Update

For our fourth anniversary, we’re highlighting what happened this year, our most popular Try-This-at-Home tips and Happiness Hacks, and also swapping some our favorite moments. 

Happiness Hacks

• Episode 180 was a round-up of travel hacks. So many good ones!
• We got a great mnemonic device for telling left from right, when driving, in episode 185.
• I love my Bandolier! My favorite hack of the year, I think. As discussed in episode 193, I use it every day, to keep track of my phone.
• Elizabeth loves the 5-second rule. In Outer Order, Inner Calm, I write about the “one-minute rule” but even one minute sometimes seems too much for Elizabeth. Five seconds she can do.
• We have several hacks related to tracking lost objects. In episode 187, we suggest looking in the last place the item was supposed to be; in episode 197 we discuss a listener question about a spouse who won’t use the key bowl; and in episode 199, we talk about the Tile app which so many people recommend as a solution.
  
  

Favorite moments

• Back to the “Make life more complicated” discussion in episode 189, I couldn’t stop laughing at hearing Elizabeth ask incredulously, of the Flemish Giant Rabbit, “Can it hop?”
• In episode 154, we challenged ourselves to wear “clothes” for a month. We were astonished by how many people responded to this idea, and in episode 158, we did a deep dive into the subject.
• In episode 176, we both loved our guest Mark Duplass’s Try-This-at-Home observation: “A failed meditation is often a successful nap.”
• A highlight of the year was getting to record together episode 182 in a log cabin in Montana, with my daughter Eliza acting as our producer. We were there to celebrate our father’s and  my father-in-law’s milestone birthdays.
• We thought #HappierLaborDay was a great success. We discussed it in episode 184, and plan to do it every year.
• I loved creating “The Gift of a Podcast,” which we introduce in episode 196. Give someone the gift of a podcast!
• Many listeners said they were happy to hear that Elizabeth, too, had struggled with her “18 for 2018” list. We did our update in episode 199. Remember, this list is supposed to be helpful and fun.
• Recently, in episode 208, I couldn’t stop laughing as Elizabeth busted me for working so hard to acquire a tote bag—when I spend a lot of time trying to disinvest myself of tote bags! What was I thinking?
• We’re thrilled to have launched our book club! We announced our first pick in episode 207: Dani Shapiro’s Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love. This book is generating a tremendous amount of buzz and acclaim, and no surprise, it’s a New York Times bestseller. We’ll discuss it in episode 212—listeners are loving this book. Don’t worry, you don’t need to “join” the book club; just read along. If you like, you can join the conversation on Goodreads. Need more time to read? Check out my one-pager Reading Better Than Before.