Ep. 584: Why It’s Helpful to Search for a Solution, Plus an Easy Hack for Staying Productive

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Lemonada Media

Health & Fitness, Education, Self-improvement

4.7 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2026

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We discuss why it’s helpful actually to search for a solution, and we share an easy hack for giving yourself accountability. Plus, we explore an insight about how long it takes to feel at home in a new place. Resources & links related to this episode: Watch my ⁠Home Makeover video with Clutterbug⁠ and check out the resources we created for viewers ⁠Armrest covers⁠ ⁠Face Washing Wrist Bands⁠ ⁠Ikea Shoe Cabinet⁠ Wall Street Journal article: ⁠Has your dream renovation become a nightmare? Maybe you need a ‘house therapist'⁠ Elizabeth: Famesick by Lena Dunham (⁠Amazon⁠, ⁠Bookshop⁠) Gretchen: Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple (⁠Amazon⁠) Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Lemonada.
0:06.4	This message comes from Harvard Business School Executive Education.
0:10.3	Now is the time to invest in yourself and change the world with your voice.
0:14.0	Our programs connect you with faculty at the forefront of their fields,
0:17.3	introduce you to a global network of leaders, and help you step into your full potential. The next chapter is yours. Let us help you write it. Apply today to accelerate your future. Learn more at HBS.me slash accelerate. That's HBS.m.m. slash accelerate.
0:47.0	Hello and welcome to Happier, a podcast where we talk about how to make our lives happier.
0:52.9	This week we'll talk about why it's so helpful actually to search for a solution and why leaving your laptop charger behind can boost your
0:56.8	productivity. I'm Gretchen Riven, a writer's studies happiness, good habits, human nature. I'm in my
1:03.1	little home office in New York City and joining me today from Los Angeles is my sister
1:08.1	Elizabeth Kraft, my sister the sage. That's me, Elizabeth Craft, a TV
1:12.5	writer and producer living in LA. And Gretch, I am never without a charger, so this will be interesting.
1:20.2	Before we jump in, we have a few updates. First comes from Cadence, who said, I wanted to share
1:25.9	how I started my book club, because, you know, we all
1:28.2	love reading. I moved from Boston to Colorado and bought our first house in 2015. It was surprising to me
1:34.9	that none of my new neighbors came over to introduce themselves and welcome us to the neighborhood.
1:39.5	I had been looking forward to knowing my neighbors, and I love reading, so I decided to start a neighborhood
1:44.5	book club. I made a post on the Next Door app telling a little bit about myself and the kind of book
1:49.6	that I like to read, which are varied, but I noted some of my favorites and suggested a book club
1:54.6	meeting at my house, at least for the first time, and then we could discuss how we wanted to go from
1:58.8	there. I was pleasantly surprised, but also a bit overwhelmed,
2:02.8	that 47 people replied that they were interested.
2:06.4	When the day came, only four showed up, which was actually a relief.
	...

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