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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Ep. 308: Tackle Your Email ...

01.13.2021

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 ...

Happier with Gretchen Rubin episodes:

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 ...
10.26.2020 Little Happier: A Pediatrician Shows How Well She Understands How Children Think. My daughter’s pediatrician asked a question that showed how well she understand the way children’s minds work. 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 ...
10.21.2020 Ep. 296: Establish Your Personal Policy, a Reading Hack, a Deep Dive into Listeners’ Hidden Delights, and a Demerit That’s Common These Days We discuss why you might want to establish your personal policy, I share a reading hack, we take a deep dive into listeners’ hidden delights, and Elizabeth gives herself a demerit related to the pandemic. Join my brand-new Outer Order ...
10.19.2020 Little Happier: Building More Roads Won’t Relieve Traffic—Literally and Figuratively. Despite urban planner Robert Moses’s attempts to relieve congestion on New York City’s road, the traffic just got worse. The lesson of “induced travel demand” is something that can apply in our own lives. Join my brand-new Outer Order Inner ...
10.14.2020 Ep. 295: Do Something Familiar in a New Way, an Easy Hack to Control Snacking, and a Conversation with Al Roker About Work and Life We talk about why we should do something familiar in a new way, share a hack from a listener that makes it easier to control impulse snacking, and have a conversation with legendary broadcaster Al Roker about “true stories of ...
10.12.2020 Little Happier: On My Wedding Anniversary, It Makes Me Happy to Remember What a Nurse Said. Jamie is the love of my life! I want to treat him that way, and so often, really, I don’t. But I try. It makes me happy to remember a time when, from observing us, someone assumed that we were ...
10.07.2020 Ep. 294: Imitate a Spiritual Master, a Hack for Toddlers, and a Conversation with Glennon Doyle About “Untamed.” We talk about why you might imitate a spiritual master, discuss a listener’s hack for keeping a toddler safe, and talk to bestselling author Glennon Doyle about her new memoir, “Untamed.” Join my brand-new Outer Order Inner Calm 30-Day SMS ...
10.05.2020 Little Happier: Why You Should Never Knit Your Boyfriend a Sweater. A college friend advised me, “Never knit your boyfriend a sweater,” and that’s turned out to be very wise advice. Join my brand-new Outer Order Inner Calm 30-Day SMS Challenge! You’ll get daily text messages with an audio message from ...
09.30.2020 Ep. 293: Anticipate Pandemic Regret, an Easy Household Hack, and a Deep Dive into Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables We talk about why now is a good time to anticipate the pandemic regret you might feel in the future; we discuss a simple, effective, household hack about opening doors; and we do a deep dive into listeners’ suggestions about ...
09.28.2020 Little Happier: How Douglas Adams—Author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”—Gave Himself Confidence. Teachers have enormous influence over our fates and our imaginations. Even a hugely bestselling writer like Douglas Adams took comfort in the words of his teacher. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast ...
09.23.2020 Ep. 292: Create a Hidden Delight, a Hack to Encourage Exercising, and a Discussion about Accepting Something as a Gift vs. Paying for It. We talk about why you might want to create a hidden delight, a listener suggests a hack for using clothes as a way to stick to an exercise habit, and we discuss a challenging question related to gift-giving and gift-receiving. ...
09.21.2020 Little Happier: Sometimes, To Do a Simple Thing We Must Make a Huge Change. The Oracle of Delphi told the people of Delos that they’d cure their present ills if they doubled the altar—because to double the altar, they must change their values. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin ...
09.16.2020 Ep. 291: Get Out of Your Storage Unit, a Hack for Reducing Unwanted Talk, and a Conversation about Relationships with Esther Perel We talk about the benefits of getting out of a storage unit; we talk to relationship expert Esther Perel about love and work; and Elizabeth’s office treadmill-desk is finally set up. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch ...
