Happier with Gretchen Rubin

By Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Education

What's Happier with Gretchen Rubin about?

Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. Gretchen’s cohost and guinea pig is her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles, who (lovingly) refers to Gretchen as her happiness bully. Part of the Panoply Network.

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Little Happier: Happiness L...

04.12.2021

During a funny conversation with a friend about his messy wife, he realized how he could have a more orderly house, without necessarily winning her cooperation. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast ...

Happier with Gretchen Rubin episodes:

04.12.2021 Little Happier: Happiness Lessons from a Friend and His Messy Wife During a funny conversation with a friend about his messy wife, he realized how he could have a more orderly house, without necessarily winning her cooperation. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast ...
04.07.2021 Ep. 320: For Our 6th Anniversary, a Roundup of Favorite Try-This-at-Homes, Hacks, Strategies, and Solutions from Listeners—and From Us. For this Very Special Episode, and in honor of our sixth anniversary, we asked listeners to send us their favorite moments, hacks, solutions, try-this-at-home suggestions and know-yourself-better questions. Plus we reveal our own favorite moments and ideas. Get in touch: ...
04.05.2021 Little Happier: A Character from “K-Pop Confidential” and My Second-Grade Daughter Remind Me: We Want to Accept Ourselves, and Expect More From Ourselves In Stephan Lee’s terrific young-adult novel K-Pop Confidential, the character Candace’s performance illustrates the same lesson that I saw in my daughter Eleanor’s second-grade show on the monkey bars: Sometimes we should expect more from ourselves, and sometimes we should ...
03.31.2021 Ep. 319: Ask Yourself, “Do I Use It, Need It, Love It?”, Using the Return to Work as a “Clean Slate” for Habits, and Rebels Give Advice about the Rebel Who Won’t Read Emails For those in the mood for spring cleaning, we suggest clearing clutter by asking “Do I use it, need it, love it?” We talk about April Fool’s Day pranks, ideas for using the return to the workplace as a “clean ...
03.29.2021 Little Happier: Why Did I Insist on Taking My Little Girl to Pre-school in the Freezing Cold and Snow? Understanding my Four Tendencies personality framework, and my own Tendency as an Upholder, revealed to me why I’d behaved inexplicably years ago, when I took my daughter to school in a snowstorm. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch ...
03.24.2021 Ep. 318: Look at Your Home with the Eyes of a Stranger, Some Terrific Before-and-After Clutter Stories, and Valuable Lessons from the Pandemic We discuss why you might look at your home through the eyes of a stranger, why a simple hook can be so useful , share some excellent before-and-after clutter-clearing triumphs, and discuss listeners’ response to the question, “What valuable lesson ...
03.22.2021 Little Happier: We Can Learn from the Monkey Who Wouldn’t Let Go of the Bananas. The old teaching story of the greedy monkey and the bananas illustrates many notions, including the idea that sometimes we have to let go of a desire in order to free ourselves. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch ...
03.17.2021 Ep. 317: Do You Thrive with a “Sense of Urgency,” a Hack for Drinking Less Alcohol, and a Conversation about Just Work with Kim Scott and Trier Bryant We discuss whether we thrive in an atmosphere with a sense of urgency, share a listener’s happiness hack for drinking less alcohol (without giving it up altogether), and have a conversation with Kim Scott and Trier Bryant about how we ...
03.15.2021 Little Happier: Who’s Happier? My Husband, Who Got His iPod Back, or Me, Who Retrieved It for Him? One of the best ways to make ourselves happier is to make other people happier. I was made happier by my gesture of loving in tracking down my husband’s iPod than he was made happy by getting it back. Do ...
03.10.2021 Ep. 316: What Valuable Lessons Have We Learned from the Pandemic, a Hack to Fight Morning Grogginess, and a Question about a Rebel Teacher Who Doesn’t Read Emails We discuss why we might ask ourselves, “What valuable lessons have I learned from the pandemic, now that a year has passed?” We also suggest an easy hack to shake off sleep inertia, tackle a listener’s question about a Rebel ...
