For instance - let's say you're a writer.You have a bunch of tasks on your plate for the day, but all of a sudden you get a really good idea for an essay. You should probably start writing now or you'll lose your train of thought.What should you do? 举例来说，假设你是一名作家，今天有一堆事情要做，但突然之间，你有了一个很好的想法，可以写一篇文章。或许你现在就应该动笔，否则就会失去思路。 你应该怎么做?

There's no 'correct' answer to this situation.For some people, getting enough good ideas for writing may be the major problem in their work.For them, it makes sense to put on hold lower priority work to start writing as soon as inspiration calls.For others, they may waste days chasing ideas rather than doing the boring stuff that needs doing. 对于这种情况，不存在“正确”的答案。对于有些人来说，获得足够多的好点子来写，或许是他们工作中的主要问题。对他们而言，把低优先级的工作先放一放，灵感一来就立刻开始写作是有道理的。对其他人来说，追逐创意而不是做那些无聊但需要做的事情，可能会浪费好几天的时间。

In this sense, the 'correct' answer is to develop self-awareness. Does this exception to the basic rules I've set for myself buffer against an unproductive tendency or support it?If this exception is made into a new rule, would it strengthen or defeat the system I'm trying to create? 在这个意义上说,“正确”的答案是发展自我意识。我为自己设定的基本规则的这个例外，是缓和了低效的倾向还是支持了它?如果把这个例外变成新的规则，它会加强还是摧毁我试图建立的系统?

This may sound finicky, but I'd argue that true success with systems involves making numerous such slight exceptions which become a part of the system themselves.To use a system means not only to follow its basic guidelines, but develop a skill of handling exceptions to the system that make it more useful, not less. 这听起来可能过分挑剔了，但我想说，真正成功的系统需要把无数这样的例外变成系统本身的一部分。 运用一个生产力系统，不仅意味着要遵循它的基本准则，还要发展出一种处理系统例外情况的技能，从而使之更有用，而不是更没用。

Rule #4 - Agood productivity system shouldn't 'feel' productive. 准则4：好的生产力系统不应该‘觉得’高效

Okay, this one requires some explanation. In shout , the problem with aiming to ‘feel’ productive rather than ‘being’ productive is twofold:
好吧，这一条需要解释一下。简言之，以“觉得高效而不是“做到”高效为目标，有两个方面的问题:

Feeling are defined by relative contrast, not absolute measurement. You feel productive when you’re getting more work done than normal.But if you’re successful with a productivity habit, what’s ‘normal’ should shift.Relying on feeling productive then creates an inescapable treadmill where if you’re not constantly doing better than what feels normal, you feel like a failure.
感觉是由相对比较而不是绝对测量来定义的。当你比通常情况下完成了更多工作时，就会觉得自己很有成效。但如果你成功养成了一个生产力的习惯，那么什么是“正常”就应该发生变化。 依赖觉得高效会形成一个无法停下的跑步机，只要你没有一直做得比感觉到的正常情况更好，就会觉得自己很失败。

Feeling of productivity is often tied to a feeling of exertion.This leads to expending a lot of effort in the beginning with a new system, getting a lot done, and then being disappointed when you can’t sustain that.
高效的感觉往往与费力的感觉联系在一起。这就导致在开始一个新系统的时候，花费很多精力，做了很多事情，然后当你无法维持这种状态时，就会感到失望。

A good productivity system should, when working properly, feel like nothing at all.It should just be an invisible part of your routine. If it is conspicuous, it’s probably not a habit yet, or it’s creating friction with parts of your life in ways that it shouldn’t.
一个好的生产力系统应该是，在正常工作时，什么都感觉不到，只是你例行安排中看不见的一部分。如果它很突出，那可能是还没成为习惯，或者是以不应该的方式与你生活中的某些部分有摩擦。

If you don’t feel more productive, how do you judge your productivity?The obvious answer is that you should get more work done with the system than without it .But even this can be misleading because in the short-term it’s always possible to just work really hard and burn yourself out.
如果你没有觉得更高效，那么如何判断你的生产力水平呢? 显而易见的答案是，利用这个系统,你应该比没用这个系统时完成更多工作。但即使这样也可能是误导性的，因为在短期内，总是可以非常努力地工作，让自己筋疲力尽。

The better, long-term answer for evaluating your system ought to be that when you look back at the last quarter, year or decade with the system, you’ve been making a lot of meaningful accomplishments.If this is happening, then how the system feels on a weekly or daily level is totally irrelevant.
评价你的系统更好的、长期的答案应该是，当你回顾过去一个季度、一年或十年使用系统的情况时，你已经取得了很多有意义的成就。如果这种情况正在发生，那么每周或每天这个系统感觉如何，就完全不重要了。