Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Re-reading Charles Dickens’s story “A Christmas Carol” got me thinking about the question: What should we fear more, Ignorance or Want?Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraftLinks and notes related to this episode can be found in the latest post here: https://gretchenrubin.com/podcasts/Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletterIf you pre-ordered Gretchen’s new book Outer Order, Inner Calm, get your preorder bonuses here: http://outerorderinnercalmbook.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s our fourth anniversary! We review our most popular Try-This-at-Home tips, Happiness Hacks, and favorite moments from the previous year.Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraftGet the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/209Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletterIf you pre-ordered Gretchen’s new book Outer Order, Inner Calm, get your preorder bonuses here: http://outerorderinnercalmbook.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This story about Matisse is probably apocryphal, but it’s a great illustration of an important point: a minute of effort may reflect a lifetime of practice.Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraftLinks and notes related to this episode can be found in the latest post here: https://gretchenrubin.com/podcasts/Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletterIf you pre-ordered Gretchen’s new book Outer Order, Inner Calm, get your preorder bonuses here: http://outerorderinnercalmbook.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’ll talk about why you should beware the “endowment effect” as a way to combat clutter, and we’ll take a deep dive into listeners’ one-word themes for the year.We also discuss listener responses to the “Try This at Home” from episode 204 to “put a band-aid on it.”Happiness hack from a listener: challenge myself to make the most of my wardrobe and wear a different outfit every day.Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraftGet the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/208Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletterIf you pre-ordered Gretchen’s new book Outer Order, Inner Calm, get your preorder bonuses here: http://outerorderinnercalmbook.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The “juice story” reminds me how much we can shape our perceptions, and other people’s perceptions, by the way that we speak. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you should go to the doctor, meeting the challenge of decluttering a household—and announcing the first book for the Happier Podcast Book Club.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/207; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Ann Patchett reminds herself that if she’s going to be of service to a friend, she must protect herself. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you might consider using gentle language, a gold star for “Winter of the Witch, a movie about magical pancakes, and listeners answer the question, “What’s the best resolution you’ve ever made?”Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/205; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every time I read the words “Equal Justice Under Law,” carved into the front of the Supreme Court building, I get the America Feeling. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Follow a ritual of completion, how to pour more easily from a carton (a small but useful hack!), and an interview with Abby Ellin about her fascinating new book “Duped.”Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/205; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I saw the blockbuster movie “Avatar” back in 2009, and the only thing I remember is a look of pure joy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you should put a band-aid on it, consider “Me Time Tuesday,” and how to persuade a reluctant spouse to do more work.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/204; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often assume that our new technology is making us feel rushed and overwhelmed, but perhaps it’s just really ourselves. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We reveal our “19 for 2019” and “9 for 2019” lists and discuss some listeners’ suggestions and questions about making these lists.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/203; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eisenhower gave Nixon some helpful advice: to be excellent in some areas, we have to be willing to be mediocre in other areas. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Use the Checklist for Habit Change, how to encourage conversation with children, and the challenge of planning office birthday celebrations.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/202; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes a weakness can be a strength, and a strength can be a weakness. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Choose a one-word theme for the year, a talk with Chris Guillebeau, and what’s been your most significant resolution?Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/201; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My mother observed sympathetically, “Everything would be easy, if it weren’t for people.” To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate our 200thepisode, we answer questions from listeners: do we ever fight, how do we record the podcast, when did we choose our careers, and more.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/200; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do what you love, and then your friends hire you. It’s true for comedy-writers, and for everyone else, too. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Evaluate your “18 for 2018” list, we reveal our own successes and failures with “18 for 2018,” plus a popular app for locating lost items.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/199; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a truth too important to be new: we listen best when we listen to a story. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Design your happiness project for 2019, follow the five-second rule, and suggestions for dealing with the challenge of gift-giving.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/198; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes, the people we fear are judging us are willing to be our enthusiastic champions and sympathizers, if we give them the chance. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plan to read more in 2019, how to make it easier to follow complex instructions, and what to do when your sweetheart won’t store keys in the key bowl.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/197; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often think that people are acting in response to what we’ve done or said, when in fact, they’re just behaving the way they usually do. And that can be comforting to remember. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Choose a holiday motto, give the “gift of a podcast,” and more ideas about drinking less alcohol and helping people face end-of-life tasks.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/196; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Viktor Frankl makes a profound point: When our actions and experiences have meaning, our suffering is lightened. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you should do something scary, what to do with your earbuds when you meet someone on the street, and how to schedule holiday visits with family.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/195; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A passage from Viktor Frankl’s masterpiece Man’s Search for Meaning is a beautiful reminder of the significance of love. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Make an introduction, accountability strategies to keep people exercising, and how to deal with digital information hoarding.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/194; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter got me thinking about the importance of paying attention to “negative space.” To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrate a personal anniversary, a hack that makes it easier to use a cell phone, and persuading people to tackle end-of-life tasks.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/193; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A thought-provoking story from the life of Pearl S. Buck’s missionary father raises many questions. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you should have people over, how to make time for your side hustle, and the challenge of the “you cook, I clean” approach Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/192; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These words are comforting because they’re true: you’re not that powerful. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you might identify your pacesetter, the value of creating a user-guide to yourself, and the common challenge of drinking less alcohol.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/191; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My father gave me excellent advice: if I think I might be ready for a change, I’m probably already long overdue. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this Very Special Episode, we focus on the role of the body in creating a happier life, and we talk to Jake Knapp about how to focus on what matters.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/190; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During my family’s trip to Normandy, reading the beautiful description in the D-Day guide for soldiers gave me the “America feeling.” To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you might want to make life more complicated, the challenge of the (non)Quiet Car, and a question about hotels.Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/189; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Little mistakes, little missteps, can help us learn and grow so that we don’t make bigger mistakes later. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you might create a personal timeline, a deep dive into the "Facts of Life" book, and yet another treadmill-desk-related demerit. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]: happiercast.com/188; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This story from the life of Samuel Johnson reminds us: “It is wonderful what a difference learning makes upon people even in the common intercourse of life.” To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plan a short trip, how to find a misplaced object, and an interview with Bradley Tusk. Get in touch: @gretchinrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/187; 774-277-9336 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, I’ve been haunted by a public-service poster I once saw in a New York City subway. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why and how you might create a "blues bag," a reading-related hack for parents, and a deep dive on happiness at work. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/186; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This beautiful song by Nina Simone is a reminder that when people give us no solace, we can turn to nature. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why you should make a "Facts of Life" book, how to deal with an outer-order related conflict, and a hack for telling left from right. Get in touch @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected]; happiercast.com/185; 774-277-9336. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.