Blog Archive

Monday, 7 January 2019

3 easy ways to clear out life's clutter and start 2019 right

https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_less_stuff_more_happiness

Can having less stuff, in less room, lead to more happiness? This TED presenter makes the case for taking up less space, and lays out three rules for editing your life.

I will be encouraging you to seek out the TED website when I start the teaching on Listening in the coming months. And when we come to look at the Listening assessment around February / March we will be using this amazing resource for practice and actual assessment purposes, but that is in the future, not for just now. Our assessment focus will be on writing in the near future.

Here are a few talk topics under the simple heading of 'medicine' to give you an idea of the range of presentations out there: https://www.ted.com/talks?sort=newest&topics%5B%5D=medicine

Let me know what you think about Graham Hill's talk entitled 'Want to be happier? Have less stuff' in the comments section below.

Cheers,

Mark



5 comments:

  1. I quite like the mantra that less is more, but it can be difficult to execute sometimes. I have a (subconscious) rule that with clothing if I haven’t worn items in a while, then they’re bagged and off to various charities. When I moved flats 18 months ago I felt very good about doing that. But I am a bit of a hoarder too, so have learned to adapt my practices! I look forward to hearing some comments, on the content and even the delivery. Mark

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  2. Love Graham's presentation style. Backed up with statistics and quite factual. His demeanor I quite like too, as he is easy on the eyes but when he says " edit ruthlessly" you know he means business. He's practicing what he's preaching too and has evidence to show it can be done. I try to edit stuff but I blame the kids..toys toys toys!!!!

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  3. Thanks Simbi, I guess it is like anything that people may wish to consider in terms of change, whether it be a healthier lifestyle, cutting down on certain things, managing time better etc., we need to want to do it. Those who do follow through with their intentions normally feel good about what they have achieved. Interestingly, I happened upon a show last night, Love it or List it, and Kirsty Alsopp was decluttering the couple's front room. If you can't see what isn't there, then you don't need it. If there is no emotional attachment to an item, then it doesn't need to be there. I like that way of thinking. Will I be proactive about it? Well, I did bag a few things up actually and they are ready to go to various local charity shops on Saturday! Cheers, Mark

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  4. This is interesting, I literally pop everything in the bin. I keep sentimental items but they are boxed and in the loft and there's not a great amount up there. I don't get attached to things very easily. This infuriates my husband who tries to hoard things. He's the type of man who would straighten out a bent nail as you never know when you may need it.

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    1. My mate is a plumber and he’s exactly the same. My shower head broke and he had the very one in his hoard. I was very happy as it saved me a lot of money! I’ve learned that less is more over the years. But I’ve still got a lot of my Uni papers from many years ago. I occasionally read some of them!

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