Today is the eighth anniversary of the publication of my book, Better Than Before, about how we can make or break our habits.
It was my fascination with the study of happiness that led me to the subject of habits; I began to realize that many people know perfectly well what would make them happier (better sleep, consistent exercise, more time with friends, etc.), but they have trouble acting on that information. It’s not an identification problem, it’s an execution problem—and that led me to the issue of habit-formation.
One thing I found? When our aims are specific and concrete, we’re more likely to achieve them. That’s why every year, my sister Elizabeth and I each make a list of what we want to accomplish for the year. Some are habits, some are single tasks; some are arduous, and some are fun.
On a recent episode of the Happier podcast, we reviewed our “23 for 2023” lists, to see what we accomplished—and what we didn’t. This year, we each managed to do 15 out of 23 items.
One of my big accomplishments was turning my DIY “Rolodex of Ideas” into an actual “Muse Machine” deck.
I was less successful with my “review reading” item. For 2022 and 2023, I tried to add a slot of review reading to my daily schedule—when I review the contents of a work-related book to decide whether to read the whole thing. Both years, I failed to follow through, so for 2024, I’m going to try instead to make review reading part of my weekend routine. I need to tackle my towering piles of books.
One of my Secrets of Adulthood is “Accept myself, and also expect more from myself.” Review reading is well within my capacity, so I’m going to try again, in a different way.
Onward,
5 Things Making Me Happy
As someone who loves libraries, I was happy to see that Gen Z and Millennials use public libraries. New research shows that 54% of people ages 13-40 visited a physical library in the past year. They come for the books, and also for programs such as coding clubs, job application help, and having a safe, comfortable space to go.
A friend wrote a fascinating piece about how he reversed his type 2 diabetes. Ever since my sister Elizabeth was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I’ve been very interested in the extraordinarily powerful and complex role of insulin in the body. One of my Secrets of Adulthood is “Every medicine can become poison,” and that’s true of insulin.
I love a new word, and one of my favorite recent words is “upsell”: “to persuade a customer to buy something additional or more expensive.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it was first used in 1956. It’s a satisfying, fitting word for its meaning.
Speaking of new words, the Oxford English Dictionary also announced the word of the year for 2023: Rizz. It means attractiveness, charm, charisma. In fact, the word comes from chaRIZZma, like reFRIDGErator.
This week, I had jury duty in New York’s Southern District, which was a fascinating and elevating experience. I went through a day-long jury selection process for a trial, but wasn’t seated; I was also in a pool to serve on a federal grand jury, but my name wasn’t drawn from the wooden spinner (like a fancy bingo ball). The administration of true justice is an aim that we will never reach, and must unflaggingly work toward, and I was deeply moved by playing my part. I saw the professionalism of every single person in the process (from the security guards to the judges), the respectful way each potential juror was addressed by their last name during jury selection, the care with which the judge instructed us on the proceedings. I spent my days with my fellow citizens, and during voir dire, I learned a lot about them—such a mix of names, backgrounds, professions, hobbies! It gave me my America feeling.
Updates
Next week, we’ll be announcing the annual “24 in 2024” challenge! Tune in to the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast on Wednesday the 20th to see what Elizabeth and I are challenging ourselves and listeners to do every day in 2024.
This week on Happier with Gretchen Rubin
PODCAST EPISODE: 460
Very Special Episode! With Listeners, We Share Our Best Resolutions and Tips for Keeping Them