Try This at Home

Create a standardized vacation.

Happiness Hack

Nicole writes:

I have used your pairing technique with great success, and wanted to share a small spin on it. I have fallen into the habit of winding down at the end of my day with a glass of wine while watching TV. While I am not looking to entirely eliminate either of these, I am aware that it’s not the healthiest combo.  So I’ve employed “unpairing.” I can have a glass of wine, but not while I watch TV, and I can watch TV, but only if I don’t also have wine. This has made me more mindful of my choices and has cut back a bit on both habits, while still giving me the end-of-day wind-down that I’m looking for.

In Better Than Before, my book about habit change, I write about the Strategy of Pairing — this is a brilliant twist on harnessing the power of pairing.

Deep Dive

Elizabeth and I discuss what we learned from our own experiences, and from listeners, about the challenge and rewards of wearing “clothes” every day for a month. It was great to hear that many people share this challenge — it’s not just the two of us.

Elizabeth’s Demerit: Elizabeth is bringing home the stress she feels while shooting the pilot.

Gretchen’s Gold Star: Elizabeth and I both earn a gold star for learning to use Google Docs. Like so many tech-related things, it’s easy — once you understand it. And now we do.