新年要有新開始:伊始應該要做的7件事
Cleaning out your closet. Defragging your hard drive. Updating your resume.
收拾櫥櫃，整理硬盤文件，更新個人簡歷。What do all of these have in common? They’re nagging little jobs on most of our “to-do” lists that we keep putting off because they’re tedious and boring. They keep getting pushed to the back of the queue, gathering dust and being neglected until we’re forced to take care of them for one reason or another, at which point we end up stressed, panicky, and resentful.
這些事情都有什麼共同點？在我們的待辦清單上，這些大多是煩人的小事情，又乏味又單調，所以我們總是不斷推遲去做。它們被不斷地推遲到清單的末尾，慢慢塵封被我們遺忘。而當我們因爲這樣或那樣的原因不得不開始處理這些事情時，結果可能會使我們陷入充滿壓力恐慌和易怒的狀態。Fortunately, there’s no time like the present to finally get around to doing these tasks, and having them all over and done with for the New Year and allow yourself to start the next year with a clean slate. Below are a few suggestions about some of the tasks you might like to tackle, if you have time to do so:
幸運的是，再也沒有一個時間比現在更合適來讓我們處理這些任務了。新年伊始我們把這些都圓滿解決了，我們就能輕裝上陣開始新的一年。下面是新年你可能需要處理的一些事情，如果有時間就開始做吧：
1. Clean out your email
1. 清理電子郵件Most of us have a plethora of unread emails lounging around in our in-boxes, as well as old drafts, spam, and various other sundries tucked into different folders. Instead of just vegging out in front of the TV after supper, consider putting on some music and sifting through your folders to clear them out. Doing this for 20 minutes/night for just a few evenings will tidy things up nicely.
對於大部分人來說，可能都有太多的未讀郵件安靜地躺在收件箱裏，還有一些舊的工作草案、垃圾郵件和各種待辦雜事堆積在不同的文件夾裏。晚飯後不要只是呆呆地坐在電視機前看電視，不如放上點音樂，仔細翻查下文件夾清理下電子郵件吧。每晚做上20分鐘，可能只要幾個晚上，就能把電子郵件裏的東西收拾整齊。2. Review and update your address book
2. 查看並更新地址薄Do you really need to hold onto the email addresses belonging to people you worked with in 2003? Take a few minutes to sort through your address book and cull those that you haven’t communicated with, along with old addresses that your friends/family don’t use anymore.
你不會真的還留着2003年和你共事的人的電子郵箱地址吧？花上幾分鐘，對地址簿進行一下分類整理，剔除那些你基本沒怎麼聯繫的人，順便去掉那些家人朋友不再用的舊地址吧。3. Clean your computer (inside and out) and tidy up your workstation
3. 徹底清潔電腦，收拾你的工作區While you’re tidying up all those files, consider using this opportunity as a chance to clean up your desk (and your computer itself). If you have a CPU tower, take it apart so you can vacuum out all the dust and pet hair that might have accumulated in there. Toss away any take-out containers or empty energy drink cans around your desk, give everything a solid once-over with some spray cleaner, and be sure to clean your keyboard too—those things get nasty.
當你在整理這些文件夾的時候，不妨也利用這個機會收拾一下你的工作臺（還有你的電腦）。如果你使用的是立式主機，記得把主機拆開，這樣可以使用吸塵器整理裏面堆積的灰塵和寵物毛髮。把辦公桌上的外賣盒子和空飲料瓶統統丟掉，用噴霧清潔劑將所有的東西都仔細清理一遍，別忘了也要清潔鍵盤，這些都特別容易髒。4. File and organize papers, bills, statements, and receipts
4. 分類整理文件、賬單、報表和收據Keeping these in order can come in handy, especially since tax season is just around the corner. Try to organize them so your receipts and statements are together, with outstanding bills and invoices in another section.
把這些東西按順序整理，早晚能派上用處，特別是即將到來的報稅季節。好好整理下，收據和報表最好放在一起， 未償付票據和單據歸在另一類。5. Update your personal budget, resume and bio
5. 更新個人收支預算和簡歷As you go through your papers, take note of your spending habits over the last year. Have you gone overboard with spending? Been too frugal? Compare your habits to your bank account, and then consider re-adjusting your personal budget to even things out a bit.
在處理上述文件時，可以記下去年的消費習慣。是不是過度支出了？還是太節儉了？將你的消費習慣與銀行賬戶進行比較，考慮下重新調整你的預算，使收支更爲平衡一些。On that same note, if you find that you’ve struggled to make ends meet or that you’re not being paid what you’re worth, it might be time to update your resume and look for a new job. If instead you’re perfectly happy with where you are, but you’ve had some major life changes (moved to a new city/country, earned a degree, got married, etc.) then you might want to update your bio on various networking sites.
與此同時，如果你發現自己收入勉強維持生活，或是覺得自己工作並沒有得到應有的工資報酬，也許是時候更新下簡歷找一份新工作了。如果你對自己目前的狀況非常滿意，但在過去的一年你經歷了一些比較重大的生活改變（比方說搬到新城市/國家，獲得學位，結婚等），那你也許需要去各種社交網站更新下自己的最新狀態。6. Reduce clutter, and give things away
6. 減少雜亂，送掉你不需要的一些東西You would not believe how much stuff can accumulate in cupboards and closets, particularly in the bathroom. Set aside an hour or so to sort through everything under the sink to see just how many unused soaps, creams, razors, and other sundries you’ve collected, and then decide whether you’re actually going to use them or not. If you will, think about displaying them in a basket or keeping them at hand so you’ll use them up. If you’ll never touch the things, give them away to friends who’ll use them, or donate them.
你可能想不到你的壁櫥和櫃子裏到底能堆多少東西，特別是浴室裏的櫃子。空出大約一個小時的時間，清理水槽下的所有東西，你會發現自己到底蒐集了多少從未用過的肥皂、面霜、刮鬍刀和其他雜物，然後可以決定到底會不會用這些。如果要用的，就把它們放在籃子裏，擺在顯眼方便的地方，這樣你纔會想到去用；如果不打算用，就把它們贈送給需要的朋友，或者可以直接捐掉。7. Clean out your closet, and donate your old clothes
7. 整理壁櫥，把舊衣服捐掉A good rule to stick to as far as clothing is concerned is to give away anything you haven’t worn in over 2 years. For each piece you give away, you can buy yourself something new that fits both your figure and your current fashion sense, but don’t hold on to something that will never fit or come back into style again.
關於衣物有一條很好的處理原則：把那些你超過兩年沒穿的衣服統統送給別人吧！每一件你送出去的衣服，你都可以去買一件更適合你現在身材和時尚感的新衣服，不過不要堅持買那些不適合也基本不會迴歸流行的款式了。Once you’ve taken care of all of these tasks, all you really need to do is make some goals for 2013. If you find that you tend to self-sabotage official resolutions, consider just making some short-term goals that are easy to attain: reaching them will boost your confidence, and might encourage you to pursue some more intense, longer-term goals in turn.
一旦你開始處理這些事務，你就真的需要爲2013制定一些新目標了。如果你發現那些正式的新年目標可能都沒法堅持到底，那不如考慮先制定一些容易達成的短期目標吧：實現這些可以增強你的自信心，也會鼓勵你繼續追求強度更大的長期目標。
