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.
One study estimated that for every hour of interrupted sleep during the previous night, people wasted 8.4 minutes in online puttering.
Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.
One of my most helpful Secrets of Adulthood is “What I do every day matters more than what I do once in a while.
But while it’s true that helping other people makes us happier, and that people feel a distinct “helper’s high,” it’s also true that when people are unhappy, they often find it tough to help others. If they did, they’d likely feel happier, but unhappy people often feel preoccupied with their own problems and don’t have the emotional reserves to turn outward. By contrast, happy people volunteer more, give away more money, and naturally take an interest in others.
For most people, whenever possible, important habits should be scheduled for the morning. Mornings tend to unfold in a predictable way, and as the day goes on, more complications arise –.
Associate with people who are likely to improve you. – SENECA, Letters from a Stoic.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
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.
When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.
As one Questioner pointed out, ‘The Rebels’ best asset is their voice of dissent. We shouldn’t try to school it out of them, or to corporate-culture it out, or shame it out. It’s there to protect us all.
It’s a Secret of Adulthood: I give myself limits to give myself freedom.
By getting rid of the things I don’t use, don’t need, or don’t love, as well as the things that don’t work, don’t fit, or don’t suit, I free my mind – and my shelves – for what I truly value. And that’s true for most people.
It’s easier to keep up than to catch up...
Once I’ve cleared away the things I don’t need, use, or love, my surroundings reveal to me, and to others, the things that matter most to me. Careful curation means that my space and my possessions reflect my truest identity.
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.
If you need to buy things to store things, perhaps you have too many things.
Remind the Obliger that saying no allows him or her to say yes to work that’s more important.
Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life, and a significant element of happiness. If we have habits that work for us, we’re much more likely to be happy, healthy, productive, and creative.
I was always telling myself, “Keep it simple.” But as Albert Einstein pointed out, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.