Episode
#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
2:20:09
Published: Wed Jan 10 2018
Description
Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Four Tendencies, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, and Happier at Home. She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold three million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages.On her popular weekly podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, she discusses good habits and happiness with her sister Elizabeth Craft; they've been called the "Click and Clack of podcasters." Her podcast was named in iTunes's lists of "Best Podcasts of 2015" and was named in the Academy of Podcasters "Best Podcasts of 2016."Fast Company named Gretchen Rubin to its list of Most Creative People in Business, and she's a member of Oprah's SuperSoul 100.Enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Shure. Shure is the brand behind my favorite headphones -- the SE846. Shure has been trusted by musicians and sound experts for years, and I use Shure equipment to help record each episode of the podcast. The SE846 earphones feature a groundbreaking low-pass filter that delivers extended high-end clarity and unparalleled low-end performance of a true subwoofer without sacrificing clarity or detail of mids or highs.Go to shure.com/tim and use the coupon code "TIM" at checkout to save $100 on these phenomenal headphones through January 2018.This podcast is also brought to you by FreshBooks. FreshBooks is the #1 cloud bookkeeping software, which is used by a ton of the start-ups I advise and many of the contractors I work with. It is the easiest way to send invoices, get paid, track your time, and track your clients.FreshBooks tells you when your clients have viewed your invoices, helps you customize your invoices, track your hours, automatically organize your receipts, have late payment reminders sent automatically and much more.Right now you can get a free month of complete and unrestricted use. You do not need a credit card for the trial. To claim your free month and see how the brand new Freshbooks can change your business, go to FreshBooks.com/Tim and enter "Tim Ferriss" in the "how did you hear about us" section.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Please fill out the form at tim.blog/sponsor.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapters
Tim Ferriss has a popular email newsletter called "Five Bullet Friday" which he sends out every Friday with five bullet points of the coolest things he's found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, supplements, gadgets, self-experiments, hacks, and tricks.
00:00 - 00:49 (00:49)
Summary
Tim Ferriss has a popular email newsletter called "Five Bullet Friday" which he sends out every Friday with five bullet points of the coolest things he's found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, supplements, gadgets, self-experiments, hacks, and tricks.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferris talks about the Five Bullet Friday, a short and action-packed podcast, and how he meets guests for his show.
00:49 - 06:14 (05:24)
Summary
Tim Ferris talks about the Five Bullet Friday, a short and action-packed podcast, and how he meets guests for his show. He then interviews Gretchen Rubin, author of several books and host of a podcast about good habits and happiness, on various topics related to personal development.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The desire to lose the ability to wish is a topic of interest for some, but for the speaker, it was more of a thought exercise that stemmed from being an inherent part of the romantic tradition.
06:14 - 14:37 (08:23)
Summary
The desire to lose the ability to wish is a topic of interest for some, but for the speaker, it was more of a thought exercise that stemmed from being an inherent part of the romantic tradition. Additionally, the speaker explains how they opted for writing instead of pursuing law school.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Summary
The author says getting an agent is hard.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The author discusses their fascination with human nature and how it influenced their decision to write books exploring different perspectives, from the destruction of possessions to the lives of historical figures.
21:00 - 25:49 (04:49)
Summary
The author discusses their fascination with human nature and how it influenced their decision to write books exploring different perspectives, from the destruction of possessions to the lives of historical figures.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss talks about his process for backing up research, whether he reads digitally or hard copy, and how he uses tags to organize and write his book material from his notes.
25:49 - 31:46 (05:56)
Summary
Tim Ferriss talks about his process for backing up research, whether he reads digitally or hard copy, and how he uses tags to organize and write his book material from his notes.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Author Gretchen Rubin talks about the patterns and structures that make people feel good in certain environments, such as having a secret place, ceilings at different heights, and light on two sides of a room.
31:46 - 37:19 (05:33)
Summary
Author Gretchen Rubin talks about the patterns and structures that make people feel good in certain environments, such as having a secret place, ceilings at different heights, and light on two sides of a room.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The host talks about the importance of having a nighttime routine and shares her bedtime rituals with her daughter.
37:19 - 49:16 (11:57)
Summary
The host talks about the importance of having a nighttime routine and shares her bedtime rituals with her daughter. She also talks about how she gave up sugar and carbs in her diet four years ago.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses the benefits of joining a book club for intellectual and social fulfillment, and also shares her personal experience of changing to a different diet and the positive impact it had on her overall wellbeing.
49:16 - 54:06 (04:49)
Summary
The speaker discusses the benefits of joining a book club for intellectual and social fulfillment, and also shares her personal experience of changing to a different diet and the positive impact it had on her overall wellbeing.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The classification of a book as young adult (YA) is a nuanced topic with no straight answer.
