The Pursuit of Happier

The Happiness Project is about New York Times best selling author Gretchen Rubin and the year she spent testing various philosophies on how to be happy – from Aristotle to Oprah. In her continued pursuits of happier not "happiness," Rubin extends her advice to the work place as she challenges individuals to engage in their own happiness projects. What is Rubin’s bottom line? Appreciate the little things!
 
Recently she shared:  “Eighteen Tips for “Little Things” to Boost Your Happiness at the Office.”
 
Here are some of the highlights from Rubin's tips:
 
#5. Get a phone headset. I resisted for a long time, because it looks so preposterous, but it’s really much more comfortable, and it lets me walk around when I'm on the phone, which boosts my energy. I also initially resisted the advice to…
 
#8. 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.
 
#9. 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. (Here are some tips for making phone calls you don’t want to make.)
 
#11. Be honest about how you’re spending your time. You feel overwhelmed, but are you really working hard? How much time do you spend surfing the internet, chatting on the phone or with colleagues, looking for things you’ve misplaced, or doing a task that’s really someone else’s job?
 
#17. Figure out a way to control technology so you don’t feel distracted and hunted. This may be the hardest: turn off your email; turn off your phone; disconnect from the internet; figure out a way to set limits so you can concentrate when you need to, and disengage when you need to. Technology is a good servant but a bad master. 
 
Watch this video of Rubin talking about what being happier is all about:
 

 
(Photo credit: Jesus Solana; C.C. 2.0)