卖掉所有不必需物品 体验简约生活的乐趣

 　　If you’ve ever fantasised about selling everything you own and paring down your possessions to the bare essentials, you’re probably familiar with minimalism.

　　“所有的物品全部卖掉，只保留最基本的必需品，越简单越好。”如果你曾有过这种幻想，那么简约主义对你来说应该并不陌生。

　　But it’s about more than just de-cluttering—it’s about getting rid of all clutter¹, permanently². “Minimalism isn’t about empty white rooms with hardly any furniture,” said Chris Wray, who writes a UK blog about minimalism, TwoLessThings.co.uk. “It’s about removing all the things that distract us from what’s important in our lives.”

　　但是简约生活的含义不只是把眼前的凌乱收拾整齐，而是要永久性摆脱凌乱的生活方式。英国的极简主义博客TwoLess Things.co.uk的作者克里斯·雷（Chris Wray）说：“极简派生活并不是提倡房间里空荡得没有什么家具，四周只见白墙。极简主义强调生活空间里要摆脱那些分散注意力的五花八门的东西，只保留生活里最需要的即可。”

　　简约生活的乐趣.jpg

　　For extreme minimalists, such as Andrew Hyde, who lives in Colorado in the US, it means owning only about 15 items. For others, it means getting rid of the excess until you are left with essentials — and your definition of essential might evolve.

　　对于像美国科罗拉多的安德鲁·海德这样比较极端的极简主义者们来说，简约可以意味着只拥有15件东西。而对于其他人来说，简约是不断摆脱多余的物品，简约到只剩下基本必需品的程度就可以了，另外，必需品的标准对你而言可能也不是一成不变的。

　　“A minimalist lifestyle entails³ being mindful about the things we own, the things we buy, and how we spend our time,” said Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less. “It is a lifestyle that values experiences more than possessions.”

　　《简单的快乐》作者一书弗朗辛·杰（Francine Jay）说：“简约主义生活方式需要人们留心对待自己所拥有的物品，所购买的物品，以及对时间的利用。这种生活方式重视生活体验而不是拥有的物品。”

　　Naturally, minimalism tends to flourish in countries that have embraced consumer culture, such as the US, UK and parts of Europe. It’s difficult to revolt against the get-more-stuff mentality⁴ if that isn’t your country’s way of life. But you can live a minimalist life anywhere and capture more money for savings⁵ and great experiences, and have less stuff to maintain and clean.

　　在一些包容消费文化的国家，比如美国、英国、以及欧洲一些国家，极简主义自然而然会走向繁荣。但是如果一个国家的大部分人没有简约主义的生活理念，那么想要突破“拥有更多”的思维模式就困难了。但是无论在哪里，只要你想，都可以实现简约的生活，这样的生活方式可以让你拥有更多的积蓄，以及更加舒适的生活体验，更少的物品需要打理。

　　Here’s how to get back to basics:

　　这里教你如何让生活返璞归真：

　　What it will take: Mental fortitude⁶. Getting rid of your things requires commitment. You have to make a decision about every item you own, and that can be mentally taxing — and it won’t happen overnight.

　　思想上的准备——要内心坚定。对你的东西说再见需要有坚定信念。你需要对每一件东西的去留做出决定，这个过程可能很费神，而且也不是一晚上的功夫就能解决的事情。

　　“It almost certainly took you longer than one afternoon to collect all the possessions in your life, and it is going to take you longer than one afternoon to sort them out,” said Joshua Becker, a minimalist in Arizona and writer of the blog BecomingMinimalist.com.

　　BecomingMinimalist.com网络日志的作者，美国亚利桑那州的极简主义者约书亚·贝克尔表示：要一次性收集你所有东西，当然是要花比一个下午还要多的时间，然后还要腾出差不多的功夫集中把它们分类。

　　How long you need to prepare: Not long at all — you can start this process today by putting a box in every room. “When you come across something you haven’t used in a long time, or ever, throw it in,” said Rachel Jonat, who lives in the Isle⁷ of Man in the UK and writes the blog TheMinimalistMom.com. “If you are scared about wanting those items again, hold onto the box for six months and then donate everything.”

　　其实，用不了很久的。你可以从今天开始行动，在每个房间里放置一个箱子。住在英国曼岛的雷切尔·德古斯曼（Rachel Jonat）是"TheMinimalistMom.com"网络日志的作者，他说：“当你偶然发现某样东西很长时间没使用过了，觉得可能用不着了，你就可以把它放进箱子里。”他还提到：:“如果你害怕某天又需要那些东西的话，你可以先把箱子保留六个月，然后把它们送出去。”

　　Mentally, you may have to do some preparation to get into the right mindset — because, let’s face it, a lot of us like our things. But things have a catch. That big house and everything in it take time to clean and organise⁸, and it takes money to maintain it all.

