Podcast Episodes

Little Happier: How Douglas Adams—Author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”—Gave Himself Confidence.

Teachers have enormous influence over our fates and our imaginations. Even a hugely bestselling writer like Douglas Adams took comfort in the words of his teacher.

Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcas…

Published on 5 years, 2 months ago

Ep. 292: Create a Hidden Delight, a Hack to Encourage Exercising, and a Discussion about Accepting Something as a Gift vs. Paying for It.

Episode 292

We talk about why you might want to create a hidden delight, a listener suggests a hack for using clothes as a way to stick to an exercise habit, and we discuss a challenging question related to gift…

Published on 5 years, 2 months ago

Little Happier: Sometimes, To Do a Simple Thing We Must Make a Huge Change.

The Oracle of Delphi told the people of Delos that they’d cure their present ills if they doubled the altar—because to double the altar, they must change their values.

Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; po…

Published on 5 years, 3 months ago

Ep. 291: Get Out of Your Storage Unit, a Hack for Reducing Unwanted Talk, and a Conversation about Relationships with Esther Perel

Episode 291

We talk about the benefits of getting out of a storage unit; we talk to relationship expert Esther Perel about love and work; and Elizabeth’s office treadmill-desk is finally set up.

Get in touch: @gr…

Published on 5 years, 3 months ago

Little Happier: When Do We Tell Other People What We Think They Should Do? Two Beautiful Examples.

In Mark Salzman’s memoir “The Man in the Empty Boat,” he gives not just one, but two, examples of times when one person is able thoughtfully to remind someone of painful duties, and that person recog…

Published on 5 years, 3 months ago

Ep. 290: Very Special Episode: An Extravaganza of Hacks! Hacks for Relationships, Productivity, Pandemic, Clutter, Travel, and More

Episode 290

In this Very Special Episode, we present an extravaganza of listeners’ simple, concrete hacks that can help us make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.

Get in touch: @gre…

Published on 5 years, 3 months ago

Little Happier: Trevor Noah: “We Tell People to Follow Their Dreams, But You Can Only Dream of What You Can Imagine.”

In his terrific memoir “Born a Crime,” Trevor Noah notes that “you can only dream of what you can imagine,” and tells the story of how his mother worked to give him a big imagination.

Get in touch: @g…

Published on 5 years, 3 months ago

Ep. 289: Ask Yourself, “Do I Already Own This?” How to Feel Better in Just Five Minutes with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, and Our Next Book Club Choice

Episode 289

We discuss why it’s helpful to ask, “Do I already own this?” We also talk to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee about his new book, “Feel Better in 5,” and announce our next book club choice: Yaa Gyasi’s brillian…

Published on 5 years, 3 months ago

Little Happier: Zora Neale Hurston’s Vision Shows How Mysterious the World Is.

In her thought-provoking memoir “Dust Tracks in the Road,” Zora Neale Hurston’s vision of her future reminds me of how mysterious the world is.

Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com

G…

Published on 5 years, 3 months ago

Ep. 288: Learn Something with a Beginning, Middle, and End, a Know-Yourself-Better Question about Second-Guessing Yourself, and a Spotlight on Brit Bennett

Episode 288

We talk about why it’s helpful (especially these days) to learn something with a beginning, middle, and an end; we explore the Know Yourself Better question of “Do you second-guess yourself in conver…

Published on 5 years, 3 months ago