Update

It’s bittersweet: our beloved producer Kristen Meinzer is taking a new position as Director of Non-Fiction Programming at Panoply, as well as co-hosting her own podcasts By the Book and When Meghan Met Harry: A Royal Weddingcast. We’re very excited to introduce our new producer, the terrific Odelia Rubin (no relation).  

Try This at Home

Create a consistent body of work. In episode 27 of Happier in Hollywood, Elizabeth and Sarah did a terrific interview with actor Jenna Fischer (among other roles, she played Pam from The Office, my all-time favorite TV show) about her new book The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide. “Create a consistent body of work” is an idea she discusses both in the book and in the interview. I really loved this book. If you want the Habits Manifesto, it’s here. 

Happiness Hack

Use the app Flic to manage your photos. It makes it much easier to delete the ones you don’t want — really! 

Deep Dive into “18 for 2018”

Elizabeth and I do a deep dive into people’s “18 for 2018” lists, an idea that we first raised in episode 149. It has been so fun to see and read what people are posting. If you want to see other people’s lists, check out #happierpodcast. If you want my one-pager about “Reading Better Than Before,” you can get it here. If you’d like resources about starting your own happiness project, they’re here. In an inspiring (and intimidating) move, Elizabeth decided to copy some of the great ideas she saw other people posting, and she gave herself an additional 17 (turns out she miscounted).

1. Date night once a month with Adam.
2. Do a new hike.
3. Get bikini wax done more often.
4. Get rid of old bras and underwear.
5. Celebrate a minor holiday.
6. Cook ten new recipes (low bar on what counts as “recipe”).
7. Make a 2017 photo book.
8. Take family hikes once a month.
9. Update her will (that is, write a will).
10. Clean the garage.
11. Take the Judy Blume MasterClass in writing.
12. Take a one-time flower-arranging class.
13. Travel to a new place.
14. Renew Jack’s passport.
15. Get professional photos taken.
16. Watch a classic movie once a month.
17. Do food sensitivity testing.

Elizabeth’s Demerit: Elizabeth would like to start getting up at 6:00 a.m., just to enjoy the day with a slow, easy start. But that means she needs to go to bed earlier, which she hasn’t been doing. 

Gretchen’s Gold Star: Gold star or demerit, for this happiness bully? I badgered Elizabeth about starting to use her new laptop. Elizabeth assured me that my badgering counts as a gold star.