Daily Life

Happiness Project: Master A Device

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 09.28.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit....

12 Quick Tips To Boost Happiness And Productivity At Work

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 09.24.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

Of course, being happy at work depends mostly on how much you like your job. But there are also smaller steps that can boost your happiness, as well. ...

5 Tips For Kicking A Bad Habit

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 09.17.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

Well, September is half over, and I've managed NOT to eat any of my beloved Tasti D-Lite. And it hasn't even been that hard to give it up. How did I g...

Happiness Tip Of The Day: Dig Deep

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 09.14.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit....

Balanced Life: Eleven Tips That I'm Using to "Eat Very Right" (and Cut Calories).

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 09.11.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

Whatever you might order, and however it might be prepared, it has tons of butter on it.

6 Good Deeds That Take Less Than Five Minutes

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 09.10.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

"Do good, feel good" is one of the great truths of happiness -- but you may be thinking, "Sure, good deeds would make me happy, but I barely have time...

Happiness Tip Of The Day: Use A Milestone

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 09.07.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit....

Happiness Project: Look Out The Window

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 08.29.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit....

Seven Ways To Tell If You're Boring Someone

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 08.27.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

In one of my favorite movies, a quirky documentary called Sherman's March, the documentary maker's former high school teacher tells him, "As people ge...

9 Ways To Stay Motivated To Exercise

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 08.20.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

Everyone knows that exercise is a KEY element to good health. The trick is keeping yourself motivated to exercise, if you're a person who naturally re...

Happiness Project: How To Enjoy The Process

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 08.16.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

By re-framing marginal, disfavored parts of my trip -- like the Newark airport -- so that they were no longer inconveniences, but actually part of the action, I prevented myself from getting aggravated.

Six Tips For Enjoying A Vacation

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 08.12.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

One of my goals for my Happiness Project is to do a better job of learning from experience. How can I do things better, next time? Also, one of my Twe...

The Happiness Lesson I Learned From A Barry Manilow Concert

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 08.01.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit....

Clutter-busting: Eight Tips For Preparing For A Real (Or Virtual) Move

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 07.30.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I find it's much easier for me to get rid of things when I can envision that my things will be better used by someone else.

19 Tips For Cheering Yourself Up -- From 200 Years Ago

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 07.23.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

While reading a biography of English writer Sydney Smith, Hesketh Pearson's The Smith of Smiths, I stumbled across a letter. In 1820, Smith wrote a le...

The Balanced Life

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 07.17.2008 | Home


Gretchen Rubin

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit....

Happiness Tip Of The Day: Toss Your Magazines

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 06.02.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit....

6 Tips For Getting Yourself To Do Something You Don't Want To Do

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 05.07.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

How many times each day do you try to work yourself up to tackle some undesirable task? If you're like me - several. Here are some strategies that I've used.

Debate: Do Pets Make Us Happier?

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 04.30.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

For many people, pets are an enormous source of happiness. The other day, though, I had a fascinating conversation with a friend about the negative happiness consequence of having pets.

Eight psychological terms to help you strengthen your friendships.

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 04.30.2008 | Home


Gretchen Rubin

Ancient philosophers and modern scientists agree: the most essential key to happiness is strong relationships with other people. We all have many kin...

Happiness, equity theory, and why we tend to think that we should get what we deserve -- and deserve what we get.

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 04.25.2008 | Home


Gretchen Rubin

One of the most interesting and complicated issues within the study of happiness is the relationship between money and happiness. Although some folks ...

Nine tips to make TV-watching a source of happiness.

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 04.25.2008 | Home


Gretchen Rubin

In terms of hours, watching TV is probably the world's most popular pastime. Among Americans, it's the most common free-time activity - for an average...

Happiness: Should You Have Goals Or Resolutions?

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 04.11.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I think that some objectives are better characterized as resolutions, others, as goals. You hit a goal, you achieve a goal. You keep a resolution.

Why Am I Feeling Crabby on My Lovely Vacation?

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 03.30.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I'm away with my family and my in-laws on vacation. We do this every spring, and each time we do it, despite the fact that this place is lovely, I see...

Twelve Tips for Acting Like a True Friend

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 03.19.2008 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

Show up. Sometimes a friend wants you to show up someplace when you'd really rather not, like a wedding in Topeka. Recognize a command performance, and don't miss it.