Try This at Home
Ask yourself, “Do I use it, do I need it, do I love it?”
I mention the interesting book by Daniel McGinn, House Lust, in which he explains use of the term “maximum-use imperative” to describe the fact that people will often buy something to accommodate a use that they need only rarely.
To read more about happiness and possessions, check out my book Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life.
My book Outer Order, Inner Calm is specifically about order and clutter.
Happiness Hack
Remember, April Fool’s day is coming up! If you’re so inclined, think of a prank. I often use food dye but this year am going to experiment with “Gelling Joke.” Other simple, fun April Fool’s jokes I’ve done:
Four Tendencies Tip
In episode 316, we talked about a question from a listener who works with a Rebel teacher who refuses to read his work emails. This is a problem, because at their school, a lot of crucial information is communicated by email.
We got very thought-provoking responses. Interesting: almost all the people who responded were Rebels.
These include:
- increasing the consequences
- sending emails to the Rebel’s personal emails
- ask if he thinks staying up to date on school events is important, or how he’ll inform his students on school events if he doesn’t know
- ask him for his own ideas on how he could stay informed about school activities, since it’s so important to the students
- one Rebel disputed the characterization of the teacher as a Rebel
- consider whether those emails need to be written more effectively
Want to find out if you’re a Rebel, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel? Take the quick, free quiz here (more than 3.2 million people have taken it).
Listener Question
When going back to work after the safer-at-home period, how can we start with new, better habits? We discuss the power of the Strategy of the Clean Slate. Be sure to start the way you want to continue. For more on the Strategy of the Clean Slate, and the other twenty strategies for making or breaking habits, read my book Better Than Before, which is all about how to master habits.
Gretchen Demerit
I didn’t send birthday package to Eliza in time. I always thought I’d be the kind of parent who sent thoughtful packages—but I’m not.
We talk about under-buyers and over-buyers.
Elizabeth Gold Star
Elizabeth gives a gold star to Sarah Fain, her writing partner and co-host of the Happier in Hollywood podcast, for sheer adventure! First, to be safer during the pandemic period, she headed to Minnesota for the winter, and now she’s moving to Ojai while they’re shooting Fantasy Island.