Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
By giving something up, I gain.
As Oscar Wilde wrote, with his characteristic brand of thought-provoking overstatement, When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy. Now,
Another reason to avoid stopping a good habit is that, sadly, starting again is often far harder than starting the first time. It’s natural to think, Oh, I did this before, it will be easy to do it ag...
An unmade bed is a common broken window, which is why Make the bed is one of the most popular happiness-project resolutions, and in fact, as Charles Duhigg points out in his fascinating book The Power...
A conversation with a Moderator friend revealed another telling distinction. I got a sundae from my favorite ice-cream store, she told me, and it was delicious. But after a while, I could hardly taste...
The marriage expert John Gottman calls the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for their destructive role in relationships: stonewalling, defensiveness, criticism, and contempt. Well,
The Strategy of Pairing, I couple two activities, one that I need or want to do, and one that I don’t particularly want to do, to get myself to accomplish them both. It’s not a reward, it’s not a trea...
Many people decide to improve their habits, they don’t begin by looking where their keys are; they begin by looking in an easy spot.
Making. A habit requires no decision from me, because I’ve already decided.
By mindfully shaping our habits, we can harness the power of mindlessness as a sweeping force for serenity, energy, and growth.
A stumble may be helpful, because it shows me where I need to concentrate my efforts in order to do better next time.
When life was taking its ordinary course, it was hard to remember what really mattered.
When it comes to fake food, I’m like Samuel Johnson, who remarked, Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.
When I focus on the way men or husbands generally behave, I start to lump Jamie along with half of humanity. I find myself feeling angry or annoyed with Jamie for things he hasn't even done.
What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it. —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars
Waldenlust. This longing takes several forms: fantasies of the freedom that dispossession would bring; nostalgia for earlier, supposedly simpler times; and reverence for the primitive, which is assume...
To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition, the end to which every enterprise and labour tends.
There is no love; there are only proofs of love. Whatever love I might feel in my heart, others will see only my actions.
The Strategy of Scheduling is a powerful weapon against procrastination. Because of tomorrow logic, we tend to feel confident that we’ll be productive and virtuous—tomorrow. (The word procrastinate co...