I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier. Now you're probably not listening to this

episode of a little happier on the very day that it went live, but in case you are, today is

a Labor Day here in the United States. It's a day off from work, so everyone looks forward to it

for that reason. And I think that Labor Day is a great reminder to think about our own labor,

our own work life, just as we should think about being grateful for everything that other people do

in their work to support us. We should think about our own work. Just as Valentine's Day can

remind us of the importance of having a loving relationship with our sweetheart and mother's day

and father's day can remind us to tell our parents how much we love and appreciate them. And

New Year's Day can be a catalyst for self-reflection and resolution. Labor Day can be a good prompt

to think about work. There are many aspects of my work life that deserve reflection, but there's

one thing I want to talk about here. It's important for me, and I think it's a good thing to

remember for everyone, that the most effective way to progress from point A to point B is not to work

the hardest. As for myself, I know that sometimes I try to get things done with sheer force just by

barreling through myself without asking for help, without delegating, without thinking about

shortcuts or more efficient methods I could use without asking myself, is this effort even really

worth the trouble? I just power through. And that's often not very effective. It's important to work

hard, yes, but I should also work smart and think about how I can achieve my aims in the most efficient

way without a lot of wasted effort. And Elizabeth, my sister, told me this story that seems relevant.

In the world of acting, Lee Strasberg taught an approach called method acting, and in method

acting in order to develop a deep understanding of their roles, actors use techniques to recreate

the character's emotional state by recalling emotions or sensations from their own life.

And Dustin Hoffman, the actor who stars in the graduate, Tootsie, all the president's men,

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