Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator | Tim Urban | TED

翻译人员: Jade Liu 校对人员: Gu Yu

So in college,

上大学那会儿，

I was a government major,

我是学政务专业的，

which means I had to write a lot of papers.

意味着我得写很多论文。

Now, when a normal student writes a paper,

当一名普通的学生写论文时，

they might spread the work out a little like this.

他们也许会像这样， 把任务分摊开。

So, you know --

所以，你明白

(Laughter)

（笑声）

you get started maybe a little slowly,

开始可能有点慢，

but you get enough done in the first week

但是一个星期过后已经写了不少，

that, with some heavier days later on,

接下来有时写的更多一些，

everything gets done, things stay civil.

最后一切搞定，事情不会搞砸。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And I would want to do that like that.

我也想这样。

That would be the plan.

至少我的计划是这样。

I would have it all ready to go,

我准备好开始，

but then, actually, the paper would come along,

然而，事实上，到写论文的时候，

and then I would kind of do this.

我是这么做的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And that would happen every single paper.

而且每次写论文都这样。

But then came my 90-page senior thesis,

最后到了写90页毕业论文的时候，

a paper you're supposed to spend a year on.

本应该花一年时间去写的论文。

And I knew for a paper like that, my normal work flow was not an option.

我知道对于这样一篇论文来说， 我平常的做法行不通。

It was way too big a project.

毕业论文是个大项目。

So I planned things out,

于是我计划好，

and I decided I kind of had to go something like this.

决定这么去做。

This is how the year would go.

一年的工作就这么安排。

So I'd start off light,

起初少干点儿，

and I'd bump it up in the middle months,

中间几个月持续干多一点儿，

and then at the end, I would kick it up into high gear

最后高速档全力以赴

just like a little staircase.

就像小台阶一样。

How hard could it be to walk up the stairs?

爬台阶能有多难？

No big deal, right?

没什么大不了的，对吧？

But then, the funniest thing happened.

但是接下来，有趣的事发生了。

Those first few months?

起初那几个月？

They came and went,

来了又走，

and I couldn't quite do stuff.

我基本没干什么。

So we had an awesome new revised plan.

于是就有了这个 很棒的修改计划。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And then --

再然后......

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But then those middle months actually went by,

中间几个月竟然就这么过去了，

and I didn't really write words,

我基本上没写几个字，

and so we were here.

所以变成了这样。

And then two months turned into one month,

然后从还有两个月到还有一个月，

which turned into two weeks.

再到只剩两星期。

And one day I woke up

然后有一天我突然意识到

with three days until the deadline,

离截止期只剩三天了，

still not having written a word,

而我还一个字都没写呢，

and so I did the only thing I could:

于是我做了我唯一能做的事：

I wrote 90 pages over 72 hours,

我花了72小时写出90页，

pulling not one but two all-nighters --

通宵整整两天赶工

humans are not supposed to pull two all-nighters --

人不应该连续熬两个通宵

sprinted across campus,

全速穿过校园，

dove in slow motion,

慢动作潜入，

and got it in just at the deadline.

赶在截止期之前交了论文。

I thought that was the end of everything.

我以为一切就这么结束了。

But a week later I get a call,

结果一个星期之后我接到一通电话，

and it's the school.

是学校打来的。

And they say, "Is this Tim Urban?"

他们问：“你是蒂姆·尔班吗？”

And I say, "Yeah."

我说，“没错”。

And they say, "We need to talk about your thesis."

他们说：“我们得和你 谈一下论文的事儿。”

And I say, "OK."

我回答，”好“

And they say,

对方接着说,

"It's the best one we've ever seen."

"这是我们看过最棒的一篇论文。“

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

That did not happen.

那并未发生。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

It was a very, very bad thesis.

这篇论文写得非常非常烂。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I just wanted to enjoy that one moment when all of you thought,

我只是想享受一下这个时刻， 当你们全部以为，

"This guy is amazing!"

“这家伙太牛了！“

(Laughter)

（笑声）

No, no, it was very, very bad.

不是这样的，那篇论文超级烂。

Anyway, today I'm a writer-blogger guy.

不管怎么样，我现在是个博文作者。

I write the blog Wait But Why.

我为“打破砂锅问到底”写博文。

And a couple of years ago, I decided to write about procrastination.

