让你完成更多工作的10个简单方法

The New York Times recently ran an article about how email can make people less productive. However, misuse of email is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Here are 10 actions that you can take today that can make you at least twice as productive as your colleagues.
《纽约时报》最近发表了一篇关于电子邮件会让人效率低下的文章。然而，滥用电子邮件只是让人效率低下的那众所周知的冰山一角。你今天就可以尝试下面的这十种做法，这些做法会让你的效率至少是同事的两倍。

1. Avoid meetings that lack an agenda.
1.避免参加缺少议程的会议。

Meetings can only be productive if people know why they're meeting in the first place. An agenda provides focus and purpose. The lack of an agenda guarantees meandering conversations that dive into rat holes. They're a waste of your (and everyone else's) time.
只有当人们一开始就知道开会的目的时，会议才会富有成效。议程可以提供着眼点和议题。没有议程会让谈话不断转移话题。这样的谈话是在浪费你（和其他人）的时间。

2. Never pick up on an unknown caller.
2. 不要接听未知来电。

Unless you're working in telesales or product support, there's no reason why you should ever take a call from somebody you don't know. After all, when was the last time you took an unexpected call that was truly important? Days?Weeks?Months?
除非你是做电话销售或产品支持这样的工作，否则没有理由接听陌生人的电话。想一想，上次你接听未知号码来电而那次通话真的很重要是什么时候的事情？几天前？几周前？还是几个月前？

3. Permanently turn off your voice mail.
3.把语音邮件永久关闭。

A voice-mail message consumes minutes of your time (more if you have to replay) to communicate information you could absorb from an email in seconds. Explain in your outgoing message that you don't use voice mail, and instead provide your email address.
语音邮件会占用你几分钟的时间（如果你还得回复的话则会占用更多的时间）来交流本来用电子邮件几秒钟就能了解的信息。对外解释你不使用语音邮件，并提供你的电子邮件地址。

4. Hone your email program's sorting rules.
4.改善电子邮件中的排序规则

It takes time and energy to change gear to sort through (and respond to) a long list of disconnected messages. Most email programs allow you to route different types of messages into folders, where you can review and respond en masse rather than piecemeal.
要想对大量无关联消息进行排序需要时间和精力。大部分的电子邮件程序支持把不同类型的消息放入到文件夹的功能，用户可以在文件夹中批量查看并回复消息，而不需要一条一条地进行处理。

5. Periodically disable email and texting.
5.定期禁用电子邮件和短信。

When you must do creative work or absorb complex information, the last thing you need is your computer and phone chirping and beeping for your attention. Whatever it is, it can wait until you've finished the task at hand.
当你必须做创造性的工作或处理复杂信息时，你最不需要的就是让电脑或手机发出蜂鸣声吸引你的注意。无论是什么事情，都可以等到处理完手头上的工作再去做。