Graham Hill: Less stuff, more happiness
拥有越少越快乐
难度级别：★★★
燕山大学 刘立军 宋葳 编写
◇INTRODUCTION
Writer and designer Graham Hill asks: Can having less stuff, in less room, lead to more happiness? He makes the case for taking up less space, and lays out three rules for editing your life.
◇BEFORE VIEWING
TASK 1: VOCABULARY PREVIEW
1. rig up: to make or to build sth. quickly, using whatever materials are available （用现有的材料）匆匆做成，草草搭建。例如：
○We managed to rig up a shelter for the night. 我们匆匆搭了个棚子过夜。
2. among other things 除了别的之外
3. grand n. (informal) $1 000; ￡1 000 1 000元；1 000英镑。例如：
○It'll cost you five grand! 这要花去你5 000块钱！
4. utility n. (especially North American English) a service provided for the public, for example an electricity, water or gas supply 公用事业。例如：
?the administration of public utilities公共事业的管理
5. artery n. any of the tubes that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body 动脉。例如：
○blocked arteries被阻滞的动脉
6. extraneous adj. (formal) not directly connected with the particular situation you are in or the subject you are dealing with 没有直接联系的；无关的 irrelevant 例如：
○We do not want any extraneous information on the page. 我们不希望这一页上有任何无关的信息。
○We shall ignore factors extraneous to the problem. 我们应该撇开与此问题无直接联系的因素。
7. inflow n. the movement of a lot of money, people or things into a place from somewhere else （资金、人或事物的）流入，涌入
8. mantra n. a word, phrase or sound that is repeated again and again, especially during prayer or meditation 曼怛罗（某些宗教的念咒）；咒语。例如：a Buddhist mantra佛教的念咒语
9. stack v. stack (sth.) (up) to arrange objects neatly in a pile; to be arranged in this way （使）放成整齐的一叠（或一摞、一堆）。例如：
○to stack boxes把箱子摞起来
○logs stacked up against a wall靠墙码放着的木头
○Do these chairs stack? 这些椅子能摞起来吗？
○stacking chairs可摞在一起的椅子
10. digitize v. to change data into a digital form that can be easily read and processed by a computer （使数据）数字化。例如：a digitized map一张数字化地图
11. render v. （用石灰或水泥）粉刷(墙壁) To render a wall means to cover it with a layer of plaster or cement, usually in order to protect it.
TASK 2: TOPIC PREVIEW
Work in pairs and discuss the following question.
What can lead to more happiness?
◇VIEWING
TASK 3:
Read the table. Then watch the video and complete the table with the words you hear.
Topic | | Less stuff, more happiness |
Statement | | l Well I'm here to suggest there's a better way, that ______________________________. l So I'm going to suggest that ___________________ and ____________ are going to _____________________. It's actually a great way to _______________. And it's going to give you ____________________ in your life. |
Body | Three main approaches. | |
| First of all | You have to _______________________. |
| Examples | l A shirt that I hadn’t worn in years. l We need to think before we buy. |
| Secondly | Our new mantra: _____________________. |
| Example | l A six burner stove |
| Finally | We want multifunctional ____________________________. |
| Examples | l A sink combined with a ______________ l A dining table becomes a _____________ l A little ______________ stretches out to seat 10 l A moving wall with _______________________ l A ______________ grows in height and width to seat 10 |
Conclusion | | What's in the box? It doesn't really matter. I know I don't need it. What's in yours? Maybe, just maybe, less might equal more. So let's _______________________ for the good stuff. |
◇AFTER VIEWING
TASK 4: DISCUSSION
Work in group and discuss the following question.
How to live simply?
SUGGESTED ANSWERS
◇BEFORE VIEWING
TASK 2: TOPIC PREVIEW
What can lead to happiness?
Everybody wants to be happy. Everybody wants to lead a happy life. But what are the critical issues that can lead to happiness?
1.Money
Money is always the first issue. Money cannot buy everything, but without money, you can buy nothing. Money plays a critical role in everyday life. Without money, we can barely do anything. Wealthier people usually feel better, which could mean that they are somehow happier, though not the wealthier, the happier.