几年前我决定 写一篇关于拖延的文章。

My behavior has always perplexed the non-procrastinators around me,

我的拖延行为总是让 我身边那些不拖延的人感到困惑，

and I wanted to explain to the non-procrastinators of the world

所以我想向不拖延的人解释一下

what goes on in the heads of procrastinators,

拖延者脑袋里到底是怎么想的，

and why we are the way we are.

还有为什么我们这些拖延者会这样。

Now, I had a hypothesis

我的假设是

that the brains of procrastinators were actually different

拖延者的大脑

than the brains of other people.

和不拖延者的大脑是不同的。

And to test this, I found an MRI lab

为了证明这一点， 我找到一个核磁共振实验室

that actually let me scan both my brain

让我可以扫描自己的大脑

and the brain of a proven non-procrastinator,

和一个经证实不是拖延者的大脑，

so I could compare them.

然后我就可以对比这两种大脑。

I actually brought them here to show you today.

今天我把它们都带来了。

I want you to take a look carefully to see if you can notice a difference.

我希望大家能认真比较 这二者之间是否有什么差别。

I know that if you're not a trained brain expert,

我知道大家 不是受过训练的脑科专家，

it's not that obvious, but just take a look, OK?

看起来可能不明显， 但是让我们来看一下，好吗？

So here's the brain of a non-procrastinator.

这是一个不拖延者的大脑。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now ...

现在，

here's my brain.

这是我的大脑。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

There is a difference.

这二者之间有一个区别。

Both brains have a Rational Decision-Maker in them,

两种大脑里头 都有一个理性的决策制定者，

but the procrastinator's brain

但是拖延者的大脑里，

also has an Instant Gratification Monkey.

还有一只叫即时满足的猴子。

Now, what does this mean for the procrastinator?

对拖延者来说这意味着什么呢？

Well, it means everything's fine until this happens.

它意味着在这件事 发生之前一切都挺好的。

[This is a perfect time to get some work done.] [Nope!]

[现在是开始干活的最佳时机.] [才不是呢!]

So the Rational Decision-Maker will make the rational decision

于是当理性的决策制定者 做出理性的决策，

to do something productive,

想做一些富有成效的事时，

but the Monkey doesn't like that plan,

猴子不想这么做，

so he actually takes the wheel,

于是他开始掌控方向盘，

and he says, "Actually, let's read the entire Wikipedia page

而且他说：“实际上， 让我们来读一下维基百科上关于

of the Nancy Kerrigan/ Tonya Harding scandal,

南茜·克里根/汤妮·雅哈丁 的丑闻案吧，

because I just remembered that that happened.

因为我刚想起来这件事。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Then --

然后

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Then we're going to go over to the fridge,

然后让我们走到冰箱，

to see if there's anything new in there since 10 minutes ago.

翻翻看这10分钟以来 有没什么新东西。

After that, we're going to go on a YouTube spiral

之后，让我们继续 在视频网站上浏览，

that starts with videos of Richard Feynman talking about magnets

从理查德·费曼 谈磁性的视频开始看，

and ends much, much later with us watching interviews

一直看到 对贾斯汀·比伯老妈的采访

with Justin Bieber's mom.

看到地老天荒。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

"All of that's going to take a while,

“这一切都花时间,

so we're not going to really have room on the schedule for any work today.

所以我们今天的日程安排 没办法抽空干活。

Sorry!"

很抱歉！“

(Sigh)

（叹气）

Now, what is going on here?

这是怎么回事呢？

The Instant Gratification Monkey does not seem like a guy

即时满足猴子似乎不是那个

you want behind the wheel.

你想让他操控方向盘的人。

He lives entirely in the present moment.

他完全活在当下。

He has no memory of the past, no knowledge of the future,

他没有过去的记忆， 没有对未来的认识，

and he only cares about two things:

他只关心两件事：

easy and fun.

简单和快乐。

Now, in the animal world, that works fine.

在动物世界里，这样没问题。

If you're a dog

如果你是一条狗，

and you spend your whole life doing nothing other than easy and fun things,

你简单、快乐地度过这一生，

you're a huge success!

就已经是巨大的成功！

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And to the Monkey,

而对于猴子来说，

humans are just another animal species.

人类是另外一种动物。

You have to keep well-slept, well-fed and propagating into the next generation,

你睡好、吃饱、繁殖下一代，

which in tribal times might have worked OK.

