Gretchen Rubin Quotes - 9quotes.com

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If you've had something for more than six months, and it's still not repaired, it's clutter.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
It's easier to get rid of things when you're giving them to someone who can use them, but don't let this kind intention become a source of clutter itself. I have a friend who has multiple piles all over her house, each lovingly destined for a particular recipient.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Do I need fifty finger-painted pictures by my toddler, or is one enough to capture this time of life? Mementos work best when they're carefully chosen - and when they don't take up much room!
Written by Gretchen Rubin
One of my 'Secrets of Adulthood' is: Somewhere, keep an empty shelf. I know where my empty shelf is, and I treasure it.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Many people keep photos in their homes, in their office, or in their wallet, and happy families tend to display large numbers of photos at home. In 'Happier at Home,' I write about my 'shrine to my family' made of photographs.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
One of the best ways to make yourself happy in the present is to recall happy times from the past. Photos are a great memory-prompt, and because we tend to take photos of happy occasions, they weight our memories to the good.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
I'm always trying to figure out ways to keep hold of memories. My one-sentence journal, for instance.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self: take photos of everyday life, not special occasions; later, that's what will be interesting to you.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Like most people, I have several pet subjects - that may or may not be interesting to other people. Don't get me started on happiness, or habits, or children's literature, or Winston Churchill, unless you really want to talk about it.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Work done by other people sounds easy. How hard can it be to take care of a newborn who sleeps 20 hours a day? How hard can it be to keep track of your billable hours? To travel for one night for business? To get a 4-year-old ready for school? To return a few phone calls? To load the dishwasher? To fill out some forms?
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Often, the more reliably you perform a task, the less likely it is for someone to notice that you're doing it and to feel grateful and to feel any impulse to help or to take a turn.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are, and the less you complain, the more likely you are to be taken for granted.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
It's hard to avoid 'unconscious overclaiming.' In unconscious overclaiming, we unconsciously overestimate our contributions relative to others. This makes sense, because we're far more aware of what we do than what other people do. Also, we tend to do the work that we value.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
I'm much calmer when there's no TV or music playing in the background.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
One of my most important 'Secrets of Adulthood': Outer order contributes to inner calm.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
I do better with routines and predictability. I don't react well when there's a sudden change in the schedule.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
In 'Happier at Home,' I write a lot about my struggle to create an unhurried atmosphere at home.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
For quotes, I have one document for general quotes; the other for happiness-related quotes, which I use for the 'Moment of Happiness,' my daily emails of happiness quotes.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
For notes related to books I'm writing, I've wondered whether I should organize my notes better, but I do find that the action or scrolling through them and seeing odd juxtapositions of ideas helps to stimulate my own ideas and creativity. I worry that if I kept the notes in a highly-structured way, I might lose some of these benefits.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Each week, I post a video about some 'Pigeon of Discontent' raised by a reader. Because, as much as we try to find the 'Bluebird of Happiness,' we're also plagued by those small but pesky 'Pigeons of Discontent.'
Written by Gretchen Rubin
In the scope of a happy life, a messy desk or an overstuffed coat closet is a trivial thing, yet I find - and I hear from other people that they agree - that getting rid of clutter gives a disproportionate boost to happiness.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
The more I examine the issue of clutter, the more effort I put into combating it, because it really does act as a weight.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
While television is a good servant, it's a bad master. It can swallow up huge quantities of our lives without much happiness bang for the buck.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Watching TV is companionable: you share an experience, you can comment on the action here and there for a bit of conversation... it's a way of showing someone that you want his or her company and engaging in a low-key, pleasant, undemanding way.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
An enormous amount of ingenuity and creativity goes into commercials, and they can be fascinating if you pay attention.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
If you'd like to watch less television, try putting the remote away in a very inconvenient place and making yourself put it away every time you use it. If it's a big pain to turn on the TV and to change channels, you might find yourself drifting to other activities that will be more satisfying in the long run.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Getting paperwork under control makes me feel more in control of my life generally.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
I always feel calmer when I exercise. In fact, that's probably the main reason I exercise.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Try to never say 'yes' on the phone; instead, say, 'I'll get back to you.' When you're actually speaking to someone, the desire to be accommodating is very strong, and can lead you to say 'yes' without enough consideration.
Written by Gretchen Rubin
Take care of difficult calls or emails as quickly as possible. Procrastinating just makes it harder; getting them done gives a big boost of relieved energy.
Written by Gretchen Rubin

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