Less is more. This is why we say: reduce things by half instead of doubling them, relax instead of stressing, and slow down instead of speeding up. Apply these principles(原则) in your everyday life. You will then find yourself well along on your journey to simplification.

Separate Your Actions

    When you concentrate on one task, you find you have energy that you didn't even know you had. Just imagine: you have to carry two heavy pigs over 100 yards. If you carry two, it will take forever. But if you tie one pig in a place, pick up the other, gather all your strength and make a dash for the finish line, pause for a moment, run back and get the other one, and carry the second pig to the finish line, then you can be sure of success.

Say “No” Firmly

    If you have the feeling that 24 hours per day are not enough for all the things you need to do, then it's not because the day has too few hours, but because you have too many activities. The solution is equally simple: say no to accept so much work in your private life or your working life.

Allow Yourself to Be Weak

     “I can deal with stress” is regarded as a positive statement in the world of work. People who can deal with stress are given more and more to — until one day they break.

Pay careful attention to the signs that tell you that you are under more stress than you can deal with. If you become ill, or your work efficiency decreases, change your life goals. Say quite openly, “I can't manage that.”

Stop Expecting Everything to Be Perfect

     “If only I were slimmer, more beautiful, richer, more clever, then I would be happier.” This is a dream that makes a lot of people ill, and unhappy. Life is imperfect. Only those who accept this reality can lead a really full life.

    Of course there are activities in which errors are dangerous: driving a car; crossing the road. But life doesn't entirely have these things. In among them there is possibility that you may make small and large mistakes.

Escape Now and Then

    Successful people all have their own places where they can be left alone in order to work. Find out which places improve your creativity. For me it's the train. When I know that I'm going to be traveling for four hours without phone calls or people knocking on my door, I find my mind is free and I can read or write articles.

    The most wonderful time of the year (the Christmas season) is also the most stressful for lots of people struggling to fit in increased end-of-the-year workloads, holiday parties, shopping, guest hosting, travel, and seeing friends and relatives who you'd otherwise avoid. Luckily, the same coping mechanisms that can help relieve stress and find better balance during the year also work for this holiday.

    Here are four tips to finding work—life balance during this season.

1） Know and avoid your stressors(压力源).

    If cooking for a large group, baking cookies, or Christmas shopping are your key stressors, don't do them. Lots of grocery stores will help cater your next holiday meal. Bakeries exist for a reason, and gift cards are much appreciated by all. Stop trying to live up to someone else's expectations of the holidays and stay merry by outsourcing the pain points.

2） Get flexible at work.

    If you normally travel an hour each way at work, see if your boss will let you work from home in this special season to save time, get more done, and reduce your stress. Or ask if you can start work from home in the mornings and come to the office later in the day to avoid peak hours. Leave early and finish your day from the comfort of home, too.

3） Make your own list and check it twice.

    Make a to-do list for yourself, for both work and life, then divide it up into categories like “must do,” “want to do,” and “feel obligated to do.” If you can remove any or all of your required list, the rest of your to-dos will start to look a lot easier.

    Once you have your lists in order, it's time to start crossing things off. In between your must-dos tasks, include a want-to-do task to break things up and re-energize yourself. Yes, this holiday is a time to give back to others and be selfless, but there's still a bit of “self” in selflessness, isn't there?

4）If you start to feel a cold coming on, come to a full and complete stop.

    The best way to stop a cold from exploding into a weeks-long sickness is to stop it at the start. Unless a task or activity is an absolute necessity, cancel your plans, put away your to-do lists, and settle in for a long winter's nap. A day of rest and enough sleep is the only thing you NEED right now. Feel bad about declining holiday invitations from your friends and family? You're doing them a favor. Once people hear that you're sick, they'll be glad you stayed away — they don't want to come down with a cold during the holiday any more than you do!

    It is certain that you can feel less stressed in this hectic season when you stop expecting so much from yourself, because nobody puts so much expectation on you as you do to yourself. Trying to satisfy clients, co-workers, friends and family can be draining and can finally negatively impact you in many ways. When you simplify things up front, you relieve the stress off of yourself and everyone else in the process. Stop focusing on what you feel like you're obligated to do, and start focusing on what you want and need to do, the load will get lighter and you will feel a lot merrier under the Christmas tree.

    At times, our worries and anxieties can defeat us.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here is a brief list of techniques that you can use to help gain a better viewpoint on things during the anxious moments.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off the problem. A person could get some fresh air, listen to some music, or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

    Remember that our fearful thoughts are made to seem worse and can make the problem worse.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} When unexpectedly having thoughts that make you fearful or anxious, challenge these thoughts by asking yourself positive questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense.

    Be smart in how you deal with fears and anxieties. Do not try to deal with everything all at once. When facing a current or upcoming task that makes you anxious, break the task into small ones.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Remember that all the worrying in the world will not change anything. Most of what you worry about never comes true. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you should leave everything else in the hands of God.

    It is not easy to deal with all the fears and worries. When your fears and anxieties have the best of you, try to calm down and then get the facts of the situation. The key is to take it slow. All you can do is doing your best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it easy. Take it one step at a time and things will work out well at last.