Yet, Millionaires and billionaires may not be as happy as medium-incomed people, as they have more issues to worry about. That’s why they usually need bodyguards. As long as we can satisfy our everyday needs and have some left for leisure, we could be happy enough about the money issue.
2.Beauty
Every time people see beautiful persons / scenes, their eyes as well as our hearts lighten up. When watch TV shows, before they know anything about it, they usually prefer to see beautiful hosts and beautiful actors and actresses; When they go traveling, they seem to enjoy beautiful scenes more! Why? People love those that can please their eyes!
Whenever people dress themselves up, and sometimes even put on some make-ups, they will feel so much better. They gain more confidence when they look at the mirror.
We all know we will make other people feel happier this way. So make yourself look good! You will feel happier!
3.Friends
People with friends are usually happier than people alone. When people stay alone, it's very easy for them to think about the negative things in life, which could lead them to a sad mood; People could be very moody when they do not have some friends to talk to when something happens.
Nobody can live a happy life without friends. Live all alone in the world cannot be happy enough. Social life is part of our everyday life. With some friends to hang together at parties usually makes people feel at ease and happy. Some people want lots and lots of friends, some people want a few friends, some people stick to one friend forever. But whatever situation it is, friends are very essential to our happiness. I’ve never seen anyone without friends feels happy.
4.Belief
People with some kind of belief tend to be happier than people without any belief. Those people who claim they believe in nothing usually believe in themselves. As we all know, we are so limited as a human being. We cannot control the world. When things happen, it happens. We are totally out of control. When people become old, when people leave this world, they and their family member can take it easier when they know they are only leaving a hotel (earth) and going to be home (heaven) sooner or later.
When people get laid off or any other sad and stressful things happen in life, people with belief can usually deal with the stress more easily. There’re always some issues in life that we do not want anybody to know, not friends, not family. So for those without belief, it could be some kind of burden for quite some time; but for those with belief, they could talk to their god and thus get relief.
5.EQ
The higher the EQ, the happier you tend to be! Look at all the successful man in the world: they are tend to have higher EQ than average people. They can get along with people around them better. They may not be as smart as you do, they may not have a degree as high as you do, but they are more successful than you. They know how to make their supervisors as well as people they supervise satisfy. They know how to make their family members as well as their friends happy. They know how to make their coworker like them.
◇VIEWING
TASK 3:
1. less might actually equal more
2. less stuff
3. less space
4. equal a smaller footprint
5. save you some money
6. a little more ease
7. edit ruthlessly
8. small is sexy
9. spaces and housewares
10. toilet
11. bed
12. side table
13. transformer furniture
14. coffee table
15. make room
◇AFTER VIEWING
TASK 4: DISCUSSION
Living a simple life will help get rid of stress, cut expenses, save money, and attain true fulfillment. There are a variety of ways to downsize. Work on evaluating what matters to you, decluttering （弄整齐）, eliminating unnecessary expenses, and valuing life's essentials. To get more information about how to live simply, please see attachment 2, or visit http://www.wikihow.com/Live-Simply.
◇ATTACHMENTS
_______________________________________________________________
Attachment 1: Less stuff, more happiness
Attachment 2: How to Live Simply
Attachment 1: Less stuff, more happiness
0:15
What's in the box? Whatever it is must be pretty important, because I've traveled with it, moved it, from apartment to apartment to apartment.
0:26
(Laughter)
0:28
(Applause)
0:31
Sound familiar? Did you know that we Americans have about three times the amount of space we did 50 years ago? Three times. So you'd think, with all this extra space, we'd have plenty of room for all our stuff. Nope. There's a new industry in town, a 22 billion-dollar, 2.2 billion sq. ft. industry: that of personal storage. So we've got triple the space, but we've become such good shoppers that we need even more space. So where does this lead? Lots of credit card debt, huge environmental footprints, and perhaps not coincidentally, our happiness levels flat-lined over the same 50 years.
