One of the greatest sources of anxiety in a Delayed Return Environment is the constant uncertainty. There is no guarantee that working hard in school will get you a job. There is no promise that investments will go up in the future. There is no assurance that going on a date will land you a soulmate. Living in a Delayed Return Environment means you are surrounded by uncertainty. 在这个环境中，最大的不安来源之一就是不断的未知。努力学习并不一定能保证找到工作；投资的未来收益也没有保证；而约会是否能找到灵魂伴侣同样充满不确定。生活在延迟回报的环境中，意味着你被不确定性包围。
So what can you do? How can you thrive in a Delayed Return Environment that creates so much stress and anxiety? 那我们该怎么办？如何在这个充满压力和焦虑的延迟回报环境中茁壮成长？
The first thing you can do is Measure Something. 首先，你可以开始衡量一些事情。
You can’t know for certain how much money you will have in retirement, but you can remove some uncertainty from the situation by measuring how much you save each month. 你无法确切知道退休后会有多少资金，但通过每月记录储蓄金额，可以减少一些不确定性。
You can’t be sure that you’ll get a job after graduation, but you can track how often you reach out to companies about internships. 你无法保证毕业后一定能找到工作，但你可以记录自己联系企业寻求实习的次数。
You can’t predict when you find love, but you can pay attention to how many times you introduce yourself to someone new. 你无法预测何时会遇到爱情，但你可以关注自己与新朋友自我介绍的次数。
The act of measurement takes an unknown quantity and makes it known. When you measure something, you immediately become more certain about the situation. 衡量的过程将未知转化为已知。当你开始衡量时，现状会变得更加清晰。
Measurement won’t magically solve your problems, but it will clarify the situation, pull you out of the black box of worry and uncertainty, and help you get a grip on what is actually happening. 衡量不会神奇地解决所有问题，但它能帮助你理顺思路，摆脱焦虑与不安，更好地理解实际发生的事情。
Creating Your Own Paper Clip Strategy 创建你自己的“回形针策略”
Hoping to do 100 pushups each day? Start with 10 paper clips and move one over each time you drop down and do a set of 10 throughout the day. 想每天做100个俯卧撑？从10个回形针开始，每次做完10个就移动一个。
Need to send 25 sales emails every day? Start with 25 paper clips and toss one to the other side each time you press Send. 每天需要发送25封销售邮件？从25个回形针开始，每按一次发送就移一个到另一边。
Want to drink 8 glasses of water each day? Start with 8 paper clips and slide one over each time you finish a glass. 想每天喝8杯水？从8个回形针开始，每喝完一杯就滑一个过去。 Not sure if you’re taking your medication three times per day? Set 3 paper clips out and flip one into the bin each time you swallow your pills. 不确定自己是否每天按时吃药？准备3个回形针，每次吞下药就把一个放入垃圾箱。
Use The Seinfeld Strategy for tracking long-term behaviors. 使用“宋飞策略”来监测长期行为
Here’s how Isaac described the interaction with Seinfeld…艾萨克是这样描述他与宋飞之间的互动的：
He said the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day. 他说成为更好的喜剧演员的办法是创作更好的笑话，而创作更好的笑话的办法是每天写作。
He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker. He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. 他建议我准备一个一年能看到整个月的挂历，挂在显眼的位置。接下来，准备一支大红色的记号笔。每天完成写作任务后，就在那一天上画个红叉。
“After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is to not break the chain.” “几天后，你会形成一条链条。坚持下去，这条链条会每天变得更长。你会喜欢看到这条链条，尤其是在你积累几周后。你唯一的任务就是不打断这条链。”
Shift Your Worry 转换你的担忧
Instead of worrying about living longer, focus on taking a walk each day. 与其担心寿命更长，不如每天去散步。 Instead of worrying about whether your child will get a college scholarship, focus on how much time they spend studying today. 与其担心孩子是否能获得大学奖学金，不如关注他们今天花了多少时间学习。 Instead of worrying about losing enough weight for the wedding, focus on cooking a healthy dinner tonight. 与其担心婚礼能否减重成功，不如专注于今晚做一顿健康晚餐。
The key insight that makes this strategy work is making sure your daily routine both rewards you right away (immediate return) and resolves your future problems (delayed return). 这一策略的关键在于确保你的日常活动既能带来即时的满足感（即时回报），又能解决未来的问题（延迟回报）。
Here are the three examples from my life: 我的三个例子
Writing. When I publish an article, the quality of my life is noticeably higher. Additionally, I know that if I write consistently, then my business will grow, I will publish books, and I will make enough money to sustain my life. By focusing my attention on writing each day, I increase my well-being (immediate return) while also working toward earning future income (delayed return). 写作：当我发表一篇文章时，我的生活质量明显提高。此外，我知道如果我坚持写作，事业会增长，我会出版书籍，赚取足够的收入来维持生活。专注于每天写作，提高了我的幸福感（即时回报），同时也为未来收入打下基础（延迟回报）。
Lifting. I experienced a huge shift in well-being when I learned to fall in love with exercise. The act of going to the gym brings joy to my life (immediate return) and it also leads to better long-term health (delayed return). 健身：我在爱上锻炼后，幸福感发生了巨大的转变。去健身房的过程带给我快乐（即时回报），同时也促进了更好的长期健康（延迟回报）。
Reading. Last year, I posted my public reading list and began reading 20 pages per day. Now, I get a sense of accomplishment whenever I do my daily reading (immediate return) and the practice helps me develop into an interesting person (delayed return). 阅读：去年，我发布了公共阅读清单，并开始每天阅读20页。现在，我每完成一次阅读都会有成就感（即时回报），而这个习惯也让我变得更有趣（延迟回报）。
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