Name: Happier at Home
Rating: 3.9 (85 reviews)
Author: Gretchen Rubin

What’s in it for me? Find happiness in small things.

Many people think that the road to happiness is paved with hardship. They think they’ll need to make some dramatic, scary life changes – quitting their job, for instance, or being more extroverted and practicing positive thinking 24/7.

Well, they are wrong.

If you’re searching for a way to enjoy more ease and comfort, more cheerfulness and joy in your life, here’s the good news: tiny, seemingly negligible changes to your home, your lifestyle and the way you talk to your loved ones can add up to you being a much happier person.

Reading these blinks, you’ll discover

why your nose can reduce your anxiety;
about a family with climbing ropes in their hallway; and
how being more snail-like will help you live more happily.

The happier-at-home project is about finding happiness in your daily routines.

Get ready to start a nine-month project of happiness!

Each month, you’ll focus on a different principle that can make your life at home more enjoyable. If you stick to it, this nine-month plan will have you enjoying your everyday routines and cherishing nearly every moment. Sound good?

Then let’s get started!

Creating a happier family is all about adapting your home to both your needs and the needs of each and every family member living there. For example, one particularly creative family with four children installed climbing ropes and monkey bars in their hallway. This made being at home all the more enjoyable – for both the kids and the parents!

But before you can create a happier home, you need to figure out what needs changing. There are four things that will help you do that:

First, you have to find out what makes you feel good at home. Is it the pictures or trinkets that remind you of your family? The smell? The lighting?

Next, figure out the primary factors that make you feel bad at home. It could be anything, from major disturbances to a scary painting in your bedroom that keeps you awake at night.

Third, ask yourself how you can feel right more often – that is, how you can develop a lifestyle, home and routine that reflect your values and align with what’s important to you.

Finally, search for ways to develop an atmosphere of growth at home, an approach to life that keeps you focused on maintaining a go-get-’em attitude even after you’ve accomplished a goal. For instance, if something breaks in your home, you shouldn’t just fix it, but also adjust your behavior so that the problem doesn’t arise over and over again.

Now that you understand the fundamental goals of the nine-month project, our remaining blinks will explore exactly which actions you should take during that time.

Getting rid of the unnecessary opens up space for the things that truly matter.

Is your home full of stuff that you keep around simply because it might come in handy one day? If you want a happy home, you might want to change that.

To create a home that offers happiness and comfort, you should surround yourself with possessions that you truly know and cherish. Examine every object in every closet and every drawer and ask yourself: How often do I use this, and how much do I like it? If you don’t use or like it, get rid of it.

If you want a happy family, you have to be the change you want to see in your loved ones.

Having a happy relationship with your loved ones means being happy yourself.

Indeed, achieving a happy marriage is mostly a matter of understanding that nobody but you is responsible for your happiness. So, if you want a peaceful and relaxed marriage, try to be peaceful and relaxed yourself. Over time, partners will influence each other, copying each other’s language and habits. For example, if you quit smoking, your partner is 67 percent more likely to follow suit.

Happiness comes from the inside.

As you’ve learned, the less cluttered your home is, the happier you’ll be. But it’s also true that your general happiness can generate domestic happiness. So what else can you do to increase your personal feelings of joy?

You can start by protecting yourself against unhappy people; such individuals can drain all the happiness out of you.

Broadening your familial circle can also improve your happiness.

Family is something that you can never have too much of. And although your relationship with your spouse and children is what matters most, that doesn’t mean you have to abandon the family you grew up with.

Your parents and siblings are part of who you are, and connecting with them more often can improve your overall happiness. The author, for example, started working on a children’s book with her sister. Despite all the time and effort they had to devote to the project, they enjoyed the extra time they spent in each other’s company, and the project ultimately brought them closer together.

Key ideas in Happier at Home