Blind Plea - Happier with Gretchen Rubin: Did We Get Everything Done on Our “25 for ’25” Lists?

Episode Date: December 21, 2025

Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. Gretchen’s cohost and guinea pig is her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles, who (lovingly) refers to Gretchen as her happiness bully.  As part of “Design Your Year,” each of us made a list of 25 things we wanted to accomplish in 2025; here, we report on what we got done—and what we didn’t. Resources & links related to this episode: Happier in Hollywood Substack  Simon Haisell's Footnotes and Tangents Allie Coyle Photography The Earth Room created by American artist Walter De Maria Click here to find everything related to the Design Your Year challenge   If you want to hear more episodes, follow Happier with Gretchen Rubin wherever you get your podcasts, or head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/happierfd  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Elizabeth, when we're together for the holidays, we end up going to Whole Foods Market every day. There's so many things that we need. Like, we're going to a party, and one of us needs to bring a gift for the host. They have these expert curated cheeses and crackers that everybody loves. They have excellent limited time seasonal desserts like holiday rum cake, creamy Bouch de Noelle, which is one of our family's favorites and more. Plus, they have these show-stopping things for the table like bone-in spiral cut ham. Well, Gretchen, I love that they have heat and eat sides from the prepared foods department

because you know that I am not much of a cook. So heat and serve is something I can do. And they have floral, Gretchen, so you can bring a nice bouquet of flowers if you're going to someone's house. Shop for everything you need at Whole Foods Market, your holiday headquarters. Lemonada Hello and welcome to Happier, a podcast where we talk about strategies and solutions for building happier habits into our everyday lives. This week, we will review our 25 for 25 lists, which is part of the design your year. the one word theme, the annual challenge, and the 25 for 25 list. I'm Gretchen Rubin, a writer who

studies happiness, habits, and human nature. I'm in Kansas City. And joining me today from Kansas City, just a few rooms away from me is my sister, Elizabeth Kraft. That's me, Elizabeth Kraft, a TV writer and producer living in L.A., but yes, Gretchen, today I'm in the room that we call the bunny room because of the wallpaper in mom and dad's apartment. We're still in Kansas City together. We're recording this episode ahead of time because we wanted to get ahead of schedule a little bit because of everything going on with our father's health. Yes. And I wanted to mention Gretchen that we hear from so many listeners about our dad and our mom. And we love getting feedback on things we say about our parents. And dad always loves hearing what our listeners have to say as well.

And he's been our biggest fan since day one. Yes. So it's nice to do this while we're caring for dad. Yes. I think people were often. startled by how well-versed he is in minutia of what goes on in the evolution of the podcasting space. No one is a bigger champion. So we're compartmentalizing. We're taking this time to work on the podcast together. Yeah. But before we jump into the 25 for 25 list, we had an interesting update from Kathy about making the cheat sheet of medication so that friends and family members can assist with medication if needed. Yeah, Kathy said, having barely and gratefully survived COVID-19 five years ago and continuing to suffer so many long COVID symptoms, I also use a cheat

sheet near my medicine chest to make weekly pillboxing filling an easier and more accurate task. The cheat sheet is also handy for my family when I require help or when an upcoming medical procedure requires that I alter some medications temporarily. Also, my medical care team members actually prefer referring to my cheat sheet than what is in the computer, though they verify the information that is constantly changing when conversing and helping me to make decisions about changes or adjustments in the medication types, doses, and time of day to take them. I maintain this list in Google Docs so that it is easy to update and I can reprint as often as needed. Further, I also maintain a far more detailed record in my Google Docs that lists information that friends or family

might need to access rapidly in an emergency, possibly when not having immediate access to the MyChart program. It includes much more practical information, failed medications, allergies, preferred painkillers, lists and dates of surgeries, contact information, and specialties of all doctors and medical providers, and equipment vendors, and much more. And very logically organized. I update this document at least twice per month when I update the above-mentioned one-page cheat sheet. But here is the reason I am writing to you. I am an avid, long-distant motorcyclist. When my health allows I often travel with my husband or sometimes in small groups with girlfriends, and sometimes I travel across the United States with new friends. I printed and laminated credit card size QR codes

that once scanned take the viewer directly to a read-view-only version of this detailed document. I keep copies of this QR code with my driver's license, a copy in my saddlebag with my insurance and registration, and I always temporarily lend a copy of the QR code to one trustworthy fellow writer in case of an emergency. That person will keep it on their person for the day, the week, or the month of travel, then return it to me for future use. It gives me peace of mind, but it also gives my fellow travelers enormous peace of mind because, of course, friends want to know how to help, and this is an enormous way to help me. This simple strategy has proven worth the time and effort many times. Out-of-state medical surprises have been easy to handle.

