1. Make your bed.
The book The Happiness Project, explains that this three minute task is one of the simplest habits you can adopt to positively impact your happiness.
2. Bring every room back to “ready.”
I learned this trick from Marilyn Paul’s clever book, It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys.
It’s a known fact: Clutter causes stress; order creates a haven from
it. This mood-boosting routine is simple: Take about three minutes to
bring each room back to “ready” before you depart it. (Unless you have a
toddler, or a partner who likes to simulate earthquakes, three minutes
should be sufficient.)
3. Display sentimental items around your home.
One reason that experiences (and memories
of those experiences) make us happier than material things is due to the
entire cycle of enjoyment that experiences provide: planning the
experience, looking forward to the experience, enjoying the experience,
and then remembering the experience. Make your home a gallery of
positive memories.
4. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude journal.
Before bed, simply jot down one happy
memory from that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, “What was the
best part of today?”) Reflection is an important part of happiness, and
pausing to reflect on a positive event from each day cultivates
gratitude. (An added bonus: Later, when your memory is defunct, you will
already have all of your meaningful adventures recorded!) If you have
trouble getting started with journaling, consider buying a book to guide
you. Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, is a great one.
5. If you can’t get out of it, get into it.
This tip comes from The Happiness Project.
I love the message: The dishes are not going to clean themselves, so
you will do it, and you will like it! (Unless, of course, you can
outsource this job, in which case I say: Nice work!) Otherwise, get into
doing the dishes. Feel the soothing warm water on your hands. Enjoy the
tickle of the tiny bubbles. Crank your favorite album at an unusually
loud volume, do a couple fist-pumps while shouting “Can I get a hell
yeah for the dishes? Hell! Yeah!” and pretend you love it.
6. Before you get up each morning, set an intent for the day.
In The Art of Happiness, the Dali
Lama says “”Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be
alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.” Wow.
What a wise man. I tend to wake up with a strong visceral reaction that
says, “Attention human beings: Be afraid of me before coffee. Be very
afraid!” Setting a daily intent makes a huge difference. Your daily
intent could be something like “be productive” or “enjoy today’s
delicious moments” or it could be something more specific like “say
thank you to my loved ones today.” But it should not be another “to do”
item on your list.
7. Do small favors for your housemates, expecting nothing in return (not even a thank you!).
(That’s right, I said it: nothing!) Mow
the lawn for your husband, but don’t expect him to pat you on the back.
Make the bed for your wife, but don’t try to get bonus points for it.
Take the trash out for your roommate, just because. The ability to
cultivate strong, healthy relationships is one of the biggest
contributors to health and happiness, but when you start to keep score,
the benefit is lost. (No! It’s YOUR turn to clean up the dog poop!) It’s
a well-known fact: When you do good, you feel good.
8. Call at least one friend or family member a day.
You can do this while you clean, while you
make the bed, or while you walk the dog. Texts and emails do not count!
Make an actual phone call to a loved one, just to chat and catch up. We
humans are social beings and studies show that even when we don’t feel
like it, even if we are naturally introverted, socializing with our
loved ones makes us feel better.
9. Spend money on things that cultivate experiences at home.
Save money for a new grill for parties or a
new DVD for family movie night — something that will encourage you to
have people over and entertain. Plan a summer barbeque, invite your
closest friends, kick back and relax. (And don’t forget to print out the
pictures to remember the good times.)
10. Spend a few minutes each day connecting with something greater than yourself.
Whatever your spiritual beliefs may be, studies show that connecting to a high power is
correlated with happiness. Just stepping back to realize that we are
part of an enormous universe can put some perspective on your annoyance
with the
those-are-definitely-not-mine-and-they-are-abso-fricking-lutely-repulsive
socks under the coffee table. Before bed, spend just a few minutes
contemplating something larger than yourself. Take a walk in nature.
Write in a journal. Create a sacred space in your home. (Or if
spirituality is really not your thing, create a home spa: light some
candles, soak in a hot bath, delve into a good book… are you feeling
better yet?)
