In this episode we discuss how to boost your energy, focus, and happiness in 5 minutes or less using a dead simple strategy anyone can apply right away. We explore the power of self knowledge and why it’s one of the cornerstones of success in any area of life, and we uncover several powerfully uncomfortable questions we can ask ourselves to be happier, healthier and more productive with our guest Gretchen Rubin.

Gretchen Rubin is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, and The Four Tendencies and her latest book is Outer Order Inner Calm. She’s appeared on TV outlets such as the Today show, Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday Morning, and more. She’s also appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and many more!I finally cleaned out my fridge and now I know I can switch careers.When we get control of the stuff of our lives we often see big results.American adults spend 55 minutes a day looking for misplaced items. Focusing on order can yield huge benefits VERY QUICKLY with simple focus. The “one-minute rule” - if you can do it in less than a minute, do it without delay.How to keep the scum of clutter on the surface of life go away.It’s much easier to keep up than to catch up.Figure out WHAT YOU NEED to do your best work and then GET IT - create the environment in which you can thrive.There isn’t ONE BEST WAY to set up your environment to thrive. Self knowledge is the most powerful and fundamental kind of knowledge you can create. One of the great challenges of our lives is really trying to grapple with - what is the truth about ME?Ask yourself uncomfortable questions. Whom do you envy?It’s a very revealing thing. It shows you that they have something that you wish for yourself.Whose job or life gives you a TON of envy? There’s information there about what you want to do. Most useful things involve discomfort - especially when it comes to self knowledge. When trying to decide - should I ask this of myself or not? Choose the BIGGER LIFE - what to YOU will create a BIGGER life? Sometimes it’s worth the insecurity and frustration and anxiety if you’re pursuing what - to you- represents a bigger life. Is it worth the time? The bandwidth? All reality is one interconnected mess.That’s why it’s so important to have a multi-disciplinary perspective.There’s a HUGE difference between “I’m right” and “This is what’s true for me."In a fight over dirty dishes at the office - that’s the tip of a giant iceberg of psychology that shapes hundreds of complex and nuanced interactions. There are so many ways to achieve your goals, experiment and try different methods.Homework: How do you decide what to get rid of? Do you need it, do you use it, do you love it? Don’t get organized, get rid of things first. Homework: The one minute rule - anything you can do in under a minute, do it without delay. It’s not so much WHAT should you do, but rather how can you get yourself to STICK to what you want to do? Experimentation is crucial. Homework: Ask yourself - how have you succeeded in the past? Ask yourself what you learned from that and model that behavior. 

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