This hack has been praised by medical providers and my writing community. Perhaps other listeners will find it helpful too. Well, gosh, that seems so advanced. But this is a great example of how technology can really work for you if you know how to think about it in an ingenious, creative way, to solve a problem. Yes, creating your own QR code. I mean, what a great idea. And I think it's really easy to that. I just never thought of using it in this context. It's a great example of just a creative use of a new technology. Yeah. So this week, our Try This at Home suggestion is to review your 25 for 25 list. 2025 is coming to a close and it's always a good idea to review our lists. Yes. So when you review your list, make sure to give yourself a lot of tadas for things

that you crossed off your list. Right, because it's easy to get focused on the to-dos and not give yourself the tada. So you want to see what you got done. And look for patterns, things that you did because you really enjoyed them or things you didn't want to do or things that you've carried over from year to year. The patterns can be really interesting. Yeah. So here are some suggestions because I think reviewing these lists are part of what it's meant to do is help inspire ourselves and listeners to think about what we're going to put on our 26 for 26 list. So if it's useful as you think about your own list, and our review is going to show this, a little bit, for both of us, I think, we often will repeat an item year after year, either because we've done

it before and we want to do it again or because we haven't done it for year after year, but then we still want to get done. Neither one of us has ever once done everything on the list, not even close. No. I thought I would get closer this year, but I think we'll see maybe I didn't, but I did do a lot of important things. So sometimes one thing might be a big, big thing and you don't care as much so you didn't do 10 other things. Well, that's something that's funny, is sometimes something that seems small and easy doesn't get done and something that's huge. Yes.

That's a funny pattern to notice, too. It's really helpful to display your list because just seeing that something's on the list, the more it will help jog your mind to spot opportunities and just give yourself that feeling of accountability and just keeping it uppermost in your mind. I have past lists also up on the wall by my computer, so I enjoy having several lists up there. It's a little diary. Yeah. I have a folder where I keep all of it. And yes, it is. It's a great memento. You can use categories or not. Sometimes we've used categories. This year we used categories. At the past, we haven't used categories. Sometimes people like doing categories. Sometimes you could do one thing. Maybe everything is related to fun or everything is related to a big move. Now, in a previous episode, we talked about maybe you have one big thing. If you were going to really work on your happiness, there's just one big thing that you need to tackle. You could have all.

26 items focused on that one big thing. Or you could have them all be silly and whimsical. It's up to you. And Gretchen, many listeners have noticed with the number 26 that it corresponds to the number of letters in the alphabet. Yes, right? And so have fun with that. That's another whimsical way to organize your items. Mary said, I had an awkward hour between appointments in another town and not much was open, so I sat in a lobby and drafted my 26 for 26 list already. Because there will be 26 items, I decided to alphabetize them. Yeah, we're using the alphabet. I first wrote down any ideas and then tried to fit them to the letters and fill in any gaps.

It was such a novel way to approach the list that I just had to share it with you. I'm a longtime listener from New Zealand. It makes me happier every year to set goals for the year. So love to hear from New Zealand. That's great. And yes, setting goals can be really fun. For A, she had Adelaide Trip, B, brunch out, C, cook. 26 new to me saved recipes. See, sometimes people often have fun with the number of the year

that way. 26 recipes, 26 books. D. Daddy daughter, dessert date. Love that. E. Easter baking. F. Finish New Zealand coloring book and so on and so on. It's such a fun way to make your list of 26. Yes. And you can really turn any goal into one of the letters if you are creative enough. But X, she had extra long bike ride with the X in extra as capitalized. So you can find little cheats like that, I'm sure. Yes. Okay, Gretchen, well, coming up, we are going to go over our list. But first, this break. The holidays are coming, and that means gift giving. And this year, I have not been forward thinking on my gifts. I've been doing a lot of last minute gift shopping. And Wayfair makes it so easy.

