We can accept ourselves and also expect more from ourselves.
In my work, I investigate unexpected truths about everyday life—and identify ways we can take happiness from the transcendent to the concrete.
“Every man makes his own summer.”
ROBERTSON DAVIES
DESIGN YOUR YEAR
Design Your Summer with the Happier™ App
The Happier™ app offers a variety of tools that make designing your summer practical, fun, and concrete. If you’re not sure where to start, choose a prompt that resonates with you and build from there.
DESIGN YOUR YEAR
How to Review Your Mid-Year Goals
It’s important to celebrate our accomplishments—and also to notice what doesn’t work. Halfway Day (July 2) is a great time to reflect on our aims and to adjust our approach.
DESIGN YOUR YEAR
Ep. 592: Reflect on “Halfway Day,” Plus How Abstainers Can Moderate
Gretchen and Elizabeth share how to treat July 2 as a built-in reset to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t.
DESIGN YOUR YEAR
How to Design Your Summer
Summer passes in a flash. Here’s how to design your Summer 2026 with intention—a theme, a list, a focus, and room for play.
"One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make others happy. One of the best ways to make others happy is to be happy yourself."
GRETCHEN RUBIN
HAPPINESS
How to Figure Out What’s Fun for You
In a new Substack series, Gretchen explores how self-knowledge can help us identify the activities we truly enjoy, beginning with her lifelong love of children’s literature.
HAPPINESS
A Journal for Someone You Love
The “I Want You to Know” Journal helps you turn memories, gratitude, and affection into a keepsake someone can return to for years.
MOVE 26 IN '26
The Perfect (Free) Audiobook Listen for Your Next Walk
Gretchen celebrates Audiobook Appreciation Month with Libro.fm by sharing the first 26 minutes of Louise Erdrich’s The Mighty Red, a darkly funny novel about love and survival on the American prairie. The perfect companion for your next Move 26 in ’26 walk.
"Outer order can contribute to inner calm."
GRETCHEN RUBIN
ORGANIZATION
Does Getting Organized Feel Better than Vacation?
New research reveals the surprisingly powerful connection between organization, mood, and everyday happiness.
ORGANIZATION
We Transformed This Cluttered Home in 2 Days
Gretchen teamed up with Clutterbug to completely transform a small New York City apartment—creating outer order that’s designed to last.
ORGANIZATION
How to Get Started: Spring Cleaning
Use the shift into spring to reset your space with clutter-clearing ideas that are simple, practical, and even a little fun.
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ABOUT GRETCHEN
About Gretchen
Hi, I’m Gretchen Rubin. For more than a decade, I’ve been studying human nature—the science of the soul. My happiness project is to understand myself, the people around me, and how we can move from good intentions to concrete actions to build happier lives.