#155: Gretchen Rubin — Secrets of a Creative Life: Better Time Management, Happiness Hacks, Sustainable Habits & How To Know Yourself Better; also Writing Nonfiction, Research & Redefining Success

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Jul 27, 2025

Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author of The Happiness Project and The Four Tendencies, shares her insights on creativity and self-awareness. She discusses how to build confidence despite rejection and the personal nature of time management. Rubin emphasizes the importance of rereading favorite texts for deeper understanding and how personality influences writing habits. She also explores unconventional storytelling and the balance between structure and market awareness, offering valuable tips for aspiring writers and creatives.

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ADVICE

Identify Specific Self-Doubt

Identify the specific problem behind your self-doubt to find effective solutions.
Define whether doubts are about skills, content, or external consequences to clarify next steps.

ANECDOTE

Power of Rereading Books

Gretchen Rubin rereads books multiple times, finding new insights with each reading.
She recently reread 'War and Peace' three times and recommends the short novel 'The English Understand Wool'.

INSIGHT

The Four Tendencies Framework

The Four Tendencies framework explains how people meet expectations: outer vs inner and meet vs resist.
It offers four personality types that influence habit formation and motivation.

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Gretchen Rubin—bestselling author of The Happiness Project and The Four Tendencies on how self-awareness shapes her creative process, the habits that sustain her writing life, and how she wrote her latest nonfiction book Secrets of Adulthood.

We discuss:

How Gretchen found her voice and path as a writer
Dealing with naysayers & rejection
Building confidence and redefining “success” in the early stages
How to structure and sustain a long-term writing practice
Her favorite aphorisms—and how she uses them as creative tools
Why time management is personal
How to simplify big ideas into meaningful insights
And more exclusive tips for writers and creatives

Resources and Links:

Books She's Reading:

Gretchen's Website & Books mentioned

Gretchen’s Website: https://gretchenrubin.com/
Secrets of Adulthood
The Four Tendences
Forty Ways to Look at JFK

About Gretchen Rubin

Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She’s known for her ability to convey complex ideas—from science to literature to stories from her own life—with levity and clarity.

She’s the author of many bestselling books, such as The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, Life in Five Senses and The Four Tendencies, which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages. Her most recent book is Secrets of Adulthood.

She’s also host of the popular podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin and founder of award-winning Happier app which helps people track their happiness-boosting habits.

Our Sponsor:

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