Cleaning out your closet. Defragging your hard drive. Updating your resume.

收拾櫥柜，整理硬盤文件，更新個人簡歷。

What do all of these have in common? They’re nagging little jobs on most of our “to-do” lists that we keep putting off because they’re tedious and boring. They keep getting pushed to the back of the queue, gathering dust and being neglected until we’re forced to take care of them for one reason or another, at which point we end up stressed,panicky, and resentful.

這些事情都有什么共同點?在我們的待辦清單上，這些大多是煩人的小事情，又乏味又單調，所以我們總是不斷推遲去做。它們被不斷地推遲到清單的末尾，慢慢塵封被我們遺忘。而當我們因為這樣或那樣的原因不得不開始處理這些事情時，結果可能會使我們陷入充滿壓力恐慌和易怒的狀態。

Fortunately, there’s no time like the present to finally get around to doing these tasks, and having them all over and done with for the New Year and allow yourself to start the next year with a clean slate. Below are a few suggestions about some of the tasks you might like to tackle, if you have time to do so:

幸運的是，再也沒有一個時間比現在更合適來讓我們處理這些任務了。新年伊始我們把這些都圓滿解決了，我們就能輕裝上陣開始新的一年。下面是新年你可能需要處理的一些事情，如果有時間就開始做吧：

1. Clean out your email

清理電子郵件

Most of us have a plethora of unread emails lounging around in our in-boxes, as well as old drafts, spam, and various other sundries tucked into different folders. Instead of just vegging out in front of the TV after supper, consider putting on some music and sifting through your folders to clear them out. Doing this for 20 minutes/night for just a few evenings will tidy things up nicely.

對于大部分人來說，可能都有太多的未讀郵件安靜地躺在收件箱里，還有一些舊的工作草案、垃圾郵件和各種待辦雜事堆積在不同的文件夾里。晚飯后不要只是呆呆地坐在電視機前看電視，不如放上點音樂，仔細翻查下文件夾清理下電子郵件吧。每晚做上20分鐘，可能只要幾個晚上，就能把電子郵件里的東西收拾整齊。

2. Review and update your address book

查看并更新地址薄

Do you really need to hold onto the email addresses belonging to people you worked with in 2003? Take a few minutes to sort through your address book and cull those that you haven’t communicated with, along with old addresses that your friends/family don’t use anymore.

你不會真的還留著2003年和你共事的人的電子郵箱地址吧?花上幾分鐘，對地址簿進行一下分類整理，剔除那些你基本沒怎么聯系的人，順便去掉那些家人朋友不再用的舊地址吧。

3. Clean your computer (inside and out) and tidy up your workstation

徹底清潔電腦，收拾你的工作區

While you’re tidying up all those files, consider using this opportunity as a chance to clean up your desk (and your computer itself). If you have a CPU tower, take it apart so you can vacuum out all the dust and pet hair that might have accumulated in there. Toss away any take-out containers or empty energy drink cans around your desk, give everything a solid once-over with some spray cleaner, and be sure to clean your keyboard too—those things get nasty.

當你在整理這些文件夾的時候，不妨也利用這個機會收拾一下你的工作臺(還有你的電腦)。如果你使用的是立式主機，記得把主機拆開，這樣可以使用吸塵器整理里面堆積的灰塵和寵物毛發。把辦公桌上的外賣盒子和空飲料瓶統統丟掉，用噴霧清潔劑將所有的東西都仔細清理一遍，別忘了也要清潔鍵盤，這些都特別容易臟。