项目阶段划分的依据是:五步走帮你度过充实的一个月

或许你每一天过得都很顺利。你习惯按时起床，按部就班地工作，并且有办法放松身心。可问题在于：你并不感到有什么长进。如果按日来算，也还说得过去；可是，如果按月来算，你总感觉到自己是原地踏步。

Do you plan for the month ahead? Most of us don't – if I'm truthful, I don't always manage this myself. But a bit of forethought can make a huge difference.

你会为下个月的生活制定计划吗？大多数人不会，说实话，连我自己也不经常这样做。但是，如能提前做个计划，你的生活就会大为改观。

Here's how to have a great month:

做到以下几点，你一个月的光阴便不会虚度：

Step #1: Spend Fifteen Minutes Planning

第一步：花十五分钟时间制定计划

You certainly don't need to schedule out every day of the month ahead – but spending just a few minutes planning can have a huge impact. Rather than just taking life day-by-day, you can look ahead to ensure that you're on track with bigger projects.

倒不是说你要为未来一个月的每一天制定详实的计划，但花几分钟时间大致安排一下，你的生活就会大不一样。不要总是过一天算一天，你应该面向未来，制定一个较大的发展规划，并确保自己能执行下去。

The rest of the steps pretty much require some forethought, so get your calendar ready. If you don't tend to do much planning or if your current system doesn't seem to be working, I highly recommend Charlie Gilkey's Monthly Action Planners. 

其余的几个步骤都需要提前定计划，所以你要准备一本日历式备忘录。如果你不善于定计划，或者你现在的计划实现不了，我强烈向你推荐查理·哲奇（Charlie Gilkey）的“本月行动计划”（参看http://www.productiveflourishing.com/new-planner-available-the-monthly-action-planner/）。

Step #2: Take a Full Weekend Off

第二步：周末尽情放松

We all need down time. It's a vital part of staying healthy and being able to work creatively. If you're working 9 – 5 in an office all week and then carrying on with your own projects (or chores) every weekend, you're going to be feeling stressed-out and tired.

人人都需要休息。没有休息，就谈不上身体健康，谈不上创造性地工作。如果你上班朝九晚五，周末还要继续劳作，那你肯定会压力过大，精疲力竭。

When planning your month, find a weekend which you can block of purely for guilt-free leisure time. You can spend it however you like – but you might also want to look ahead to see whether there are tickets you want to book, or friends you want to meet up with.

因此，制定一个月的生活计划时，一定要找一个周末，让自己投入进去，彻头彻尾全身心放松。这个周末你可以过得非常随意——不过，你脑子里可能也会盘算着是否需要提前订个票，是否需要会会朋友等事情。

It's easy to get to the weekend and end up watching television or playing video games, not because you especially want to, but because you don't know what else to do. Planning ahead can let you enjoy weekends that you remember all year.

看看电视，玩玩游戏，一个周末很容易也就打发了，不是因为你就想这样过，而是因为你不知道还有什么事可做。如果提前定个计划，你就可以度过一个难以忘怀的周末。

Step #3: Tackle Some Bigger Goals

第三步：实现较大的目标

Most goals are too big to be accomplished in a single day, or even a week – but not so big that they'll take a whole year.

大多数目标都十分宏大，非一日之功可以达成，甚至花一周时间也难以实现，但一般不会大到一年也完成不了。

Maybe you're trying to cut down on caffeine. You might not manage it in a week, but across a month, you could see a radical decrease in your consumption. By planning ahead a bit, you can set smaller goals and targets: cutting down a little bit more each week.

或许你正在竭力减少自己的咖啡因摄入量，一个礼拜可能难以奏效，但是，一个月之后，你就会看到明显的成效，只消提前一点定个计划，为自己设立一个个小目标，不断去攻克，比如，每周多减少一分摄入量。

Maybe you're trying to lose weight. You know you could be at your target within a year, but it's hard to stay focused when some weeks see your weight staying level for no obvious reason. If you plan ahead for the month, you can see sustained changes.

或许你正在努力减肥，也知道一年之内会瘦下来，但问题是，几周过去了，体重还是老样子，而且不知道是什么缘故，你就会觉得很难再坚持下去。如果你能提前为下个月制定减肥计划，你就会看到切实的变化。

Step #4: Take on a New Project

第四步：制定新计划

A lot can be accomplished – not just started on, but finished – within a single month. Take NaNoWriMo, for instance, where participants write a 50,000 word novel during November – that's a challenge, but a possible one. Think how great your month would be if you accomplished something like that!

很多事情一个月就可以完成——不是刚刚起步，而是全部做完。以NaNoWriMo网站（National Novel Writing Month）为例，该网站的网络写手十一月份竟完成了一部长达50000字的小说——这是一种挑战，但并非不可成功。如果你也能如此，那你一个月的生活该是多么充实啊！

Of course, you don't need to take on anything hugely ambitious. Perhaps your project is to finally get the garage cleared out, or to sell a stack of old DVDs on ebay, or to do some work in your garden, or to learn to cook four new meals. Look for something which you can complete during a month – that way, you'll get the satisfaction of seeing real progress.

当然，你没必要野心太大，或许你的目标只是把车库彻底打扫一下，在ebay上卖掉一叠二手DVD，在花园里做做园艺，学做几道新菜等等。只要确定一个一月之内可以达成的目标，你就可以看到真正的进步，获得真正的满足感。

Step #5: Consider a 30-day Trial

第五步：尝试做三十天

Is there some big chance you're considering – like getting up at 6am instead of 8am, or quitting alcohol, exercising daily, or becoming vegetarian?

你有没有在酝酿一个大的计划？比如，早上六点起床，而不是八点起床，或者戒酒，或者每天锻炼身体，或者坚持吃素，诸如此类。

Maybe it seems like something you'd like to try, but which you're not sure about committing to. How about giving it a 30-day trial? If you decide the change doesn't suit you, just stop after the month is over. But if you decide that it's been worth it, then this month just might have been one of the most important in your life.

也许你想尝试，但不知自己是否有恒心，那就不妨先尝试三十天。如果你无法接受这种生活上的改变，那么一个月之后你可以选择放弃；但如果你认为值得继续坚持，那么这一个月对你的一生来说可能意义非凡。