Ask the Author: Gretchen Rubin
Answered Questions (25)
Gretchen Rubin
Aww, thanks so much for the kind words. It's great to hear that my work strikes a chord with you. I found that the effort to put my ideas into a succinct and elegant (I hope) form really clarified my thinking. For me, writing is the way I arrive at my own conclusions, so this kind of exacting structure helped me think more clearly. Plus it was very fun to distill, think of better word choices, etc. My favorite part of writing is editing, and a book of aphorisms requires a tremendous amount of editing.
Gretchen Rubin
During a visit to my eye doctor, he casually mentioned that I had greater risk of losing my vision. Stunned by this knowledge, I suddenly saw, heard, smelled, and felt everything around me more intensely. I realized that I’d been stuck in my head for too long, and had been ignoring the importance of my sensory experience to my feelings of happiness, connection, presence, memories, and energy.
Gretchen Rubin
I was amazed by the complex experience of tasting Heinz ketchup. It’s something we all take for granted, and yet it’s a remarkable food that gives us sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. Practically no foods can encompass all five!
Gretchen Rubin
Technology has definitely affected our sensory experiences--sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse--in countless ways. By being mindful of how to use technology so that it doesn't overwhelm or drain us, we can make good use of it.
Gretchen Rubin
Thanks for your enthusiasm! The book is called "Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World." What a joy it was to write this book!
It's about how we can tune in to the five senses for more energy, creativity, luck, and love. As with my other books, it's a mixture of stories, research, and self-experiments. I tried cryotherapy, I held a Tastes Party for my friends, I visited the Metropolitan Museum every day for a year. I hope that reading "Life in Five Senses" will have people jumping out of their seats to find new ways to explore their OWN senses.
It's about how we can tune in to the five senses for more energy, creativity, luck, and love. As with my other books, it's a mixture of stories, research, and self-experiments. I tried cryotherapy, I held a Tastes Party for my friends, I visited the Metropolitan Museum every day for a year. I hope that reading "Life in Five Senses" will have people jumping out of their seats to find new ways to explore their OWN senses.
Gretchen Rubin
Hi Linda, my next book, Outer Order Inner Calm, will be available in March 2019.
Gretchen Rubin
I think the best way is through reading a ton. The more you read, the more easily the words come, and ideas, and also the subtleties in how words are used. Good luck!
Gretchen Rubin
Restorative solitude can bring great happiness -- but we also need to connect with other people. Relationships are a key to happiness. Making the effort to make closer friends around you will likely make a big difference.
Gretchen Rubin
Nope, not that I can think of. I hope you enjoy it! and find it useful for your own happiness project.
Gretchen Rubin
I remind myself, "I'm doing this for myself. I'm doing this chore, I'm undertaking this task, because it's what I want." That way, I don't feel rebellious; I don't feel resentful; I don't expect anyone else even to notice what I've done. When you're making choices from a sense of freedom, there's no need to resist or rebel.
Gretchen Rubin
I have some good friends who are Rebels, but now that you mention it, none of my closest friends are Rebels. I still haven't figured out my daughters' Tendencies. I suspect one is an Upholder but it's really too soon to say for sure. Realizing that my husband is a Questioner has been a real revelation -- it's made me much more understanding of some of his (to me, annoying) patterns of behavior.
Gretchen Rubin
Well, I tell the story of what happened within a certain amount of time, but in reality my happiness projects have never ended. Most of the things I tried I still continue to do -- because they make me happier. Sometimes it's helpful to set aside a certain amount of time for special focus -- and shorter or longer, whatever seems right to you -- but for both happiness and habits, usually the important things we want to do FOREVER. Which can sometimes be a little intimidating!
Gretchen Rubin
These are questions that we should all be asking ourselves. Seems to me that self-reflection and self-knowledge are the keys. What would you regret not doing? By figuring that out now, you can make choices mindfully in the present.
Gretchen Rubin
Wow, what a question! I can never decide when I'm asked to pick one book. I love so many books. Perhaps "Goodnight Moon."
Gretchen Rubin
Oh sure. Habits are tough! My book is littered with examples of failure or, more often, half-success -- when I'm doing something more (like "no seconds" when I'm eating) but still isn't a true confirmed habit. But that's better than before.
Gretchen Rubin
I'm happy to hear that my work resonates with you! (The blog is at gretchenrubin.com, for people who don't know about it.) Those are very big questions! One answer: Do what you DO: http://www.gretchenrubin.com/happines... Also, what did you do for fun when you were 10 years old? That's probably something that you'd be interested in now. In my habits book, I talk about how I consult my "manager" to help me make decisions: http://www.gretchenrubin.com/happines...
Gretchen Rubin
Rebels want to act from choice and freedom; they can do the things they WANT to do. They may not want to join a book group where they'd be expected to read a particular book and commit to meeting once a month, say. But they'd love to get together to talk about a book they liked.
Gretchen Rubin
Thanks so much for being a Super-Fan! (For anyone else who wants to join the Super-Fans, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/nYHon)
It took me a long time to make the switch from law to writing, but it was made easier because I had an idea for a book that I desperately wanted to write (and was already writing, in fact), my sister was a professional writer, so I had that model; and everyone in my family was very supportive of me taking a big risk. At one point, I thought, "I'd rather fail as a writer than succeed as a lawyer," so I knew I had to give writing a shot.
It took me a long time to make the switch from law to writing, but it was made easier because I had an idea for a book that I desperately wanted to write (and was already writing, in fact), my sister was a professional writer, so I had that model; and everyone in my family was very supportive of me taking a big risk. At one point, I thought, "I'd rather fail as a writer than succeed as a lawyer," so I knew I had to give writing a shot.
Gretchen Rubin
Congrats on the new blog! You're welcome to share, but please do link back to me. I'm honored to be a favorite influencer. Good luck with it --
Gretchen Rubin
The most important thing is to have something to say. This sounds obvious, but whenever I struggle with writing, I stop and think, "What am I trying to say?" Once I know that, the writing comes more easily. To be a good writer, I also think it's important to read a tremendous amount.
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