One tool that may be helpful in avoiding overcommitment is a calendar. Schedule times for everything you need to do - including taking care of yourself. But don't feel compelled to fill every blank space.
It's also worth looking at your current commitments. Do your commitments actually match your priorities? Could you give up some of them or pass them off to other people?
Learning how to say no politely but firmly also helps with overcommitment.
It helps to have a good sense of what your priorities are so that you can say yes or no when appropriate.
I have a rule that I never immediately agree to any long-term time commitments. I always ask for some time to think. That's because my first instinct is usually to say yes, even if I don't really have time. Having time to think about a potential assignment gives me space to say no if I need to.
Saying no to things you don't have time to do well frees you up to say yes to what truly matters.
Info Cloud
Time is money. 時間就是金錢。提醒大家時間真的是非常寶貴。
Hello, friends. Welcome to Info Cloud. Today I'd like to share with you a very common but important concept: Time is money.
Hmm. Rex, I think that most people have heard that before.
I know. But not a lot of people knows its origin and the deeper significance of this saying.
Well, when people say time is money, it is to remind us that time is precious, don't waste any of it.
Yes, that's the basic idea. The saying that time is money was originally written by Benjamin Franklin back in the 18th century.
That's interesting. I always thought time is money was a modern concept.
Benjamin Franklin wrote it to remind young people that being lazy could cost you a lot because you could use the time you waste to make more money.
When you say time is money, it doesn't necessarily have to be used to encourage people to use time to make money. It can be used just to remind people that time is precious.
相信大部分的人都聽過這句話 Time is money. 時間就是金錢。這句話是用來形容浪費時間等於是浪費金錢。很多人以為Time is money. 是一句現代的流行用語，但其實這是美國的富蘭克林早在十八世紀的一篇文章中就寫下的一句話，用來提醒年輕人你浪費掉的時間，原本可以讓你靠著勞力，賺取更多的金錢。不過，Time is money. 並不一定是在鼓勵人們去賺錢，而是提醒大家時間真的是非常寶貴。
Language Lab
compel v. 強迫
/kəmˈpɛl/
to force (someone) to do something
- Vince didn’t want to buy anything from the child at first, but when he saw the child’s dirty clothes, he felt compelled to buy something from him.
Vince 原本不想跟小朋友買東西，但是他一看到小孩的衣服有多髒，就不得不跟他買東西。 - -- Melissa doesn’t like to wear dresses, but she was compelled to wear one when she joined a choir.
Melissa 不喜歡穿裙子，但是她加入合唱團後，就被迫要穿裙子。
- All the children who got sick were compelled to stay at home.
所有生了病的小朋友們要被要求留在家裡。
priority n. 優先考慮的事情 prioritize
something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first
- Fred didn’t handle the situation immediately because it was not a priority to him.
Fred 沒有馬上處理狀況，因為那件事對他而言比較不重要。
- In order for the team to get this assignment done on time, every team member was asked to treat the assignment as their first priority.
為了讓團隊能夠把任務及時做完，每一位隊友都被要求把任務擺為第一優先。
prioritize v. 決定事情的優先順序
/praɪˈorəˌtaɪz/
to organize (things) so that the most important thing is done or dealt with first
- Jimmy could never get anything done because he never prioritized his work.
Jimmy 老是無法把他該做的事情做完，因為他不會判斷事情的優先次序。
- Janice wants to prioritize her commitments, but everything just seems equally important to her.
Janice 想要決定她該做的事情的優先次序，但是每一件事情似乎都對她很重要。
appropriate adj. 適當的
right or suited for some purpose or situation
- What Karen said to the group was not appropriate, and it is no wonder that everyone is mad at her now.
Karen 在大家面前說的話很不恰當，難怪現在大家都在生她的氣。
- I have never been to a celebration like that, so I do not know what would make an appropriate gift.
我從來沒參加過那樣的慶典，所以不知道什麼樣的禮物是最適合的。
- The visitor was asked to leave the religious center because her clothes were not appropriate.
客人被要求離開那個宗教場所，因為她的穿著很不恰當。
instinct n. 直覺
/ˈɪnˌstɪŋkt/
something you know without learning it or thinking about it
- You might not know what to do in this situation, but what is your instinct telling you?
你在這個情形裡也許會不知道該怎麼辦，但是聽聽你的直覺在跟你講什麼。
instinct n. 本能
a way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is not learned : a natural desire or tendency that makes you want to act in a particular way
It is by instinct that baby sea turtles go into the ocean after they come out of their eggs.
小海龜孵出來後，是因為本能而直接進入海洋裡。
instinctive adj. 直覺的、本能的
/ɪnˈstɪŋktɪv/
relating to or based on instinct : based on feelings or desires that do not come from thinking or learning
- The minute Rita heard her baby cry, her instinctive response was to lift him up and hold him.
Rita 一聽到她的寶寶在哭，就很自然地把他抱起來。
- It is fascinating to watch a bird build a nest because it is an instinctive thing for the bird to do.
看著鳥築巢是一件很有趣的事，因為築巢是鳥的本能。