1:18
Well I'm here to suggest there's a better way, that less might actually equal more. I bet most of us have experienced at some point the joys of less: college - in your dorm, traveling - in a hotel room, camping - rig up basically nothing, maybe a boat. Whatever it was for you, I bet that, among other things, this gave you a little more freedom, a little more time. So I'm going to suggest that less stuff and less space are going to equal a smaller footprint. It's actually a great way to save you some money. And it's going to give you a little more ease in your life.
1:58
So I started a project called Life Edited at lifeedited.org to further this conversation and to find some great solutions in this area. First up: crowd-sourcing my 420 sq. ft. apartment in Manhattan with partners Mutopo and Jovoto.com. I wanted it all - home office, sit down dinner for 10, room for guests, and all my kite surfing gear. With over 300 entries from around the world, I got it, my own little jewel box. By buying a space that was 420 sq. ft. instead of 600, immediately I'm saving 200 grand. Smaller space is going to make for smaller utilities - save some more money there, but also a smaller footprint. And because it's really designed around an edited set of possessions - my favorite stuff - and really designed for me, I'm really excited to be there.
2:52
So how can you live little? Three main approaches. First of all, you have to edit ruthlessly. We've got to clear the arteries of our lives. And that shirt that I hadn't worn in years? It's time for me to let it go. We've got to cut the extraneous out of our lives, and we've got to learn to stem the inflow. We need to think before we buy. Ask ourselves, "Is that really going to make me happier? Truly?" By all means, we should buy and own some great stuff. But we want stuff that we're going to love for years, not just stuff.
3:29
Secondly, our new mantra: small is sexy. We want space efficiency. We want things that are designed for how they're used the vast majority of the time, not that rare event. Why have a six burner stove when you rarely use three? So we want things that nest, we want things that stack, and we want it digitized. You can take paperwork, books, movies, and you can make it disappear - it's magic.
3:57
Finally, we want multifunctional spaces and housewares - a sink combined with a toilet, a dining table becomes a bed - same space, a little side table stretches out to seat 10. In the winning Life Edited scheme in a render here, we combine a moving wall with transformer furniture to get a lot out of the space. Look at the coffee table - it grows in height and width to seat 10. My office folds away, easily hidden. My bed just pops out of the wall with two fingers. Guests? Move the moving wall, have some fold-down guest beds. And of course, my own movie theater.
4:39
So I'm not saying that we all need to live in 420 sq. ft. But consider the benefits of an edited life. Go from 3,000 to 2,000, from 1,500 to 1,000. Most of us, maybe all of us, are here pretty happily for a bunch of days with a couple of bags, maybe a small space, a hotel room. So when you go home and you walk through your front door, take a second and ask yourselves, "Could I do with a little life editing? Would that give me a little more freedom? Maybe a little more time?"
5:12
What's in the box? It doesn't really matter. I know I don't need it. What's in yours? Maybe, just maybe, less might equal more. So let's make room for the good stuff.
5:31
Thank you.
5:33
(Applause)
Attachment 2: How to Live Simply
Living a simple life will help get rid of stress, cut expenses, save money, and attain true fulfillment. There are a variety of ways to downsize. Work on evaluating what matters to you, decluttering, eliminating unnecessary expenses, and valuing life's essentials.
Method 1: Evaluating What Matters
1.Consider what matters to you.
The first step to living simply is figuring out what truly matters. In a highly consumerist society, you may find yourself losing track of what is important. Spend some time figuring out what matters.
○To start, write about your values. This is a simple, free write activity in which you write down what you feel your values should be in terms that make sense to you. Do you believe, for example, experience is more important that material goods? Do you want to do work that feels personally meaningful to you? Do you think it's important to get out in the world more and try new things? Focus on what you value and how you could potentially live up to these values through your actions.
○Also, consider what values you wish you had. Do you want to be more generous? Less materialistic? Do you want to work on controlling your temper or sense of jealousy? Stating where your values are lacking can help you see where you need to cut back or change to live a more simple lifestyle.
2.Evaluate your commitments.
Many people equate business with happiness or success. However, being busy does not necessarily mean you're fulfilled. Spend some time evaluating your commitments and figure out how and where you can downsize.
○Think about all the activities you have from one day to another. Think about work, family activities, social activities, any clubs you're part of, and other hobbies or side projects. What aspects of your life are most fulfilling? When are you happiest? What seems like a hassle to you? It can help to track your schedule for a single day. Where exactly do the hours go? Are you happy with how you're passing these hours?
