Gretchen Rubin's Blog, page 274

Four Tips for Using the Abstainer/Moderator Split in the Face of Holiday Temptations.

Every Wednesday is Tip Day.

Ah, the holidays. If you're a person who is trying to withstand temptations, it can be very tough. Everywhere you go, you face cookies, candy, booze, and snacks and treats of every kind. While some people can whole-heartedly can enjoy all this, many of us waver between wanting to try everything and wanting to resist everything.

A successful strategy to facing this...

"Toast, Tea, and To-Do Lists."

From time to time, I post short interviews with interesting people about their insights on happiness. During my study of happiness, I've noticed that I often learn more from one person's highly idiosyncratic experiences than I do from sources that detail universal principles or cite up-to-date studies. I'm much more likely to be convinced to try a piece of advice urged by a specific person who tells me that it worked for him or her, than by any other kind of argument.

Given my own topic, of...

I've Waited Three Years to Write This Post. Plus a Freebie!

I started this blog in March 2006. I didn't intend to become a blogger, at all; I considered myself (and still consider myself) a traditional writer of books. Starting a blog was the way I chose to test the proposition that novelty and challenge make people happier – I might have learned PhotoShop or trained for a marathon, instead. I'm certainly happy that I chose the challenge of starting a blog, because it has added so much to my happiness.

But my book, The Happiness Project, also makes...

"The [Three] Great Interests of Man."

"the great interests of man: air and light, the joy of
Evening Without Angels.

Now that I'm looking at the poem, how can I resist quoting the last stanza?

. . . Evening, when the measure skips a beat
And then another, one by one, and all
To a seething minor swiftly...

Resolve to Make 2010 a Happier Year.

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit. Join in -- no need to catch up, just jump in right now. Each Friday's post will help you think about your own happiness project.

Last year was a tough year for a lot of people, but January brings a fresh start.
Ask yourself: what would make you happier? Cleaner closets, less yelling, more fun? Make it happen in 2010!

In 2010, each month, I'll...

"Running, Blogging, Taking Risks -- and Watching 'The Devil Wears Prada.'"

I started my career as a lawyer -- I was clerking for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor when I realized that I really wanted to be a writer – and I'm still very interested in lawyerly concerns.

One way I stay abreast of what's happening in the world of law -- and also keep my resolution to Stay connected to my past -- is by reading Above the Law, a substantive (a very lawyerly word) but also extremely funny online "legal tabloid." I'd wanted to meet its founder editor David Lat for a long time...

Eight Tips to Know If You're Being Boring.

Every Wednesday is Tip Day.

'Tis the season of merry-making, which means you're probably more likely than usual to find yourself making polite and perhaps awkward chit-chat. One of the challenges of the holidays!

If you have trouble talking to a stranger in those situations, here are some tips to consider.

But once you're talking, how do you know if the other person is interested in your conversation – or not? One challenge is...

Happiness: Interview with an (Imaginary) Hostile Reader.

I got a big kick out of an anecdote recounted in Tara Parker-Pope's recent New York Times story about getting along with your relatives over the holidays. Two cousins were facing separate difficult family dinners, and in anticipation, they organized a game:

Each made bingo cards, but instead of numbers, the squares were filled in with some of the negative phrases they expected to hear during the meal, like "That outfit is interesting" or "Your children won't sit still." As comments were...

Zoikes, I Occupy Two of the Top Ten Google Results for "Happiness"!

I'm absolutely flabbergasted. In a moment of idle internet surfing, I decided to google "happiness" just to see what the top results were.

Guess what? The happiness project occupies TWO of the TOP TEN results. One for the blog, The Happiness Project, one for the companion website, The Happiness Project Toolbox.

I'm thrilled.

Coming Soon to a City Near You! Maybe.

My book, The Happiness Project, comes out in less than a month, and my book tour schedule is final! At last.

Several weeks ago, when I posted a question about my possible book tour, many readers wrote to me to encourage me to come to their home towns – I appreciate that so much. Now, at last, here's the final schedule. I hope that I get to meet many of you along the way.

New York City – January 7, 2010 [I live in New York City:]

Boston – January 13...