03.08.2021 Little Happier: The Memory of a Delicious Night of Sleep, Four Hundred Years Later In the 1600s, Samuel Pepys kept a diary, and of everything he wrote about, including the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London fair, one thing that is remembered, so many hundreds of years later, is a ...
03.03.2021 Ep. 315: Sixth Anniversary! Our Most Popular Try-This-at-Home Tips, Happiness Hacks & Favorite Moments In honor of our sixth anniversary—an unusual year, due to the pandemic—we look back at the previous year and highlight our favorite try-this-at-homes, happiness hacks, and favorite moments. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin ...
03.01.2021 Little Happier: Yogi Berra Was Funny, and He Also Hit on Some Profound Truths Baseball legend Yogi Berra was famous for the hilarious things he said. And in his own inimitable way, he captured some profound truths. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by ...
02.24.2021 Ep. 314: Re-Engage with Your Resolutions, A Hack for Helping People to Give Gifts, an Outdoors Demerit, and Why Humor Is Such a Powerful Tool at Work and in Life. We talk about the 21 strategies that can help us re-engage with our resolutions, discuss a hack about helping people to give gifts (to avoid disappointment), and talk to Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonus about how humor can help us ...
02.22.2021 Little Happier: How a Loose Piece of Popcorn in a Museum Inspired a Masterpiece The brilliant children’s book From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was inspired when writer E. L. Konigsburg spotted a piece of popcorn on a chair in a period room at the Metropolitan Museum. You never know what ...
02.17.2021 Ep. 313: Help People Not Disappoint You, a Hack for Reading More, a Talk with Deepa Iyer about Different Roles to Play in Social Change We talk about how and why it’s a good idea to help people not disappoint us, share a reader suggestion about how to read more, and Deepa Iyer explains her map for social change. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] ...
02.15.2021 Little Happier: It’s a Lot of Work to Make Friendly Gestures, But We All Have to Try. Whenever I think about the work that it takes to try to be friendly, I remember a funny story from my daughter’s childhood. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by ...
02.10.2021 Ep. 312: Confront a Clutter-Related Conflict, a Hack for Having Fun, and Using the Four Tendencies Framework to Get Chores Done We discuss why you might confront a clutter-related conflict, how to use the Four Tendencies personality framework to help tackle clutter and chores, and talk Anne Mercogliano about a fun acvtivity while safer-at-home. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get ...
02.08.2021 Little Happier: A Beautiful Image: A Cabin in the Woods, with Flowers Growing Close to Its Walls I’m haunted by an image from Erling Kagg’s book Walking One Step at a Time, when he describes a cabin in the wood where the owner had carefully arranged that no footpaths would appear, so that it stood amid the ...
02.03.2021 Ep. 311: Find a Manifestation of Your One-Word Theme, an Easy Hack to Spark Happy Memories, and a Conversation with Ron Lieber about the Price You Pay for College We share listeners’ suggestions about creative ways to create physical representations of our one-word themes for 2021, discuss an extremely easy, fun hack for bringing happy memories to life, and we talk about the happiness stumbling block of paying for ...
02.01.2021 Little Happier: A Question That Seemed to Make No Sense Was in Fact a Declaration of Love Sometimes, gestures of love don’t look the way we expect. I found it wonderful to think that, many years after this time has passed, the writer realized what she’d been witnessing. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on ...
01.27.2021 Ep. 310: Very Special Episode! Great Hacks, Tips, Tools, and Suggestions About How to #Read21in21. In this Very Special Episode, we share hacks, strategies, and tools from listeners—and our own experience—about how to get more reading done in 2021. #Read21in21 is underway. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & ...
01.25.2021 Little Happier: Some of My Favorite Proverbs About Parenthood. I love aphorisms, proverbs, true rules, and Secrets of Adulthood, and I offer some of my favorite proverbs for parenthood. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week ...
01.20.2021 Ep. 309: Heed a Suggestion, Look Better on Zoom, and a Deep Dive into Listeners’ Brilliant Ideas for “21 for 21” Lists. We discuss why you should heed someone’s suggestion, take a deep dive into listeners’ imaginative ideas for their “21 for 2021” lists, and reveal a hack to help us look better on Zoom (and perhaps sleep better, too). Get in ...
