t-shirt: it has a story. Same thing for all those gifts, books and items we are storing.

t 恤：它是有故事的。所有我們囤積的禮物、書籍和物品也都一樣。

Each has a lot of meaning to us. On the one side we dislike the clutter, but on the other

每一樣對我們都有很重要的意義。一方面我們並不喜歡雜亂，不過另一方面

side we like the emotions these items provide us, whether it is nostalgia, love, security

我們喜歡這些物品所帶給我們的情感，無論是一種懷舊、愛好、安全感

or the memory of a dear person in our lives.

或是在我們生命中對於一個親愛的人的回憶。

Because of this conflict, decluttering our home is a decision-making exercise. We have

因為這個矛盾，簡化我們的家是一個做決策的練習。我們必須

to evaluate what feeling is more important to us and then decide whether to keep each

衡量對於自己而言，什麼感覺是最重要的，然後去決定要保留每件

item or to let it go. This is tiring, and we procrastinate.

物品或是捨棄它。這是很累人的事，所以我們拖拖拉拉地不去做。

The first step to declutter your home is CLARITY. We know that, as with any other form of procrastination,

要簡化你家的第一步是明確。我們知道，就像任何其他形式的拖延一樣

we can get it done, and we know that we will feel so much better when we are finished.

我們能夠著手去做，而且我們知道當完成的時候，我們會感覺很好。

But still we resist starting. This leads to accumulated tension and irritation.

但是我們依然抗拒去做。這導致累積壓力和煩躁。

This is why we will take the first step of remembering why we are doing this. Decluttering

這就是為什麼第一步是要牢記我們為何而做。斷捨離

will lead to a more peaceful life. It will change our mindset so we spend less money

會帶來更平靜的生活。它會改變我們的心態，所以我們會花較少的金錢

buying things we hardly use, and we waste less time cleaning and maintaining all that

在我們幾乎不使用的東西上，並浪費較少的時間在打掃和維護所有這些

stuff. We have less emotional attachment to things.

東西。對於物品的情感依附也會更少。

Here are four tips to identify what is clutter so we can overcome the procrastination and

這裡有 4 個建議讓你認定什麼是雜亂，好讓我們可以克服拖延並

do something about them:

著手去處理它們：

1. Items we like, but we don't use

1. 我們喜歡但不去使用的物品

We all have an idealised self: maybe it is the artist. The athlete. The masterchef. The

我們都有一個理想的自我：或許是藝術家、運動家、主廚、

intellectual bookworm. Each of these roles needs some gear or equipment that can quickly

聰明的書呆子。每一個角色都有需要的工具或配備，當我們不再使用它們時，會很快

become clutter when we no longer use it. We save the items to preserve that ideal self

的變成雜亂的來源。我們保存這些物品就像在我們的想像中

in our imagination.

保存那個理想的自我。

In many cases the best thing to do is to keep the item and start using it (instead of getting

在很多例子當中，最棒的做法是保存這些物品並開始使用它們 (代替

rid of it). As we put the item to use, we start living the life we want and get closer

捨棄它)。當我們使用這些物品，我們開始過著我們想要的生活，並且離

to the lifestyle of the idealised self.

我們理想自我的生活方式更進一步。

2. Maybe-I-will-need-it-someday items

2. 或許有一天我會需要它的物品

These are also items with some mismatch between our current lifestyle and the imaginary lifestyle.

這些也是我們當前生活方式和想像中生活方式之間所存在的一些不匹配的物品。

If I haven't used those rubber boots to go walk in the swamp over the last seven years,

如果我在過去七年間沒有穿這些橡膠鞋走在沼澤裡

it is very unlikely I will go anytime soon. If the popcorn machine is so annoying to clean

那麼我會在近期內去做這件事的可能性極低。如果爆米花機的清潔是這麼的討人厭

that I've been making popcorn in a regular pan, it is a clear signal that the machine

所以我一直使用一般的鍋子在爆米花，這就是一個非常清楚的訊息，可以捨棄

should go. This is all clutter, things that are unnecessarily occupying space.

那台機器了。這些都是雜亂，都是不必要佔用空間的東西。

3. Homeless items

3. 無家可歸的物品

Ideally each and every item should have a “home”—a specific place where we always

理想的情況是，每一件物品都應該有它的「家」－ 一個專屬的地方我們用來

keep it and know where to find it.

擺放並知道在哪裡找得到它。

Now, you know what the homeless items are. Sometimes they are in the drawer. Sometimes

現在，你知道什麼是無家可歸的東西了。有時候它們在抽屜裡。有時候

they are on the shelf, or someone left them on the kitchen table. We just never know where

它們在櫃子上、或有人把它們放在廚房的桌上。我們總是不知道它們

they are because they do not have a home.

在哪，因為它們沒有一個家。

Ask yourself: is this object important? If so, where it should be kept? Is there space

問問你自己：這個物品重要嗎？如果是，它應該被放在哪裡？有可用的

available? What should we discard to find room to keep this item in its new home? These

空間嗎？我們需要捨棄什麼好讓這樣東西找到屬於它的新家？這些

are all questions to help us with the decluttering.

是幫助我們斷捨離的所有問題。

If you have no place to store it, maybe it is an indicator that you don't need to keep

如果你沒有地方存放它，或許這是一個信號，你不需要留下

this item.

這樣物品。

Sometimes the item is not clutter and should not be discarded, but it does not yet have

有時候物品本身並不雜亂，也不需要被捨棄，不過它還沒有

a home. So we need to create a specific place for it. This happens a lot to small items

一個家。所以我們必須給它一個特定的位置。這常發生在很多小型物品

and tools, cables, pens, documents, which are best kept together in a box.

和工具、電線、筆、文件上，它們最好被存放在一個盒子裡。

4. Items being used (but not really)

4. 被使用的物品 (也不完全是)

Another problem is when we take an item from its home and keep it somewhere else because

另一個問題是，當我們把一樣物品從它的家拿出來並放在其他的地方，因為

we are using it. It's the dictionary we removed from the shelf and left on the table

我們正在使用它。我們從書架上把字典拿出來並放在桌上

because we might need it again soon... and it has been there for more than a month, and

因為我們可能很快的要再用到它... 放在那裡超過一個月了，而

we haven't touched it. Or those tools we used a couple of weeks ago, and they are still

我們還沒有碰它。或是那些我們在幾個禮拜以前用過的工具，它們還

lying on the floor because we might need to do some extra tweaks.

躺在地板上，因為我們可能需要做一些額外的調整。

In this case the items are not clutter; they are simply misplaced because we believe the

在這個例子裡，這些物品本身並不是雜亂；它們只是被放錯地方，因為我們相信

activity is still happening, when in fact it it's already finished.

這件事還在持續進行，但事實上已經結束。

Today we saw four practical tips to apply as we take the first steps to declutter our

今天我們看到了 4 個實用的技巧，當我們跨出第一步來簡化我們

home. We start by gaining clarity, and then we can ask the right questions in the decision-making

的家。我們首先要明確，這樣就能夠在決策過程當中提出

process. This is how we can identify what is important and eliminate clutter. A simple

正確的問題。我們可以認定什麼是重要的並消除雜亂。當我們

life will bring much happiness as we clean up the mental mess from the physical space

藉由整理生活的物理空間來清理精神上的雜亂時，一個簡單的生活將帶給我們

where we live.

莫大的快樂。