54:06 - 1:00:07 (06:00)
Summary
The classification of a book as young adult (YA) is a nuanced topic with no straight answer. Books are often put in the YA category due to the age of the protagonist, but other factors like the tone and themes of the story also contribute to its classification.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The four tendencies divide people into upholders, questioners, obligers, and rebels depending on how they respond to expectations.
1:00:07 - 1:04:53 (04:46)
Summary
The four tendencies divide people into upholders, questioners, obligers, and rebels depending on how they respond to expectations. Understanding your tendency can help you to harness your strengths and offset your weaknesses for increased productivity.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
For Obligers, outer accountability is essential to help them follow through with their inner goals, as they may struggle to meet inner expectations.
1:04:54 - 1:09:58 (05:03)
Summary
For Obligers, outer accountability is essential to help them follow through with their inner goals, as they may struggle to meet inner expectations. This can be achieved by joining groups, taking classes, or seeking support from friends, trainers, or coaches who rely on them.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Gretchen Rubin discusses her approach to goal-setting and personal accountability through one-word themes and 18 for 2018 lists, rather than traditional New Year's resolutions.
1:09:58 - 1:15:26 (05:28)
Summary
Gretchen Rubin discusses her approach to goal-setting and personal accountability through one-word themes and 18 for 2018 lists, rather than traditional New Year's resolutions.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Flexibility, incorporating relevant clips from TV shows or movies, adding sound effects, seeking input from the community, consistency, surprise, organizing live events are all good strategies to keep your podcast engaging and prevent it from becoming too insular.
1:15:26 - 1:26:12 (10:45)
Summary
Flexibility, incorporating relevant clips from TV shows or movies, adding sound effects, seeking input from the community, consistency, surprise, organizing live events are all good strategies to keep your podcast engaging and prevent it from becoming too insular.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about his love for writing manifestos and asks color-related questions such as the color of dragons and whether black is considered a color.
1:26:12 - 1:37:22 (11:09)
Summary
The speaker talks about his love for writing manifestos and asks color-related questions such as the color of dragons and whether black is considered a color. He also shares quotes that inspire him.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Keeping in touch with loved ones through frequent, mundane updates strengthens relationships and creates a sense of connection.
1:37:22 - 1:43:14 (05:52)
Summary
Keeping in touch with loved ones through frequent, mundane updates strengthens relationships and creates a sense of connection. The author suggests sending periodic updates to family and friends to stay in touch.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Bestselling author Gretchen Ruben explains how she decides on which parts of a book to reread after getting her edits back, and the books she recommends from her personal collection.
1:43:14 - 1:53:20 (10:06)
Summary
Bestselling author Gretchen Ruben explains how she decides on which parts of a book to reread after getting her edits back, and the books she recommends from her personal collection.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Some people, particularly questioners, encounter analysis paralysis more often due to their desire to have perfect information, leading to difficulty making decisions.
1:53:20 - 1:58:37 (05:16)
Summary
Some people, particularly questioners, encounter analysis paralysis more often due to their desire to have perfect information, leading to difficulty making decisions. However, questioners' thorough questioning can also be perceived as undermining authority or not being a team player, making it important to learn how to ask questions constructively.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast episode, the speaker explores the concept of balancing personality types in entrepreneurship, focusing on how both herself and the other speaker have tried to offset pronounced parts of their personality.
1:58:37 - 2:04:16 (05:38)
Summary
In this podcast episode, the speaker explores the concept of balancing personality types in entrepreneurship, focusing on how both herself and the other speaker have tried to offset pronounced parts of their personality.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
It is easier to form a new habit by starting small, especially if it's related to something creative like reading poetry.
2:04:16 - 2:09:44 (05:27)
Summary
It is easier to form a new habit by starting small, especially if it's related to something creative like reading poetry. It's important to choose something that is easy to start with that does not feel like a failure if you don't stick to it, and curate something that's timeless, beautiful, and interesting.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast, the guest discussed the 21 strategies that people use to develop habits.
2:09:44 - 2:14:22 (04:38)
Summary
In this podcast, the guest discussed the 21 strategies that people use to develop habits. She explained that some work better for some people and some don't, but it's good to know the whole range of them.
Episode#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by FreshBooks, accounting software designed for self-employed professionals, and Shure, the company behind professional-grade microphones and headphones.
2:14:22 - 2:19:29 (05:06)
Summary
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by FreshBooks, accounting software designed for self-employed professionals, and Shure, the company behind professional-grade microphones and headphones.