简化你的生活

3.Gently Say “No” 和颜悦色地说声“不”

【16】When Lyn Petit from Ridgewood, N. J., was a stay-at-home‘不出门的；经常呆在家里的’mom to her two daughters, Sarah, ten, and Elizabeth, 12, she taught Sunday school, helped run a thrift shop‘节俭商店；慈善性二手货商店’and chaired just about any committee she was invited to take on. After returning to her job as a floral designer, she continued trying to do it all.

【16】新泽西州Ridgewood 市的林恩·柏蒂是位有二个女儿的家庭主妇：萨拉10岁，伊丽莎白12岁。她在主日学校教书，帮助经营一个廉价旧货店，还被邀请担任某些员会的主席。 在她重新做花样设计师后，她仍然尽量帮助做一切事情。

【17】Eventually her impossible schedule led to anxiety attacks‘（疾病等的）发作；（工作等的）开始、着手’, which forced her to prioritize‘把事情按优先顺序排好’and limit her volunteer work to the Girl Scouts and PTA. Now the family sits down to dinner together every night. Petit is there to help with homework, and she says, “It’s great to get to know my husband again.”

【17】她的那些难以实施的计划最终导致忧虑的开始，迫使她依主次安排活动。使她把志愿工作限定在女童子军和学生家长和学生的联谊会上。 现在家人每晚坐下来一起吃晚餐。柏蒂辅导孩子做功课，并且她说：“能再次了解我丈夫真是太好了。”

【18】“No is a two-letter word that can free up many hours a week,” says Elaine St. James. Say it gently but immediately, offering a brief explanation, such as “I just don’t have time.” Avoid giving detailed excuses—the other person is likely to see a way you actually could fit in the request.

【18】“不”是两个字母的词它却能让你在一周内节省出很多时间。和颜悦色但要马上说“不”，做简单的解释，比如说：“我只是没时间。”避免做详细的解释，因为其它的人也许能看出来你真的合适做这件事。

4.Don’t Save Pennies and Waste Hours

不要为了节省几个便士而浪费数个小时

【19】Most of us are taught to watch‘小心；留意’money, but not to value‘重视；珍视’time,” says Andrea Van Steenhouse, author of A Woman’s Guide to a Simpler Life. “As a result, we may not even think about how much irreplaceable‘不能调换的’time we waste to save a few pennies.” Is it worth it to wander‘闲逛；徘徊’through a giant discount‘折扣；打折扣’mart, searching for picture hangers, when the neighborhood hard ware-store owner would point to them immediately? To wait for takeout‘外卖’at the restaurant when delivery is available for a small tip? Rather than dismiss‘不考虑；抛弃’the idea with the words “I can’t afford that,” it may pay to think twice.

【19】《妇女简化生活指南》一书的作者安德烈亚·范·斯延豪斯 说：“我们大部分人都被教导要节俭，而不是珍惜时间。结果是：我们也许没考虑为了节省几便士，浪费了多少无法挽回的光阴。”当邻居五金店的老板能马上拿给你要买的画框时，你是否还值得在大的打折市场走来走去。当只需一点小费就可送货上门时，你是否还要排队等候外卖食品。不是让你放弃“我负担不起”的想法，而是让你三思是否值得去做.