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Simplify Your Life 简化你的生活
◎ Claudia Bowe
1. Free up time to do what you love most
Two years ago Shirley Michels of St. Louis found herself getting up earlier and earlier, and
going to bed later and later, just to meet everyday demands. The wife, mother and ophthalmic
technician met her responsibilities, but lacked time for the things that mattered most.
She and her husband, Vic, an attorney, began searching for ways to simplify their lives. “We
had to decide what was really important,” says Shirley. They knew they wanted more time to play
So the couple chose to live more modestly, shopping with care for necessities and enjoying
inexpensive pleasures such as reading, cooking and going to the park. Shirley quit her job and began
working part time from home. She printed up business cards that read “At your service—buy yourself
a little time” ,and hired herself out for personal tasks such as shopping, paying bills, organizing
parties, doing Internet research—whatever clients needed.
“I still work hard, but being able to control my hours makes all the difference.” she says. “I can
carve out time to take my son to the zoo or play basketball with him. My stress headaches are gone.
Having a chance to get to know neighbors not only has been fun, but it’s also helped us further
simplify.
According to trend watchers, the Michelses are far from alone in wanting to slow down and live
a more satisfying life. A Gallup Poll found that half of all Americans claim they lack enough time to
do what they want. Fifty-four percent of parents say they spend too little time with their children, and
47 percent of married couples complain that they lack time together.
the Bureau of Labor3 Statistics, one out of five of us put in 49 or more hours a week on the job; one
out of 12 logged 60 hours or more.
many products beckoning5. “We’re wearing ourselves out trying to have it all,” says Elaine St. James,
author of Living the Simple Life.
gaining control over life’s hassles in order to have time for the pleasures.
2. Start the Day Right
of Alex, 11, and Clara, 9. “The kids, my husband and I had to leave every day at exactly 7:45.
Invariably, books would be missing. My son isn’t a morning person, so he was dazed and at his worst
when I needed him to be most efficient. By the time we were off, we were all in bad moods. We had
to change our habits. “
Bowe’s rule? Do everything possible the night before to prepare for the next day. For instance,
including belts and socks; check for spots, wrinkles, missing buttons. Children can set the table with
bowls, spoons and cereal boxes—everything but the milk.
“Provide a list of items kids need for school the next morning—homework, library books, lunch
money—and have them check them off before getting into bed every night.” suggests organizational
expert Ann Gambrell, owner of Creative Time Plus in Torrance, Calif. Set anything to be carried out
into the world—backpacks, dry cleaning—in front of the door. Always put keys in the same place.
Studies show that the average adult spends 16 hours a year searching for lost keys.
3. Declutter Your Home
“Every chair, blouse, stationary12 bike, candlestick must be dusted, guarded, stored, repaired. Freeing
yourself from unnecessary possessions frees up time.”
Randy O. Frost advises talking back to yourself. “I’ll never use this twisted umbrella. New ones cost
San Francisco cleaning expert Jeff Campbell, author of Clutter Control, advises clients drowning
in debris—but who seem unable to part with so much as a stray screw—to start small. Do one
drawer, one shelf, at a time. If it’s broken, fix it or toss it. If it doesn’t fit, alter it or give it away.
Cultivating just one good habit can prevent clutter from accumulating: don’t put anything down
“for now”. Don’t leave jackets on chairs or glasses in the sink “for now.” As Mom said, “Don’t put it
down, put it away.” To do otherwise means handling everything more than once.
4. Gently Say ?No?
When Lyn Petit from Ridgewood, N. J., was a stay-at-home mom to her two daughters, Sarah,
10, and Elizabeth, 12, she taught Sunday school, helped run a thrift16 shop and chaired just about any
committee she was invited to take on. After returning to her job as a floral designer, she continued
trying to do it all.
Eventually her impossible schedule led to anxiety attacks, which forced her to prioritize and
every night. Petit is there to help with homework, and she says, “It’s great to get to know my husband
again.”
“No is a two-letter word that can free up many hours a week,” says Elaine St. James. Say it
gently but immediately, offering a brief explanation, such as “I just don’t have time.” Avoid giving
5. Don’t Save Pennies and Waste Hours
Most of us are taught to watch money, but not to value time, says Andrea Van Steenhouse,
author of A Woman’s Guide to a Simpler Life. “As a result, we may not even think about how much
irreplaceable time we waste to save a few pennies.” Is it worth it to wander through a giant discount
them immediately? To wait for takeout at the restaurant when delivery is available for a small tip?
Rather than dismiss the idea with the words “I can’t afford that”, it may pay to think twice.