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keeping my cool when I'm hosting. With all the food prep and guests arriving, I never have to stress about the trash. Plus, it looks super cool and modern in my kitchen. Add Mill to your wish list or gift one now. Get up to $200 off during their biggest sale of the season, Thursday, November 20th through Monday, December 1st. Miss the sale, you can still get $75 off with code Happy. Visit mill.com slash happy. That's mill.com slash H-A-P-P-Y. Okay, Elizabeth, 25 for 25. You're up first. So let's hear about your experience and remind everybody about your one-word theme for 2025. Yeah, so my one-word theme was bounce. Yes. I thought bounce was a very positive word. I wanted to rebound. I wanted to bounce into

the future. And my symbol was a kangaroo because obviously kangaroos bounce. And also, as many Australian listeners told me, kangaroos are known for moving forward, which I love. Yeah. So bounce was a really fun word. And you decided to use categories this year, which in the past we haven't always done. And your first category was reading, because it was read 25 and 25. Reading was a category. Yes. So first, you had the slow read of War and Peace. Yes. Well, I am just about done with that. So that is checked off the list, Gretchen. And I have, as we've talked about, enormously enjoyed reading War and Peace, it was a great thing to do. Yes. And if this is something that would intrigue you for 2026, check out Simon Hazel's footnotice.

and tangents, newsletter on substack. He has all kinds of options to do slow reads and it's super fun. Number two, head up a new book club, possibly with all Encino people. Okay, I did not do that. I did put out some inquiries, Gretchen, but I have to say I dropped the ball, so that's one that I did not do. Okay. Number three, well, I know you did this one. It was reading retreat with Gretchen. Yes, that was one of the most fun things of the year. And that's something we're thinking we're going to do every year. So that became a perennial. Yes, we'll have to decide whether it goes on to the 26 for 26 list or we just know that we're going to do it so we don't even list it. So that's kind of a judgment call we'll have to make. It's always good to put things on there that you know you want to do

and that you will do because then you know you're going to get some credit. I'm a big believer in picking something you can do right away or very easily. And then number four in reading was read one book a month versus listen and write it down for accountability. And why it was it that you wanted to read versus listen to your big audiobooks fan. Yeah, I love audiobooks, but I do find over time that my ability to read actual books has sort of gone down to just sit and read for three hours straight versus read a few pages and then do something else. So I want to build up that stamina again. I read some books. I don't know that I read 12 because I did not write them down for accountability. However, I think war and peace might count for 12 books in and of itself. So

I did read that all on paper, and it is, I think, I don't know, 1,300 pages or 1,500 pages. It's a lot, yeah. So we'll give me kind of a half a point for that one. Right. Well, I think you read two books or almost two books on just on our reading retreat because we were just pounding through the pages. Yes. I read those. So I did read on paper and, of course, loved it whenever I did it.

Yeah. Okay. Then your next category was Health. And so number five, under Health, was 100 Orange Theory, fitness classes. Yes. Now, Gretchen, I didn't reach a hundred, although listeners know I tried. You did. You ramped it up. You really were working solidly toward that. And I think I got over 85, let's say. I ended up traveling more often to Kansas City because of dad's health. So I'm going to give myself a pass on that because things got in the way and that's okay. And

those things were much more important. Yes. But I love Orange Theory. I'm an avid Orange theory goer, and that is going to go on my 26 list. Spoiler alert. Oh, okay. You were really diligently working towards that, and then something more important got in the way, and that happens, but you did a lot of orange theory. How about number six? Maintain your current weight. Yes, happy to report, Gretch. I absolutely did that. Number seven, try solid core, which is a different kind of exercise. I have not done that. Again, that's one of those things that, as you pointed out, would be so easy to check off the list, which is partly why I put it on the list. There's a solid core right by my house, which is why I want to try it. I've looked it up many times and

thought about going to a class, didn't follow through. So no. Do you think you'll carry that over? Probably. Yeah. No, and it's a good example of something that seems so easy, doesn't get done, whereas something much more ambitious does get done. Also under health was number eight. Take daily medication at the same time every morning after brushing your teeth. I would say I've gotten much, much better about that. Not 100%, but much better. So I'll count that as a win. Okay. And then number nine, using your water pick every day with flossing. Yes. I've been doing that. And it's funny, the more you do it, the more it feels weird if you don't do it. Yes. So it builds upon itself. It becomes easier and easier the more you do it. I think that's particularly true of things related to your mouth. That

once you get used to it, your mouth just feels gross if you don't do it. So it's very self-reinforcing in my experience. Yeah. Career. Number 10, do one happier and one happier in Hollywood social post every week. Gretchen, I have not done this. I have not been good with my social posts, although I do post or happier in Hollywood Facebook group often, and I active there. I haven't done actual posts every week. Yeah, I think you gave yourself a demerit for this. Yes. And then number 11, which I think might be tied to number 10. I think there's a relationship with number 11, which was do a happier in Hollywood substack. Yes, Sarah and I have done that. We have loved that.

