爱思英语编者按：俗话说，磨刀不误砍柴工。意思就说准备工作要做好，如果刀没磨好，如何顺利的砍柴、展开工作呢？这里介绍了一些准备的方法，应该会对你有所帮助。

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham Lincoln
如果让我用6个小时来砍一棵树，我会用前面4个小时来磨砺我的斧头。
阿伯拉罕·林肯

A great quote, isn’t it? It’s the opposite of what many people do. When they have a project to work on, many people just work on it directly with little or no preparation. To the contrary, smart people prepare things well in advance and that way they outperform those with little or no preparation. They accomplish the job in less time and with less stress. That’s what I call working smart.
一个非常好的引用，是吧？但现实中的很多人都反过来做：当要做某件事情时，很多人只略做准备，甚至一点也不准备就开始工作了。相反地，聪明的人都选择在动手前做充分的准备，以此来超越那些略做准备或不做准备的人，他们在较小的压力下用较短的时间来完成工作。这就是我所说的高效工作。

Preparation is essential to work smart.At a glance, it may seem like a waste of time. Isn’t it better to use the time to get the job done? Isn’t it better to get to work directly? But preparation can make the difference between being productive and just being tired.
做准备是高效工作的前提。乍一看这像是浪费时间，用做准备的时间来投入工作不更好吗？直接开始工作不更好吗？但是，做了准备，你将能高效地工作；不做准备，你只会越做越累，这就是不同。

Here are three ways preparation can help you:
以下是3个做准备的方法，应该会对你有所帮助：

1.Preparation helps you find if something is worth doing.
做准备可让你发现某件事是否值得去做。
Few things waste your time more than working on the wrong project. So it’s wise to check first if something is worth doing. Is it the best use of your time and resources? Is there other project that can give you better return for your investment? Spend time to find out whether or not the project is feasible. The time saved from not doing the wrong project far outweighs the time spent to research it.
没有什么比做不值得的事情更浪费时间的了，所以先检查某件事是否值得做是很明智的。它能使你最理想地利用你的时间和资源吗？有没有其它让你的投入获得更大回报的项目？花时间来弄清楚这个项目是否可行。在研究项目可行性上所花的时间将可避免你做不可行的事情，这将为你省下比这多得多的时间。

2.Preparation helps you find the most efficient way to do things.
做准备将帮你找出做事情的最高效方式。
Once you decide that a project is worth doing, the next step is finding the most efficient way to do it. Those with no preparation will use the first method they can think of or the one they are familiar with. But chance is there are other methods out there that can do things better and faster. Do some research to find them. One good way is by watching how the best people in your field work. Find several models and observe the advantages and disadvantages of their methods. Pay special attention to methods that are radically different from what you know. Then combine the best methods to create something that suits your style and situation.
一旦你确定某件事情值得做，下一步该找出怎样才能最高效地完成任务的方法。不做准备的人会采用他们所想到的第一个方法或比较熟悉的手段，但很可能有其它能更快更好地完成任务的方式。做一些研究来把这样的方式找出来，管用的办法之一就是看看你所处领域中那些顶尖人物是怎么做的。在这些人中定几个作为榜样，观察他们所用方法的优点和缺点，对那些跟你所知道的非常不同的方法要多加留意，然后把最好的几个方法以适合你的风格和状况的方式结合起来使用。

3.Preparation makes you ready when opportunity comes. 更多信息请访问：http://www.engbus.cn/
做准备可以让你抓住机遇。
You shouldn’t prepare yourself only when you have a project ahead. Even when there is no project, you should keep building your skills and knowledge. Keep learning, keep growing, and open your eyes. That way when opportunity comes you will be ready to grab it. As Seneca said: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
不要只在眼前有事情要完成时才做准备，即使目前没有什么任务，你也要不停歇地锻炼你的技能和充实你的知识。不断地学习，不断地成长，不断地拓宽自己的视野，这样机会来临时你已做好一切准备来抓住它，正如塞涅卡所说： 机会总是眷顾那些做好准备的人。

There is a danger though: you could be over-prepared. Being over-prepared is dangerous because you may then take action way too late or never take action at all. Even worse, some people use preparation as an excuse not to take action. Don’t let this happen to you. Do only the preparation that significantly contributes to your project and your personal growth. Prepare well but don’t over-prepare.
有一点要注意：你可能会准备过度。准备过度是危险的，因为你可能会太迟才开始行动或根本就不开始行动。更糟糕的是，有些人会用做准备来作为不采取行动的借口。不要让这种事发生在你身上，只做对你的工作有贡献和对你的成长有利的准备，准备好就够，千万别准备过度。

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