远离烦扰，保持安宁的十个妙招
Ask anyone if they are busy, stressed or overworked and the answer will likely be an emphatic YES!
问任何人他们是否很繁忙，压力很大，劳累过度，他们的回答总是一个果断的“是！”
If you feel you are sinking, finding it tough to keep your head above water or make time for things that are really important to you, you are not alone. The good news? It’s largely your own doing. I hear you asking “But how is that good news?” It’s good news because it means you have the power to change it. You hold the key to making your life as serene as you want it to be. Simplifying and prioritizing. Eliminating and reducing. There is no need to wait, no need to call on someone else to do it for you. It’s all about YOU.
或许你觉得生活负担沉重，难以摆脱烦扰，也没有时间去做一些对自己很重要的事情。其实处在这种生活状态的并非仅你一人。这是什么好消息吗？这在很大程度上取决于你自身的看法。我听到你在问“但这怎么能算是好消息呢？”是的，这是一个好消息，因为它意味着你有能力去改变它。你自己把握着使生活恢复宁静的钥匙。无需等待，也无需请别人为你做，化繁为简，分清主次，减少活动，这些都取决于你自己。
So here are my top 10 tips for simplifying and getting some serenity back in you
以下是我简化生活，获得宁静的10个妙招。
1. Get real. You aren’t doing yourself any favors by pretending you can do it all. There are many people who feel they need to say yes to everyone, every request, every favor, every time. There are only so many hours in a day, days in a week, and weeks in a year. Get real about what you can comfortably commit to. Do your current commitments fit effortlessly into your life? Do they add value and make you happy? If not, it is time to re-evaluate and stop doing those things that don’t fulfill you.
1. 实事求是。试图做好所有的事情对你并没有任何好处。有很多人认为他们应该答应每个人的每次邀请与求助。然而一天就那些小时，一周就那些天，一年就那些星期。实事求是地想一想你能自如地保证做好哪些事情吧。你现在做的事情是否能轻松地融入你的生活，是否给你的生活增添价值，是否是使你快乐？如果不是，那你就该重新审视一下你的生活，不再做那些不能使你感到满足的事情。
2. Tell the truth. Lying takes a lot of energy. Lying requires you to have a fantastic memory in order to keep your stories straight. While it’s not always easy to come clean and admit to our mistakes, misunderstandings or fabulous blunders, it is always the path to less stress and simplicity. Being honest, even when it’s not particularly easy, will gain you more respect in the long run and will never bring your integrity into question.
2. 说真话。撒谎耗费人很多的精力。说谎需要你有惊人的记忆力来保证你的谎言不被揭穿。当人们在不容易澄清误解，不情愿承认失误或过失的时侯撒谎总是暂时缓解压力，简化问题的方法。但即便在困难的时候，也还是保持诚实吧，因为在将来它会为你赢得更多尊重，而且永远不会使你的诚实正直遭受质疑。
3. Eliminate non-essentials. Clutter equals complexity. Living in a cluttered space can really affect your mood. You may feel closed in, cramped, anxious, stressed or generally unhappy. When your space is clutter free (and I don’t mean minimalist, necessarily) you can relax, spaces flow and things just work. When you have fewer things there is automatically less to clean, less to push aside and tidy when you’re having company and less to keep track of.
3. 清理掉不必要的东西。杂乱就是复杂。居住在一个杂乱的环境中真的会影响你的情绪。那可能会让你感到闭塞、拥挤、焦虑、压抑，或者就是不高兴。当你的空间没有了 那些杂七杂八（当然我不是说那些简约必需的东西）你就会放松。有了足够的空间，事情也都变得明朗起来。当你占有的东西少的时候，需要你清理的东西自然也就少，工作的时候也容易保持整洁，没有太多东西需要照料。
4. Do less. If you’re anything like me you love your lists. Everything you can think of that needs to get done is on a list. While all of these items need to get done eventually, it’s very unlikely that they need to be completed today. Consider keeping two lists, a master list where you capture to dos as they come up and another for things that need to be done today. If nothing needs to be done, choose one or two things on your list and tackle those.
4. 减少活动。如果你真的有什么地方像我的话，你就会爱列清单。把你能想到的所有需要做的事情都列到单子上。即便最后所有的事情都需要做，那也不太可能是今天就要把他们都做完。记着列两个清单，一个清单记当时机成熟时你要做的事情，另一个清单记今天就要做的事情。如果当天没什么事情可做，那就从主清单上选一两件事情来处理。
5. Mind your own business. Some people love drama. They thrive on it. Making things more complex than they need to be, getting caught up in gossip or competing for status and attention. I have found by indulging in drama, other people’s or my own, my life becomes a lot more complex and there is no value being added. It’s tough keeping up with what’s going on and keeping track of what everyone else is doing. I have a hard enough time keeping up with my own life.
