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"Never put off till tomorrow," exhorted Lord Chesterfield in 1749, "what you can do today.” That the elegant earl never got around to marrying his son's mother² and had a bad habit of keeping worthies like Dr. Johnson cooling their heels for hours in an anteroom attests to³ the fact that even the most well-intentioned men have been postponers ever⁴. Quintus Fabius Maximus, one of the great Roman generals, was dubbed "Cunctator" (Delayer) for putting off battle until the last possible vinum break.⁵ Moses pleaded a speech defect to rationalize his reluctance to deliver Jehovah's edict to Pharaoh.⁶ Hamlet, of course, raised procrastination to an art form.
1749 年，切斯特菲尔德勋爵告诫人们：“今日事，今日毕。”然而，这位优雅的伯爵自己却从未与他儿子的母亲完婚，并且有个坏习惯，喜欢让约翰逊博士这样的名流在接待室里一等就是好几个小时。这都说明，即便是最善意的人，也难免有拖延的毛病。古罗马名将昆图斯·费边·马克西姆斯因总是将战事拖到最后一刻才开打，而被戏称为“拖延者”。摩西则以口吃为由，为自己不愿向法老传达耶和华的旨意找借口。当然，还有哈姆雷特，他简直把拖延症升华成了一门艺术。
The world is probably about evenly divided between delayers and do-it-nowers. There are those who prepare their income taxes in February⁸, prepay mortgages and serve precisely planned dinners at an ungodly 6:30 p.m. The other half dine happily on leftovers at 9 or 10, misplace bills and file for an extension of the income tax deadline. They seldom pay credit-card bills until the apocalyptic voice of Diners threatens doom from Denver⁹. They postpone, as Faustian encounters¹⁰, visits to barbershop, dentist or doctor.
这世上的人，大概可以平均分为“拖延派”和“行动派”。有些人二月份就开始准备报税，提前偿还抵押贷款，还会在下午六点半这个非同寻常的时间点准时端上精心准备的晚餐。而另一半人则在晚上九、十点钟才悠然享用剩菜剩饭，账单随手乱丢，还会申请延期报税。他们总是拖到信用卡公司发出催款警告，才不紧不慢地去还信用卡账单。他们还会像浮士德对待魔鬼一样，把理发、看牙医或看医生的事一拖再拖。
Yet for all the trouble procrastination may incur, delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul. Jean Kerr¹¹, author of many successful novels and plays, says that she reads every soup-can and jam-jar label in her kitchen before settling down to her typewriter. Many a writer focuses on almost anything but his task—for example, on the Coast and Geodetic Survey of Maine's Frenchman Bay and Bar Harbor, stimulating his imagination with names like Googins Ledge, Blunts Pond, Hio Hill and Burnt Porcupine, Long Porcupine, Sheep Porcupine and Bald Porcupine islands¹².
尽管拖延可能会带来不少麻烦，但它往往也能激发和唤醒创作者的灵魂。写过多部畅销小说和剧本的作家琼·科尔说，她在坐到打字机前开始写作之前，会把厨房里每个汤罐和果酱瓶上的标签都读一遍。许多作家也都会把注意力放在各种无关紧要的事情上，而不是专注于手头的任务。例如，缅因州法国人湾和巴尔港的海岸和大地测量，用古金斯礁、布朗茨池塘、希奥山以及伯恩特波丘派恩岛、长波丘派恩岛、绵羊波丘派恩岛和秃波丘派恩岛等地名来激发想象力。
From Cunctator's day until this century, the art of postponement had been virtually a monopoly of the military ("Hurry up and wait"), diplomacy and the law. In former times, a British proconsul faced with a native uprising could comfortably ruminate about the situation with Singapore Sling¹³ in hand. Blessedly, he had no nattering Telex¹⁴ to order in machine guns and fresh troops. A U.S. general as late as World War II could agree with his enemy counterpart¹⁵ to take a sporting day off, loot the villagers' chickens and wine and go back to battle a day later. Lawyers are among the world's most addicted postponers. According to Frank Nathan, a nonpostponing Beverly Hills¹⁶ insurance salesman, "The number of attorneys who die without a will is amazing."
