How to get more reading done, an interview with Sam Walker about the qualities of the world’s best captains, and a car-related travel hack. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/121; 774-277-9336.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Update
We love reading everyone’s haiku! Here’s mine for today:
Writing my haiku A new way to see the world Quiet, creative.
Try This at Home
Read more. Something that definitely boosts my happiness! For my one-pager about “Reading Better Than Before,” it’s here. As promised, here are Daniel Pennac’s “10 Inalienable Rights of the Reader.”
Happiness Hack
Michael Melcher suggests using the vacuum at the gas station to keep the car clean. Outer order, inner calm. Check out his podcast, Meanwhile, for ideas about how to improve your work and life.
Interview
We talked to journalist and editor Sam Walker about his fascinating book The Captain Class: the Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams. It’s about sports, leadership, and success. Sam mentions that he’s a Questioner. Don’t know your Tendency? Take the quiz here to see if you’re an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel.
Sam’s Try This at Home
Ride a bike to work.
Gretchen’s (Possible) Demerit
I decided to stop driving in New York City. I write about my dislike of driving in Happier at Home, and as part of the experiment of that book I worked hard to get back into the practice of driving. This decision feels cowardly — but those drives drain me and casts a shadow over summer weekends.
Elizabeth’s Gold Star
Elizabeth and Adam just celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary, and that occasion reminded her how much work our mother did, to plan her wedding. It was gorgeous, and just what Elizabeth wanted.
Two Resources
- To get the one-page PDF on “Reading Better Than Before,” “Working Better Than Before,” “Eating Better Than Before,” or “Exercising Better Than Before,” you can find them here.
- Sign up for my free newsletter here.