Quotes from Gretchen Rubin

I sat on that crowded bus, I grasped two things: I wasn't as happy as I could be, and my life wasn't going to change unless I made it change. In that single moment, with that realization, I decided to dedicate a year to trying to be happier.

It didn't take me long to see that I did better when I had less time. Not several hours but ninety minutes turned out to be the optimally efficient length of time—long enough for me to get some real work done but not so long that I started to goof off or lose concentration. As a consequence, I began to organize my day into ninety-minute writing blocks

Obligers may find it difficult to form a habit, because often we undertake habits for our own benefit, and Obligers do things more easily for others than for themselves. For them, the key is external accountability.

Of all the things that wisdom provides for living one's entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship." You

This is one of the many paradoxes of happiness: we seek to control our lives, but the unfamiliar and the unexpected are important sources of happiness. What's more, because novelty requires more work from the brain, dealing with novel situations evokes more intense emotional responses and makes the passage of time seem slower and richer.

studies show that the absence of feeling bad isn't enough to make you happy; you must strive to find sources of feeling good. One

Audiences = expectations. If he thinks you're not watching, he won't need to rebel against your expectations.

People are more likely to make progress on goals that are broken into concrete, measurable actions, with some kind of structured accountability and positive reinforcement.

You can choose what you do; you can't choose what you like to do. You can do anything you want, but you can't do everything you want.

These tasks weren't urgent (which was the reason they didn't get done), but because they weighed on my mind, they sapped my energy.

Also, it was fun just being part of a new group. Group membership makes people feel closer and brings a significant boost in personal confidence and happiness.

Obligers may struggle to monitor unless someone is checking on them.

My Current Habits Am I more likely to indulge in a bad habit in a group, or when I'm alone? If I could magically, effortlessly change one habit in my life, what would it be? If the people around me could change one of my habits, what would they choose? Of my existing habits, which would I like to see my children adopt? Or not?

Enjoy now." If I can enjoy the present, I don't need to count on the happiness that is (or isn't) waiting for me in the future. The fun part doesn't come later, now is the fun part. That's another reason I feel lucky to enjoy my work so much. If you're doing something that you don't enjoy and you don't have the gratification of success, failure is particularly painful. But doing what you love is itself the reward.

I remind myself: Just because something is fun for other people doesn't mean it's fun for me—and it's a lot easier to stick to a habit that I honestly enjoy.

I should monitor whatever is essential to me. In that way, I ensure that my life reflects my values.

Another study suggested that getting one extra hour of sleep each night would do more for a person's daily happiness than getting a $ 60,000 raise.

Robert Frost wrote, home is "Something you somehow haven't to deserve.

Our habits are our destiny.

I suggested that he write from 11:00 to 1:00 every weekday. During that time, he was to write or do nothing. No email; no calls; no research; no clearing off a desk; no hanging out with Jack, my adorable, three-year-old, train-obsessed nephew. Write, or stare out the window. "Remember," I added, "working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination. You want to use your writing time for writing only. Nothing else, including no other kinds of work.

Read the news every morning or Call one client each day are easy to monitor, while vague resolutions such as Be more informed or Cultivate better client relationships are hard to monitor....Accurate monitoring helps determine whether a habit is worth the time, money, or energy it consumes.

I've been haunted for years by a public service poster I saw just one time, in the subway. It was a photo of a Chinese food take-out container sitting on top of two videos. The caption read, "If this is how you spend your time, why are you living in New York?

Many strategies help us change our habits, and four strategies tower above the others: Monitoring, Foundation, Scheduling, and Accountability.

Lewis's brilliant essay "On Three Ways of Writing for Children":