歌玲泽扮演者:消除混乱：整理事物的4个步骤

作者：雪莉

In Part 1 of this series I talked about the cost of clutter and where it all comes from. With that out of the way you ask “Yes, but how do I begin to change it?” Now it’s time to get started on the path to living a simpler and more organized life. Before you look around and think “Never going to happen!” let me remind you this is a journey and there are no shortcuts to getting there.

在本系列的第一部分我谈到了混乱的代价和混乱是怎样造成的（译者注：第一部分的网页现在看不到，以后看到了会补上）。在了解这些之后你会问，“是啊，但是我该如何改变混乱的局面呢？” 好了，现在是时候开始简单而有条理的生活了。在你四周张望并怀疑“没门”之前，让我提醒你，这是一段旅程，而且没有捷径可以一下子到目的地。

Organizing and simplifying can be summed up in four easy steps and can be applied to just about any organizing venture.

整理和简化可以概括为4个轻松的步骤，适用于任何有关整理的行动。

Pull it out and pile it up! If you’re starting with a closet for example, pull everything out and put it in one central location (on a table, counter top or bed). Everything in that closet needs to be removed every hanger, jacket, purse, even an old awkward stool that you think is going to go right back in there anyway. Take it ALL out. 

拿出来堆在一起！例如你从壁橱开始，把所有的东西都拿出来放到中心位置上（桌子上，柜台上或是床上）。壁橱里的所有东西都要拿出来，衣架，夹克，钱包，甚至是你认为就应该放在角落里的旧而难用的搁脚凳， 通通拿出来。

Picking and choosing. Once you have the entire content of your closet in one central location go through the pile quickly and pick and choose only the essentials, these are things you currently use or cannot live without. You need to be aggressive with the purging here! 

挑拣选择。你把壁橱里所有东西放在中心位置以后，打量这一堆物事并挑选出必需品，就是那些现在要用的或生活必不可少的。这时你要敢作敢为，快刀斩乱麻！

Dump, donate or re-file. With the remaining items decide whether they are to be thrown in the garbage, donated to a friend or to goodwill, or re-filed somewhere more appropriate in your home.  TIP: Find 3 bins or boxes. Label one as Garbage, another as Donate and the last as Re-file. 

丢弃，送人和归置。然后决定剩下的东西是要当垃圾扔掉，送给朋友或捐送慈善机构，还是归置到你家某个更合适的地方。提示：找3个箱子或盒子来暂放这些东西，分别贴上标签：垃圾、送人和归置。

Organize. Once the items from your closet have been divided among the three bins DO NOT go through them again! Handle each item ONCE deciding what to do with it then and there. Take the essentials that you put aside in step 2 and put them back in the closet in a neat and orderly fashion. Group like items together in the space that you use them i.e. work out items should all be in the same spot, cookware, books etc. 

整理。壁橱里东西一旦被分到3个箱子里，不要再看了。处理每件物事只动一次念头，决定怎样处理它就怎样处理它。把第二步里拣出的必需品整齐地放出壁橱里。同一类东西归在一起，摆放在你使用它们的位置，也就是，相同用处的东西放在同一位置，炊具，书，等等。

These four steps are the foundation on which you can start tackling your space. Remember de-cluttering and organizing your entire house or even an entire room will take time. This is not something that can be done in a matter of a hours. Take time get your head around what you want the space to look like once you’re finished and go from there. Don’t let it scare you, you just need to get started!

以这4个步骤为基础，你可以开始解决你的空间问题。请记住，消除混乱整理整个家甚至只是一个房间都要花相当的时间，这不是个把小时能完工的事。你要先花些时间想想你要自己的空间看起来如何如何，一旦想好了，就开始吧。不要害怕过程麻烦，你需要的只是动手开始！

Be sure to check out Part 3 of our series Strategies to Getting Started.

请一定要看看本系列的第3部分：开始的策略

Photo courtesy of Elsie esq.

图片由埃尔西先生提供