I don't think it means what you think it means.

我覺得它的意思和你想的不一樣。

OK, all right.

好吧

I'm not obviously a minimalist to most people's way of thinking.

在大多數人看來，我顯然不是一個極簡主義者。

If you've watched other videos by me, you'll know that I have more bookshelves, also full, covered in tchotchkes, and every flat surface in my home has something, if not multiple things, upon it.

如果你看過我的其他視頻，你就會知道我有更多的書架，也是滿滿的，上面擺滿了小玩意兒，家裡的每個平面上都擺放著一些東西，甚至是多件東西。

And if you want to exit out of this video and call me delusional, well, at first glance, I understand.

如果你想退出這段視頻，說我有妄想症，那麼，乍一看，我理解。

But if you can stick with me for eight minutes, I bet I can change your mind.

但如果你能堅持八分鐘，我打賭我能改變你的想法。

And I might even unveil you as a minimalist, too.

我可能還會揭穿你是個極簡主義者。

You see, there are literally hundreds of videos out there on minimalism on YouTube, on the internet, everywhere, which focus mainly on decluttering, purging, simplifying, other terms like that.

你看，YouTube 上、互聯網上，到處都有數以百計的關於極簡主義的視頻，主要集中在整理、清理、簡化等術語上。

And if you were to vastly oversimplify minimalism, then getting rid of stuff, stopping buying stuff, and living a simple, quiet life in the countryside devoid of stuff would be what most people think it is.

如果把極簡主義過於簡單化，那麼大多數人就會認為，極簡主義就是扔掉東西，不再買東西，在鄉下過一種簡單、安靜、沒有東西的生活。

And those people would be mostly wrong.

而這些人大多是錯的。

I live in the country.

我住在鄉下。

You see, at its core, minimalism isn't really about getting rid of everything and purging everything and decluttering everything and not buying anything without getting rid of something first.

要知道，極簡主義的核心並不是要擺脫一切、清理一切、整理一切，以及不先擺脫一些東西就不買任何東西。

At its core, minimalism is about control, making conscious decisions to control your environment, your thinking, your relationships, your time and energy, your focus and attention.

極簡主義的核心是控制，有意識地決定如何控制你的環境、思維、人際關係、時間和精力、注意力和關注點。

And yes, your money.

是的，還有你的錢。

Control.

控制。

For great swaths of the population, making a decision, let alone a conscious decision about anything can be alarmingly difficult, if not impossible.

對於大多數人來說，做決定，更不用說有意識地決定任何事情了，即使不是不可能，也會困難得令人震驚。

And it's because they're constantly being distracted and fed information from a myriad of different sources and having their attention diverted.

這是因為他們經常被分散注意力，從無數不同的管道獲得資訊，注意力被轉移。

They have no time to sort through and make sense of any of it.

他們沒有時間去梳理和理解其中的任何內容。

In order to make any kind of decision, let alone a good one, you need to be able to focus on good information from reliable sources and have the time, energy and attention span available to process it.

為了做出任何決定，更不用說一個好的決定，你需要能夠專注於來自可靠來源的好資訊，並有時間、精力和注意力來處理這些資訊。

Here comes minimalism.

極簡主義來了

If you pare down everything in your life to only things which have usefulness and meaning to you, if you're intentional about what you allow to come into your life, and in both cases, the paring down and the letting in, this includes people, possessions, information, then you won't have distractions, clutter and diversions.

如果你把生活中的一切都縮減到只剩下對你有用和有意義的東西，如果你有意識地讓什麼東西進入你的生活，包括人、財產、資訊，那麼你就不會分心、雜亂和轉移注意力。

You'll have created a life where you're free to be joyful, creative and worry-free.

你將創造出一種自由快樂、富有創造力、無憂無慮的生活。

Decision-making becomes easy when you're the one in control of all of the carefully curated inputs.

當你掌控了所有精心策劃的輸入資訊時，決策就變得輕而易舉。

If like me, you're not distracted by having tchotchkes all over your desk, cool.

如果你和我一樣，不會因為滿桌的小玩意兒而分心，那就酷斃了。

If you need a soundproof room in beige in order to work productively, also cool.

如果您需要一間米色的隔音室來提高工作效率，那也很酷。

That's because there's no one size fits all formula to creating this minimalist life, but the end goal is the same for everyone.

這是因為創造這種極簡生活沒有一個放之四海而皆準的公式，但最終目標對每個人來說都是一樣的。

Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist offers this definition.