01.18.2021 Little Happier: An Ancient Story Is a Reminder that We Can Hurt People When We Try to Force Them to Fit into Our Model. The famous Greek myth of the Bed of Procrustes illustrates the principle that we shouldn’t try to pressure everyone to fit into a single approach. No bed fits every traveler; we can hurt people when we try to force them ...
01.13.2021 Ep. 308: Tackle Your Email for One Hour, A Hack for Dealing with Photo Clutter, and an Interview with Gary Taubes About “The Case for Keto.” We discuss why spending one hour managing our email inbox can give us a happiness boost, highlight a listener hack about clearing out the photos on our phones, and interview award-winning journalist Gary Taubes about his new book “The Case ...
01.11.2021 Little Happier: I Can’t Blame the Internet, or, The World Has Changed, But I Have Also Changed. When I feel distracted or overwhelmed, I remind myself that I can’t blame the internet. If I want a life with more time for calm and reflection, I need to create it for myself. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get ...
01.06.2021 Ep. 307: We Reveal Our “21 for ‘21” Lists, Discuss a Hack for Staying in Touch, and Give a Gold Star to a Documentary We reveal our “21 for 2021” lists, discuss an easy hack for staying in touch with people long-distance, and Elizabeth gives a gold star to a great music documentary. Registration is still open for The Happiness Project Experience 2021. If ...
01.04.2021 Little Happier: To Calm Myself, I Imagine a Traffic Light in a Thunderstorm. When I’m feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or unhappy, I sometimes conjure up an image in my mind—an oak tree in Iowa, or a traffic light in a thunderstorm—to help me to feel calmer. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch ...
12.30.2020 Ep. 306: Choose Your One-Word Theme for 2021, a New Year’s Hack, and Listeners’ Suggestions for Ways to Show Love and Support from Far Away We choose our one-word themes for the year, and encourage listeners to choose their own theme for 2021, we discuss a hack for heading into the new year (plus a bonus wrapping-paper hack), and listeners suggest many practical, helpful ways ...
12.28.2020 Little Happier: What We See Depends Very Much on Where We Stand. As several examples illustrate, it’s easy to forget that the way we see the world is very much shaped by our own perspective. One person’s reason for taking medication is another person’s negative side effect. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] ...
12.23.2020 Ep. 305: We Share Listeners’ Success Stories from “Walk 20 in 2020” and Reveal Our Challenge for 2021 As 2020 draws to a close, we share many terrific success stories from listeners about their experiences following the “Walk 20 in 2020” challenge, and we reveal our challenge for 2021. (Hint: It’s fun.) Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] ...
12.21.2020 Little Happier: After His Death, Actor Yul Brynner Made an Unforgettable Plea. The simplicity and power of Yul Brynner’s anti-smoking ad, aired after his death, makes it unforgettable. This ad transformed his suffering into a story that could save the lives of others. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on ...
12.16.2020 Ep. 304: We Reveal How We Did with Our “20 for 2020” Lists, Plus a Hack for Not Forgetting Items. We review our “20 for 2020” lists and reveal what we did—and didn’t—get done in this strange year. We also talk about an easy hack to avoid leaving something behind, and Elizabeth gives herself a decorations demerit. Get in touch: ...
12.14.2020 Little Happier: The Lesson I Learned from the Thumbtack in My Shoe. I had a pain in my foot, and I blamed my foot—until a friend pointed out that I had a tack in my shoe. Whenever I get frustrated, I remind myself that I shouldn’t be too quick to hold myself ...
12.11.2020 Bonus Episode: Gretchen Rubin Reads Charles Dickens’s Timeless Story, “A Christmas Carol.” Part II. As a holiday gift for listeners, I read a story: Charles Dickens’s timeless ghost story, “A Christmas Carol.” These days, while many people have a general impression of the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and the Ghosts , they ...
12.10.2020 Bonus Episode: Gretchen Rubin Reads Charles Dickens’s Timeless Story, “A Christmas Carol.” Part I. As a holiday gift for listeners, I read a story: Charles Dickens’s timeless ghost story, “A Christmas Carol.” These days, while many people have a general impression of the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and the Ghosts , they ...
