Free Up Time to Do What You Love Most 擠出些時間做你最想做的事

　　Two years ago Shirley Michels of St. Louis found herself getting up earlier and earlier, and going to bed later and later, just to meet everyday demands. The wife, mother and ophthalmic technician met her responsibilities『責職；任務』, but lacked time for the things that mattered most.

　　兩年前，圣路易斯州的雪莉·米歇爾斯發現自己起得越來越早，睡得越來越晚卻僅能滿足日常的生活需求。盡管無論是作為一名妻子，一位母親，還是眼科技師她都已盡了職責，但她卻沒有時間做最重要的事情。

　　She and her husband, Vic, an attorney, began searching for ways to simplify『簡化；精簡』their lives. “We had to decide what was really important,” says Shirley. They knew they wanted more time to play with their three-year-old son, Ryan, to exercise and eat right, and to nurture『培育；養育』friendships.

　　她和她的丈夫維克，一名律師，開始想辦法簡化他們的生活。雪莉說：“我們得決定什么是生活中真正重要的?！彼麄冎雷约合霌碛懈嗟臅r間和三歲的兒子瑞安在一起，做做游戲，做做運動，讓他吃好，以培養他們之間的感情。

　　So the couple chose to live more modestly『適中的；適度的』, shopping with care for necessities and enjoying inexpensive pleasures such as reading, cooking and going to the park. Shirley quit her job and began working part time from home. She printed up business cards that read “At your service—buy yourself a little time,” and hired herself out for personal tasks such as shopping, paying bills, organizing parties, doing Internet research—whatever clients needed.

　　因此這對夫妻選擇了一種更簡單的生活方式，注意只買生活的必需品，從事一些花錢不多的消遣，諸如閱讀、烹調、逛公園。雪莉辭掉了原來的工作，開始做半天工作，比如說為私人購物、付款、組織聚會、做國際互聯網研究方面的事情——做客戶所要求做的一切。她在她的商業名片上印上“聽候您的吩咐——給你自己留點時。

　　“I still work hard, but being able to control my hours makes all the difference,” she says. “I can carve out『（雕）刻出；開辟出』time to take my son to the zoo or play basketball with him. My stress headaches are gone. Having a chance to get to know neighbors not only has been fun, but it’s also helped us further simplify.

　　她說：“我仍然在努力工作，但現在能夠自己控制時間卻使一切變得大不一樣了。我能抽出一些時間領兒子去動物園或，和他一起玩玩籃球。我因壓力而造成的頭痛消失了。有機會去了解鄰居不僅給生活帶來了樂趣，而且還有助于使我的生活變得更加簡單化。

　　According to trend watchers『趨勢；時尚』, the Michelses are far from『完全不』 alone in wanting to slow down『減速』 and live a more satisfying life. A Gallup Poll found that half of all Americans claim they lack enough time to do what they want. Fifty-four percent of parents say they spend too little time with their children, and 47 percent of married couples complain that they lack time together.

　　根據時尚觀察者們所說，米歇爾斯們并非單單想放慢生活的節奏，過一種更舒服的生活。蓋洛普民意測驗，發現有一半美國人說他們缺少足夠的時間來做他們想做的事。54%的家長說他們和孩子呆在一起的時間太少了。47%的已婚夫婦抱怨他們缺少在一起的時間。

　　Where does the time go? For most people, work and commuting『（口語）通勤』dominate『在……中占主要部分』the day. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one out of five of us put in 49 or more hours a week on the job; one out of 12 logged 60 hours or more.

　　那么時間都到哪兒去了呢？對大多數人來說，工作和乘公交車上下班占據了一天的大部分時間。根據勞動局統計數字表明，有五分之一的人一周要工作49個小時或者更多；十二分之一的人工作60小時或更多。

　　Then there’s the rich smorgasbord of modern life—so much information to sift through, so many products beckoning. “We’re wearing ourselves out『wear out:（使）疲乏；（使）厭倦』trying to have it all,” says Elaine St. James, author of Living the Simple Life.

　　現代的生活是豐富多彩的斯堪的納維亞式自助餐棗有那么多的信息等你去篩選，那么多的產品吸引著我們?！哆^一種簡單的生活》的作者伊萊恩圣詹姆斯說：“為了擁有這一切我們已累得精疲力盡了。

　　Simplifying means becoming aware of the ways, big and small, that we expend money, time and energy, and then raking steps to curb the waste. Here, from the experts, are some suggestions for gaining control over life’s hassles in order to have time for the pleasures.

　　生活簡單化就意味著要我們注意所花的錢、時間和精力、方方面面、大大小小的事情，然后再采取措施去控制浪費。根據專家們的一些建議，盡量避免生活中發生爭吵以便有更多的時間來娛樂。


　　

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