We discuss why arriving right on time for events makes it easier to have fun and to network (especially for introverts or newcomers). We also share the benefits of using an ordinary weekly pill organizer, and explore research supporting the Secret of Adulthood: “One of the best ways to find friends is to make friends with the friends of our friends.” Plus, a listener asks for suggestions about how to request support from family and friends after her recent diabetes diagnosis.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood
• Happier in Hollywood Substack newsletter
• More discussion of networking in Happier in Hollywood episode 413
• Elizabeth is reading: After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Amazon, Bookshop)
• Gretchen is reading: An Accidental Man by Iris Murdoch (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we’re trying to make a point, it’s often more effective to tell a story than to deliver a lecture. Example: an episode from the popular TV show “Better Call Saul” memorably illustrates the important truth that we’re probably better off assigning a complex problem to the person who acknowledges the difficulties rather than to the person who offers suspiciously easy answers.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Secrets of Adulthood
• The Four Tendencies

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of the arrival of a new dog, we take a flashback to previous discussions of our lives with Barnaby, Daisy, and Nacho. We each decided to “Choose the bigger life,” and we’re very happy we did. Bonus: One of the all-time best episode of “A Little Happier,” all about Barnaby.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• A Little Happier: We’ve Had Our Dog Barnaby Always.
• Podcast 27: Choose the Bigger Life, Identify Your “Tell”–and I Reveal Whether I’ll Get a Dog.
• Podcast 24: Take Photos of Everyday Life, the Tension that Exists in Love — and Should I Get a Dog?

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To get ready for spring, we share some of our favorite habits, hacks, and resources for clearing clutter and getting organized.

Resources & Links Related to this episode:

• Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood
• Join me on book tour starting April 1, 2025
• Tools for getting organized this spring
• Outer Order, Inner Calm
• 3-Tier Organizing Cart
• Magic Erasers
• Command Hooks
• Packing Cubes
• Shelf spinner
• Swedish dishclothes
• Label Maker
• Wall Pops
• Guardsman Reusable Watermark Remover cloth
• Chalk labels + markers
• Small digital scale
• Apothecary Jars
• Bank Box
• Memento Keepsake Journal
• One-minute rule
• Ep. 10: Clearing Elizabeth’s closet
• Ep. 160: Clearing Elizabeth’s office
• Ep. 210: Favorite hacks from Outer Order, Inner Calm
• Ep. 443: Clear the Decks
• Sweep the Deck

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While writing my book "Secrets of Adulthood," I discovered how the structure of a single traditional proverb could spark dozens of new insights. The elegant formula "No X, no Y" began with the traditional wisdom "No receiver, no thief," but soon expanded into observations ranging from the paradoxical ("No expectations, no disappointment") to the historical ("No Plato, No Socrates ") to the practical ("More highways, more traffic").

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Secrets of Adulthood
• More highways, more traffic

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the book tour for “Secrets of Adulthood,” we had the chance to spend the day together in Los Angeles. Listen in and follow along as we hush the Corgis, clear office clutter, and learn some happy book-related news.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Secrets of Adulthood
• Organization hub

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore the surprising benefits of swearing—from pain tolerance to social bonding—while also discussing why cutting back on cussing might still improve conversation quality and emotional climate. We share a listener hack for making a long, frequent car trip easier. We also consider a Know-Yourself- Better question about possessions, and we tackle a poignant listener question about maintaining family connections with adult children who seem to be creating unexpected distance after marriage.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood
• Join me on book tour starting April 1, 2025
• Profane Waste by Gretchen Rubin and Dana Hoey (Amazon, Bookshop)
• Four Tendencies quiz
• Sign-up for my newsletter
• Elizabeth is reading: Ready for Absolutely Nothing by Susannah Constantine (Amazon, Bookshop)
• Gretchen is reading: How It Feels When a Parent Dies by Jill Krementz (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Through my "Operation Knicks Knowledge" experiment, I was astonished to learn that some professional basketball players have the number zero for their jersey number. Sometimes, a newcomer notices things that people with more knowledge take for granted.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Secrets of Adulthood

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.