Happier with Gretchen Rubin

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the podcast, we highlight our favorite ideas, hacks, and moments from the last decade. Everything from the “one-minute rule” to “clear the decks” to “give yourself a derby name” to Elizabeth’s famous recommendation of the Ped Egg.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Pre-order my new book, Secrets of Adulthood Better Than Before, my book about habit change Follow the one-minute rule  Observe the family “update”  Identify your signature anything: color, scent, personal symbol.  Go to the doctor  Celebrate minor holidays  Start a side hustle  “Identify your Happiness 911 song”  Give yourself a “derby name” Create a five-senses portrait Organize trinkets  Outer Order, Inner Calm book Packing cubes Share a podcast episode Closet-clearing montage Cleaning Elizabeth's office   Hacks for reading more Hacks for making entertaining easier and more fun  Hacks for performance Thank-you note debate  Happiness lessons from teachers in episodes 324 and 326 Object sacrificing itself “Unplugged Episode” Clear the Decks  Sweep the Decks  Deck the Halls Voice memos from England Ped Egg “Have you ever been upset by a well-intentioned gift?” Happier in Hollywood podcast We made merchandise! Buy your merch! 10th Anniversary Celebration Sale  Find the resources here

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The inscription on an ancient Greek grave marker illustrates the purpose of preserving art across millennia. A grandmother's words about holding her beloved grandchild, both in life and death, bridge more than two thousand years. 

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We review the great debate among listeners about whether our ungrammatical jokes about “More Happier” are fun—or annoying. We also discuss whether, as creative people, we expect our friends and family to read, watch, or listen to what we create. Plus we explore a silly question about whether we’d start to eat an item before we’d pay for it.

Resources and links related to this episode:

5 Things Making Me Happy Newsletter  The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr (Amazon, Bookshop)  Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky (Amazon, Bookshop) After Hours with Jamie Rubin podcast Eliza Starting at 16 podcast People My Age podcast

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this Very Special Episode, we answer questions from listeners about our relationships, happiness, watercolor, celebrities, our reading habits, and more. 

Resources and links related to this episode:

Bookshop Quiz: Fall In Love With Your Next Novel  Happier in Hollywood Substack Simon Haisell's slow read of War and Peace Five-Senses Journal Dabble Writer Elizabeth is reading: Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon (Amazon, Bookshop)  Gretchen is reading: The Many Lives of Anne Frank by Ruth Franklin (Amazon, Bookshop)  

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three distinct voices—Leonard Woolf, Gerald Heard, and Thomas Merton—point to the same truth world: The value of right action lies not in the results we achieve for others, but in the rightness of the action itself, and its significance for ourselves.

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about the unexpected lessons Elizabeth learned during her family’s emergency evacuation from their home, from the practical (“know your zone”) to the emotional (dogs can provide comfort in displacement). We discuss how information networks proved crucial, the reality of evacuation traffic, and how different people react in crisis. We also explore how to maintain productivity during disruption and the importance of advance preparation, including the value of a well-planned "go bag" and a pre-made list of irreplaceable items.

Resources & Links Related to this episode:

Habits for Happiness Quiz

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this Very Special Episode, we answer questions from listeners about relationships, happiness, habits, reading, writing, and working together as sisters.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Super-Fan Sign-Up Elizabeth is reading: Colored Television by Danzy Senna (Amazon, Bookshop)  Gretchen is reading: A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively (Amazon, Bookshop)  

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Through two brilliant tourism campaigns—Nebraska's "Honestly, it's not for everyone" and Oslo's “Is it even a city?”--we discover the surprising power of embracing what others might see as flaws. These campaigns reveal a liberating truth: What some see as drawbacks, others may view as advantages. It's a reminder that we're often at our most appealing when we tell truth.

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re bringing you my conversation with David Duchovny on his podcast, Fail Better. We talk action-led thoughts and aphorisms — anything in pursuit of leaving a conversation feeling happy. 

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore how advice meant for college freshmen—from practical packing tips to strategies for making friends—can benefit all of us. (Special guest: Gretchen’s daughter, currently a college freshman.) We also offer suggestions for a Rebel who struggles with late-night snacking, and share hacks for being a considerate houseguest and for getting more pleasure of reading.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Happier in Hollywood Substack newsletter Happiness Project shop "Five Things" newsletter Four Tendencies quiz Elizabeth is reading: Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner (Amazon, Bookshop)  Gretchen is reading: The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves (Amazon, Bookshop)  

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.