by Gretchen Rubin

With all the supply lists， school clothes and emergency contact sheets required before September begins， I can barely 1）keep track of everything I have to buy， fill out or turn in. The new school year means that a bunch of new stuff will pour into our apartment—and I still havent figured out what to do with all the stuff from last year.

I recently pulled down from a shelf a large， wooden art project that my 7-year-old had made and tried to decide its fate. On the one hand， I couldnt imagine throwing away this precious relic of her childhood. On the other hand， I live in Manhattan， and I needed to make room for her new creations. 2）Paralyzed with indecision， I shoved it back on the shelf.

This is the cultural 3）dilemma that supports a multibillion-dollar storage industry： we love our stuff， and we also dream of being free of it. According to the Self Storage Association， 1 in 10 American households rents a storage unit. And still our closets， attics， basements and garages are jampacked with stuff.

面對九月到來前要備好的所有必需品清單、校服和緊急聯(lián)系人名單，要買的、要填的、要交的，一切都有點讓我暈頭轉向。新學年意味著一堆新物品會涌進我們的房子里——然而我都還沒想好該如何處置上一年的東西。

最近我從某架子上取下一大件木制的藝術作品，那是我七歲的孩子的手工作業(yè)，我嘗試對其命運作出選擇。一方面，我舍不得丟棄孩子童年珍貴的紀念物；另一方面，我住在曼哈頓，我需要為孩子的新創(chuàng)作騰出空間。猶豫不決之下，我只好把它塞回架子。

正是這樣的文化習慣讓人左右為難，以數十億美元計算的倉儲業(yè)也應運而生：我們愛我們的物品，然而我們也渴望擺脫其束縛。根據美國自助存儲協(xié)會的數據，每十個美國家庭中就有一個租借儲物空間。而且我們的櫥柜、閣樓、地庫和車庫依然被塞滿了東西。

The Department of Energy estimates that 25 percent of people who have two-car garages dont park their cars inside.

All this 4）clutter can drive people to desperate lengths. I know a guy who recklessly deleted every e-mail in his in-box to achieve the 5）ecstasy of“in-box zero.” Another 6）acquaintance celebrates New Years by tossing out every single item in her fridge. “Even a bottle of ketchup thats still half full？” I pressed. “Everything，” she answered. Theres something about getting control over stuff that makes us feel more in control of life. While were constantly bombarded with messages of“More！” and “Buy now！” were also offered the 7）tantalizing promise “Youll be happier with less！”

But simplicity is complicated. （Even 8）Thoreau， in his famous 9）admonition “Simplicity， simplicity， simplicity！” couldnt limit himself to a single “simplicity.”）

美國能源部估算，那些擁有兩個車庫的人當中有25%車庫都不是用來停車的。

這種雜物成堆的狀況會把人逼向極端。我認識一個小伙子，他不顧后果地刪除收件箱中的每一封電郵，以求達到“收件箱零郵件”的快感。另一好友用扔掉她冰箱中每一件物品的方式來慶祝新年。“即使是還剩半瓶的蕃茄醬也扔掉？”我特意問道。“每一件?！彼卮鸬?。把握對物品的主導權，這很重要，讓我們更感覺自己掌控人生。當我們被“更多”、“立刻買”這樣的信息持續(xù)轟炸時，我們同時也聽到一個焦急的聲音說著“占有少，快樂多！”

但簡約是一件復雜的事情。（即使梭羅在其警世箴言“簡約，簡約，簡約！”中，也無法讓自己做到言簡歸一。）

Id argue that， because we dont want to think of ourselves as 10）materialistic or preoccupied with acquiring things， we too often deny the importance of our possessions and dont spend enough time thinking about how possessions can boost happiness. The things we own exert a powerful influence over the atmosphere of our homes. Objects received as gifts 11）commemorate important milestones like weddings， births and graduations. Photos remind us of those we love. Possessions cant make us happy alone， but they can indeed play an important role in a happy life.

The key to resolving the contradiction at the heart of ownership—the battling lures of accumulation and elimination—is to cultivate a true simplicity， in which were both surrounded by useful， beloved things and free from the oppressive weight of meaningless possessions.

我認為，因為我們不想視自己為物質主義者，又或是物欲攻心者，所以我們往往否認手頭物品的重要性，而且不會多花些時間去思考自己所擁有的物品如何能增添快樂。我們所擁有的物品對自己家的環(huán)境氣氛有著巨大影響。以禮物形式所接納的物品紀念著重要的人生歷程，如結婚、生日和畢業(yè)。照片讓我們想起那些咱們所愛的人。光擁有這些東西并不能使我們感到快樂，但它們的確在快樂生活中扮演著重要的角色。

化解這個擁有權核心矛盾——取舍角力的關鍵在于培養(yǎng)真正的簡約之道，讓陪伴身旁的均是有用、摯愛的物品，把自己從那些毫無意義的物欲中解脫出來。

To do this， it helps to consider， first， the“12）endowment effect”： once we own an object， we value it more. For this reason， it pays to 13）be wary of 14）hand-me-downs， 15）tag sales and promotional swag. The innocent-looking 16）gimcrack you pick up on a whim may root itself in your home for years.

The second consideration is the charm of 17）procrastination. When I was helping a friend clear out her closets， we discovered a 18）cache of dusty business suits left over from her days at an investment bank. “Um， why exactly are you saving these？” I asked. “Well， my daughter might want to wear them some day，” she answered. “Youre nuts，”I said kindly. “Theres no way your first-grader is ever going to wear a decades-old business suit.”

The third consideration is the tug of 19）nostalgia. I find this one particularly powerful when I associate an object with my daughters childhoods. To deal with this impulse， I exploit the power of the nostalgia effect by deliberately 20）curating and preserving memories.

Heres how it works： Once I decide that this art project is the one thats truly worth keeping， I place it prominently on a shelf， and this action frees me to toss out most of my childs other creations. I can cherish one first-grade art project， but I cant cherish every art project. One of my secrets is this： Someplace， keep an empty shelf， and someplace， keep a junk drawer.

We all need simplicity， order and enough room to 21）accommodate new possibilities. But we also need luxurious abundance and collections of things that are precious to us. By mindfully deciding what to put in， we know what we can leave out.

要做到這一點，得先考慮“賦予效應”：一旦我們擁有了一件物品，我們會更看重它。因此，對那些二手衣物、現場舊貨出售和促銷產品要提高警惕。那些你一時沖動而買下的看上去無傷大雅的花俏小玩意可能會在你家扎根經年。

第二點需要考慮的是拖延的魔咒。當我?guī)鸵晃慌笥亚謇砥錂还駮r，我們發(fā)現一套塵封多時的她以前在某投資銀行上班時的職業(yè)套裝藏匿其中?！班牛氵€留著這衣服干嘛？”我問道?！耙苍S，我的女兒某天會用得著呢。”她答道。“別傻了，”我用溫和的語氣說道，“你那一年級的女兒不可能穿上這早過時了的職業(yè)套裝！”

第三點要考慮到的是懷舊情懷的糾結。我發(fā)覺當物品涉及到我女兒的童年時，這一效應就相當明顯。為了處理好這一時沖動所帶來的不便，我會有意保存回憶，充分利用懷舊效應的力量來幫我作出決定。

過程是這樣的：一旦我決定了這件藝術作品的確值得我保留，我就把它放置在架子上較顯眼的位置，這樣一來我便可毫無牽掛地扔掉孩子的其它大部分作品。我可以珍藏一件孩子一年級時創(chuàng)作的作品，但我無法珍藏每一件藝術作品。我的秘訣之一是：在某處，留一個空架子；而在某處，留一個裝廢品的抽屜。

我們都需要簡約有序和充足的空間來容納新的可能。但是我們同樣需要豐富多樣的、對我們彌足珍貴的藏品。通過小心甄選所要取納之物，我們便會懂得什么是可以舍棄的。

小鏈接

1. Do you purchase or collect items that you do not need？

A） Yes B） Sometimes C） No

2. Are you able to restrain yourself from buying or collecting items that you do not need？

A） Yes B） Sometimes C） No

3. Do people around you argue that you collect useless items， and is it causing problems in your relationships？

A） Yes B） Sometimes C） No

4. If you are short of space， would you willingly dispose such objects？

A） Yes B） Sometimes C） No

5. Is your habit of accumulating objects interfering with your studies， work， social or family life by eating into your time？

A） Yes B） Sometimes C） No

6. Are you unable to use living spaces in your home because they are filled with clutter？

A） Yes B） Sometimes C） No

7. Does collecting items that others find useless， make you feel good？

A） Yes B） Sometimes C） No