从“拖延者”昆图斯的时代到本世纪，拖延的艺术几乎成了军事（“赶紧给我等着”）、外交和法律领域的专利。在过去，一位英国总督面对当地人的起义，大可以一边悠闲地喝着新加坡司令鸡尾酒，一边从容思考对策。值得庆幸的是，他没有喋喋不休的电传机来催促他调遣机枪和新兵。甚至到了二战时期，一位美国将军还可以和他的敌方将领约定好，一起休战一天，去抢夺村民的鸡和酒，第二天再回去接着打仗。律师则是世界上最严重的拖延症患者群体之一。正如从不拖延的贝弗利山保险推销员弗兰克·内森所说：“令人惊讶的是，很多律师到死都没立下遗嘱。”
Even where there is no will, there is a way.¹⁷ There is a difference, of course, between chronic procrastination and purposeful postponement, particularly in the higher echelons of business. Corporate dynamics¹⁸ encourage the caution that breeds delay, says Richard Manderbach, Bank of America¹⁹ group vice president. He notes that speedy action can be embarrassing or extremely costly. The data explosion²⁰ fortifies those seeking excuses for inaction—another report to be read, another authority to be consulted. "There is always," says Manderbach, "a delicate edge²¹ between having enough information and too much."
即便没有遗嘱，也总有办法。当然，习惯性拖延和有目的的推迟是有区别的，尤其是在企业高层中。美国银行集团副总裁理查德·曼德巴赫表示，企业文化鼓励谨慎行事，而谨慎往往会导致拖延。他指出，行动过快可能会令人尴尬或造成极大的损失。数据爆炸则为那些寻找借口拖延的人提供了更多理由——又有报告要读了，又有专家要咨询了。“在掌握足够的信息和信息过多之间，”曼德巴赫说，“总是存在着微妙的界限。”
His point is well taken.²² Bureaucratization²³, which flourished amid the growing burdens of government and the greater complexity of society, was designed to smother policymakers in blankets of legalism, compromise and reappraisal²⁴—and thereby prevent hasty decisions from being made. The centralization of government that led to Watergate²⁵ has spread to economic institutions and beyond, making procrastination a worldwide way of life. Many languages are studded with phrases that refer to putting things off—from the Spanish manana²⁶ to the Arabic bukra fil mishmish (literally "tomorrow in apricots," more loosely "leave it for the soft spring weather when the apricots are blooming").
他说的很有道理。随着政府负担的日益加重和社会的日益复杂化，官僚主义应运而生。它的设计初衷就是用繁文缛节、妥协和反复评估来束缚决策者，从而防止他们做出草率的决定。导致水门事件的政府权力集中化已经蔓延到经济机构和其他领域，使得拖延成为一种全球化的生活方式。许多语言中都有表示拖延的短语，比如西班牙语中的“mañana”，以及阿拉伯语中的“bukra fil mishmish”（字面意思是“杏子成熟的明天”，引申义为“等杏子成熟的温暖春季再说吧”）。
Academe also takes high honors²⁷ in procrastination. Bernard Sklar, a University of Southern California sociologist who churns out three to five pages of writing a day, admits that "many of my friends go through agonies when they face a blank page. There are all sorts of rationalizations: the pressure of teaching, responsibilities at home, checking out the latest book, looking up another footnote."
学术界也是拖延症的“重灾区”。南加州大学的社会学家伯纳德·斯克拉每天都能写出三到五页的文章，但他承认：“我的许多朋友在面对空白页时都会感到极度痛苦。他们会找各种各样的理由来拖延：教学的压力、家庭的责任、查阅最新的书籍、寻找另一条脚注等等。”
Psychologists maintain that the most assiduous procrastinators²⁸ are women, though many psychologists are (at $50-plus an hour) pretty good delayers themselves. Dr. Ralph Greenson, a U.C.L.A.?²⁹ professor of clinical psychiatry (and Marilyn Monroe's³⁰ one-time shrink), takes a fairly gentle view of procrastination. "To many people," he says, "doing something, confronting, is the moment of truth³¹. All frightened people will then avoid the moment of truth entirely, or evade or postpone it until the last possible moment." To Georgia State Psychologist Joen Fagan, however, procrastination may be a kind of subliminal way of sorting the important from the trivial. “When I drag my feet, there's usually some reason," says Fagan. “I feel it, but I don't yet know the real reason."