　　在思想上，你可能需要为获得正确的简约生活理念做些思想准备。事实上，我们不得不承认的是，我们当中有许多人会留恋自己的东西，但事物如同双刃剑，偌大的房间和里面的物品是需要清洁和打理的，也要有经济上的支出用于维护。

　　“Look at an item and think about how many hours you had to work, or willhave to work, to pay for it,” Jonat said. Every piece you own is a chance to regain⁹ time and/or money if you sell it or give it away. Once you’re ready to start purging¹⁰, dive in.

　　德古兹曼说：“看着每一件物品时候，想着为了购买它，你曾经，或是将要辛苦工作多少时间。”一旦你准备好对自己的生活进行一次彻底的净化，开始行动吧。

　　Do it now: Think about the places in your life where you feel anxiety or frustration¹¹, said Cristin Frank, US author of Living Simple, Free & Happy. “Too many decisions? Is your closet so crowded that things get lost or easily wrinkled?” Pinpoint¹² those areas and deal with them first. Name brand clothes and household goods in good condition are perfect for eBay — check recent sales of similar items to help you set a price. Your first 50 listings every month are free; if you sell it, the site takes 10% of the final sales price.

　　立即行动：《简单的生活——自由而快乐》的美国作家克里斯丁·弗兰克说：“考虑一下，你的生活里有哪些地方的不好打理，让你感到焦虑或者挫败？”“需要做出太多的决定吗？那么你想一下你的衣柜是否东西太多，以至于会有衣服找不到或者变皱的情况出现？瞄准这些区域然，首先着手处理它们。对于名牌服装和性能良好的家庭用品来说，通过易趣网站（e-Bay）进行拍卖是个理想的选择。查看一下近期类似物品的销售情况来帮助定价。你在每月在该网站拍卖的前50件物品是免费的。如果商品交易成功，网站将获取成交价的10%。

　　Start small. You aren’t going to be able to declutter your life in a day, or even a week. And the process may seem really daunting¹³. If you are feeling anxious about change, “try one thing for 30 days, starting with the easiest things to get rid of,” said Joshua Fields Millburn, a minimalist who lives in Montana and writes at TheMinimalists.com blog. Another strategy: Spend 15 minutes a day de-cluttering. Set a timer — you can make great progress when you race the clock.

　　从小事做起：你不可能在一天之内甚至是一周之内就把自己的所有东西打理得井井有条，过上简约式生活，而这个看似漫长的准备过程有点令人没有勇气和决心坚持下去了。面对这样的情形，可能这个生活上的改变让你感到有点焦虑不安，不知道怎么着手开始。对此，美国蒙大拿州的极简主义者，TheMinimalists.com网络杂志的文章作者约书亚·菲儿兹·米尔本（Joshua Fields Millburn）建议：“先尝试坚持30天，从最容易处理的东西开始着手。”另一个办法就是：每天花15分钟清理。设置一个计时器，当你争分夺秒的时候，往往会取得很大的进展。

　　Ditch the obvious things.

　　丢弃那些用处不大的摆设。

　　Get some forward momentum¹⁴ by starting your giveaway pile with the items you clearly do not need—the mugs you never use, that ugly thing you received as a gift. Start a pile for a car boot sale or yard sale. List furniture and larger household goods on classified-ad site Craigslist, which is available in more than 80 countries. You can also make it easier to part with things by passing them along to someone else who can use them via local charities.

　　从丢掉用处不大的赠送品开始着手，比如从来不用的杯子，不好看的礼物等，在这个过程中获得些前进的动力。可以把一堆物品放在跳蚤市场或者庭院旧货市场出售。针对一些家具和大型家用物品列成一个清单，投放到克雷格列表（Craigslist）网站上，此网站的使用范围涵盖世界上80多个国家。你还可以采取更简单的做法，把物品通过当地慈善机构分发给那些需要的人，同时实现了物品的使用价值。

　　“Throwing it all in the garbage can make you feel guilty or wasteful,” Frank said.

　　弗兰克说：“把物品全部丢进垃圾箱会让你有负罪感或是觉得太浪费了。”

　　Do it later: Once you’ve started selling your stuff and not buying new knick-knacks, repurpose the money you’re saving.

　　之后要做的事：一旦你已经开始卖掉你的一部分东西，并且不再购买新的小摆设，重新对节省下来的钱进行用途规划。

　　“My husband and I paid off our home in less than seven years with our minimalist lifestyle,” Frank said. “I was then able to quit my job and be a blogger and author full time.”