09.14.2020 Little Happier: When Do We Tell Other People What We Think They Should Do? Two Beautiful Examples. In Mark Salzman’s memoir “The Man in the Empty Boat,” he gives not just one, but two, examples of times when one person is able thoughtfully to remind someone of painful duties, and that person recognizes the right action, and ...
09.09.2020 Ep. 290: Very Special Episode: An Extravaganza of Hacks! Hacks for Relationships, Productivity, Pandemic, Clutter, Travel, and More In this Very Special Episode, we present an extravaganza of listeners’ simple, concrete hacks that can help us make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin ...
09.07.2020 Little Happier: Trevor Noah: “We Tell People to Follow Their Dreams, But You Can Only Dream of What You Can Imagine.” In his terrific memoir “Born a Crime,” Trevor Noah notes that “you can only dream of what you can imagine,” and tells the story of how his mother worked to give him a big imagination. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] ...
09.02.2020 Ep. 289: Ask Yourself, “Do I Already Own This?” How to Feel Better in Just Five Minutes with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, and Our Next Book Club Choice We discuss why it’s helpful to ask, “Do I already own this?” We also talk to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee about his new book, “Feel Better in 5,” and announce our next book club choice: Yaa Gyasi’s brilliant novel “Transcendent Kingdom.” ...
08.31.2020 Little Happier: Zora Neale Hurston’s Vision Shows How Mysterious the World Is. In her thought-provoking memoir “Dust Tracks in the Road,” Zora Neale Hurston’s vision of her future reminds me of how mysterious the world is. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes ...
08.26.2020 Ep. 288: Learn Something with a Beginning, Middle, and End, a Know-Yourself-Better Question about Second-Guessing Yourself, and a Spotlight on Brit Bennett We talk about why it’s helpful (especially these days) to learn something with a beginning, middle, and an end; we explore the Know Yourself Better question of “Do you second-guess yourself in conversations?” and shine a spotlight on the novelist ...
08.24.2020 Little Happier: What Can You Do When You Live in a Crowded, Messy, Noisy House? In a traditional Yiddish folk tale, a farmer complains about his crowded, noisy house—and his wise rabbi gives him a surprising solution. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email ...
08.19.2020 Ep. 287: Steer Clear of Quicksand, Beware of Catastrophizing, a Whimsical Hack, and a Spotlight on Baratunde Thurston We discuss why you should steer clear of quicksand, beware of the happiness stumbling block of “catastrophizing,” suggest an affordable, whimsical hack, and shine a spotlight on Baratunde Thurston. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: ...
08.17.2020 Little Happier: Bryan Stevenson Points Out a Question: Are We There to Speak, or Are We There to Listen? In his brilliant memoir “Just Mercy,” Bryan Stevenson makes the distinction: Am I invited someplace to speak, or am I invited to listen? Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by ...
08.12.2020 Ep. 286: September Is the Other January, Jay Shetty Explains How to Think Like a Monk, and a Spotlight on Colson Whitehead Why we should remember that September is the other January; we have a conversation with podcaster and writer Jay Shetty about how to “think like a monk”; we suggest a surprisingly obvious kitchen hack; and we shine a spotlight on ...
08.10.2020 Little Happier: The More We Talk to Someone, the More We Have to Say. In Karl Ove Knausgaard’s autobiographical novel My Struggle: Book Six, he reflects on the counter-intuitive truth that the more we talk to people, the more we have to say to them. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on ...
08.05.2020 Ep. 285: Why It’s a Good Idea to Create a Catch-All, a Spotlight on Virginia Hamilton, and a Conversation with Susan Burton About Her Brilliant Memoir “Empty.” We discuss why it’s a great idea to create a catch-all to help boost creativity, memories, and inspiration, we shine a spotlight on children’s author Virginia Hamilton, and we talk to Susan Burton about her thought-provoking memoir “Empty.” Get in ...
08.03.2020 Little Happier: How Eating a Second Ice-Cream Cone Can Be an Act of Obliger-Rebellion In Karl Ove Knausgaard’s essay “Summer,” he perfectly describes an example of Obliger-rebellion that’s turned toward the self: he eats a second ice-cream cone in front of the envious eyes of his children. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in ...

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