这么做在部落时代或许没问题。

But, if you haven't noticed, now we're not in tribal times.

但是，假如你还没注意到， 我们现在不是生活在部落时代。

We're in an advanced civilization, and the Monkey does not know what that is.

我们处于一个先进的文明， 而猴子根本不懂那是什么。

Which is why we have another guy in our brain,

这就是为什么我们脑袋里还有另外一个家伙，

the Rational Decision-Maker,

理性的决策制定者，

who gives us the ability to do things no other animal can do.

他让我们有能力去做 其他动物无法做到的事情。

We can visualize the future.

我们可以预见未来。

We can see the big picture.

我们可以顾全大局。

We can make long-term plans.

我们可以做长期打算。

And he wants to take all of that into account.

而且他想把这些都考虑进去。

And he wants to just have us do

他想让我们做

whatever makes sense to be doing right now.

任何值得现在去做的事儿。

Now, sometimes it makes sense

有时做简单快乐的事

to be doing things that are easy and fun,

是有意义的，

like when you're having dinner or going to bed

比如吃饭、睡觉

or enjoying well-earned leisure time.

或者享受应得的休闲时光。

That's why there's an overlap.

这就是为什么即时满足猴子 和理性的决策制定者之间有重合。

Sometimes they agree.

有时他们意见一致。

But other times, it makes much more sense

但是有时，更有意义的是

to be doing things that are harder and less pleasant,

去做那些比较难 而且不那么让人享受的事情，

for the sake of the big picture.

这是出于全局的考虑。

And that's when we have a conflict.

此时二者之间会产生冲突。

And for the procrastinator,

对于拖延者来说，

that conflict tends to end a certain way every time,

每次冲突都以这种方式结束，

leaving him spending a lot of time in this orange zone,

就是他在橙色区域 花费了大量时间，

an easy and fun place that's entirely out of the Makes Sense circle.

这是那个简单又快乐， 但是又没有意义的那个区域。

I call it the Dark Playground.

我把这片区域称为黑暗的操场。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, the Dark Playground is a place

黑暗的操场是一个

that all of you procrastinators out there know very well.

所有拖延者都很了解的地方。

It's where leisure activities happen

这里是在本来不应该休闲的时候

at times when leisure activities are not supposed to be happening.

的休闲娱乐的活动场所。

The fun you have in the Dark Playground

在黑暗的操场得到的快乐

isn't actually fun, because it's completely unearned,

其实并不是快乐， 因为它完全是不劳而获的，

and the air is filled with guilt, dread, anxiety, self-hatred --

这会带来内疚、恐惧、 焦虑、自我憎恨

all of those good procrastinator feelings.

这是所有拖延者的感受。

And the question is, in this situation, with the Monkey behind the wheel,

而且问题是，在这种情况下， 由猴子掌控着方向盘，

how does the procrastinator ever get himself over here to this blue zone,

怎么能让拖延者把自己 带去蓝色区域那边呢，

a less pleasant place, but where really important things happen?

那边虽然没那么舒适， 但是有很多重要的事情要做。

Well, turns out the procrastinator has a guardian angel,

其实拖延者有个守护天使，

someone who's always looking down on him and watching over him

总是看不起他并且看守着他，

in his darkest moments --

在那些最黑暗的时刻

someone called the Panic Monster.

它被称为恐慌怪兽。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, the Panic Monster is dormant most of the time,

恐慌怪兽大部分时间都在冬眠，

but he suddenly wakes up anytime a deadline gets too close

但是截止期很靠近的时候 或者处于在公众面前出丑的危险中时，

or there's danger of public embarrassment,

或面临事业灾难时，

a career disaster or some other scary consequence.

或有其他可怕的后果时， 它就会突然醒来。

And importantly, he's the only thing the Monkey is terrified of.

而且重要的是， 他是猴子唯一害怕的东西。

Now, he became very relevant in my life pretty recently,

最近在我的生活里， 恐慌怪兽变得相当重要，

because the people of TED reached out to me about six months ago

因为TED的工作人员 6个月之前联络过我，

and invited me to do a TED Talk.

邀请我做一次演讲。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, of course, I said yes.

当然，我答应啦。

It's always been a dream of mine to have done a TED Talk in the past.

