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(duì)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(diǎn)讓我暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向。新學(xué)年意味著一堆新物品會(huì)涌進(jìn)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(shù)作品，那是我七歲的孩子的手工作業(yè)，我嘗試對(duì)其命運(yùn)作出選擇。一方面，我舍不得丟棄孩子童年珍貴的紀(jì)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(xí)慣讓人左右為難，以數(shù)十億美元計(jì)算的倉儲(chǔ)業(yè)也應(yīng)運(yùn)而生：我們愛我們的物品，然而我們也渴望擺脫其束縛。根據(jù)美國(guó)自助存儲(chǔ)協(xié)會(huì)的數(shù)據(jù)，每十個(gè)美國(guó)家庭中就有一個(gè)租借儲(chǔ)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(guó)能源部估算，那些擁有兩個(gè)車庫的人當(dāng)中有25%車庫都不是用來停車的。

這種雜物成堆的狀況會(huì)把人逼向極端。我認(rèn)識(shí)一個(gè)小伙子，他不顧后果地刪除收件箱中的每一封電郵，以求達(dá)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卮鸬馈０盐諏?duì)物品的主導(dǎo)權(quán)，這很重要，讓我們更感覺自己掌控人生。當(dāng)我們被“更多”、“立刻買”這樣的信息持續(xù)轟炸時(shí)，我們同時(shí)也聽到一個(gè)焦急的聲音說著“占有少，快樂多！”

但簡(jiǎn)約是一件復(fù)雜的事情。（即使梭羅在其警世箴言“簡(jiǎn)約，簡(jiǎn)約，簡(jiǎn)約！”中，也無法讓自己做到言簡(jiǎn)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(rèn)為，因?yàn)槲覀儾幌胍曌约簽槲镔|(zhì)主義者，又或是物欲攻心者，所以我們往往否認(rèn)手頭物品的重要性，而且不會(huì)多花些時(shí)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(duì)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(jì)念著重要的人生歷程，如結(jié)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(gè)擁有權(quán)核心矛盾——取舍角力的關(guān)鍵在于培養(yǎng)真正的簡(jiǎn)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(diǎn)，得先考慮“賦予效應(yīng)”：一旦我們擁有了一件物品，我們會(huì)更看重它。因此，對(duì)那些二手衣物、現(xiàn)場(chǎng)舊貨出售和促銷產(chǎn)品要提高警惕。那些你一時(shí)沖動(dòng)而買下的看上去無傷大雅的花俏小玩意可能會(huì)在你家扎根經(jīng)年。

第二點(diǎn)需要考慮的是拖延的魔咒。當(dāng)我?guī)鸵晃慌笥亚謇砥錂还駮r(shí)，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)一套塵封多時(shí)的她以前在某投資銀行上班時(shí)的職業(yè)套裝藏匿其中。“嗯，你還留著這衣服干嘛？”我問道?！耙苍S，我的女兒某天會(huì)用得著呢?！彼鸬??！皠e傻了，”我用溫和的語氣說道，“你那一年級(jí)的女兒不可能穿上這早過時(shí)了的職業(yè)套裝！”

第三點(diǎn)要考慮到的是懷舊情懷的糾結(jié)。我發(fā)覺當(dāng)物品涉及到我女兒的童年時(shí)，這一效應(yīng)就相當(dāng)明顯。為了處理好這一時(shí)沖動(dòng)所帶來的不便，我會(huì)有意保存回憶，充分利用懷舊效應(yīng)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(shù)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(jí)時(shí)創(chuàng)作的作品，但我無法珍藏每一件藝術(shù)作品。我的秘訣之一是：在某處，留一個(gè)空架子；而在某處，留一個(gè)裝廢品的抽屜。

我們都需要簡(jiǎn)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(duì)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(huì)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