Hello and welcome to Happier, a podcast where we discuss concrete practical ideas for how to bring more happiness into our daily lives.

This week we'll talk about why you should remember to consider the company that someone keeps

and we'll discuss an interesting know yourself better question inspired by Gloria Vanderbilt.

I'm Gretchen Rubin, a writer whose studies happiness, good habits and human nature. I'm in New York City and with me is my sister Elizabeth Kraft, who is company that I often keep.

That's me and Elizabeth Kraft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles and Gretch hopefully I reflect well on you.

You're in company?

Yes, advice versus yes absolutely.

So before we launch into the tried this at home we have a couple updates.

Elizabeth this one from Becca, oh it really makes me tear up. It's so beautiful.

Becca writes, I've been trying to use your tricks and techniques to tackle my to-do list and create more happiness in my life.

I've had this beautiful but broken wall clock bugging me for years. A new battery wouldn't do it. It needed all new parts.

Eventually I learned to recognize my own nature. I was never going to get it fixed.

Instead I changed the time on the clock to the time it was three years ago when our social worker called to tell us we'd been matched with a baby girl who we would later adopt.

A broken clock turned into a mini shrine representing our excitement and love for our daughter. Thanks for inspiring me to find creative solutions to nagging little problems.

Is that a beautiful idea?

This is one of my favorite things that has ever been on the podcast and all these episodes.

I absolutely love it.

Exactly. And the way it's instead of being broken it's like it's frozen in time and every time you look at it it just gives you that jolt of happiness and takes you back to that moment of just being so happy and so excited.

So that is beautiful from Becca.

Yes, thank you Becca.

And then Gretchen this came from Erica she says on the podcast today you mentioned being interested in hearing creative methods for obligers to impose outer accountability.

I'd like to share one with you. I got my PhD about 10 years ago and as an obliger with a pretty hands off mentor. It was very difficult for me to stay motivated to write my dissertation.

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