○Learning to say "No" is an important step to living simply. You can only do so many things in a day and people often confuse want with need. Do you need to work extra hours each week to make a little extra money? Could you just get by with the basics now and again? Many people feel competitive with others and the constant influx of media only fuels a sense of inadequacy. Try to disengage with the "Keeping up with the Jones's" mentality as this is allowing others to control your happiness. Instead, focus spending your free time engaging in activities you genuinely enjoy and feel personally fulfilling over activities you feel obligated to engage in.
3.Review how you spend your time.
If you want to live simply, ask yourself how you spend your day. Many people often find themselves thinking, "Where on earth did the time go?" If you're looking to live a more simple life, it can help to track your time for a single day. Make a log of how you spent your day, writing down rough time frames for all your activities. See what activities take the longest, which cause the most stress, and which chores and obligations you could reasonably eliminate from your routine.
4.Make a list of 4 to 5 things that are important to you.
If you want to downsize, you need to take a look at your core values. Making a list of 4 or 5 things that are truly important to you can help you identify how to best spend your time and resources.
○What do you value most? Success, art, family, fun? Make a list of four vague concepts that are important to you as a human being.
○As you consider where to downsize, look back to your core values. Say you've been a volunteer for the Democratic Party in your hometown for years. Your parents were involved, so you got involved as a teenager. Your list of core values contains the following: friends, family, my husband, pets, and reading. Politics really isn't on that list. Is being politically involved really that important to you? Could you stand to scale your political involvement back a bit? You can still vote and stay up-to-date on current events but you don't necessarily have to be a core member of the latest volunteer campaign team every election cycle.
Method 2: Decluttering Your Surroundings
1.Throw away unneeded clutter.
Many people feel as if they're drowning in unnecessary clutter. If this sounds like you, making an effort to downsize can be helpful.
○Go through one section of your house at a time. You can make a schedule if it helps. For example, you can do half the living room Monday, the other half Tuesday, the kitchen Wednesday, the bedroom Thursday, and so on.
○Go through closets, drawers, and other storage spaces. Clean everything out and sort it.
○Remove anything that's obviously junk or garbage and toss it immediately. From there, consider what you could stand to get rid of. Do you really need that book you read freshmen year of college and haven't touched since? Are you ever actually going to repair that broken vase from two years ago? If you don't play that video game anymore, do you need to keep it around? Be honest with yourself about what items you've been holding onto needlessly.
○See if there's anything you could sell or recycle. Make piles of old odds and ends to take to a local thrift store. See if any of the junk you're tossing is recyclable.
○Put whatever you're keeping back in a drawer in a neat fashion. Take this as an opportunity to reorganize your surroundings in a simpler way. For example, make a designated underwear drawer, sock drawer, jewelry drawer, and so on.
2.Downsize your wardrobe.
Many people end up wasting closet space on clothing they no longer use. Every few months, review your wardrobe. If you haven't worn an item in many weeks or if an item simply no longer fits, consider tossing it or donating it to charity as long as it's in good condition. Don't donate personal items like underwear or severely damaged or worn-out items. Throw these away.
3.Be more conscious when shopping.
When you go to the store, try to be more aware of what you're buying. How much food do you end up throwing away each week because you don't need it? How many items do you buy on impulse and never use? Be more aware when shopping. Make a list before going to the grocery store and do not deviate. Avoid impulse purchases. Think over an expensive purchase for a few days before making it. Try your best to only buy what you need.
4.Look at your electronic clutter.
Electronic clutter is also a problem. If your computer or phone's storage is getting low, review what you need and do not need.
○Periodically clean out your e-mail inbox. Delete old or unread e-mails so you can more easily find e-mails when you need them.
○Delete old photographs off your phone. Back them up on a computer or external hard drive so you have more space.
○Create a better organization system on your laptop or computer. For example, create folders for pictures, word documents, music, and other electronic items rather than simply saving everything to the desktop.
Method 3: Getting By With Less
1.Cut back on expenses.
