Not doing something will always be faster than doing it. This statement reminds me of the old computer programming saying, “Remember that there is no code faster than no code.”

不做事永远比做事快。这句话让我想起了计算机编程中的一句老话："记住，没有比没有代码更快的代码"。

The same philosophy applies in other areas of life. For example, there is no meeting that goes faster than not having a meeting at all.

同样的理念也适用于生活的其他方面。比如，不开会是节约时间最快的方法。

This is not to say you should never attend another meeting, but the truth is that we say yes to many things we don’t actually want to do. There are many meetings held that don’t need to be held. There is a lot of code written that could be deleted.

这并不是说你永远都不应该参加会议，但实际上我们常常答应参与很多事情，它们并不是我们真正想做的。许多会议是没有必要召开的，还有很多代码其实可以被删除。

How often do people ask you to do something and you just reply, “Sure thing.” Three days later, you’re overwhelmed by how much is on your to-do list. We become frustrated by our obligations even though we were the ones who said yes to them in the first place.

人们经常让你做点什么，你会随意回答“当然可以”。然而三天后，你却被积压的任务压得喘不过气。让我们感到沮丧的是，那些责任是自己当初答应下来的。

It’s worth asking if things are necessary. Many of them are not, and a simple “no” will be more productive than whatever work the most efficient person can muster.

有必要问问某些事情是否真有必要。很多事情其实并不是必须的，简单地说“不”反而比任何人再高效地努力都更有效。