Searches on Google, finding friends through Facebook and being able to buy simply anything on Amazon have all been made possible thanks to major leaps forward in technology over the past 15 years.

However, that comes at a price. As our lives are gradually automated, many people are losing their jobs. And advancing technology has not delivered jobs as it should. At the end of 2015 a total of 74, 505 employees were working for Google's Alphabet and Facebook, accounting for less than a third of Microsoft's total staff. However, the combined stock-market value of these companies was twice as big as Microsoft's. Newcomer tech giants in the market are in need of even fewer workers. In 2016, semiconductor manufacturers slashed their number of workers by half to just 359,000.

Despite major concerns about the future of jobs and the economy in general, 140 years of data has shown technology as a whole has actually brought to life more jobs than it has ended. Technology has been described as a “great job-creating machine”. For instance, while roles in the agriculture, washers, and examples of repetitive services, have decreased, there has been a rise in caring posts, such as teaching, educational support assistants; welfare, housing, youth and community workers; and care workers and home caring.

The aging battle between man and machine will continue as it has for centuries. The question is “Are machines taking over our jobs, or is our workload being eased by their presence?” This will be an ongoing debate especially with the current rise in machine learning technology and artificial intelligence.

After deciding to move into a new house, Jessica, a full - time mother in London, brought in a woman home organizer - Sharon.

“As a result, Sharon threw away 50 per cent of my clothes, decorations, shoes and books. The process of tidying up my house brought peace to me and made me feel organized at heart.” Jessica told The Times.

Like Jessica, more British have started to seek for help from home organizers to pursue minimalism (极简主义) lifestyles.

This period has made many people appreciate everyday order and comfort. Having a comfortable living environment became more pressing for people who were forced to work at home and for families spending long hours together under one roof.

“People are fearful of the future, especially with this pandemic” Sharon, told The Times. “Will it get worse? Will it return... I think it is a good idea to clear your home as a way of clearing your mind. This is an ideal time to tidy up and give some thought to what we have and to be thankful for it.”

For most people, tidying up is much more than sorting things and putting them away. It can help begin a conversation with themselves and reflect upon their lives.

Jenny, 27, has loved organizing things since childhood. While other children would throw their schoolbags on the floor and run out to play with their friends, Jenny, preferred to put her books and pencil box in order on her desk and enjoyed helping her mother fold shirts. Today she still practices this in her own life while also helping others.

“Decluttering is not merely about getting rid of stuff and sorting things out. It’s a way of improving relationships between people, their belongings and their space, which can help lead to a tidy and comfortable life. It's about education and bringing beauty and harmony into one's living space,” Jenny told The Times.

Did she face any difficulties while organizing homes? Obviously, yes. “There’s a tradition in Britain of treasuring possessions. Most people aren’t in the habit of throwing out useless things unless they’re worn out. So we try to be accustomed to the idea and make it much more acceptable.” Jenny added.

When asked why he or she wears clothes, some people will probably answer “to keep warm and to cover my body”. These are the basic reasons why clothes are worn, but people also want to look attractive and appear successful to others.

If people only wore clothes for warmth and to cover their bodies, most clothes would be simple and cheap. In most Western countries, however, clothes are sometimes very expensive. The main reason for this is not the cost of the cloth or the cost of making the clothes. The clothes are expensive because of fashion.

Successful businessmen, for example, often wear very expensive suits, shirts and ties. Sometimes they pay thousands of dollars for a suit and hundreds of dollars for a tie. It’s just a suit and a tie but they pay these prices because of the famous name of the designer. A suit costing much less would be just as warm and would cover the wearer’s body just as well.

Fashion is always changing, which means those who want to be fashionable have to buy new clothes every few months, even if last month's clothes have only been worn once or twice. Some people have wardrobes full of clothes that have hardly been worn but are no longer in fashion. Being fashionable, therefore, can be a very expensive pastime!