I finally, FINALLY got around to reading Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. People have been telling me I would love this book ever since it came out, and it’s been sitting on my to-read list for over a year. To be totally and completely honest, I think this book was hyped up a little too much for me. After hearing rave reviews from fellow bloggers, I was expecting to find something…groundbreaking. What I found instead was a collection of simple ideas and quotes to inspire happiness. Useful? Yes. Groundbreaking? No. Worth a read? Sure.
Funny enough, the tip that spoke the most to me was the idea of the evening tidy-up:
“Tidying up at night made our mornings more serene and pleasant, and, in an added benefit, helped prepare me for sleep. Putting things in order is very calming, and doing something physical makes me aware of being tired.”
Well, isn’t that the truth? One of my favorite things is waking up to a clean house and a clear kitchen counter. It rarely happens, but when it does, my morning seems much more relaxed and peaceful.
It’s taken me a few nights of experimentation to determine the perfect window of opportunity for an evening tidy-up, but I think I have it figured out. We have to tidy up after dinner, after Everett goes to bed, but before we get comfortable on the couch. Because let’s face it—once I’m cozy on the couch with a blanket and some dark chocolate and the latest episode of Nashville, there is no way I’m getting up to clean.
Have you read The Happiness Project? What was your favorite tip/trick from the book?