6. Encourage Your Kids to Help
Stephanie Culp is a productivity consultant20 in Temecula, Calif., and author of You Can Find
More Time for Yourself Every Day. Her golden rule for families: except for babies, no one is exempt21
from housework. Three to four-year-old can fill Rover’s bowl or fetch the baby’s diapers. Five- to
seven- year- old can set tables, make beds, sweep walks. Children eight to twelve can weed, dust,
take out the trash. Let kids know in advance what’s expected of them. Posting a rotating chore list
that spells out who does what prevents squabbles such as “It’s not my turn to clear the table”.
Be prepared to reduce expectations at first — a poorly made bed is a lot better than one left
unmade. But if the bed-making is particularly pathetic, it may be a sabotage22 maneuver23. Stick to your
guns, says Culp. If you give in, your child, having savored24 the victory of upward delegation25, may use
7. Turn off the Tube
activity. “Yet it’s a pastime few see as important or even enjoyable.” says John P. Robinson, director
of the Americans’ Use of Time Project at the University of Maryland. “Life would be simpler for a
lot of people if they could reclaim28 even a third of the time they spend semi hypnotized in front of the
tube.”
Robinson and other experts suggest families schedule activities before consulting a TV guide.
Decide what programs to watch, tape them and promptly29 turn off the set after replaying. Have certain
times—during meals, on Sunday afternoons—when TV is never allowed.
The payoff for all this is simplifying? You’ll free up time to do what you love most, whether it’s
playing with the kids, gardening or traveling. Nothing could be simpler.
1．挤出些时间做你最想做的事
两年前，圣路易斯的雪莉·米歇尔斯发现自己起得越来越早，睡得越来越晚，却仅能满足
日常的生活需求。尽管无论是作为一名妻子、一位母亲，还是眼科技术员，她都已经尽职尽
责了，但她却没有时间做最重要的事情。
她和她的丈夫维克，一名律师，开始寻找方法简化他们的生活。雪莉说：“我们得决定什
么是生活中真正重要的。”他们知道自己需要更多的时间和三岁的儿子瑞安在一起，做做游
戏，做做运动，让他能合理饮食，以维系他们之间的感情。
因此，这对夫妻选择了一种更简单的生活方式，注意购物时只买生活必需品，享受一些
花钱不多的消遣，诸如阅读、烹调、逛公园。雪莉辞掉了原来的工作，开始做兼职工作。她
在她的名片上印上“听候您的吩咐——给您自己留点时间”。比如说为私人购物、付账单、组
织聚会、做国际互联网研究方面的事情——做客户所要求做的一切。
她说：“我仍然很努力，但现在我可以自己控制时间，这让人大为振奋。我能抽出一些时
间带儿子去动物园，或者陪他打篮球。我因压力而造成的头痛消失了。有机会去了解邻居，
不仅给生活带来了乐趣，而且还有助于我们进一步简化生活。
根据时尚观察者们所说，米歇尔斯们并非单单想放慢生活的节奏，过一种更满意的人
生。盖洛普民意调查发现，一半的美国人宣称他们缺少足够的时间去做自己想做的事。54%
的家长指出，他们和孩子待在一起的时间太少了。47%的已婚夫妇抱怨他们缺少在一起的时
间。
那么时间都到哪儿去了呢？对大多数人来说，工作和乘车上下班占据了一天的大部分时