A. When feeling anxious, stop what you are doing and try to do something relaxing.

B. This will give you the confidence to manage your anxiety.

C. Instead of worrying about something that probably won't happen, concentrate on what you are able to do.

D. The next time you fell depressed, review your list and think about the good things that you have in your life.

E. A good way to manage your worry is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking.

F. In addition, our worries can change our understanding of what is reality and what is not.

G. Completing these smaller tasks once at a time will make the stress more manageable and increase your chances of success.

    Questions to Ask Before Getting Your Child a Cellphone

    At what age should you get your child a cellphone？{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However，before you decide to add your child to your family plan，ask yourself these questions.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    If you and your child are not often apart beyond school hours，a cellphone may not be a serious necessity，but if he is independent or involved in extracurricular (课外的) activities outside your home，a cellphone could be useful，especially during emergencies as a convenient means of communication with you.

    Does your child understand the cost?

    Make sure your child understands the cost of having a cellphone.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some options to help control costs include prepaid and postpaid phones，setting a monthly budget for your child.

    How can you keep your child's phone usage safe and under control?

    Before you get your child a phone，you should discuss what it can be used for，rules he is expected to follow，and consequences if he fails to follow them.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you prefer to take an extra step towards monitoring his phone use，these application programs allow you to track your child's mobile activity.

A．Who needs a cellphone?

B．How can you determine whether or not to buy a cellphone for your child?

C．Also be sure that he can be trusted to stay within his limits from month to month.

D．You ask your child to make use of his cellphone for learning.

E．Also, educate yourself on what social media apps are popular with teens.

F．According to Pew Research Center, the average age is between 12 and 13.

G．For example, is the phone only to be used to call family, or can it be used socially?

    World records can be set even if you are over 100 years old. Robert Marchand was born in 1911 in northern France. He enjoys riding a bicycle, and started cycling seriously when he was in his 60s. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    On Wednesday, a crowd gathered at the Velodrome National, about 30 kilometers outside of Paris. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The record for one hour is held by Britain's Bradley Wiggins, a former Tour de France winner. Wiggins covered 54.5 kilometers in 2015.Evelyn Stevens of the United States holds the women's record. She went almost 48 kilometers in an hour last year. In 2012, Marchand set a record for riders over 100 years old when he traveled almost 27 kilometers in an hour. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Marchand set off on his record attempt as sports lovers cheered and photographers watched. He moved slowly, but steadily, around the cycling track.

    Marchand is relatively small.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} When the hour ended, he completed 92 times around the track. That is just over 22.5 kilometers. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He did not see his trainers telling him he only had 10 minutes remaining.“ I would have gone faster. I would have posted a better time,” he said. But the news was still good, as he did set a new record for riders 105-years-old or older.

“I'm now waiting for a rival,” he said.

A. Marchand is now 105 years old.

B. Marchand does well in riding a bicycle.

C. They were there to see how far he could travel in one hour.

D. They knew Marchand could travel over 22.5 kilometers.

E. He is only 1.52 meters tall and weighs 52 kilograms.

F. After the event, Marchand said he could have done better.

G.So the question many people asked this week was: “Could he break his own record?”

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。

    We all need to feel understood, recognized and affirmed by our friends, family and romantic partners. We all need to find our tribe.

    Research has shown that among the benefits that come with being in a relationship or group, feeling accepted is regarded as the most important driver of meaning. When other people think you matter and treat you as if you matter, you believe you matter, too.

    Though we all share a need to belong, in the first decades of the 20th century, many influential psychologists and physicians did not acknowledge this fundamental aspect of human nature. The idea that children needed parental love and care to live a full and meaningful life was not only considered medically dangerous, but also dismissed as immoral and disgusting.

    As behavioral psychology came into fashion and academic psychologists turned their attention to child- raising, this view shifted and they began to examine and affirm the vital importance of attachment in early life. They discovered that people, whatever their age, needed more than food and shelter to live full and healthy lives.

    But, sadly, many of us lack close ties. At a time when we are more connected digitally than ever before, rates of social isolation are rising. The results of an Age UK poll published recently suggest that half a million people over the age of 60 usually spend each day alone, and it's not unusual for another half a million people to go without someone to speak to for five or six days. All these figures reveal more than a rise in loneliness — they reveal a lack of meaning in people's lives. In surveys, we list our close relationships as our most important sources of meaning. Research shows that people who are lonely and isolated feel their lives are less meaningful.

    While close relationships are critical for living a meaningful life, they are not the only important social bonds we need to cultivate. Psychologists have also discovered the value of small moments of intimacy. “High-quality connections”, as one researcher calls them, are positive, short-term interactions between two people when a couple holds hands on a walk or when two strangers have an empathetic(移情作用的) conversation on a plane. High-quality connections have the potential to unlock meaning in our interactions with acquaintances, colleagues and strangers. We can't control whether someone will make a high-quality connection with us, but we can all choose to start one. We can say hello to a stranger on the street rather than look away. We can choose to value people rather than devalue them. We can invite people to belong.