Too many people say that they do not have enough time in their day to get their stuff done. Yet, they let their time slip by bit-by-bit. Minute-by-minute.

很多人都说他们在一天里没有足够的时间去完成一些事情。然而，他们却在不知不觉中让时间一分一秒的流逝。

For many people, it is this “in-between” time that becomes a major source of lost productivity.

对很多人来说，这就是造成效率下降的一个主要原因——零碎时间没有利用好。

Let’s not underestimate what we can get done in just 10 minutes. These little burstsof productivity can drive your whole day.

我们不要小看短短的10分钟可以完成的事情，完成这些小事可以提高你整天的工作效率。

So, here are 10 things you can do with those 10 minutes:

所以这里给大家列出了在10分钟内可以做的10件事情：

1. Respond to 10 emails

回复10封邮件

Keep it short, and remember that not all email messages deserve a response. 10? Yes, and be ruthlesswith that inbox.

回复要简单一些，记住并不是所有的邮件都需要回复。10封？是的，对于收件箱内的邮件要知道取舍。

2. Respond to 3 phone calls

回复3个电话

Return that call. Reach out to that colleague that you need to meet up with. And schedule that doctor’s appointment that you have been putting off for 6 months.

要回复电话，给那个需要见面的同事回个电话。并且要安排好已经推迟了6个月的与医生的会面。

3. Pay some bills online

在线支付账单

In just a few minutes, you can pay your bills with online billpay. You’re not still dealing with paper bills, are you?

只需要几分钟，你就可以在网上完成付款。你不会一直还在处理纸质账单吧？

4. Catch up with a co-worker

和同事聊聊天

10 minutes early to that meeting? This can be one of the best times to have a meaningful conversation with another colleague. Re-connect with someone. At a recent meeting I had the chance to reconnect with one of our executives. Someone who I might not normally have a chance to chat with on a personal level.

会议开始之前还有10分钟？这可能是你和同事展开一个有意义的会话最佳的时间段了，可以重新和一些人取得联系。在最近的一次会议上我就有机会重新联系上了我的一位主管。他是那种我一般私下不会有机会能与之攀谈的人。

5. Read 10 pages in a book

读十页书

Whether it is in the doctor’s office or the car dealership, use that time to read a few pages. Some people carry a book with them for these moments. Personally, with my iPhone or iPad, I always have books at my fingertips to keep me occupied.

不管是在医生的办公室还是在汽车专营店，用这点时间来读几页书。有些人会随身带一本书来利用这段时间。就我个人而言，我会把书籍下载到我的iphone或者ipad里面，随时充实自己。

6. Write

写点什么

You will be surprised how much you can write in 10 minutes. Write a memo. Start a blog post. Whatever you need to get done.

你可能会疑惑，这十分钟能写什么啊。写一下备忘录。写点博客。任何你想写的东西都可以。

7. Prepare

准备

Get ready for a future appointment. Look at tomorrow’s calendar. Is there any prep work you need to do? It could be as simple as getting some documents together or researching a topic.

为一会要来的约会做准备。看下明天的日历表，有没有什么需要你准备做的事情吗？有可能会是像把一些文件准备到一起，或者准备研究一个话题这样简单的事情。

8. Reflect

反思

Spend the few moments, reflecting on your day. What you have accomplished? What has made you happy today? What you still need to address?

花几分钟来反思一下这一天。你完成了什么？什么事情让你今天很开心？还有什么事情需要你处理？

9. Reach Out &Touch Someone

走出去和某人说说话

In these days of email, Twitter, text msgs, and more… it has become increasingly rare to actually communicate in person. When I find I have a 10 minute block of time to spare, I will walk down the hall and speak to someone face-to-face that I normally would not see.

在今天，邮件、推特、短信还有更多和人联系的方式，人们缺乏与别人面对面的交流。当我发现我还有10分钟的时间时，我会在大厅里走走，和一些我平时不怎么碰面的人面对面交流。

10. Do Nothing

什么也不做

Of course, you could just waste the 10 minutes surfing the net or checking the news. Unfortunately, too many people choose this last option.

当然，你也可以完全用上网和刷新闻来打发时间。不幸的是很多人都选择了这样做。

What do you do with your 10 minutes? Or do you let them slip by?

你在这10分钟内会做什么呢？还是让时间从你指尖溜走？

资料来源：新概念英语网校