12.09.2020 Ep. 303: Find a Ritual to “Exorcise 2020,” a Sleep Hack, and Tips for Sticking to a Schedule When Working from Home We discuss why you might want to create a ritual to “Exorcise 2020” and share terrific suggestions from listeners, and our own ideas, for how to bid farewell to 2020. We also talk about a tech -related hack that makes ...
12.07.2020 Little Happier: “To Succeed in Business, Plan to Publish Bestsellers Only.” Book-industry people love to tell this old (probably apocryphal) story, because it illustrates the temptation, and the folly, of deciding that your plan for business success is to do only those ventures that will be highly successful. Get in touch: ...
12.02.2020 Ep. 302: Revisit a Book You Remember from High School or College, Ask Yourself, “Is There a Food I Enjoy Only When It’s Made the Way My Family Makes It?” and Why It’s a Good Idea to Run Errands in the We suggest revisiting a book that you still remember from high school or college (and reveal the books that we plan to revisit), discuss a funny food-related Know-Yourself-Better question, and explain why, during the winter months, it’s a good idea ...
11.30.2020 Little Happier: When the Student Is Ready, the Teacher Appears. When I articulate very clearly in my own mind what I’m seeking to learn, that’s when I start to see the teachers. Teachers are out there—it’s myself that I need to make ready, by acknowledging and defining what I want ...
11.25.2020 Ep. 301: Embrace an Attitude of Gratitude for What This Unprecedented Season Offers, a Deep Dive into Listeners’ Personal Policies, and a Money Hack We discuss why it’s helpful to embrace an attitude of gratitude for what this unprecedented Thanksgiving holiday offers; we do a deep dive into listeners’ useful personal policies; we share an easy money-related hack; and Gretchen gives herself a clutter-related ...
11.23.2020 Little Happier: If You Have a Fur Coat, You Don’t Need Snow Pants. In the wonderful children’s book “Little Bear,” Mother Bear takes away Little Bear’s hat, coat, and snow pants so that he can be warm in the fur coat in which he was born. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in ...
11.18.2020 Ep. 300: Very Special Episode 300: Ask Us Anything! With every 100th episode, we have a very special episode where listeners can ask us anything. We discuss how we were raised, how we prepare to record the podcast, tips for Obligers, why Elizabeth has such a deep love of ...
11.16.2020 Little Happier: In a World Full of Suffering and Injustice, Is It Morally Appropriate to Work to Be Happier? We don’t have to choose between working toward being happier ourselves and working to increase the happiness of others. The two states reinforce each other. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show ...
11.11.2020 Ep. 299: Review How You’re Doing in the “Essential 7” Areas for Habits, a Hack to Make Thanksgiving More Memorable, and an Interview with Chef Carla Hall about How to “Say Yes!” Review how you’re doing in the “Essential 7” areas for Habits, a fun, easy way to celebrate Thanksgiving, and an interview with renowned chef Carla Hall about the power of food, why it’s important to say yes and to say ...
11.09.2020 Little Happier: What We Can Learn from Mark Twain’s Cat Who Sat on a Hot Stove It’s important to make sure that we don’t learn the wrong lessons from pain, frustration, criticism, or failure. Like a cat, we want to learn not to sit on a hot stove—but maybe we still want to be able to ...
11.04.2020 Ep 298: Award Yourself with a Sticker, A Memory Hack, and a Conversation with Rachel Hollis About Dealing with Unexpected Challenges Inspired by “I Voted” stickers, we discuss why you might award yourself a sticker to mark an important accomplishment, talk about a hack for remembering forgotten details, and talk to bestselling writer Rachel Hollis about her new book, “Didn’t See ...
11.02.2020 Little Happier: Sometimes, Transcendent Forces Seem to Enter the World. Sometimes, the transcendent seems to appear in the concreate, ordinary world—in a conversation, in an experience, or even in a person. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every ...
10.28.2020 Ep. 297: Happier Podcast Book Club: Author Yaa Gyasi Talks about Family, Faith, Science, and Belonging in “Transcendent Kingdom” We talk to writer Yaa Gyasi about her compelling bestselling novel “Transcendent Kingdom.” Join my brand-new Outer Order Inner Calm 30-Day SMS Challenge! You’ll get daily text messages with an audio message from me that gives you a simple challenge ...

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