We all have days, or even weeks, on the job when our productivity declines. But if your output has been steadily diminishing, it could be because you're wasting time rather than focusing on key tasks at hand. If that's the case, the sooner you curb that behavior, the less likely it'll be to compromise your job. Here are a few steps you can take to stop wasting time at work–and start doing your job more efficiently.

我们每天甚至每周都会感觉我们的工作效率在下降，但如果你的产出效率在持续下降，可能是因为你在浪费时间而非专注于手头的重要工作。如果是这样的原因，你的工作效率会越来越低。这有一些建议可以使你在工作中减少时间的浪费，使你的工作更有效率。 

1. Lock yourself in quiet spaces 

1、置身于安静的工作场所 

It's easy to get distracted at the office when you're surrounded by chatty colleagues and side conversations that are far more interesting than the work you're supposed to be doing. But if you let yourself get sucked into those discussions, you're likely to fall behind and incur your boss's wrath as a result. If you can't tear yourself away from the folks around you long enough to stop wasting time, remove the temptation by regularly setting up shop in a quieter spot in the office, like the corner conference room most folks forget about. You might even ask your manager for permission to use his or her office if your boss doesn't use it all that much. 

当你在办公室周围的同事都在闲聊时，你很容易就分心了。聊天可比做你应该做的工作有意思多了。但是如果你放任自己置身于这样的闲聊，你很可能沉迷于其中最终导致你的老板生气。如果你无法将自己抽离出来停止浪费时间，暂时离开一会儿给自己一个找一个安静的地方，比如说大家都忘记的角落里的会议室。你甚至可以得到你的经理的许可使用他的办公室如果他并不是经常用。 

2. Turn off your cellphone 

2、关掉手机 

A quick text message here and there during the workday might seem innocent enough, but a brief back-and-forth can quickly turn into a full-fledged conversation–one that takes you away from more important tasks. If you're eager to stop wasting time at the office, silence your cellphone. Give family members and close friends a way to reach you in an emergency (such as by calling your office's landline), and turn on that phone only during designated breaks. 

在工作日发一条短讯似乎不算太过，但一个简短来回信息很快就会进入完全聊天模式——让你错过一个重要任务。当你不想在办公室继续浪费时间，那就远离你的手机。给你的亲人和朋友一个紧急联系方式（比如办公室的座机），然后在指定的间歇时间使用手机。 

3. Organize your calendar 

3、创建日历 

It's easy to inadvertently waste time when you don't have a preset schedule outlining your days at work. But if you're guilty of not maximizing your time at the office, it'll help to create a daily calendar with blocks of time for various tasks. For example, if you give yourself from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. to write up your weekly data analysis report, you'll be less likely to waste time during that period knowing that you only have an hour allocated to that task. 

当你没有一个预先设定的时间表来安排你的工作日时，很容易不经意地浪费时间。但是，如果你内疚于没能把办公室的时间最大化利用起来，那么创建一个有时间段的每日日历可以帮助你减轻这种愧疚感。例如，如果你把下午4点到下午5点的时间留给自己写每周数据分析报告，那么在这段时间内，你就不太可能浪费时间，因为你知道只有一个小时分配给该任务。 

4. Organize your space 

4、整理办公空间 

A messy workspace can make you downright inefficient even when you're trying to do better. If your desk is full of clutter, carve out some time to get it organized. Shred papers you don't need, file essential documents in some sort of order, and make your supplies more accessible. The less time you spend navigating the disaster zone that is your workspace, the more time you'll free up to actually do your job. 

即使你想做得更好，但凌乱的工作环境会让你效率低下。如果你的办公桌堆满了杂物，那就挤出点时间把它整理一下。撕碎你不需要的文件，把重要的文件按一定的顺序归档，让你的物品更容易拿到。你花在“灾难区”(也就是你的工作区)时间越少，你就会有更多的时间来真正做你的工作。

5. Build in breaks 

5、建立休息时间 

Sometimes we waste time at work by talking to colleagues, checking text messages, or surfing the internet because our minds need a break from the constant grind. If that sounds like you, then you're better off scheduling some breaks during the day but powering through otherwise. For example, you might carve out 20 minutes in the morning or afternoon to chat with coworkers or look at your favorite websites. This way, you'll get that need out of your system so you can then go back to concentrating. 

有时候我们在工作中浪费时间在和同事聊天，查看短信，或者上网这些事上，因为我们的大脑需要在不断的苦差事（工作）中得到休息。如果这听起来像你（的情况），那么你最好安排一些休息时间，但也要坚持下去。例如，你可以抽出20分钟在早上或下午与同事聊天或浏览你最喜欢的网站。这样，你就可以把这种需要从你的系统中释放出来，这样你就可以重新集中注意力。 

The more time you waste at work, the more your manager and peers are apt to take notice– and that's a good way to hurt your reputation and put your job at risk. Instead, clean up your act and keep searching for ways to be more efficient. Doing so might also spare you the misery of having to burn the midnight oil when deadlines loom and your work just hasn't gotten done. 

你在工作中浪费的时间越多，你的经理和同事就越容易被注意到——这是一个伤害你声誉和使你的工作处于危险中的好方法。相反，清理你的行为，继续寻找更有效的方法。这样做也可以让你省去在最后期限临近而你的工作还没有完成时不得不在午夜加班的痛苦。