间。根据劳动局统计数字表明，有五分之一的人一周要工作49个小时或者更多；十二分之一
的人工作60小时或更多。
现代的生活还有丰富多彩的瑞式自助餐那么多的信息等你去筛选，那么多的产品吸引着
我们。《过一种简单的生活》的作者伊莱恩·圣詹姆斯说：“为了拥有这一切我们已累得精疲力
尽了。”
生活简单化就意味着要我们注意所花的钱、时间和精力，方方面面、大大小小的事情，
然后再采取措施去控制浪费。在这里，根据专家们的一些建议，尽量避免生活中发生争吵以
便有更多的时间来娱乐。
2．一天之计在于晨
在采用这种方法之前，早晨对于巴尔的摩教师克劳迪娅·鲍来说真是个磨难。她是11岁的
亚历克斯和9岁的克莱尔的母亲。她说：“孩子、丈夫和我每天早7∶45必须离开家。在这时总
是书本不见了。我儿子不适合早起，所以当我需要他高效率时，他却总是昏昏沉沉，表现得
最糟糕。当我们离家时，我们的心情都已经坏透了。所以我们得改变一下习惯。”
鲍的办法是什么呢？在前一天晚上为第二天作好一切准备。比如说，买一个可以定时的
咖啡壶，当你醒来时它就已经开始煮咖啡了。决定好明天穿什么，包括腰带、袜子。进行逐
项检查，衣裤皱痕，丢失的扣子。孩子们可以在桌子上摆好碗，汤匙，麦片粥以及除了牛奶
以外一切的东西。
“列出孩子们第二天去学校所需要的物品清单——家庭作业，图书馆的书籍，午餐——并
在每晚上床睡觉前检查一下。”加利福尼亚州托兰斯市创意时间的老板、管理专家安建议说。
把要带出去的东西都安排好，把背包和要干洗的衣服放在门前。把钥匙总放在同一个地方。
研究结果表明，成年人每年找钥匙所花的时间平均为16小时。
3．不要让你的房子凌乱不堪
《凌乱的最后一站》一书的作者唐·阿斯莱特说：“你买的每一样东西都需要照管。每一把
椅子、一件外套、不用的自行车、烛台，都要打扫、照管、贮存和修理。把你从不用的财产
中摆脱出来，会节省很多时间。”
要想克服囤积者内心的呼唤，“我也许需要这个。”史密斯大学心理学家兰迪·奥·弗罗斯特
建议要反驳自己。“我决不使用这把难看的雨伞。新伞仅需6美元。”或者“是的，也许哪一天
还需要剩下的墙纸，但我有必要为了某一天也许用得着就把一切都留下吗？如果这样的话，
也许我该租一个仓库了。”
旧金山的《控制凌乱》一书的作者、清洁专家杰夫·坎贝尔，建议那些不愿意扔掉掉下的
螺丝钉、整天淹没在破烂中的人从小事做起。从一个抽屉，一个架子做起。如果它坏了，或
者修理或者扔掉。如果它确实不合适了，放弃它或把它送人。
只要养成一种好习惯就能避免散乱物越聚越多：现在不要放下任何东西，不要把夹克放
在椅子上，或把眼镜放在洗涤槽上。正如妈妈所说：“不要把它放下，不要把它放在一
边。”否则，就意味着要不止一次地收拾这些东西。
4．和颜悦色地说“不”
新泽西州里奇伍德市的林恩·柏蒂是位有两个女儿的家庭主妇：萨拉10岁，伊丽莎白12
岁。她在主日学校教书，并帮忙经营一个廉价旧货店，还被邀请担任某委员会的主席。在她
重新做花样设计师后，她仍然尽量帮助做一切事情。
她的那些难以实施的计划最终导致忧虑的开始，这迫使她依主次安排活动，使她把志愿
工作限定在女童子军和家长教师联谊会上。现在家人每晚坐下来一起吃晚餐，柏蒂辅导孩子
做功课，她说：“能再次了解我丈夫真是太好了。”
“不”是两个字母的词，它却能让你在一周内节省出很多时间。和颜悦色但要马上
说“不”，作简单的解释，比如说：“我只是没时间。”避免作详细的解释——因为其他人也许
能看出来你真的适合做这件事。
5．不要为了节省几便士而浪费数小时
《妇女简化生活指南》一书的作者安德烈亚·范·斯蒂豪斯说：“我们大部分人都被教导要
节俭，而不是珍惜时间。结果是：我们也许没考虑为了节省几便士，就浪费了多少无法挽回
的光阴。”当邻居五金店的老板能马上拿给你要买的画框时，你是否还值得漫步在大的打折集
市？当只需一点小费就可送货上门时，你是否还要排队等候外卖食品？不是让你放弃“我负担
不起”的想法，而是让你三思是否值得去做。
6．鼓励孩子们帮忙
斯蒂法妮·卡尔普是加利福尼亚州蒂梅丘拉的生产顾问和《每天你能为你找出更多的时
间》一书的作者。她的黄金定律是：除了婴儿以外，没有人可以免做家务。3～4岁的孩子能
给家人盛饭或帮婴儿换尿布。5～7岁的孩子能摆桌子、铺床叠被、扫扫人行道。8～12岁的孩
子能除杂草、打扫灰尘、出去倒垃圾。让孩子事先知道他们应做什么。贴一张谁该做什么的
家务表，可避免像“不该我收拾桌子”这样的争吵。
最初不要对孩子期望太高，被子叠得不好也比不去叠要强得多。但如果被子叠得尤其糟
糕，也许是故意的。卡尔普说，要坚持你的立场。如果你让步的话，你的孩子尝到了抵抗上
方授权的甜头，会用同样的战术对付你而不做其他家务。
7．关上电视机
美国马里兰州州立大学研究美国人如何合理支配时间的项目负责人约翰·皮·鲁滨孙
说：“美国人平均每周看电视16小时，这标志着电视已成为美国的主导休闲活动。然而很少有
人把这种消遣看成是重要的，甚至是能让人愉快的。如果大部分人能把他们昏昏沉沉消磨在
看电视上的1/3时间收回的话，生活会变得更简单了。”
鲁滨孙和其他专家建议先制订家庭活动计划，然后再看电视报，决定看什么节目。把要
看的节目录下来，放完录像后马上关上电视机。某些时候——吃饭时或是周日下午是决不允
许看电视的。
这样做的结果就是一切都变简单了。你有时间做你最想做的事，比如说和孩子们玩耍，
做做园艺，出去旅行。这是最简单不过的事情了。
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