Making lists is relaxing. It shows the shape of the immediate future; it calms you down and it makes you feel good when you cross something off. List-making is standard practice in treatment for     1    .It might even help you to get things done too. The more you have to do, the more you need a list and few people with high-powered jobs get by without them. Women always think they’re better at     2     than men. Men tend to have Tasks which they assemble into Action Plans while women just have lists of Things To Do.

James Oliver, psychologist, has created his own “time management matrix(矩阵)”. He writes a list of things to do and then organizes them into     3     ；things that have to be done     4     away; other things that it would be good to do today; things that are important but haven’t got to be done immediately and things that are less     5     but that he doesn’t want to forget.“Using categories to order. the world is the way the human mind works,”he says.“After that, you should divide things into levels of importance.”But he also warns,“If people get too     6     in making lists, it doesn’t work. They have too many categories and lose their     7     to decide which is the most important.”It’s all a question of what works best for you, whether it’s a tidy notebook, a packet of Post-it notes or the back of your hand. Having tried all these, student Kate Rollins relies on a computerized list, which is printed out each morning.“My     8     organizer has changed my life,”she says.“Up to now, I’ve always relied on my good memory, but now that I’m working and studying, I find I’ve got too much to keep in my head.”

So what are you waiting for? No, you are not too busy to make today the first day of your     9     time-managed life. In fact, there’s no better time than the present to begin to take increased     10     of your work and life. So, get out your pencil and pen and make a list.

Research shows that when we are absorbed in an activity, even minor distractions can have a huge effect. According to a study,     1     our initial drive (动力) following an interruption can take about 20 minutes.

Multitasking, as many studies have shown, is a myth (谬论). A more accurate account of what happens when we tell ourselves we are multitasking is that we’re rapidly switching between activities, sucking our mental energy. And the     2     can be surprisingly serious. An experiment found that we lose as many as 10 IQ points when we allow our work to be interrupted by distractions like emails and text messages.

The trouble is that multitasking is enjoyable. It’s fun to     3     your curiosity. Who knows who send the next email or text message and what the content might be? Finding out provides     4     satisfaction. In contrast, resisting distractions and staying on task requires discipline and     5     effort. So, what are we to do?

Our strategy is to change the environment to move temptation further away: shut down your email program or     6     your phone. It’s a lot easier to stay on task when you’re not continuously fighting off mental desires.

Another     7     method is to collect similar activities together, keeping transition time to a minimum point. Instead of spreading phone calls, meetings and emails throughout your day, try     8     related tasks so that there are fewer transitions.

In some jobs, multitasking is unavoidable. Some of us truly do need to keep constant connection with our clients, colleagues and managers. So it’s worth noting that limiting disruptions is the only     9    .

Remember, the more you do to minimize task-switching over the course of the day, the more ability you’ll have for activities that actually     10    . Even small changes can make a big difference.

Make a Wish List

Most of us know of New Year’s Resolutions, where one sets intentions for the year ahead. But too often, people make their resolutions     1    — “I will no longer eat biscuits left at my desk” — and then feel unhappy. In the cold month of January, the last thing you need is to     2     your energy further by setting up a series of battles with yourself. And if you break a resolution, you feel     3    , which is a rubbish way to start the year. What you need instead are things to look forward to.

So instead, try a wish list. This involves writing down 100 things you would like to do in the year ahead. The items can be enormous or tiny, ranging from “Climb Everest” to “buy a new pencil sharpener”. The main thing is that at some point it has     4     to you as something that you would like to do.

The key here is — write it down.

Do you feel any resistance to the ideas? If so, ask yourself why. What is wrong with     5     what you would like to do? Try not to say to yourself: “I can’t, I don’t have the money/time/energy/skills.” Just write it down. It helps to be     6    , so rather than “Get outdoors”,     7     a place you would like to visit. And take your time when creating it — a wish list is not built in a day. Think about it, polish it and     8     it.

Finally, you have your list. And what a work of beauty it is. Here are all the things that you would like to do. Remember to     9     them up where you can see them; let yourself consider how they can be accomplished. You’ll be amazed that so many of your dreams can be realized though the simple trick of writing them down and     10     to them.

How to prevent and fight anxiety?

Lingering anxiety can keep you up at night, make you easily annoyed, weaken your ability to concentrate, and ruin your appetite. And the constant state of     1     generated by anxiety -- adrenaline (肾上腺素) pumping, heart racing, palms sweating-may contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.

How to prevent anxiety then?

Meditate. Maybe you’re just nervous. If so, meditation is     2     of a try. It cultivates a calmness that will     3     anxious feelings and offer a sense of control. A study at the University of Massachusetts found that volunteers who took an 8-week meditation course, were considerably less anxious afterward. People who are nervous find that they are     4     calmer with 20 minutes of meditation in the morning and another 20 minutes after dinner.

Jog, walk, swim, or cycle. If you can’t make time for meditation, be sure to make time for regular exercise. Exercise can have the same calming effect as meditation, particularly if it’s something     5     like running or swimming laps.