We do our newsletters, video questions every Saturday. We've done some slow reads there on writing books. We are doing what we call the first five there. So that has taken up so much of my social media headspace that I kind of do give myself a bit of a pass on the previous one. And of course, Gretchen, I have to mention that if you would like to subscribe to our free newsletter, go to happier in Hollywood pod at substack.com. I also have to mention that you have a substack as well. Yeah. Secrets of Adulthood. Sign up for mine. But yeah, listen, I wonder if you hadn't had number 11, I think you might have found 10 easier to do. Yes. Because they sort of were battling

for the same piece of your bandwidth. Yes. And maybe there's something to be learned there in terms of patterns of what works and what doesn't. Then number 12 was new photographs with Gretchen and new photographs with Sarah. Okay, well, you and I got new photos. We did. Which are fantastic by a wonderful photographer named Allie Coyle in Kansas City. I also got my individual photos, which is nice, because you never know when you need your own photo. There's a drive-by hack there, which is, it's really helpful to have a good headshot. Yes. It turns out they're just, you find that you need a good headshot. But Sarah and I have not yet done our photos. So we still have to do that, but it's very much on our minds. It's hard to get your

photographs taken. It takes a lot of energy. And then number 13, finish your novel. Oh my gosh, Gretchen. I'm so embarrassed to say we've not finished our novel. We've gotten ensconced in many things, but it's on our minds. Well, you have that pesky writing job in Hollywood that interferes. It takes up a lot of time. Okay, and then the category of family. Number 14, go to Kansas City every season. Yes, Gretchen. I went to Kansas City every season. And And more than that, as it turned out, and that has been one of the best things I did this year. Well, and this is a good example of how if somebody else makes a resolution or states an intention, often it can inspire other people. You wanted to get more committed to flossing, made me more committed to flossing.

You just saying like, oh, this is something that I'm aiming to do, I was like, oh, that's a really good idea. I don't think I put it officially on my list, but because you put it in my head, I did visit Kansas City every season. And then very recently, we both have been visiting Kansas City a lot, both apart and together, and that has added greatly to our happiness. Number 15. See my mother-in-law and father-in-law at least once a month. Don't think I did that. I saw them quite a bit, but not once a month. So I got to work on that. Number 16, movie night every week was Jack and Adam. I have not done that again. That's something that sounds pretty easy. Didn't you do it. Why not, do you think? Well, Jack is a little resistant, to be honest.

Okay. Okay. Number 17, always have a new TV show I'm watching with Adam. I would say that has been intermittent. We haven't always picked one up right away, but we have watched stuff together more than we usually do. It's fun to have a TV show that you both really love, but it can be hard to find that perfect show. Number 18, visit Ava at UCSB. Yes, Ava is my niece, and we did visit her at UCSB, which is University of California, Santa Barbara, and that was awesome. Number 19, go to Spain with Jack and Adam. Haven't done that this year, maybe next year.

Okay, and then you had a grab bag. Number 20 was get a solid four-person American Mahjong group. There have been many conversations and many text chains, but it is not yet half-bets. There have been many conversations of people saying they want to do it, but it has not solidified. It's not always that easy to heard the cats. Number 21, get more inexpensive gold rings and bracelets. Your three style words were clear. lean, confident, and current. So you wanted to lean into that, as I recall.

Yes. I think I got a couple of new gold rings. I really need to get a nice costume gold bracelet from short on bracelets. Yeah, that's a fun one. Number 22, save for an expensive bag. Well, I think I told you when we talked about this a while ago, Gretchen, I kind of axed that because I've decided I'm just over the whole idea of expensive bags. Well, and that's a good example that you can just say. to accomplish an item by deciding you don't want to do it after all. And so that's a good way. I have one of those two. Number 23, host a game night. This is something I so wanted to do and I haven't and I swear I am going to do this because I love game nights. Yes. I got to raise my hand and be the one to have a game night.

You love a game night. I do. Number 24, attend seven live events. That's two plus five is how you got to seven. That's another fun way to use the number of the year in a creative way is to add them together. Two plus five is seven. So did you do seven live events? You know, Gretchen, I forgot to keep track, but I do think I hit seven. And it actually was super useful to have that on the list because it would prompt me to get tickets to see something that I might not have bothered to, except I'm like, ooh, if I do this, it's toward my seven live event. So I didn't actually keep track, but I think I hit seven. Yeah, I think so. Like, I remember you went to that James Taylor concert. Yes. Seems like you were going to a lot of things. That's great. And then 25 was free space.

