Less stuff, more happiness | Graham Hill

翻译人员: Shangjun Zhang 校对人员: Angelia King

What's in the box?

猜猜看这个箱子里有什么？

Whatever it is must be pretty important,

至少是些要紧的东西吧

because I've traveled with it, moved it,

毕竟不管我去哪儿，搬到哪儿

from apartment to apartment to apartment.

都带着这个箱子呢

(Laughter)

(笑声)

(Applause)

(掌声)

Sound familiar?

你们也干过差不多的事儿吧？

Did you know that we Americans

说起来你们知不知道

have about three times the amount of space

跟50年前的美国人相比

we did 50 years ago?

我们有了3倍多的空间？

Three times.

整整三倍啊！

So you'd think, with all this extra space,

那你可能会说，既然空间更多了

we'd have plenty of room for all our stuff.

那肯定够我们放各种东西了

Nope.

非也非也。

There's a new industry in town,

要知道现在有个新兴产业

a 22 billion-dollar, 2.2 billion sq. ft. industry:

价值220亿美元、累计占地22亿平方英尺

that of personal storage.

而作用就是为客户提供存储空间

So we've got triple the space,

虽然我们有了三倍多的空间

but we've become such good shoppers

但我们的消费能力增长得更快

that we need even more space.

因此我们实际上需要更多的空间

So where does this lead?

那这一切的后果有哪些呢？

Lots of credit card debt,

比如大量的信用卡贷款

huge environmental footprints,

对环境的巨大影响

and perhaps not coincidentally,

还有这50年里停滞不前的幸福水平

our happiness levels flat-lined over the same 50 years.

而这最后一点恐怕并非无巧不成书

Well I'm here to suggest there's a better way,

所以我想说，其实有一种更好的生活方式：

that less might actually equal more.

在这里少一些，在别处就多一些。

I bet most of us have experienced at some point

我相信我们大部分人都或多或少地

the joys of less:

体验过“少”的乐趣

college -- in your dorm,

校园里——我们只需要一间宿舍

traveling -- in a hotel room,

旅途中——我们只需要一间客房

camping -- rig up basically nothing,

野营时——基本用不着什么东西

maybe a boat.

可能要一条船。

Whatever it was for you, I bet that, among other things,

我相信，和其它事物相比

this gave you a little more freedom,

这些会给你带来多一点点自由

a little more time.

和多一点点时间

So I'm going to suggest

所以我想说

that less stuff and less space

少用点东西、少占点空间

are going to equal a smaller footprint.

就意味着对环境少些影响

It's actually a great way to save you some money.

也能为你节省一些花销

And it's going to give you a little more ease in your life.

而且，你的生活也会变得更加轻松

So I started a project called Life Edited at lifeedited.org

因此我开始做这个名为Life Edited精简生活的项目

to further this conversation

在网站 lifeedited.org 上一方面推广我的理念

and to find some great solutions in this area.

另一方面寻找一些解决方案

First up: crowd-sourcing my 420 sq. ft. apartment in Manhattan

首先，我和Mutopo及Jovoto.com合作

with partners Mutopo and Jovoto.com.

众包我在曼哈顿的420平方英尺的公寓

I wanted it all --

我希望它能拥有以下所有的功能：

home office, sit down dinner for 10,

家庭办公室、10人餐桌

room for guests,

留宿客人的空间

and all my kite surfing gear.

还有我全套的风筝冲浪设备

With over 300 entries from around the world,

从世界各地发来的300条建议中

I got it, my own little jewel box.

我找到了这个最优方案。

By buying a space that was 420 sq. ft.

我买了420平方英尺

instead of 600,

而不是600平方英尺的房子

immediately I'm saving 200 grand.

仅此一项我就省了二十万美元

Smaller space is going to make for smaller utilities --

更小的空间意味着更小的用具

save some more money there,

在这方面我们不光能够省点钱

but also a smaller footprint.

也能给环境少带来些影响

And because it's really designed

正因为这些用具都是围绕着

around an edited set of possessions -- my favorite stuff --

我最想要的功能

and really designed for me,

专门为我设计的

I'm really excited to be there.

我自然很向往能够住到那里

So how can you live little?

那我们怎样才能活得精简呢？

Three main approaches.

有三条大道。

First of all, you have to edit ruthlessly.