心理学家认为，最顽固的拖延症患者是女性，尽管许多心理学家自己（每小时收费 50 多美元）也是相当厉害的拖延者。加州大学洛杉矶分校临床精神病学教授拉尔夫·格林森博士（也是玛丽莲·梦露的心理医生）对拖延症持相当温和的看法。“对许多人来说，”他说，“做某件事，直面问题，就是‘真相时刻’。所有感到害怕的人都会完全回避真相时刻，或者逃避、推迟它，直到最后一刻。”然而，佐治亚州立大学的心理学家乔恩·费根认为，拖延可能是一种潜意识里区分重要和琐碎事情的方式。“当我拖延的时候，通常是有原因的，”费根说，“我能感觉到，但我还不知道真正的原因。”
In fact, there is a long and honorable history of procrastination to suggest that many ideas and decisions may well improve if postponed. It is something of a truism that to put off making a decision is itself a decision. The parliamentary process³² is essentially a system of delay and deliberation. So, for that matter, is the creation of a great painting, or an entree, or a book, or a building like Blenheim Palace³³, which took the Duke of Marlborough's³⁴ architects and laborers 15 years to construct. In the process, the design can mellow and marinate. Indeed, hurry can be the assassin of elegance. As T.H. White³⁵, author of Sword in the Stone, once wrote, time "is not meant to be devoured in an hour or a day, but to be consumed delicately and gradually and without haste."³⁶ In other words, pace³⁷ Lord Chesterfield, what you don't necessarily have to do today, by all means put off until tomorrow.
事实上，拖延有着悠久而光荣的历史，这表明许多想法和决定如果推迟可能会变得更好。“推迟做决定本身就是一种决定”这句话在某种程度上是老生常谈了。议会程序本质上就是一个拖延和审议的系统。同样，创作一幅伟大的画作、一道主菜、一本书或一座像布莱尼姆宫这样的建筑也是如此，马尔堡公爵的建筑师和工人们花了 15 年才建成它。在这个过程中，设计可以不断完善和升华。事实上，仓促行事可能会扼杀优雅。正如《石中剑》的作者 T.H. 怀特曾经写道，时间“不是用来在一小时或一天内吞噬掉的，而是要从容不迫、循序渐进地去享用的。”换句话说，恕我冒犯切斯特菲尔德勋爵，你今天不一定非要做的事情，完全可以推迟到明天再做。
Summary
The article explores the concept of procrastination, examining its prevalence, causes, and consequences. It distinguishes between chronic procrastination and purposeful postponement, arguing that while the former can be detrimental, the latter can be beneficial, especially in creative and decision-making processes. The article provides historical and contemporary examples of procrastination, analyzes its psychological underpinnings, and suggests that delay can sometimes lead to better outcomes. It concludes that procrastination is a complex behavior with both negative and positive aspects, and that it should not always be viewed as a flaw.
这篇文章探讨了拖延症的概念，分析了它的普遍性、原因和后果。文章区分了长期拖延和有目的的推迟，认为前者可能是有害的，而后者可能是有益的，特别是在创造和决策过程中。文章提供了拖延症的历史和当代的例子，分析了它的心理基础，并提出延迟有时可以带来更好的结果。文章的结论是，拖延症是一种复杂的行为，既有消极的一面，也有积极的一面，不应该总是被视为一种缺陷。
Analysis
"Never put off till tomorrow," exhorted Lord Chesterfield in 1749, "what you can do today." That the elegant earl never got around to marrying his son's mother and had a bad habit of keeping worthies like Dr. Johnson cooling their heels for hours in an anteroom attests to the fact that even the most well-intentioned men have been postponers ever.
解析： 这句话的难点在于其复杂的句式结构和嵌入的多个修饰成分。“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today”是切斯特菲尔德勋爵的名言，意为“今日事今日毕”。“That”引导的从句是句子的主语部分，其中“the elegant earl”指代切斯特菲尔德勋爵，“never got around to marrying his son's mother”和“had a bad habit of keeping worthies like Dr. Johnson cooling their heels for hours in an anteroom”是并列的两个谓语部分，描述了他的拖延行为。“got around to”意为“抽出时间做某事”，“cooling their heels”是一个习语，意为“长时间无所事事地等待”，“anteroom”指“前厅”或“接待室”。“attests to the fact”意为“证明了……的事实”，其后是同位语从句，说明即使是最有良好意愿的人也一直是拖延者。“ever”在这里是副词，表示“一直”、“总是”。整个句子通过对比切斯特菲尔德勋爵的名言和他自己的拖延行为，说明了拖延症的普遍性。
They seldom pay credit-card bills until the apocalyptic voice of Diners threatens doom from Denver.