Did you end up adding something? Yeah, Gretchen, I've decided that my 25 is continue to do Friamon Canyon every Sunday because that's something I've been doing and I feel like it deserves a tada. And if I had thought of it, I would have put it on the list. There you go. Love it. Yes, Freiman Canyon. Oh, Well, excellent. There were some things you did not do, but there were many things you did do, and you got a lot of benefit from it, which is the whole point of doing these lists. Yes. And coming up, Gretchen, we're going to go over your 25 and 25 list. But first is break. You're ready for the holidays. The turkey's been going since this morning. The sides are perfectly seasoned. The out-of-towners have a bed, couch, or futon to

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here. Now, your word was door. Yeah, because I'm in the open door phase, which is the way I've characterized the emptiness phase is the open door phase. And I also wanted the door to mean hospitality. I will invite people in through my door and also to travel more and have adventures, go out through the door into the world. And I didn't have a good visual for it because doors are very common, but there's not like an iconic door that I found, the way you found kangaroo, but it was a really great word. I like the word that it's coming and going. Yes. Okay, Gretchen, let's start your list. So first, we have a grab bag category. And number one was finish your photo albums. And this was a repeat. I put this on the list every single year because it's really hard. It takes a lot of time. I use Shutterfly to make these photo albums. I use them as family diaries. And I do them all basically at the end of the year. So it takes a while. And it's fiddly work to do it all at once. But that's just the easiest way to do it.

go back and handwrite captions using a Sharpie. So it's kind of a process. So I wanted to da of getting to cross it off the list when I've done it. And I haven't done it yet for this year, but I'm sure that I will because it's super important to me. Okay, number two, watch essential movies. And this includes Die Hard, Frozen, Inside Out, Boyhood, and Forrest Gump. Okay. Talk about things that seem easy and fun. I watched Die Hard because I really wanted to know why it was a Christmas movie. Okay. I get it. I watched Forrest Gump, but I haven't. watched Frozen Inside Outer Boyhood, which I'm sure I would love. I've got to work on that.

Yeah, you'll especially love boyhood. Yes. Number three, visit the Earth Room. Explain what that is. Yes, this is an artwork that was created in 1977 where there's just a, as far as I know, because I haven't gone, just a big room full of dirt. And it's in this 3,600 square foot space in Soho. This is something where I could just go and look at it anytime, and I haven't done it.

But I really want to do it. I'm very curious. You will do that. I will do that. Yes. Okay, number four, 20th anniversary of Kid Lit, September 20th. Yes. On September 20th, it was the 20th anniversary of my children's literature reading groups first meeting. Now, a lot of more people have joined these groups, but that was the very first meeting. Our book choice was the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And I decided that the end of the year was just too crowded, and I hadn't gotten to it by September. But I really want to do this. I will do this next year because it's going to be really, really fun to do. I did not do it in 2025. Okay, number five, make a list of 25 things that please me. I love that, meaning please you, Gretchen. I love doing this. It's much longer than 25. I'm now thinking,

like, do I want to turn this into some hobby book? Making a list of things that please me. It's so fun because you just think it's a way to sort of acknowledge the things that you love in the world. We bought this vacation house that's on a lake. And I was thinking, I love a glassy lake. I love it when it's just glassy, you know, and it's the reflection of the trees, just seems almost perfect. And I thought, oh, it's something that can go on my list. A glassy lake. It's so satisfying. You can do 25 things just that please you about your house. I can do that. That's a great idea. So I'm going to do this in 2026 because it is such an enjoyable way to sort of pay tribute to the beauties of the world. And then I also want to think, could this turn into something? I don't know. Does anybody else

care about the things that please me? I don't know. Maybe I'll just do it for my own fun. Number six, organize a Supreme Court clerk's reunion. Okay, I did this. And this was big. This took a lot of planning. Talk about putting up your hand. I just made this up. I was just like, oh, I think we should have a reunion.

I'm going to see if anybody else wants to join me. So I give myself a lot of credit for this one, I have to say. And it was super, super fun. Everybody really had fun and really enjoyed it. And it was super worthwhile. But it was one of the more ambitious things on my list. Yes, major gold stars for that. Number seven, continue to learn and experiment with AI. I did. I have continued to learn an experiment with AI. In particular, one thing that I'm trying to do is to use voice instead of typing. I always default into typing. But this is something where I could use voice. I'm using it. I have just such a giant archive of my own research and writing. I'm using it to find the footnotes to my own work. So I am continuing to use it and learn about it.