Stop buying things you don't absolutely need and stick to the basics only. Review how you spend your money and see where you could get by with less.
○Consider getting rid of your credit cards. Credit cards make it easy to spend money you don't have and buy things you could otherwise not afford. If you're looking to live simply, you can remove this temptation by canceling your credit card.
○Do you have cable? If so, think about canceling your subscription. Not only will this cut down on money, it will motivate you to engage in more fulfilling activities than simply watching TV.
○Look at your monthly expenses and see if there's anything you don't really use or need. Are you actually getting your money's worth on your monthly gym membership? Do you subscribe to a magazine you never actually read? Look for expenses that can be easily cut.
2.Limit communication.
In modern society, people are in constant communication with one another via cell phone, e-mail, and social media. However, sometimes less is more. Consider limiting your communication a bit and sticking to meaningful conversations with people who really matter rather than scattering communication across many different outlets.
○Take the occasional social media break. Consider going a week each month without social media. Deactivate your Facebook for a few days. Sign off of Twitter. Avoid e-mail unless you're sending essential messages for work or school.
○Try to reach out in other ways. Ask a friend out to coffee and agree to put away your phones and talk. Send a longer, more thoughtful e-mail to a family member in which you express a variety of thoughts and feelings. Communicate less but do so in a way that fosters greater understanding and depth.
3.Consider a basic cell phone.
While smart phones can be convenient, you may benefit from a more basic cell phone. If you don't need a smart phone for work, consider a phone that makes and receives calls alone. This can reduce the stress and temptation that comes from the constant influx of information and media related to a smart phone.
Method 4: Valuing the Essentials
1.Absorb media wisely.
Living in the information age means we have access to a nearly unlimited source of information. While in some ways this is exciting, people often end up inadvertently consuming unnecessary facts and tidbits. Try to absorb media in a more conscientious way. Stick to reading and learning about things that truly matter to you.
○Choose to read about what's important. For example, spend a few hours each night catching up on the news. Try to install ad-blocking software so you don't get distracted by target ads and click bait type sponsored content.
○Read and learn about what's really important to you. The internet can be an overwhelming resource but also a valuable one. For example, if you're interested in French history, there's an unending supply of articles about the subject online. However, don't feel the need to click on a link your friend posts on Facebook about a movie you've never seen or a news story that feels unimportant to you.
○Work on filtering your social media. How many friends do you really care to keep track of? Try to cater your Facebook newsfeed to focus on posts from people you're close to and talk to on a regular basis.
2.Eat slowly.
Oftentimes, we end up eating in excess due to fast eating. Slow down when chewing your food and allow yourself to savor the flavor. This will lead to you eating less and learning to appreciate your food more. Slow, conscientious eating is a great way to simplify.
○You should also seek to change overall eating habits. Choose one place to eat in your home and avoid eating in front of the television set or on the couch. Even if you're eating by yourself, set the table. This will help you value the experience of eating and food.
○Put your fork down between every bite. Pay attention to the texture and flavor. Drink water in between bites. Try to appreciate the moment and the meal.
○Don't do anything else when you eat. Avoid your phone. Do not read a book. Simply enjoy one-on-one time with your meal. Enjoy the experience of eating in and of itself.
3.Be more environmentally conscious.
Many people feel frustrated with rampant consumerism. You can work on being more environmentally conscious to live a simpler life.
○Try growing some of your own fruits and vegetables if you have a backyard and live in an area where it's feasible to grow. If you're short on space, you could try growing herbs and small fruits and veggies out of pots on your porch or in windowsills.
○Watch your trash output. Try to use goods that can be reused and rewashed, such as cloth handkerchiefs over tissues. Make an effort to recycle biodegradable items.
4.Spend time alone.
Many people feel the need to fill their time with needless activities. This can lead to stress as you'll have an excess of commitments and obligations that do not necessarily leave yourself feeling fulfilled. Try to schedule a little alone time each week to teach yourself to appreciate your own company. Go for a walk alone. Read a book by yourself. Take a warm bath. Allow yourself tome time to be alone with your own thoughts.
Sources and Citations
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Adapted from http://www.wikihow.com/Live-Simply