Podcast 188: Create a Personal Timeline, a Deep Dive into the “Facts of Life” Book, and Another Treadmill-Desk Demerit.

Update

Number 15 of the items on my “18 for 2018” list was “to create a Four Tendencies workshop,” and I’ve done it! Check it out at WORKSHOP.GRETCHENRUBIN.COM. If you want to present an in-person workshop to teach people about my Four Tendencies framework, this is for you. It teaches people how to use the Four Tendencies to improve their relationships with clients, co-workers, patients, students, trainees, friends, or family—as well as prevent conflict, improve procrastination, address burnout, promote understanding, and persuade effectively. The workshop offers scenarios and opportunities to practice applying knowledge in pairs or small groups, so people are engaged in a lively discussion. Whether you’re a health-care professional, a leader in a large corporation, an independent consultant, a coach, pastor, teacher, or manager, this workshop provides all the materials you need to lead your group through a 1-, 2-, or 3-hour workshop about the Four Tendencies framework. I have to say, of all the items on my “18 for 2018” list, this was one of the most demanding. I’m excited to have the workshop out in the world at last. Don’t know what the Four Tendencies are? Find out if you’re an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel by taking this quick, free quiz. More than 1.6 million people have taken it. 
 

Try This at Home

Create a personal timeline. If this kind of abbreviated journal appeals to you, you might like my One-Sentence Journal. I promised to post a photo of our personal timelines, but these journals mysteriously disappeared, much to my surprise and annoyance. I keep using the advice we discussed in episode 187, and returning to the shelf where we always keep them stored, but still no luck. Arrrrgh. 
 

Happiness Hack

Make a file for every month to hold invitations, travel information, print-outs, school forms, and the like (see right). I wanted to post a link to the folders I have, but they aren’t made anymore. These files are quite similar
 

Deep Dive

More ideas from listeners about information to include in the “Facts of Life” book that we discussed in episode 185. If you want to give someone “legacy access” to your Facebook account, here’s how to do it. If you want a copy of our collection of readings for funerals and memorial services, find it here (scroll down to “More Resources”).

If you’d like to see a checklist of some of the most important items for your “Facts of Life” book, here’s a good list from the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Elizabeth’s Demerit: The latest in Elizabeth’s ongoing treadmill-desk-demerit saga: she and Sarah got their treadmill desks moved, and she has ordered the slip-on sneakers, but she still isn’t using the treadmill desk.

Gretchen’s Gold Star: By coincidence, Eleanor and I left for our visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on the twentieth anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  My gold star goes to J.K. Rowling—what she has created with her imagination!

The books, the movies, the theme parks, the costumes, the new vocabulary…it’s astounding. Mischief managed.

Resources

  • My Four Tendencies video course is open for enrollment. Visit courses.gretchenrubin.com to register for the five-week course.  Don’t worry, you can take the course at your own pace, and you get lifetime access to the material.

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