5.Encourage Your Kids to Help

鼓勵(lì)孩子們幫忙

【20】Stephanie Culp is a productivity consultant『咨詢(xún)者；顧問(wèn)』in Temecula, Calif., and author of You Can Find More Time for Yourself Every Day. Her golden rule for families: except for babies, no one is exempt from『免除』housework. Three to four-year-olds can fill Rover’s bowl or fetch the baby’s diapers. Five- to seven- year- olds can set tables, make beds, sweep walks. Children eight to 12 can weed, dust, take out the trash. Let kids know in advance『事先；預(yù)先』what’s expected of them. Posting a rotating『輪流；輪換』chore list that spells out『詳細(xì)說(shuō)明』who does what prevents squabbles『爭(zhēng)吵；口角』such as “It’s not my turn to clear the table.”

【20】斯蒂法妮·卡而普是加利福尼亞州Temecula的生產(chǎn)顧問(wèn)和《每天你能為你找出更多的時(shí)間》一書(shū)的作者。她關(guān)于家庭方面的金玉良言是除了嬰兒以外，人人都得做家務(wù)。三歲到四歲的孩子能給家人盛飯或取嬰兒的尿布。五歲到七歲的孩子能擺桌子、鋪床疊被、掃掃人行道。八歲到十二歲的孩子能除草、打掃灰塵和出去倒垃圾。讓孩子事先知道他們應(yīng)做什么，貼一張誰(shuí)該做什么的家務(wù)表，可避免像這樣的爭(zhēng)吵“不該我收拾桌子” 　

【21】Be prepared to reduce expectations at first—a poorly made bed is a lot better than one left unmade. But if the bed- making is particularly pathetic『乏味的；令人生厭的』, it may be a sabotage maneuver『策略；花招』. Stick to your guns, says Culp. If you give in, your child, having savored『滋味；趣味』the victory of upward delegation『委派；授權(quán)』, may use the same tactic『戰(zhàn)術(shù)；策略；手法』to get out of other chores.

【21】最初不要對(duì)孩子期望太高，被子疊得不好也要比不去疊強(qiáng)得多。但如果被子疊得特別糟，也許是故意的?？ǘ照f(shuō)，要堅(jiān)持你的立場(chǎng)，如果你讓步的話(huà)，你的孩子嘗到了抵抗上方授權(quán)的甜頭，會(huì)用同樣的方法對(duì)付你而不做其它的家務(wù)。

6.Turn Off the Tube

關(guān)上電視機(jī)

【22】Americans average 16 hours a week watching TV, making it the nation’s dominant『占優(yōu)勢(shì)的；支配的』leisure 『空閑的；業(yè)余的』activity. “Yet it’s a pastime few see as important or even enjoyable,” says John P. Robinson, director of the Americans’ Use of Time Project at the University of Maryland. “Life would be simpler for a lot of people if they could reclaim『回收利用』even a third of the time they spend semihypnotized『著迷的；恍惚的』in front of the tube.”

【22】美國(guó)馬里蘭州州立大學(xué)研究美國(guó)人如何合理地支配時(shí)間的項(xiàng)目負(fù)責(zé)人約翰·皮·魯濱遜說(shuō)：美國(guó)人平均每周看電視16小時(shí)，這標(biāo)志著電視已成為這個(gè)民族的一種主要娛樂(lè)活動(dòng)?！叭欢苌儆腥税堰@種消遣看成是重要的或是能給人帶來(lái)快樂(lè)的。如果大部分人能把他們昏昏沉沉地消磨在看電視上的1/3時(shí)間抽出來(lái)的話(huà)，生活會(huì)變得更簡(jiǎn)單了. 　

【23】Robinson and other experts suggest families schedule activities before consulting a TV guide. Decide what programs to watch, tape them and promptly『迅速的；立即的』turn off the set after replaying. Have certain times—during meals, on Sunday afternoons—when TV is never allowed.

【23】魯濱遜和其他專(zhuān)家建議先制訂家庭活動(dòng)計(jì)劃，然后再看電視報(bào)，決定看什么節(jié)目。把要看的節(jié)目錄下來(lái)。放完錄像后馬上關(guān)上電視機(jī)。某些時(shí)候決不允許看電視棗吃飯時(shí)和周日下午。

【24】The payoff『收益』for all this simplifying? You’ll free up time to do what you love most, whether it’s playing with the kids, gardening or traveling. Nothing could be simpler.

【24】這樣做的結(jié)果就是一切變簡(jiǎn)單了。你有時(shí)間做你最想做的事，比如說(shuō)和孩子們一起做游戲，做做園藝或出去旅游。這是最簡(jiǎn)單不過(guò)的事情了。