的个人项目，让清晨变成你期待的一段时光。

Blockages in the stream

溪流中的阻塞

Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, on how past success can block future innovation: “Spotify could never have started life in the US, the record labels are too big,” he told students at HEC Paris business school last week.

PayPal联合创始人彼得•蒂尔(Peter Thiel)最近向法国巴黎高等商学院(HEC Paris)的学生谈到过去的成功可能阻碍未来创新：“Spotify永远不可能在美国诞生，美国的唱片公司太大了。”