第一，你必须铁面无情地去开始精简工作

We've got to clear the arteries of our lives.

就像去除掉我们身上的动脉瘤一样毫不留情

And that shirt that I hadn't worn in years?

比如那件我好几年都没穿过的T恤嘛……

It's time for me to let it go.

是时候让它去了

We've got to cut the extraneous out of our lives,

我们得把生活中无关紧要的细枝末节修剪掉

and we've got to learn to stem the inflow.

并且学会逆潮流而动

We need to think before we buy.

我们应该三思而后消费

Ask ourselves,

买东西之前问问自己：

"Is that really going to make me happier? Truly?"

“买了它我真的能更加开心吗？”

By all means,

诚然

we should buy and own some great stuff.

我们应该购买并拥有一些很棒的东西

But we want stuff that we're going to love for years,

但我们更需要那些我们对其的喜爱经久不衰的东西

not just stuff.

而不仅仅是任何物品

Secondly, our new mantra:

第二，也是我们的新口号：

small is sexy.

小也有魅力

We want space efficiency.

我们想要高空间利用率。

We want things that are designed

我们想要的用具

for how they're used the vast majority of the time,

应该是依据多数情形下它们的使用方来设计的

not that rare event.

而不是专为少数情形而设计的。

Why have a six burner stove

就好比一般你连三个灶头都很少同时使用

when you rarely use three?

为什么要去买六灶头的燃气灶？

So we want things that nest,

我们需要的器具应该能够大的套小的，或者能够层叠放置的

we want things that stack, and we want it digitized.

如果一样东西能数字化那就更好

You can take paperwork,

那样你可以把所有文件

books, movies,

书籍、电影等等

and you can make it disappear -- it's magic.

都化为无形——就像变戏法一样。

Finally, we want multifunctional spaces and housewares --

最后，我们需要多功能的空间利用与多功能家具——

a sink combined with a toilet,

比如一体化的水斗和坐便器

a dining table becomes a bed --

餐桌与床的两用

same space,

同样的空间里

a little side table

这个小小的桌子

stretches out to seat 10.

可以伸展为能坐10个人的大桌子

In the winning Life Edited scheme in a render here,

“精简生活”的一个优胜设计

we combine a moving wall with transformer furniture

把一堵墙和“变形金刚”式的家具有机结合

to get a lot out of the space.

从而高效地利用了有限的空间

Look at the coffee table --

看看这个咖啡桌：

it grows in height and width

它可以拉长、抬高

to seat 10.

使得能够容纳10个人同时就座

My office folds away,

我的个人工作台

easily hidden.

能够方便地折叠并隐藏

My bed just pops out of the wall with two fingers.

只用两个手指就能把床从墙壁里变出来

Guests? Move the moving wall,

家里来客人了？动一下这堵墙

have some fold-down guest beds.

里面有折叠式的客床

And of course, my own movie theater.

当然，它也能变成我的家庭影院

So I'm not saying that we all need to live

我不是说每个人都应该只住在

in 420 sq. ft.

420平方英尺(约40平方米)的空间里

But consider the benefits of an edited life.

但精简生活的确能带来诸多好处。

Go from 3,000 to 2,000,

比如从3000平方英尺到2000平方英尺

from 1,500 to 1,000.

或者从1500到1000平方英尺

Most of us, maybe all of us,

我们中的大多数，也可能是所有人

are here pretty happily for a bunch of days

在这几天都过得很愉快

with a couple of bags,

虽然我们只随身带了几个包

maybe a small space, a hotel room.

并且住在一个小小的旅店房间里

So when you go home and you walk through your front door,

所以你这次回家、踏入房门之后

take a second and ask yourselves,

不妨问问自己

"Could I do with a little life editing?

“怎么样把我的生活也精简一番呢？”

Would that give me a little more freedom?

“那样是不是会带来更多自由——”

Maybe a little more time?"

“更多时间呢？”

What's in the box?

我这个箱子里装了什么？

It doesn't really matter.

这其实并不重要

I know I don't need it.

因为我不需要它们。

What's in yours?

你的包袱里装了什么？

Maybe, just maybe,

还是有那么一些可能性

less might equal more.

使得“少”也能意味着某种“多”。

So let's make room

所以让我们把有限的空间

for the good stuff.

都留给重要的东西吧。

Thank you.

谢谢

(Applause)

(鼓掌)