miércoles, 30 de mayo de 2012

Talking point: What's cluttering up your life?

According to the Online Cambridge Dictionary, clutter is "(a lot of objects in) a state of being untidy". The word can also be used figuratively to refer to mental states, as in the sentence I try not to clutter (up) my mind with useless information.

With this short explanation in mind, it will be much easier to understand today's talking point. Get together with the members of your conversation group and discuss the topic of clutter in today's life. You can use the questions below, taken from The New York Times Learning blogs, to help you focus the topic.

Do you think that possessing a lot of material goods can decrease your quality of life?
How much is too much?
Have you ever experienced a "space" or "accummulation" problem?
Do you think that clutter is limited to material goods, or that it exists in other forms?
What, if anything, do you think your life might be better off without?
How could you reduce this kind of clutter?
What should people do with things they don’t really need?
What clutters up your life, and what can you do to lessen its impact?

Yvetta Fedorova

In preparation for your talking session, you can read the article Making Progress Against Clutter by the NYT health and science reporter Jane E. Brody.

Do you think Mr. Dennis’s advice is helpful?