解析： 这句话的难点在于其使用的隐喻和典故。“apocalyptic voice of Diners”是一个隐喻表达，将信用卡公司的催款电话比作《圣经·启示录》中预示世界末日的声音。“Diners”指“大来国际信用卡”，“doom from Denver”使用头韵修辞，增强了表达的节奏感和力量。“Denver”可能是指大来国际信用卡的某个催款中心所在地。整个句子生动形象地描绘了拖延者只有在信用卡公司发出严厉警告时才会去支付账单的行为。
Yet for all the trouble procrastination may incur, delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul. Jean Kerr, author of many successful novels and plays, says that she reads every soup-can and jam-jar label in her kitchen before settling down to her typewriter.
解析： 这句话的难点在于“for all”的用法和抽象的表达。“for all”在这里表示“尽管”，引导一个让步状语从句。“incur”意为“招致”、“引起”。“delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul”是一个抽象的表达，说明延迟可以激发和恢复一个人的创造力。“creative soul”指“有创造力的灵魂”。后半句以作家琼·克尔为例，说明一些人在开始创作之前会做一些看似无关的事情，比如阅读罐头和果酱瓶上的标签。“settling down to her typewriter”表示“开始认真地写作”。这句话说明了拖延有时可以作为一种激发创造力的手段。
Many a writer focuses on almost anything but his task—for example, on the Coast and Geodetic Survey of Maine's Frenchman Bay and Bar Harbor, stimulating his imagination with names like Googins Ledge, Blunts Pond, Hio Hill and Burnt Porcupine, Long Porcupine, Sheep Porcupine and Bald Porcupine islands.
解析： 这句话的难点在于“many a”的用法和一长串的并列名词。“many a”表示“许多的”，后接单数可数名词，强调数量之多。“focuses on almost anything but his task”表示“专注于除了自己任务之外的几乎任何事情”。破折号后是一个具体的例子，说明一些作家会关注美国海岸和大地测量局对缅因州法国人湾和巴尔港的调查，并通过一些奇怪的地名来激发自己的想象力。“stimulating his imagination with names like...”表示“用……之类的名字激发他的想象力”。后面列举了一系列地名，这些地名本身并无特殊含义，但它们的并列使用构成了一种独特的节奏和意象，体现了作家在寻找灵感时可能会关注的各种事物。
Even where there is no will, there is a way. There is a difference, of course, between chronic procrastination and purposeful postponement, particularly in the higher echelons of business.
解析： 这句话的难点在于其使用的谚语和抽象名词。“Even where there is no will, there is a way”是对英语谚语“Where there's a will, there's a way”（有志者事竟成）的巧妙改写，其中“will”一语双关，既可以表示“意志”，也可以表示“遗嘱”。这句话的意思是，即使没有遗嘱，也有办法处理遗产，暗示即使没有明确的计划，也可能有其他的解决办法。这句话也引出了下文对“chronic procrastination”（长期拖延）和“purposeful postponement”（有目的的推迟）的区分。“higher echelons of business”指“商业的高层”，其中“echelons”表示“等级”或“阶层”。这句话说明了在商业高层中，有目的的推迟和长期拖延之间存在着重要的区别。
The centralization of government that led to Watergate has spread to economic institutions and beyond, making procrastination a worldwide way of life. Many languages are studded with phrases that refer to putting things off—from the Spanish mañana to the Arabic bukra fil mishmish (literally "tomorrow in apricots," more loosely "leave it for the soft spring weather when the apricots are blooming").
解析： 这句话的难点在于其涉及的历史事件和外来语。“The centralization of government that led to Watergate”指导致水门事件的政府权力集中化。“Watergate”指水门事件，是美国历史上的一起重大政治丑闻。“has spread to economic institutions and beyond”表示这种权力集中化已经蔓延到经济机构和其他领域。“making procrastination a worldwide way of life”是一个夸张的说法，表示拖延症已经成为一种全球性的生活方式。“Many languages are studded with phrases that refer to putting things off”表示许多语言中都有关于拖延的表达。“studded with”表示“布满”、“点缀着”。破折号后列举了两个例子：西班牙语的“mañana”和阿拉伯语的“bukra fil mishmish”。“mañana”意为“明天”，是西班牙语中表示拖延的常用语。“bukra fil mishmish”直译为“明天在杏子中”，意译为“留到杏子成熟的温暖春季”，是一个阿拉伯语中表示拖延的习语。这句话说明了拖延症是一种跨文化的现象。