It’s time for the next installment of  “Happier with Gretchen Rubin.”

This episode was particularly fun to record; Elizabeth was in New York City for a wedding, so we were together in the studio — and not only that, our mother was there, too! We tried to persuade her to make a cameo audio appearance, but she declined.

This week…

Update

We got many responses from people who tried the idea to “be a tourist in your own city” from episode 15. So many imaginative ideas.

Try This at Home

Join or start a group. If you want to start a group for people doing happiness projects together, request it here. Or if you want to start a group for people working on their habits together, request it here.

After we recorded the show, our mother made a good point: if you’re in a group that meets regularly, it’s much easier if you set a year’s worth of dates, or to set some kind of rule (first Monday of every month), to set the dates. Thanks to her reminder, one of my book groups has now set a year’s worth of dates.

Better Than Before Strategy for Habit Change

Put an item on the schedule. It sounds simple, but it really works. (Except for Rebels! It does not work for Rebels.) Something that can be done at any time is often done at no time.

Listener Question

“I’m always looking forward to the next thing in life, and not enjoying where I am now enough.”

Gretchen’s Demerit

I relied on sleep medication to get back into a sleep pattern after coming back from Australia, instead of using good sleep practices to get back on track.

Elizabeth’s Gold Star

Now that she has started her new job on The Family, Elizabeth is back on her treadmill desk. You may remember her treadmill desk; she mentioned it in our very first episode. Hearing her gold star made me very happy, because, as I describe in Better Than Before, it was my idea to give her that desk! Best gift I’ve ever given.