Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Health EN ↓ 1338 episodes

Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. Gretchen’s cohost and guinea pig is her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles, who (lovingly) refers to Gretchen as her happiness bully. Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/

Author

Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Episodes

EP. 330: Very Special Episode: Best Advice for Recent College Graduates, for Career, Finance, Roommates, and a Warning About Drift 16.06.2021 30:23

Listeners contributed their best advice for people graduating from college, in areas including job search, finances, roommates, and life, and we also explore the dangers of “drift.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter G...

Little Happier: What a Set of 3D “Magic Eye” Postcards Taught Me About Myself 14.06.2021 4:04

Just because something isn’t often used doesn’t mean that it’s useless. My 3D “Magic Eye” postcards are fun to look at, and they also tie me to my own past. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER, INNER...

Bonus Episode: Mad Men 12.06.2021 1:01:06

In this bonus episode, we talk about the TV show “Mad Men.” We discuss our favorite moments, questions, and listeners’ favorite scenes. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER...

Ep. 329: Explore the Five Senses of Summer, a Hack for Boosting Focus, and a Deep Dive into Solutions for Obliger-Rebellion 09.06.2021 32:47

We talk about you might explore the five senses of summer, suggest a simple hack that makes it easier to focus, and review listeners’ suggestions about how to ward off growing Obliger-rebellion. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/...

Little Happier: Re-Framing the Situation Can Mean that Someone Unexpected Wins a Prize 07.06.2021 4:41

Rebecca Caudill’s 1962 picture book “The Best-Loved Doll” tells the story of a little girl and her shabby, beloved doll, and the medal her doll won, when the truth was framed in a new way. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretche...

Ep. 328: Eat Something You Saw on the Screen or Page, a Reading Hack, and Annie Murphy Paul Talks About the Extended Mind 02.06.2021 38:15

Why you might eat something you saw on the screen or on the page, a clutter-clearing hack that makes reading more fun, and a conversation with Annie Murphy Paul about how to think outside the brain. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin....

Little Happier: My Brilliant Insight About the Title's Meaning for "The Phantom Tollbooth," Norton Juster's Classic Novel. 31.05.2021 4:42

I have a tremendous insight that springs from my love of Norton Juster’s novel “The Phantom Tollbooth” and my longstanding fascinating with Zen koans. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER, INNER CALM...

Ep. 327: Something to Remember: Gretchen Passed Out on Live TV! Plus a Hand-Holding Hack, and Are You in an Age of Expansion or Concentration? 26.05.2021 30:38

We talk about why it’s helpful to remember that the things that go wrong often make the best memories—for example, I passed out on live TV! Plus a hack about holding hands, and we ask the know-yourself-better question, “Are you in an age of expansion, or an age of concentration?” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @L...

Little: Grover of Sesame Street and Arya of Game of Thrones Teach Me the Same Lesson. 24.05.2021 4:49

Two characters from two very different kinds of stories—Sesame Street’s Grover and Game of Thrones’s Arya—illustrate the important reminder that sometimes, when we feel trapped, we can remember that we may have more choices than we think. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gre...

Ep. 326: Write a Tastes Timeline, More Wisdom from Teachers, a Hack for Getting Better Service, and Question about Obliger-Rebellion 19.05.2021 34:13

We discuss why you might want to write a Tastes Timeline; share a listener’s hack for getting easier, quicker service; discuss more terrific proverbs from teachers; and pose a crucial question about Obliger-rebellion. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: ht...

Little Happier: “The Farm Was a Form: Not Like a Set of Rules on a Wall, But Like the Symmetry of Winter and Summer.” 17.05.2021 3:56

The poet Donald Hall wrote a beautiful memoir of the childhood summers he spent with his grandparents on their New Hampshire farm. In his account, he conveys the safety and orderliness of that country life. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order...

Ep. 325: Design Your Summer, Splurge on Colorful Felt-Tip Pens, and a Conversation with Julianna Margulies of “The Good Wife” 12.05.2021 33:30

We have our annual discussion about why and how we plan to design our summers, I explain why I splurged on some colorful felt-tip pens, and we talk to award-winning actor Julianna Margulies about her terrific memoir “Sunshine Girl.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email ever...

Bonus Episode: Use Self-Knowledge to Be Happier, Healthier, More Productive, and More Successful as a Small Business Owner. 11.05.2021 24:42

In this bonus episode sponsored by Dell Technologies, we explore how small-business owners and entrepreneurs can use the “Four Tendencies” personality profiles to know themselves and others better. This framework can improve communication, end procrastination, reduce conflict, and help people work more effectively with clients, customers, co-workers—and themselves. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @e...