我以前一直梦想着 可以做一次TED演讲。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

But in the middle of all this excitement,

但是在这种兴奋中，

the Rational Decision-Maker seemed to have something else on his mind.

理性的决策制定者 似乎在想别的事。

He was saying, "Are we clear on what we just accepted?

他会说： “我们清楚刚才答应了什么吗？

Do we get what's going to be now happening one day in the future?

我们现在具有完成 将来那个任务所需的能力吗？

We need to sit down and work on this right now."

我们得坐下来开始干活。”

And the Monkey said, "Totally agree, but let's just open Google Earth

而猴子说：“完全同意， 但是让我们打开谷歌地球

and zoom in to the bottom of India, like 200 feet above the ground,

把镜头推进到印度地下200尺，

and scroll up for two and a half hours til we get to the top of the country,

然后花两个半小时 向上滚动到这个国家的地表，

so we can get a better feel for India."

让我们更好地感受一下印度。“

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So that's what we did that day.

那天我就是这么做的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

As six months turned into four and then two and then one,

当6个月变成4个月， 然后2个月，然后1个月时，

the people of TED decided to release the speakers.

TED工作人员开始发布演讲者。

And I opened up the website, and there was my face

我打开网站看到自己的脸

staring right back at me.

盯着自己看。

And guess who woke up?

你猜这个时候谁醒了？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So the Panic Monster starts losing his mind,

于是恐慌怪兽开始发疯，

and a few seconds later, the whole system's in mayhem.

几秒钟之后，整个系统一片混乱。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And the Monkey -- remember, he's terrified of the Panic Monster --

而猴子，还记得吗？他害怕恐慌怪兽

boom, he's up the tree!

嘣的一声，他爬到树上去了！

And finally,

于是终于，

finally, the Rational Decision-Maker can take the wheel

理性的决策制定者 终于可以操控方向盘，

and I can start working on the talk.

我可以开始准备这次演讲。

Now, the Panic Monster explains

恐慌怪兽的存在解释了

all kinds of pretty insane procrastinator behavior,

所有这些相当愚蠢的拖延行为

like how someone like me could spend two weeks

就比如我这样的人花了两个星期

unable to start the opening sentence of a paper,

还没办法开始写论文的开头语，

and then miraculously find the unbelievable work ethic

然后奇迹般地又拥有了 令人难以置信的工作热情

to stay up all night and write eight pages.

整晚熬夜写了8页。

And this entire situation, with the three characters --

整个情况中的三种角色

this is the procrastinator's system.

构建了拖延者的系统。

It's not pretty, but in the end, it works.

不美好，但是至少还有用。

This is what I decided to write about on the blog a couple of years ago.

这是我几年前决定在博客写的东西。

When I did, I was amazed by the response.

发布之后， 收到的回应让我大吃一惊。

Literally thousands of emails came in,

我收到几千封邮件，

from all different kinds of people from all over the world,

来自世界各地不同地方的人，

doing all different kinds of things.

他们做着各种不同的事儿。

These are people who were nurses, bankers, painters, engineers

有护士、银行家、画家、工程师

and lots and lots of PhD students.

还有很多很多博士生。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And they were all writing, saying the same thing:

内容基本上差不多：

"I have this problem too."

“我也有这个问题。”

But what struck me was the contrast between the light tone of the post

但是让我印象深刻的是那种反差， 帖子的轻松口吻

and the heaviness of these emails.

和那些邮件的沉重语气的反差。

These people were writing with intense frustration

这些人有强烈的挫败感

about what procrastination had done to their lives,

因为拖延影响到他们的生活，

about what this Monkey had done to them.

因为猴子控制了他们的想法。

And I thought about this, and I said,

思考之后，我的问题是

well, if the procrastinator's system works, then what's going on?

如果拖延者的系统是有效的， 那么到底是怎么回事？

Why are all of these people in such a dark place?

为什么这些人身陷 如此灰暗的境地？

Well, it turns out that there's two kinds of procrastination.

结果我发现原来有两种拖延。

Everything I've talked about today, the examples I've given,

我今天谈到的，上面举过的例子

they all have deadlines.

都有截止期。

And when there's deadlines,

有截止期的时候，

the effects of procrastination are contained to the short term

拖延的影响 被限制在一个较短的期限内

because the Panic Monster gets involved.

因为恐慌怪兽会介入。

But there's a second kind of procrastination

但是对于第二种拖延来说

that happens in situations when there is no deadline.

它发生在没有截止期的情况下。

So if you wanted a career where you're a self-starter --

比如你想自己创业

something in the arts, something entrepreneurial --

或者从事艺术类的工作，

there's no deadlines on those things at first, because nothing's happening,

起初并没有截止期， 因为在你还没有开始努力干活之前

not until you've gone out and done the hard work

不会有任何事情发生

to get momentum, get things going.

没有产生推进力让事情继续进行。

There's also all kinds of important things outside of your career

除了事业之外那些重要的事情

that don't involve any deadlines,

也没有截止期，

like seeing your family or exercising and taking care of your health,

比如看望你的家庭， 或者锻炼身体保持身体健康，

working on your relationship

努力改善恋人关系

or getting out of a relationship that isn't working.

或者离开一段不满意的关系。

Now if the procrastinator's only mechanism of doing these hard things

如果拖延者做这些困难的事 只有一种机制

is the Panic Monster, that's a problem,

即恐慌怪兽，那么问题来了，

because in all of these non-deadline situations,

因为在这些没有截止期的情况下，

the Panic Monster doesn't show up.

恐慌怪兽根本不会出现。

He has nothing to wake up for,

他没有需要醒来的时候，

so the effects of procrastination, they're not contained;

于是拖延的后果是不受限制的，

they just extend outward forever.

他们只会无限延期。

And it's this long-term kind of procrastination

而这种长期的拖延

that's much less visible and much less talked about

比起更有趣、更短期、 基于截止期的那种拖延来说，

than the funnier, short-term deadline-based kind.

不那么明显，也不经常被谈论。

It's usually suffered quietly and privately.

它通常是安静地、悄悄地影响我们。

And it can be the source

它可能是

of a huge amount of long-term unhappiness, and regrets.

大量长期不快乐、内疚的来源。

And I thought, that's why those people are emailing,

我觉得，这才是那些人 发来邮件的原因，

and that's why they're in such a bad place.

这才是他们处于 如此糟糕状况的原因。

It's not that they're cramming for some project.

不是因为他们为了某个项目狂赶，

It's that long-term procrastination has made them feel like a spectator,

而是这种长期拖延 使他们感觉在他们自己的生活中

at times, in their own lives.

有时好像只是一个旁观者。

The frustration is not that they couldn't achieve their dreams;

他们的沮丧不是因为 他们无法实现自己的梦想；

it's that they weren't even able to start chasing them.

而是他们甚至无法开始 去追逐自己的梦想。

So I read these emails and I had a little bit of an epiphany --

所以读完这些邮件之后， 我有一点领悟

that I don't think non-procrastinators exist.

我认为不存在不拖延的人。

That's right -- I think all of you are procrastinators.

没错，我认为大家都是拖延者。

Now, you might not all be a mess,

你也许并不是像我们这样，

like some of us,

每方面都一团糟，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

and some of you may have a healthy relationship with deadlines,

也许有些人可以 很好的面对截止日期，

but remember: the Monkey's sneakiest trick

但是请记住：猴子最卑鄙的伎俩

is when the deadlines aren't there.

在于没有截止日期的部分。

Now, I want to show you one last thing.

现在我想给大家最后看一样东西。

I call this a Life Calendar.

我把它叫做生命日历。

That's one box for every week of a 90-year life.

假设一个人可以活到90岁， 每个星期是一个格子。

That's not that many boxes,

其实没多少格子，

especially since we've already used a bunch of those.

尤其是我们已经活了这么多年。

So I think we need to all take a long, hard look at that calendar.

我认为我们都需要花些时间， 认真看一下这个生命日历。

We need to think about what we're really procrastinating on,

我们需要认真思考 我们真正拖延的是什么，

because everyone is procrastinating on something in life.

因为每个人都在拖延某件事。

We need to stay aware of the Instant Gratification Monkey.

我们得时刻意识到 即时满足这个猴子的存在。

That's a job for all of us.

这是我们所有人都应该做的事儿。

And because there's not that many boxes on there,

而且因为格子并不多，

it's a job that should probably start today.

这项工作也许应该从今天就开始。

Well, maybe not today, but ...

好吧，也许不是今天，但是...

(Laughter)

（笑声）

You know.

你懂的。

Sometime soon.

不久的将来。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

(掌声）