Merrill argues that our short-term memories can only cope with a few things at a time, which means we need to make our tasks simpler. Multitasking is, therefore, a recipe for inefficiency and error, unless one of the tasks is dead easy. Walking and chewing gum is possible, he argues – though I've just shown that thinking and getting off the train in the right place can be harder.
梅里爾指出，我們的短期記憶一次只能記住很少的幾件事情，這意味著，我們必須把任務(wù)簡單化。因此，多項(xiàng)任務(wù)同時進(jìn)行，必然導(dǎo)致低效率和失誤。除非其中某項(xiàng)任務(wù)簡單至極。梅里爾表示，邊走邊嚼口香糖是件易事——而我剛剛證明，在想著事情的時候，要在正確的車站下車就困難得多。

Merrill also disapproves of frequent switching between tasks, which befuddles the brain. This may explain why I'm so unproductive at work as I check my e-mail about 16 times a minute.
梅里爾也不贊成在各項(xiàng)任務(wù)之間頻繁切換，那會讓頭腦變得糊涂。當(dāng)我一分鐘查看16次郵箱時，工作效率會極其低下，或許就是這個原因。
　　
So, as of now, I am trying to do things differently and am focusing on one task alone: writing a column. I am not going to check messages for an hour, when I will allow myself a look as a treat. Already I can hear my e-mail calling: check me. I don't know how long I can hold out.
為此，到目前為止，我正試著改變做事方式，專心處理一項(xiàng)任務(wù)：寫一篇專欄文章。一個小時內(nèi)，我不會查看郵箱，然后我會允許自己看一眼，放松一會兒。我已聽見我的郵箱在叫喚：查收一下郵件。我不知道自己能夠堅持多久。
　　
Also essential to better organisation, says Merrill, is to give more thought to what we actually need to store in long-term memory.
梅里爾表示，為了做到條理清楚，另一個要點(diǎn)是，多想一想確實(shí)需要儲存在長期記憶里的事情。

I have come to the shockingly liberating conclusion that most of us need to remember almost nothing to do our jobs competently, because almost all information can almost always be found in one click of the mouse on the internet.
我已得出一個讓人備感輕松的結(jié)論：要把工作做好，我們多數(shù)人都幾乎不必記住任何事情。因?yàn)閹缀跛行畔⒍紟缀蹩偸悄軌蛟诨ヂ?lián)網(wǎng)上查到，我們只需點(diǎn)一下鼠標(biāo)即可。
　　
In fact, it seems that the only point in having things stored inside your head is as a sort of party trick to whisk them out to show off in front of colleagues when there is no computer at hand.
事實(shí)上，在頭腦里儲存信息，唯一的用處就是：當(dāng)手邊沒有電腦時，可以在同事們面前賣弄一番，這就像一種聚會上常用的花招。
　　
The only things that are absolutely essential to remember are one's computer login details, pin number and (possibly) names of a few key workmates. The rest of memory can be outsourced to the computer.
一定必須記住的，只有電腦注冊信息和PIN碼。一些重要同事的名字，可能也有必要記住。其余的記憶大可托付給電腦。
　　
But there is another thought that cheers me more than any of the above. It is that whatever the disarray inside my own head, things could be worse. The other day my husband paid his parents a visit. On arrival, he opened the fridge to help himself to some wine and inside he found, alongside a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, a neatly folded copy of the Evening Standard.
不過，比起上述這些想法，還有一種想法讓我覺得更加可樂。那就是：不管我自己的頭腦怎么混亂，現(xiàn)實(shí)可能更加一團(tuán)糟。有一天，我丈夫去看他父母。到了后，他打開冰箱，想倒點(diǎn)酒喝，結(jié)果看到冰箱里除了有一瓶長相思以外，還有一份疊得整整齊齊的《倫敦晚報》。