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.

面对九月到来前要备好的所有必需品清单、校服和紧急联系人名单，要买的、要填的、要交的，一切都有点让我晕头转向。新学年意味着一堆新物品会涌进我们的房子里——然而我都还没想好该如何处置上一年的东西。

最近我从某架子上取下一大件木制的艺术作品，那是我七岁的孩子的手工作业，我尝试对其命运作出选择。一方面，我舍不得丢弃孩子童年珍贵的纪念物；另一方面，我住在曼哈顿，我需要为孩子的新创作腾出空间。犹豫不决之下，我只好把它塞回架子。

正是这样的文化习惯让人左右为难，以数十亿美元计算的仓储业也应运而生：我们爱我们的物品，然而我们也渴望摆脱其束缚。根据美国自助存储协会的数据，每十个美国家庭中就有一个租借储物空间。而且我们的橱柜、阁楼、地库和车库依然被塞满了东西。

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.”）

美国能源部估算，那些拥有两个车库的人当中有25%车库都不是用来停车的。

这种杂物成堆的状况会把人逼向极端。我认识一个小伙子，他不顾后果地删除收件箱中的每一封电邮，以求达到“收件箱零邮件”的快感。另一好友用扔掉她冰箱中每一件物品的方式来庆祝新年。“即使是还剩半瓶的蕃茄酱也扔掉？”我特意问道。“每一件。”她回答道。把握对物品的主导权，这很重要，让我们更感觉自己掌控人生。当我们被“更多”、“立刻买”这样的信息持续轰炸时，我们同时也听到一个焦急的声音说着“占有少，快乐多！”

但简约是一件复杂的事情。（即使梭罗在其警世箴言“简约，简约，简约！”中，也无法让自己做到言简归一。）

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.

我认为，因为我们不想视自己为物质主义者，又或是物欲攻心者，所以我们往往否认手头物品的重要性，而且不会多花些时间去思考自己所拥有的物品如何能增添快乐。我们所拥有的物品对自己家的环境气氛有着巨大影响。以礼物形式所接纳的物品纪念着重要的人生历程，如结婚、生日和毕业。照片让我们想起那些咱们所爱的人。光拥有这些东西并不能使我们感到快乐，但它们的确在快乐生活中扮演着重要的角色。

化解这个拥有权核心矛盾——取舍角力的关键在于培养真正的简约之道，让陪伴身旁的均是有用、挚爱的物品，把自己从那些毫无意义的物欲中解脱出来。

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.

要做到这一点，得先考虑“赋予效应”：一旦我们拥有了一件物品，我们会更看重它。因此，对那些二手衣物、现场旧货出售和促销产品要提高警惕。那些你一时冲动而买下的看上去无伤大雅的花俏小玩意可能会在你家扎根经年。

第二点需要考虑的是拖延的魔咒。当我帮一位朋友清理其橱柜时，我们发现一套尘封多时的她以前在某投资银行上班时的职业套装藏匿其中。“嗯，你还留着这衣服干嘛？”我问道。“也许，我的女儿某天会用得着呢。”她答道。“别傻了，”我用温和的语气说道，“你那一年级的女儿不可能穿上这早过时了的职业套装！”

第三点要考虑到的是怀旧情怀的纠结。我发觉当物品涉及到我女儿的童年时，这一效应就相当明显。为了处理好这一时冲动所带来的不便，我会有意保存回忆，充分利用怀旧效应的力量来帮我作出决定。

过程是这样的：一旦我决定了这件艺术作品的确值得我保留，我就把它放置在架子上较显眼的位置，这样一来我便可毫无牵挂地扔掉孩子的其它大部分作品。我可以珍藏一件孩子一年级时创作的作品，但我无法珍藏每一件艺术作品。我的秘诀之一是：在某处，留一个空架子；而在某处，留一个装废品的抽屉。

我们都需要简约有序和充足的空间来容纳新的可能。但是我们同样需要丰富多样的、对我们弥足珍贵的藏品。通过小心甄选所要取纳之物，我们便会懂得什么是可以舍弃的。

小链接

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