Schedule a weekly playdate with yourself. Something that can be done at any time is often done at no time—so set aside time for the things that you want to do. 

A friend has a child with a 1 a.m. curfew. She wants to know that her daughter has come home safely, but she doesn’t want to stay up that late, and she also has a lot of trouble falling back asleep if her daughter wakes her up when she returns at 1 a.m. (Her husband sleeps through all this.) She sets her alarm for 1:15 a.m. When her daughter comes home, she tiptoes in, turns off her mother’s alarm, and leaves. So if my friend wakes up at 3 a.m. or when she wakes up in the morning, she knows her daughter is home. But if the alarm goes off, she knows her daughter isn’t home yet. 

A listener asked how to deal with the fact that her Rebel brother and her Questioner sister-in-law want to control all family plans and refuse to accommodate her family.

If you want to take the free quiz, to find out if you’re an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel, you can take it here.

A listener asks for suggestions about dealing with the distractions of an open-plan office. This is a huge issue these days—we want to hear your suggestions and hacks!

Elizabeth’s Demerit: Elizabeth stays up late to watch her favorite TV shows, even when she knows she’d feel much better if she got more sleep. Elizabeth mentions her other podcast Happier in Hollywood, which she co-hosts with her writing partner Sarah Fain. 

Gretchen’s Gold Star: I give a gold star to Elizabeth, Adam, and my friend Julia for sticking with high-intensity weight training.