5. 专注于自己的事情。有些人喜爱戏剧并为之着迷。陷入对戏剧的八卦之中，争抢好的位置，攀比对戏剧的关注程度，这些都使得事情比它们的本真更为繁琐。我也曾着迷于戏剧，那时我发现生活比以前更为繁杂，可这些并没有使我的生活更有意义，或许其他着迷于戏剧的人的生活也是如此吧。关注剧情的发展，他人的世界是不容易的。专注于我自己的生活已经让我够累的了。
6. Become low-maintenance. I used to envy people who could get up in the morning and be out the door in half an hour. Now I’m one of them. Look at your current routine and see if there is anything you can do to make it simpler. Try an new hairstyle that is easy to do, pare down your wardrobe to a few classic items that can be mixed and matched, and simplify meals. The less you require – time, energy and things – the simpler your life will be.
6. 降低你的要求。我曾经非常羡慕那些起床后半小时内就可以收拾妥当，然后出门的人。现在我也能做到了。细想一下你现在的生活习惯，看你是否能做些什么使生活更简单。试着换一种更容易打理的发型；收拾一下衣橱里的衣服，只剩几件可以混搭的款式经典的衣服；简化你的餐饮。你对时间、精力与物品的要求越少，你的生活也就越简单。
7. Delegate. Delegating isn’t a sign of weakness, in fact I see it as a sign of true genius. Getting someone else, someone who is perhaps better, more efficient or better equipped to do a task, frees you up to do other things that are a better fit for you in that moment. Delegating is an art and there is a fine line between doing it effectively and bossing people around.
7. 推让。推让并不是无能的表现。在我看来它是真正的天才的表现。把一些任务让给那些更优秀的，更有效率的，或者更适合的人去做，那你就有时间去做更适合你做到事情了。推让是一种艺术。合理地推让与使唤周围的人完全是两码事儿。
8. Reduce the noise. There is chatter everywhere. TV and radio we are bombarded with advertising and news. On the computer we have email, Facebook and twitter all with their urgent messages and something that needs to be addressed. Try limiting the amount of time you spend tuned into these mediums or eliminate them all together. Set a timer or make a mental note of how long you’ve been plugged in. Then make a point of unplugging. Talk with real people get interested in what they have to say and what’s going on in their lives.
8. 回避嘈杂。生活中到处都充斥着嘈杂。电视和收音机里的广告和新闻不断地烦扰着我们的生活；电脑上我们用着的email, Facebook,和twitter也总有新信息需要我们回复。试着控制你使用这些媒介的时间，甚至直接不去理会它们。用表计时或者在心里记着你已经在这些媒介上花了多长时间，并且规定一个时间让自己退出来。去和现实中的人聊天，去倾听他们想说些什么，了解他们的生活正在发生些什么。
9. Have me time. Once you’ve unplugged take some time for yourself. Sit quietly with a book you’ve wanted to read, flip through a favorite magazine, take a warm bath, paint, do some yoga or meditate. Take time everyday to do whatever it is that makes you happy, calms you and that leaves you feeling recharged.
9. 享受自己的时间。当你远离嘈杂后，为自己找些时间享受。坐下来静静地读本自己很，早就想读的书，浏览一本自己喜爱的杂志，洗个热水澡，画幅画，做会儿瑜伽或者沉思一会儿。每天都花些时间做点儿让你感到高兴与平静的事情。那将会使你的心情焕然一新。
10. Let go. Let go of the need to be perfect, no one is. Let go of the need to be in control all of the time, no one is. Let go of the need to be efficient and organized all the time, no one is. Let go of the need to do it all, no one can. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Give yourself a break. It’s okay to let things slide from time to time. It’s okay to not always have it together. The more you’re able to let go and be accepting of the way things are the calmer and more serene your life will be.
10. 懂得放弃。放弃做到完美的念头吧，没有人是完美的。放弃总是保持节制的念头吧，没有人能做得到。放弃总能保持工作高效，生活条理的念头吧，没有谁的生活是那个样子的。放弃要做好一切的念头吧，没有人具备那样的能力。不要太苛求自己，让自己休息一下。偶尔把事情放任自流是完全可以的。生活中不能同时享有自己想要的一切也是可以的。你越是能够学会放任，让事情顺其自然，你的生活也就会越平静，越安宁。
There are no prizes for ticking off every item on your to do list everyday. No one is standing there waiting to give you a big gold star no matter how much of an over-achiever you may be. Slow down, take in the sights, sounds, and smells of where you are right now. Serenity is within your reach. It all starts with you.
每天都完成你清单上所列的事情并不会得到奖品。无论你在多大程度上做到超越自我，也不会有人在那等着你为你颁发一个大大的金牌。放慢脚步，去欣赏你周边的风景，聆听周边的声音，感受你生活中的气息。心灵的安宁与你近在咫尺。其实安宁源于你自己。