Little Happier: Dolly Parton Knew Exactly What to Say to the Tennessee State Legislature. 10.05.2021 3:05

Dolly Parton is such an admirable person. Her statement to the Tennessee legislature—to ask that they withdraw legislation proposing to erect a statue of her on the Capitol grounds—was gracious, humble, appropriate to the moment, in her own voice, and a tribute to her enduring love for her home state. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin...

Ep. 324: Learn from the Wisdom of Teachers, a Clever Way to Use Email, and Anna Sale Talks about How to Have Difficult Conversations 05.05.2021 36:48

We review some terrific lessons we’ve learned from teachers, discuss an email hack that makes it easier to ask someone for help, and Anna Sale discusses her new book, “Let’s Talk About Hard Things.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin....

Little Happier: An Answer from Childhood Expert Michael Thompson Reminds Me of the Value of Considering a Different Perspective. 03.05.2021 6:52

I’m a big fan of the work of childhood expert Michael Thompson, and his answer to a reader’s question reminds me of the importance of remaining open to an entirely different view of a problem. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gre...

Ep: 323: Try Some Movie Therapy, an Easy Hack for Dealing with Small Toys and Trinkets, and Do Certain Situations Send You into Shock? 28.04.2021 33:07

Our former producer, the podcaster and writer Kristen Meinzer, explains why we should try “movie therapy,” we discuss one of Gretchen’s all-time favorite hacks of her own invention, and we explore the question, “Do you find that certain situations send you into shock?” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Ge...

Little Happier: How Ordinary Behavior at Work Can Amount to Sabotage—Really! 26.04.2021 5:58

A document created during World War II describes how ordinary people can help the United States’s war effort through “simple sabotage”—and the kinds of behavior the document suggests sound uncomfortably familiar. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter...

Ep. 322: Pick the Right Word, Have Both a Weekend and a Weekday Book, and a Conversation with Actor, Singer, and Instagram Sensation Leslie Jordan 21.04.2021 34:53

We talk about why it’s powerful to pick the right word, a listener suggests having a weekend book and a weekday book to enjoy reading more, and we talk to the hilarious actor, writer, and singer Leslie Jordan about what it’s like to be an Internet sensation, his adventures in Hollywood, hymn-singing, and more. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on...

Little Happier: A Friend Told Me, “I Can Find My Way Anywhere in Westchester, But I Have to Start from Scarsdale.” 19.04.2021 2:49

A friend’s remark about growing up in the New York City suburbs reminded me of how valuable it is to have a strong home base. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER, INNER CALM here: http://outerorderinn...

Ep. 321: Ask for a Favor in the Right Way, an Easy Clutter-Clearing Hack, and Julie Lythcott-Haims Talks about How to Be an Adult 14.04.2021 35:12

We discuss the advice from legendary women’s gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field about how to ask for a favor or an opportunity in the right way, a listener offers a practical suggestion for using space to manage clutter, and we talk to author Julie Lythcott-Haims about her new book “Your Turn: How to Be an Adult.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in t...

Little Happier: Happiness Lessons from a Friend and His Messy Wife 12.04.2021 5:55

During a funny conversation with a friend about his messy wife, he realized how he could have a more orderly house, without necessarily winning her cooperation. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER, IN...

Ep. 320: For Our 6th Anniversary, a Roundup of Favorite Try-This-at-Homes, Hacks, Strategies, and Solutions from Listeners—and From Us. 07.04.2021 38:01

For this Very Special Episode, and in honor of our sixth anniversary, we asked listeners to send us their favorite moments, hacks, solutions, try-this-at-home suggestions and know-yourself-better questions. Plus we reveal our own favorite moments and ideas. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast...

Little Happier: A Character from “K-Pop Confidential” and My Second-Grade Daughter Remind Me: We Want to Accept Ourselves, and Expect More From Ourselves 05.04.2021 6:13

In Stephan Lee’s terrific young-adult novel K-Pop Confidential, the character Candace’s performance illustrates the same lesson that I saw in my daughter Eleanor’s second-grade show on the monkey bars: Sometimes we should expect more from ourselves, and sometimes we should accept ourselves—our own gifts, our own limitations, and our own way to achieve an aim. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@...

Ep. 319: Ask Yourself, “Do I Use It, Need It, Love It?”, Using the Return to Work as a “Clean Slate” for Habits, and Rebels Give Advice about the Rebel Who Won’t Read Emails 31.03.2021 31:56

For those in the mood for spring cleaning, we suggest clearing clutter by asking “Do I use it, need it, love it?” We talk about April Fool’s Day pranks, ideas for using the return to the workplace as a “clean slate” for starting healthy habits, and hear from Rebels about how to deal with a Rebel teacher who won’t read school emails. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenru...