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e76c00b
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Having less often leads us to use our things more often and with more enjoyment, because we're not fighting our way through a welter of unwanted stuff.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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f37316b
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In the Strategy of Pairing, I couple two activities, one that I need or want to do, and one that I don't particularly want to do, to get myself to accomplish them both. It's not a reward, it's not a treat, it's just a pairing.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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1bccc28
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For most of us, the real aim isn't to enjoy a few pleasures right now, but to build habits that will make us happy over the long term. Sometimes, that means giving up something in the present, or demanding more from ourselves.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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31dddcd
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I started to apply the "one-minute rule"; I didn't postpone any task that could be done in less than one minute."
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Gretchen Rubin |
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7ac0df4
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For Rebels, the ability to choose is so important that sometimes they make a choice--even when it's against their own self-interest or it's not what they prefer--just to reassure themselves that they can make that choice.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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71e91e7
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Flawed can be more perfect than perfection.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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61ca833
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Because we're quite susceptible to "goal contagion," we may rapidly pick up someone else's habits, so it's helpful to be around people who are good role models."
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Gretchen Rubin |
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931a966
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One study estimated that for every hour of interrupted sleep during the previous night, people wasted 8.4 minutes in online puttering
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Gretchen Rubin |
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ceeaa6a
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The words of the writer Colette had haunted me for years: "What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner."
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Gretchen Rubin |
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67f270f
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One of the great joys of falling in love is the feeling that the MOST extraordinary person in the entire world has chosen YOU
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Gretchen Rubin |
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6e94794
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What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner.
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inspirational
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Gretchen Rubin |
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8df5ae6
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Getting in control of our possessions makes us feel more in control of our fates. If this is an illusion, it's a helpful illusion--and it's a more pleasant way to live.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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cf70ea2
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When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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fa4f47c
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Rebels aren't persuaded by arguments such as 'People are counting on you,' 'You've already paid for it'...'Things should be done this way,' 'You have an appointment,' 'You said you'd do it'...'It's against the rules,' 'It's a tradition,' 'This is the deadline,' or 'It's rude.' They're much more apt to respond to being told 'This will be fun,' 'This is what *you* want'...Rebels can do anything they *want* to do.
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rebellion
resistant
rebel
persuasion
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Gretchen Rubin |
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0d8c864
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One of the biggest wastes of time is doing something well that didn't need to be done at all.
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limited-time
waste-of-time
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Gretchen Rubin |
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5585db7
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It's easier to keep up than to catch up...
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keep-going
stay-in-the-game
maintain
goals
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Gretchen Rubin |
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68e5ef2
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Being asleep is a great way to avoid being critical.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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7c837d2
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Outer order isn't a matter of having less or having more; it's a matter of wanting what we have.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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420fb95
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Rather than striving for a particular level of possessions--minimal or otherwise--it's helpful to think about getting rid of what's superfluous. Even people who prefer to own many possessions enjoy their surroundings more when they've purged everything that's not needed, used, or loved.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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25494fa
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Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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1b11bf7
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When you cannot express it in number, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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c9238e6
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Extroversion: response to reward Neuroticism: response to threat Conscientiousness: response to inhibition (self-control, planning) Agreeableness: regard for others Openness to experience: breadth of mental associations
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Gretchen Rubin |
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62c707f
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Feeling right" is about living the life that's right for you--in occupation, location, marital status, and so on. It's also about virtue: doing your duty," --
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Gretchen Rubin |
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f209262
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One regrets the loss even of one's worst habits. Perhaps one regrets them the most. They are such an essential part of one's personality. --OSCAR WILDE
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Gretchen Rubin |
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78fe41c
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Pushing myself, I knew, would cause me serious discomfort. It's a Secret of Adulthood: Happiness doesn't always make you feel happy. When I thought about why I was sometimes reluctant to push myself, I realized that it was because I was afraid of failure-but in order to have more success, I needed to be willing to accept more failure... To counteract this fear, I told myself, 'I enjoy the fun of failure.' It's fun to fail, I kept repeating...
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Gretchen Rubin |
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a243a68
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The single most important element in developing an expertise is your willingness to practice
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Gretchen Rubin |
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0e48145
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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.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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fa58b7f
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A study of workers in various industries showed that their job satisfaction was less tied to their salaries than to how their salaries compared to their coworkers' salaries. People understand the significance of this principle: in one study, a majority of people chose to earn $50,000 where others earned $25,000, rather than earn $100,000 where others earned $250,000.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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db8dec1
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There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision, and for whom the lighting of every cigar, the drinking of every cup, the time of rising and going to bed every day, and the beginning of every bit of work, are subjects of express volitional deliberation. Full half the time of such a man goes to the deciding, or regretting, of matters which ought to be so ingrained in him as practically not to exist ..
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Gretchen Rubin |
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38a4276
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Walking had an added benefit: it helped me to think. Nietzsche wrote, "All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking," and his observation is backed up by science; exercise-induced brain chemicals help people think clearly. In fact, just stepping outside clarifies thinking and boosts energy. Light deprivation is one reason that people feel tired, and even five minutes of daylight stimulates production of serotonin and dopamine, brain..
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Gretchen Rubin |
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775849d
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This self-knowledge is crucial because we can build a happy life only on the foundation of our own nature, our own interests, and our own values.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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4c27c39
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It's easier to complain than to laugh, easier to yell than to joke around, easier to be demanding than to be satisfied.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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2f0f979
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By doing a little bit each day you can get a lot accomplished
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Gretchen Rubin |
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b169b53
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It was interesting to have a better sense of my daily habits
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Gretchen Rubin |
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5cb9054
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Research suggests that when we have conflicting goals, we don't manage ourselves well. We become anxious and paralyzed, and we often end up doing nothing.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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3924a78
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Apply the "one minute rule". Don't postpone anything that could be done in less than a minute"
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Gretchen Rubin |
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63120fb
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Once I've spelled out the problem in words, the greater clarity usually helps me to spot a solution.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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175644c
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happiness is not having less; happiness is not having more; happiness is wanting what I have.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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182a5f7
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At certain points in our lives, it may not be possible to be happy, but it is possible to try to be happier--as happy as we can be, under the circumstances--and by doing so, fortify ourselves against adversity.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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fa8b40f
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In general, happiness doesn't make people want to drink daiquiris on the beach; it makes them want to help rural villagers gain better access to clean water.
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Gretchen Rubin |
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60770a7
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When the fiddle had stopped singing Laura called out softly, "What are days of auld lang syne, Pa?" "They are the days of a long time ago, Laura," Pa said. "Go to sleep, now." But Laura lay awake a little while, listening to Pa's fiddle softly playing and to the lovely sound of the wind in the Big Woods. She looked at Pa sitting on the bench by the hearth, the firelight gleaming on his brown hair and beard and glistening on the honey-brown ..
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Gretchen Rubin |
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0a8071b
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What am I waiting for? What would I do if I weren't scared? What steps would make things easier? What would I do if I had all the time and money in the world? If I were looking back at this decision, five years from now, what will I wish I'd done?
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Gretchen Rubin |
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0e22156
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Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath describe
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Gretchen Rubin |
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8ef6393
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If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough. Over-the-counter
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Gretchen Rubin |