成為極簡主義者》的約書亞-貝克爾給出了這樣的定義。

Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things that bring you joy and the removal of those that do not.

極簡主義就是有意識地提升那些能給你帶來快樂的東西，去除那些不能給你帶來快樂的東西。

If you eliminate everything in your life that doesn't serve you, your goals, your purpose, your health, your wellbeing, then you're a minimalist.

如果你消除了生活中一切不利於你、不利於你的目標、不利於你的目的、不利於你的健康、不利於你的幸福的東西，那麼你就是一個極簡主義者。

And minimalism is a path, a never-ending path.

極簡主義是一條路，一條永無止境的路。

It's a journey.

這是一段旅程。

It's not an item that you can just tick a box and say, okay, done for the day.

這不是一個你只需打勾，然後說 "好吧，今天就這樣吧 "的項目。

Every day you're presented with choices, with options, with scenarios, and you need to make that faithful decision every time.

每天你都要面對選擇、選項和各種情況，每次你都需要做出忠實的決定。

Will this serve me?

這對我有用嗎？

Will this fit into my plan?

這符合我的計劃嗎？

And if so, how?

如果是這樣，怎麼做？

And so I am a minimalist.

是以，我是一個極簡主義者。

I love having my things around me.

我喜歡身邊有我的東西。

I love my books, real books, used and scenting this little cave of an office that I live in for eight hours every day.

我喜歡我的書，真正的書，用過的書，讓我每天八小時都生活在這個小山洞裡。

Bibliosmia.

藏書癖

Yes, there's a word for what old books smell like.

是的，有一個詞可以形容舊書的味道。

Bibliosmia.

藏書癖

I love it.

我喜歡

And even though this office is, I mean, it's for work, I love it.

雖然這間辦公室是工作用的，但我還是很喜歡。

I love being in here.

我喜歡待在這裡。

I've made it a welcoming place for me.

我把這裡變成了一個歡迎我的地方。

A hug.

一個擁抱

It's personal, it's comfortable, and it's comforting.

它是個人的、舒適的、令人欣慰的。

I couldn't stay eight hours a day in a space that was all straight lines, gray, uncluttered and impersonal without having my productivity being severely hampered.

我無法每天在一個全是直線、灰色、雜亂無章、毫無個性的空間裡待上八個小時，否則我的工作效率就會受到嚴重影響。

Practical and functional doesn't have to mean sparse and bare for me.

對我來說，實用和功能性並不意味著稀疏和簡陋。

It might be that that's what it takes to make you more productive.

也許正是因為這樣，你的工作效率才會更高。

I understand that a lot of people think that the busyness of having shelves full and surfaces covered with objects is just too distracting, and they need a quiet visual field in order to focus and be productive.

我知道，很多人認為，架子上擺滿了東西，表面上佈滿了物件，這種忙碌的感覺太讓人分心了，他們需要一個安靜的視野，才能集中注意力，提高工作效率。

That's just not for me.

這不適合我。

I can focus fine.

我可以很好地集中注意力。

I need the comforting presence of my stuff to feel creative and centered.

我需要我的東西來安慰我，讓我感到有創造力和中心。

So for me, having my shelves full and stuff on countertops is serving me and serving my path.

是以，對我來說，把書架擺滿，把東西放在臺面上，就是在為我服務，為我的人生道路服務。

But it doesn't for the vast majority of people who are also striving to be minimalist.

但對於絕大多數同樣追求極簡主義的人來說，卻並非如此。

But I do have areas of common ground with my fellow wannabe declutterers.

不過，我和我的那些想做 "整理者 "的同伴們倒是有一些共同點。

Now everybody who follows my channel, watches my videos, knows that I am not a clothes horse.

現在，每個關注我的頻道、觀看我的視頻的人都知道，我不是一匹 "衣冠禽獸"。

But Ms. Westwood does make an excellent broader point.

不過，韋斯特伍德女士確實提出了一個很好的更廣泛的觀點。

Choose well.

好好選擇。

Choose something, whether it be a piece of clothing, a microwave, or a new friend, that you'll wear, use, read, listen to, or admire for the longterm with the intention of keeping it forever.

無論是一件衣服、一個微波爐，還是一個新朋友，都要選擇你會長期穿戴、使用、閱讀、聆聽或欣賞的東西，並打算永遠保留它。

Spend the time, the energy, the money to make that happen.

花時間、精力和金錢來實現這一點。

Look, I know you can't buy a microwave that will last 30 years, but that is kind of my goal.

聽著，我知道你不可能買到能用 30 年的微波爐，但這是我的目標。

I have a lot of books, books that I'll never in a million years trade in or give away or recycle.

