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Every Wednesday is Tip Day.

Secrets of Adulthood.

  • The best reading is re-reading.
  • Outer order contributes to inner calm.
  • The opposite of a great truth is also true.
  • You manage what you measure.
  • By doing a little bit each day, you can get a lot accomplished.
  • People don’t notice your mistakes and flaws as much as you think.
  • It's nice to have plenty of money.
  • Most decisions don't require extensive research.
  • Try not to let yourself get too hungry.
  • Even if you think they're fake, it's nice to celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day.
  • If you can't find something, clean up.
  • The days are long, but the years are short.
  • Someplace, keep an empty shelf.
  • Turning the computer on and off a few times often fixes a glitch.
  • It's okay to ask for help.
  • You can choose what you do; you can't choose what you LIKE to do.
  • Happiness doesn't always make you feel happy.
  • What you do EVERY DAY matters more than what you do ONCE IN A WHILE.
  • You don't have to be good at everything.
  • Soap and water removes most stains.
  • It's important to be nice to EVERYONE.
  • You know as much as most people.
  • Over-the-counter medicines are very effective.
  • Eat better, eat less, exercise more.
  • What's fun for other people may not be fun for you--and vice versa.
  • People actually prefer that you buy wedding gifts off their registry.
  • Houseplants and photo albums are a lot of trouble.
  • If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough.
  • No deposit, no return.

Happiness theories I reject.

  • Flaubert: "To be stupid, and selfish, and to have good health are the three requirements for happiness; though if stupidity is lacking, the others are useless."
  • Vauvenargues: “There are men who are happy without knowing it.”
  • Eric Hoffer: “The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.”
  • Sartre: "Hell is other people."
  • Willa Cather: “One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness; one only stumbles upon them…”
  • Alexander Smith: “We are never happy; we can only remember that we were so once.”
  • John Stuart Mill: “Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so.”
  • G.K. Chesterton: “Happiness is a mystery, like religion, and should never be rationalised.”
  • Solon: “Let no man be called happy before his death. Till then, he is not happy, only lucky.”

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This Wednesday: Nine extremely simple and easy tips to take stress out of your day.

Every Wednesday is Tip Day.
This Wednesday: Nine extremely simple and easy tips to take a lot of stress out of your day.

When I was little, I was always puzzled by the maxim, "A stitch in time saves nine." I couldn't figure out what that meant. Finally, light dawned: a single stitch, made in good time, saves the trouble of making nine stitches later. In other words, a little effort now saves a lot of effort later.

That notion underlies several of the tips below. The other notion: when you have a reasonable amount of energy, life feels a lot less stressful.

1. Keep some cash in the house.
2. Never let your car’s gas level fall into the “empty” zone.
3. Have Advil (or whatever) at hand at all times.
4. Put your keys away in the same place every day.
5. Turn out the light as soon as you’re sleepy.
6. Walk around the block.
7. Take ten minutes before bed to tidy up.
8. If you have to pack a lunch for anyone, get it ready the night before.
9. Have at least one good friend who lives in the neighborhood.

Samuel Johnson pointed out that "To live in perpetual want of little things is a state, not indeed of torture, but of constant vexation." By making the effort to stay on top of the little things, you can keep the vexation to a minimum.

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August 01, 2007 |

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Comments

Awesome post, Gretchen! My favorite part:

"...a single stitch, made in good time, saves the trouble of making nine stitches later. In other words, a little effort now saves a lot of effort later."

Posted by: Bryan Villarin | August 01, 2007 at 03:26 PM

Hi, I just found your blog through beliefnet and I'm "happy" I did. I'm trying to find more happiness myself and I've recently started a blog: Acquiring Abundance where I'm sort of tracking my progress. Would you like to exchange links? Thank you for your helpful tips.

Posted by: Kelly | August 01, 2007 at 04:10 PM

Simple but working tips for stress less life. thanks Gretchen.

Posted by: Rocky | August 01, 2007 at 11:31 PM

Great list! I would add -- know what's for dinner by for the next evening before bed or before you leave the house in the morning. My freezer is our famiy hero!

Blessings,
Cathy

Posted by: Heart of my home | August 02, 2007 at 08:21 AM

Another possible list addition is: If possible have an idea of what to wear the next day before going to bed.

I give the list 2 thumbs up, Gretchen! Keep the brain food coming!

Posted by: David | August 02, 2007 at 09:28 AM

I can add one, which should be obvious from the maxim that inspired this post: take a moment to mend clothes before the problem gets too big. I'm forever saying, "I'll fix that hem later," and then the whole thing falls apart.

Posted by: Michelle Potter | August 02, 2007 at 10:17 AM

David -- I swear, that tip saves me a half an hour in the morning. If I skip laying out my clothes the night before, I am in trou-ble.

Posted by: phquaryn | August 02, 2007 at 11:56 AM

It's true that the simple things make the bigger picture easier. Having said that, it seems that keeping things simple is a larger task than one can initially imagine... until it gets simpler.

Posted by: Leila | August 02, 2007 at 12:05 PM

Hey Gretchen,

Great Post! Thanks for reminding us how keeping on top of things can help reduce stress! I love it.

I did a blog intro of your blog and featured your article (with a link) over at our blog. Check it out too :)

Cheers
James

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My earth-shattering happiness formula.

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