Treatment?

Remember to breathe. When you’re anxious, you tend to hold your breath or breathe too     6    . That makes you feel more anxious. Breathing slowly and deeply can have a calming effect.

Let’s say you are anxious about your     7     on the job. Ask yourself “What, in particular, am I afraid that I’ll mess up?” Maybe you’re afraid that you get further behind and miss your deadlines. Or maybe you’re worried that you’re     8    it whenever you present your ideas in meetings. Are your worries reasonable? Have you had several near misses with deadlines? Are your suggestions     9     rejected? If not, the anxiety is needless. If there is a real problem, work on a solution:     10     yourself to better meet deadlines, or join a public speaking class.

How to tell if you’re living with ‘quiet stress’

The term “quiet stress” is gathering pace among experts. According to them, it’s an often     1     form of the more widely known version, which is characterized by visible     2    : swearing shouting, and anger.

“We quietly     3     our stress within: we don’t speak up about how we actually feel, because of which we become inactive. We stay in unhappy relationships and     4     jobs. We feel overwhelmed, yet ignore important tasks. Quiet stress creates a form of emotional paralysis (麻痹) that keeps us     5     in unhappy situations,” says Jillian Lavender, who runs the London Meditation Centre.

Cary Cooper, a professor of psychology and health at the University of Manchester, compares the effects of quiet stress to shrapnel (散弹): “You can learn to     6     your stress responses, but eventually the stress will emerge: as well as an immune system that stops working well, you may withdraw socially, isolate yourself and begin to engage in unhealthy     7     like comfort eating or drinking too much. Despite getting a bad reputation over the years, expressing anger of frustration is far healthier than smiling     8     while feeling quietly stressed.

A recent study from Stanford University in the US backs this theory up. The researchers found that seeing stress as a helpful part of dealing with life’s challenges, rather than as something to be avoided, was associated with better health,     9     wellbeing and productivity at work.

“Stress isn’t always harmful” said Kelly McGonigal, a business school lecturer at Stanford who worked on the study. “Once you     10     that going through stress makes you better at it, it can be easier to face each new challenge.”

People hold different views on almost anything, mainly because of the culture we are familiar with or the education we have received. We live in a/an     1     world where people are quick to point out the faults and imperfections of others, yet seem unaware of their own. Some misguided souls believe they have a duty to help you to be a better person by telling you what a failure you really are first and then offering suggestions as to how you can improve.

So what is the possible solution to criticism? If you are the one forcing others to feel     2     of themselves, STOP. Make a conscious decision rather than focus on the negative aspect of a person’s performance or     3    . You’ll offer helpful suggestions from the beginning. If I’m painting our living room and making a mess in doing so, I would like my husband to say to me, “This is a/an    4     job. Can I offer a suggestion that might make it easier for you?” rather than have him point out what a careless painter I am and then tell me how I should be doing it.

If you are on the receiving end of criticism, the “OK” response is a perfect solution. When someone comments     5     on a task you are doing or a personality issue of yours, a natural response is to defend and attack. However, this approach is rarely effective as it puts both parties on the defensive. Instead, simply reply with “OK”. This brief one-word response     6     the other person’s comment without agreeing with it or feeling necessary to engage in a debate about it.

It is important to remain emotionally attached to what the other person is saying, but to listen without feeling, to be a/an     7     observer. In fact, there is much that one can learn from a negative review. You can ask yourself: Did I make a mistake? Could I have done better? Did I give 100% of myself to the task at hand? If so, how can I improve myself? As for chronic (习惯性的) criticizers: It is important to set strict     8     with them. Remove yourself from their     9     when necessary.

In any case, one can learn to be “OK” with criticism and not allow it to negatively impact your life or relationship with the other party. Examine it for any potential     10    , and then let it go and just be “OK”.

When a consumer finds that an item she or he bought is faulty or in some other way does not live up to the manufacturer’s     1    , the first step is to present the warranty (保修卡), or any other records which might help, at the store of purchase. In most cases, this action will produce results. However, if it does not, there are various means the consumer may use to gain     2    .

A simple and common method     3     by many consumers is to complain directly to the store manager. In general, the “higher up” his or her complaint, the faster he or she can expect it to be settled. In such a case, it is usually settled in the consumer’s     4    , supposing he or she has a just claim. Consumers should complain in person whenever possible, but if they cannot get to the place of purchase, it is     5     to phone or write the complaint in a letter.

Complaining is usually most effective when it is done politely but firmly, and especially when the consumer can demonstrate what is wrong with the item in     6    . If this cannot be done, the consumer will succeed best by presenting specific information as to what is wrong, rather than by making     7     statements. For example, “The left speaker does not work at all and the sound coming out of the right one is unclear” is better than “This stereo does not work”.

The store manager may     8     the consumer to write to the manufacturer. If so, the consumer should do this, stating the complaint as politely and firmly as possible. If a polite complaint does not achieve the     9     result, the consumer can go to a step further. She or he can     10    to take the seller to court or report the seller to a private or public organization responsible for protecting consumer’s rights.