我有很多書，這些書我一輩子都不會換掉、送人或回收。

But in the last 10 years, I've been trying to upgrade my book game.

但在過去的 10 年裡，我一直在努力提升我的讀書水準。

Let go of some of the beaten up, ragged, cheaper purchases from my lean younger years and replace them with first editions.

我放棄了年輕時購買的一些破爛不堪的便宜貨，取而代之的是初版。

I still buy other books as well.

我還會買其他書籍。

You've seen me with my book haul from the Victoria Hughes book sale.

你見過我帶著從維多利亞-休斯圖書銷售處淘來的書。

Not a first edition in sight, but I have definitely narrowed my focus when it comes to my book buying.

雖然沒有看到第一版，但我買書的範圍肯定縮小了。

And this quality thing applies to relationships as well.

這種品質也適用於人際關係。

When you're young and you're trying to fit in, having a lot of friends is a good thing.

年輕時，你想融入社會，有很多朋友是件好事。

It's the goal.

這就是目標。

I'm an introvert, so I don't have, need, or want a lot of people in my life.

我是一個內向的人，所以我的生活中沒有、不需要也不想有很多人。

But being a minimalist, or maybe just being older and wiser, makes me look at new friendships and evaluate them for usefulness and longevity.

但是，作為一個極簡主義者，或者只是年紀大了，更有智慧了，我開始審視新的友誼，評估它們是否有用，是否能長久。

Does this new person take more than they give?

這個新人的索取是否多於付出？

Am I left at a deficit every time I interact with them?

我是否每次與他們交流時都會處於劣勢？

Do they add to my life, my health, my goals, or take away?

它們是為我的生活、健康和目標錦上添花，還是功虧一簣？

Recognizing quality, prioritizing it, and letting go of or upgrading the things in my life that have served their purpose applies not just to possessions, but to people too.

認識品質，確定優先次序，放棄或更新生活中已經達到目的的東西，這不僅適用於財產，也適用於人。

I smile at the memories of my ratty, cheap, falling apart at the spine copy of Wuthering Heights that I bought in university and upgrade to...

回憶起大學時買的那本破舊、廉價、書脊都快散架的《呼嘯山莊》，我不禁會心一笑，並將其升級為...

Okay, not a first edition.

好吧，不是第一版。

I can't afford that.

我負擔不起。

But just upgrade it.

但只需升級即可。

That's for me.

這是給我的。

I quietly, gently, but firmly let go of a friendship that has run its course.

我悄悄地、輕輕地，但堅定地放下了一段已經結束的友誼。

The friend who's chronically negative.

長期消極的朋友

That kind of energy is draining.

這種能量會耗盡人的精力。

They're on their own path.

他們走自己的路。

And while I might be adding benefit to their life by being encouraging and understanding all the time, they're not adding anything to mine.

雖然我一直鼓勵和理解他們，可能會給他們的生活帶來益處，但他們並沒有給我的生活帶來任何益處。

Quality is a long game.

品質是一場持久戰。

Quality requires money and emotional maturity.

品質需要金錢和成熟的情感。

And I mean, you can only afford what you can afford.

我的意思是，你只能買得起你能買得起的東西。

So this is a work in progress for me.

是以，對我來說，這是一項正在進行中的工作。

It's a journey.

這是一段旅程。

But quality is always a factor in my decision-making.

但品質始終是我做決定的一個因素。

The books behind me?

我身後的書？

Now, I'm just going to continue using my books as an example, but you should feel free to swap them out for something that brings you joy and that will be with you on your journey to a minimalist lifestyle.

現在，我將繼續用我的書作為例子，但你可以隨意把它們換成能給你帶來快樂的東西，讓它們陪伴你走過極簡生活的旅程。

Some of these books are older than me.

有些書比我還老。

I found them in used bookstores, in attics, in book bins.

我是在舊書店、閣樓和書箱裡找到它們的。

And they're not on my bookshelf because they're old or because they smell nice, but they smell nice.

我把它們放在書架上，不是因為它們很舊，也不是因為它們聞起來很香，而是它們聞起來很香。

They're there because I chose them.

它們在那裡是因為我選擇了它們。

I chose every single one of them, and I can tell you a story about each one of them.

我選擇了他們中的每一個人，我可以給你講講他們每個人的故事。

They mean something to me.

它們對我意義重大。

Buying bulk books so I can decorate my bookshelf with spines of all the same color to match the vibe of the room?

購買大量書籍，這樣我就可以用相同顏色的書脊來裝飾我的書架，以配合房間的氛圍？

That's not what I'm about.

我不是幹這個的。

Those books have no stories to them.

那些書沒有故事。

They have no meaning to me.

它們對我毫無意義。

I would never do that.

我絕不會那麼做。

It's the same when I travel, mementos, souvenirs.

我旅行時也是這樣，紀念品、紀念品。

I rarely buy the snow globes, the fridge magnets, the straw hats, the T-shirts, the beer cozies.

我很少買雪球、冰箱貼、草帽、T恤衫和啤酒杯套。

I just don't do it.

我就是不幹。

Those things have no meaning to me.

那些東西對我毫無意義。

I will buy a piece of jewelry, though, purchased from a local artisan of wherever I am, something that speaks to me, something that will continue to speak to me and bring back memories of that trip, of that place whenever I wear it.

不過，無論我在哪裡，我都會買一件從當地工匠那裡買來的首飾，一件能與我對話的首飾，每當我戴上它，它都會繼續與我對話，並喚起我對那次旅行和那個地方的回憶。

It certainly won't end up in a junk drawer or the garbage.

它肯定不會被扔進雜物抽屜或垃圾桶。

I intentionally chose it, and it has meaning to me.

我有意選擇了它，它對我有意義。

Intentionally add and keep things that have meaning to you and be done with the rest.

有意識地添加和保留對你有意義的東西，其他的就不用管了。

Essential things are things that you just can't do without, and no more.

必需品是你不能缺少的東西，僅此而已。

It is the pursuit of less stuff, yes, but it's also discovering and pursuing priorities that are important to you, rather than jumping on the bandwagon of whatever is trending on TikTok today.

是的，這就是追求更少的東西，但這也是發現和追求對你來說重要的優先事項，而不是跟風TikTok上今天流行的任何東西。

So while I may have multiple copies of the same book, I do.

是以，雖然我可能有多本相同的書，但我確實有。

I have one phone, and I keep it for longer than the three-year period my provider gives it to me for.

我有一部手機，我保留它的時間超過了供應商給我的三年期限。

I have one car.

我有一輛車。

It's a basic car.

這是一輛基本款汽車。

It gets me from A to B.

它能讓我從 A 地到達 B 地。

I have one shovel for my garden.

我的花園裡有一把鏟子。

It's a quality shovel.

這是一把高質量的鐵鍬。

I will be leaving it in my will to my nieces.

我將在遺囑中把它留給我的侄女們。

I use it for every digging job that I have.

我在每次挖掘工作中都會用到它。

Edging, planting, digging rocks out of the ground.

鑲邊、種植、從地裡挖石頭。

I use that shovel for everything, just one.

我什麼都用那把鏟子，就一把。

I have one frying pan.

我有一個煎鍋。

I have one pot.

我有一個鍋。

I use one pot for 95% of my pot cooking needs.

我用一個鍋滿足 95% 的烹飪需求。

I have another pot that's bigger for large recipes, but that's it.

我還有一個更大的鍋，可以用來做大食譜，但僅此而已。

That's all I've got to cook with.

我只能用它來做飯。

For me, paring down to the essentials is a personal thing, and it will be for you too.

對我來說，減少必需品是一件個人的事情，對你來說也是如此。

Perhaps cooking is your passion, and while two pots is a pared-down essential for me, that sounds insane to you.

也許烹飪是你的愛好，雖然兩口鍋對我來說是必不可少的，但對你來說這聽起來太瘋狂了。

You would view six pots as essential, and only one bookshelf, but maybe you would have six copies of The Joy of Cooking.

你會認為六個鍋是必不可少的，只有一個書架，但也許你會有六本《烹飪的樂趣》。

I get you.

我知道了

This one is a hard one for a lot of people, but being a minimalist means prioritizing your own needs and wants, your agenda, your path, your journey.

這一條對很多人來說都很難，但做一個極簡主義者意味著要優先考慮自己的需求和願望、自己的日程、自己的道路、自己的旅程。

Being selfish about only purchasing stuff that suits your purpose instead of following the crowd, only doing activities that enhance your journey, even if you have to do them alone, can take some time to get used to, but in the end, you get the hang of it.

自私地只購買適合自己的東西，而不是隨波逐流，只做能增進自己旅程的活動，即使必須獨自完成，這需要一些時間來適應，但最終你會掌握訣竅。

But if a person in your life is taking more than they're giving in terms of time, effort, positive energy, support, or just plain companionship, then they're not serving you.

但是，如果你生命中的某個人在時間、精力、正能量、支持或單純的陪伴方面索取的比付出的多，那麼他就不是在為你服務。

They're not adding to your growth.

它們不會促進你的成長。

They're not helping you along your journey.

他們並沒有在你的旅途中幫助你。

They're distracting you from joy.

它們分散了你對快樂的注意力。

This is a pretty big ask for people when it comes to family, and it's a really big struggle for people who are more empathetic, the helpers.

當涉及到家庭時，這對人們來說是一個相當大的要求，而對於那些更有同理心的人，也就是幫助者來說，這確實是一個很大的難題。

But just like oxygen masks on airplanes, you need to help yourself first before you can help others.

但就像飛機上的氧氣面罩一樣，在幫助他人之前，你需要先幫助自己。

If you don't, you will find yourself cluttering your own life with other people's priorities and not your own.

否則，你就會發現自己的生活被別人的優先事項而不是自己的優先事項搞得一團糟。

Now, I'm not saying that I don't help people and I don't put up with annoying people in my life.

現在，我不是說我不幫助別人，也不是說我在生活中不忍受討厭的人。

I do.

我是這麼想的。

But there's a sliding scale to that kind of commitment.

但這種承諾是有限度的。

And I put my needs first on that scale at the heavy end of it.

我把自己的需求放在第一位，把它放在最重的一端。

And the needs of the people that I'm helping or putting up with on the other end of the scale, the lighter end.

而我所幫助或忍受的人的需求則在天平的另一端，也就是較輕的一端。

They get the lighter end and they come second, but they're still there.

他們得到的是較輕的一端，他們屈居第二，但他們仍然在那裡。

Am I perfect about this minimalist mindset of mine?

我的這種極簡主義思想完美嗎？

No, no, no, no.

不，不，不，不

I mean, I have a curious mind and I willingly try new things.

我的意思是，我有一顆好奇的心，我願意嘗試新事物。

And I get caught up in new hobbies quickly because I like the adrenaline rush I guess you get when you discover something new and creative and all of the accoutrements which go with it.

我很快就會迷上新的愛好，因為我喜歡那種腎上腺素飆升的感覺，我想這就是當你發現新的創造性的東西以及與之相伴的所有附屬品時的感覺。

And I'm not gonna beat myself up about having books and hobbies in excess of what I could get by with.

我也不會因為自己的書籍和愛好超出了我的能力範圍而自責。

That's an exercise in self-sabotage.

這是一種自我破壞。

Minimalism is about gaining joy, clarity, and control over a spiraling life of excess and clutter.

極簡主義就是要在不斷膨脹的過剩和雜亂的生活中獲得快樂、清晰和控制。

And my books and my joy in discovering new creative pursuits, they don't make me feel spirally.

而我的書和我發現新的創作追求的喜悅，並不會讓我感到精神萎靡。

They make me feel the opposite.

它們給我的感覺恰恰相反。

So I'm not militant about paring down my possessions to absolute essentials, but I am acutely aware of the benefits of channeling my time, my energy, my attention and effort, and also my money into only things that matter to me.

是以，我並不激進地把我的財產減少到絕對必需的程度，但我清楚地意識到，把我的時間、精力、注意力和努力，還有我的錢，只用在對我重要的事情上，是有好處的。

And I weigh and I judge every person, every opportunity, every thought, everything that wants to come into my sphere.

我衡量和判斷每一個人、每一個機會、每一個想法，每一個想要進入我領域的事物。

And I say to myself, will I come out ahead if I say yes?

我對自己說，如果我說 "是"，我會贏嗎？

Will I accomplish my goals?

我能完成我的目標嗎？

Will this help me on my journey?

這對我的旅程有幫助嗎？

Will it teach me something I need to know or introduce me to something new and exciting?

它是否會教給我一些我需要知道的知識，或者向我介紹一些令人興奮的新事物？

Will it bring ease and comfort and joy to my life?

它會給我的生活帶來輕鬆、舒適和快樂嗎？

How can this new thing that wants to come into my world benefit me?

這個想要進入我的世界的新事物能給我帶來什麼好處？

And if I can't answer in the affirmative to any of those questions, then the person, the thought, the opportunity, the thing gets gently left behind.

如果我不能對其中任何一個問題做出肯定的回答，那麼這個人、這個想法、這個機會、這件事就會被輕輕地拋在腦後。

And I think that makes me a minimalist, doesn't it?

我想這讓我成為了一個極簡主義者，不是嗎？

What about you?

你呢？

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