When was the last time you forgot to do something that was expected of you? 最近一次你遗忘了自己原本打算做的事是什么时候呢?

How did it make you feel?  这样的忘性带给你什么样的感觉呢?

Are you concerned about the impression you made? 你在意它使你给人造成什么样的印象吗?

Responsible people do what’s expected of them without being reminded.  对自己负责的人能自觉去做自己该做的事而不需要别人的提醒。

How do they accomplish this?  他们是如何做到这样的呢?

Do they have a great memory?  是因为他们记忆力很好吗?

Maybe, but they don’t rely on it.  也许他们的记忆力很好，但他们(能做到这样)并不依赖于自己的记忆力。

In today’s over-scheduled world, 在如今这个任务过载的时代，

counting on your memory to remember your responsibilities is never a good strategy. 指望你的记忆力来记住你该做的事并不是一个好决策。

When you make the decision to take pride in doing what is expected of you  当你下定决心做别人希望你做的事情并引以为豪，

and NEVER again need to be reminded of a responsibility, 而不再需要被提醒这是你的责任时，

you’ll experience a greater sense of satisfaction and success.  你将体会到更多的满足感与成就感。

Here are some of the specific benefits you will enjoy: 你将感受到这些确切的好处：

You will become more respected because people know they can count on you. 你将赢得更多尊重因为别人知道你是可以信赖的人。

People will enjoy working on your team because they know you will do what is expected of you. 人们会很享受在你的团队里工作因为他们知道你会做那些他们期望你做的事。

Those who follow your leadership will learn from your example and their admiration for you will grow. 那些追随你的领导的人将会从你的例子中学会很多那样他们对你的喜爱只会有增无减。

You will experience less stress because your focus won’t be on trying to remember  你也不会觉得压力很大，因为你既不需要集中注意力尝试记住

nor will you find out at the last minute that you haven’t done something you were expected to do. 你要做的事也不需要在最后一分钟才想起来别人希望你做你却还没有做的事。

Your self-image will grow because you will be doing the things you know you should do without having to be reminded. 你的个人形象也将得到提升，因为你能自己去做那些你该做的事而不需要被提醒。

And lastly, your value to the market will soar because the market places a high value on those who are responsible. 你对于市场的价值将会激增因为市场对于那些负责任的人给予了很高的评价。

Here are the strategies I have used over the years to keep from forgetting things.  这些策略是我这些年用来防止自己忘记事情的。

These methods have been so effective for me that it is extremely rare for me to miss a deadline or fail to fulfill a responsibility. 这些方法对我颇为有效，以至于我几乎从未错过或者没完成过自己该做的事。

1. Write things down. 首先，写下要做的事。

There is no method more effective in remembering things than simply writing them down.  好记性不如烂笔头。

In my case, I work from a prioritized daily “to do” list.  从我自身例子看，我把一天之内要做的事按轻重缓急程度列在清单上。

This is a pad of paper I carry with me EVERYWHERE I go. 这清单是我随身携带的一本便签本。

This pad of paper serves two purposes. 这本便签本有两个用途。

First, it is my prioritized daily action plan listing in priority sequence my responsibilities for the day.  其一，这是我按事情轻重缓急程度排列自己每天要做的事的记录清单。

Second, it’s my “tool” for making notes. 其二，这是我做笔记的工具。

If I think of something I need to do,  如果我认为这是我需要做的事，

I write it down on my “to do” list.  那么我会在自己“要做的事”列表上写下。

If I have a phone conversation with someone and there is something I need to do, 如果我和别人有一个电话会议并且我需要做一些事，

I write it down on my “to do” list. 那么我会在“要做的事”列表上记录。

If I am in a meeting and I am assigned a responsibility,  如果我正在开会同时被指派了任务，

I write it down on my “to do” list. 那么我也会在“要做的事”一表中写下。

By writing everything I need to do on ONE pad of paper  在同一本便签本上记录下所有自己要做的事

I have all my responsibilities in one place rather than scattered about  而不是分散地写在

on different sticky notes, folders and miscellaneous pieces of paper. 不同的粘纸上、折叠纸上或者其他混杂的纸上。