　　弗兰克说：“通过极简理念的生活方式，我的丈夫和我在七年之内就还清了房子的贷款。后来，我得到机会辞去了之前的工作，成为了全职博客写稿人和作家。”

　　For Francine Jay, living minimally¹⁵ allowed her and her husband to travel. “We lived in London for two years, and travelled throughout much of Europe and Asia during that time,” Jay said. Rachel Jonat and her husband paid off $80,000 in non-mortgage debt in less than three years. When you don’t fritter money away on junk, you have more to put toward the essentials — house payment, debt, retirement¹⁶, and experiences.

　　对于弗朗辛·杰来说，简约式生活给她和丈夫带来了旅行。“我们住在伦敦两年了，在此期间，我们游历过欧洲和亚洲的许多地方。”杰说。雷切尔·德古兹曼和她的丈夫用了不到三年的时间还清了非抵押债务。如果你不在毫无使用价值的东西上浪费钱的话，你就可以有更多的资金用于生活的基本需求上，比如房款、贷款、养老保险以及各种生活体验。

　　Reassess after a few weeks and see how you feel. “Decluttering isn’t something you just do once,” Jay said. “It’s an ongoing¹⁷ process.” You may find it difficult to let go of certain items in the first or second round of purging, but on the third round it could end up on the giveaway pile. “It took me eight months to slowly pare down my possessions while constantly asking myself, ‘Does this thing add value to my life?’” Millburn said.

　　几周之后，再重新评估一下，看自己感受如何。“清理工作不是只做一次。”杰说。“这是一个不断进行的过程。”你在前一两轮清理工作中可能会感到难以放弃一些东西，但是等到第三周的时候，你可能还徘徊在如何处理那些赠品上。“我用了八个月的时间才把物品减少了一些。在此期间，我一直不断问自己一个问题‘这件东西为我的生活来增添价值吗？’”米尔本说。

　　Be smart about future purchases. Shop only when you need something, not for fun or entertainment, Jay said. Before you buy, “make an inventory¹⁸ of what you already have,” Jay said. “Counting just how many shirts or kitchen gadgets¹⁹ you own will likely discourage you from purchasing anything new.” When you do add to your home, seek out versatile²⁰, multipurpose items.

　　“在未来买东西的时候动动脑子。记住只在需要某样东西的时候再去购物，而不是出于有趣或是娱乐的原因而购物。”杰说。在买东西前，要像杰说的那样，“要先盘算一下已有的家当。数一数自己已经拥有多少件衬衫，多少件厨房用品可能会阻止你再买任何新东西”。然而当你真正要添置新家当的时候，尽量挑那些有多种用途的商品。

　　Consider a big change. Moving into a smaller space isn’t for everyone. But if you are a renter and your lease is coming up, or you’re really struggling to manage your home payment each month, downsizing accomplishes a few things: It encourages less stuff, less time cleaning, and of course, smaller bills.

　　考虑一个大的改变。搬进相对狭小的空间并不适用于每个人。但是如果你作为一个房东，租赁要开始了，或者你非常努力地支付每月的房款，精简可以实现以下几个目的：这样做可以让你东西变得少一些，节省打扫的时间。当然，还可以帮你减少开销。

　　Do it smarter: Avoid comparisons. Your minimalism is yours alone—it’s what works for you, in your life, at this time. If you want to keep every book you’ve ever read but cut your wardrobe down to 12 items, that is what you should do.

　　明智一点，不要比较。你的极简生活是属于你自己的，也就是说，它只对你自己起作用，对你当时的生活有效。如果你想保留你读过的所有书籍，但是把衣柜里衣服减到12件，那也是你应该做的事。

　　“Comparing your progress to someone else is rarely helpful,” Becker said.

　　“把你在简约生活上的进展情况与他人的情况相比较往往没什么益处。”贝克尔说。

1 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。

2 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

3 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。

4 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

5 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

6 fortitude   

n.坚忍不拔；刚毅

参考例句：

• His dauntless fortitude makes him absolutely fearless.他不屈不挠的坚韧让他绝无恐惧。
• He bore the pain with great fortitude.他以极大的毅力忍受了痛苦。

7 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

8 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

9 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

10 purging   

清洗； 清除； 净化； 洗炉

参考例句：

• You learned the dry-mouthed, fear-purged, purging ecstasy of battle. 你体会到战斗中那种使人嘴巴发干的，战胜了恐惧并排除其他杂念的狂喜。
• Purging databases, configuring, and making other exceptional requests might fall into this category. 比如清空数据库、配置，以及其他特别的请求等都属于这个类别。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

11 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

12 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

13 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

14 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

15 minimally   

最低限度地，最低程度地

参考例句：

• Food spoilage problems occur with minimally processed, concentrated frozen citrus products. 食品的变质也发生在轻微加工的、浓缩冷冻的柑橘制品中。
• So, minimally, they are responsible for such actions and omissions. 所以，至少来说，他们要对这样的行为和忽略负责。

16 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

17 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

18 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

19 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

20 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。