And you've inspired me to do the same. Oh, good. Good. Again, these lists are catching. Yes. Number eight, podcaster gathering. You did that. I did that. I love to talk shop. I love to meet with people doing the same things. I planned a podcaster gathering. That was super fun. Okay. Now moving on to the category of read 25 and 25. Number nine on your list is read War and Peace. Once again, that's the Simon Hazel, 2025 slow read of War and Peace with footnotes and tangents. Yes. I did that. When I'm coming up on the end, love it, loved reading War and Peace. It was fantastic. Though I have to say my instinct is to read more than one chapter at a time. Sometimes I would read in bunches. I wouldn't even notice I had skipped into a new chapter. I will say reading one chapter at a time, you really do absorb the material.

You do. More than blowing through it. Yeah. It's kind of like watching a television show week to week instead of binge watching it. It just sits with you more. Yeah. Number 10. Reader. Retreat with Elizabeth. Yes. Elizabeth, we had so much fun on this reading retreat. And this is part of a larger thing that we've talked about, which is that we love having sisterly adventures.

We loved having family time together, but like we loved our hiking thing that we did, which was a different kind of adventure. This was a different kind of adventure. We love having different sisterly adventures. Yes, and it moves our relationship forward instead of just being about growing up together. Yes. We're continuing to evolve together, which also the podcast does that as well. for us. Exactly. Okay, moving on, Gretz, to the category of open door. Very important for you. Number 11 is

Operation Nix knowledge. Yes. So my husband, Jamie, is a huge fan of the Nix and huge luxury. He got seasoned tickets with a friend of his. And he said to me, well, now you're going to have to get really interested in the Nix. And then I thought, he said it as a joke. I was like, oh, my gosh, that's a great idea. I want to get really interested in the Nix. And I wanted to see, can I make myself just get interested in something. And I have loved getting to know more about the Nix. I remember I was traveling for work and I was sitting in a hotel diner and they had the big TV onto ESPN and they announced that the coach had been fired. And I literally gasped out loud. I can't believe it. Okay. And there is nothing that gives me more transcendent pleasure of New York City than New York forever. And the NIC's

spirit is so strong. So, yeah, Operation NIC's knowledge, mission accomplish. Excellent. Number 12. Try transcendental meditation intriguing. Well, this was something I wanted to do because Jamie was into it. But then Jamie just lost interest. And so then I was sort of like, oh, if it was going to be sort of an interesting thing for us to do together, I would do it. But if he isn't interested in it, I was like, maybe I'm not so interested in it either. So I decided to put that one aside. Okay. So that went the way of my expensive purse. Yes, exactly. Okay. Number 13, plan an adventurous family trip for the summer. Well, I got lucky because my in-laws plan. an adventurous family trip for the summer.

So I just was like, that sounds like a great trip. Listen, you and I do not enjoy planning trips the way some people just loved to plan trips. I do not love to plan trips. I like to go on trips, and I'm very accommodating when other people have a vision. I went on an adventurous family trip. I did not plan an adventurous family trip, but I think that counts. That counts. Number 14 anniversary party slash 10th anniversary of Jamie's Cure, which was January 9th, 2015.

And I didn't do this. And I don't know why. I always say January 9th is the happiest day of my life. And we often will do celebration at home, but I didn't do a party for it. Maybe it was because it was too early in 2025. I just didn't do it. Number 15, get a puppy. Okay. This was major. It was more major than we realized, actually, because I would say that Jamie and I were happiness bullied into getting a puppy from Eliza and Eleanor, who were like puppy grandparents. They come over, they play with a puppy, and then they leave. But we We love Tappy. It was more work than we remembered to have a puppy, but now it's just the fun part. And she and Barnaby now get along really well. At first, he was a little bit skeptical of the puppy energy. But she's so sweet, so fun, it has so much love and energy. Elizabeth, you had two dogs and we're a big fan of the two dogs, so I think I was sort of copying you. And it's just been a great thing. It's been worth the extra work and responsibility because we do just love having the two dogs. Yeah, they're adorable. Okay, number 16, learn to cook one dish. I did this. I learned how to make meatballs. I did a great job. If I do say so myself, they were

delicious, and I love meatballs. Meatballs are one of my favorite foods, and it was very satisfying to make my own meatballs. I was going to say, you love a meatball. And Gretchen, the next category is door, which again is your word of the year. I had my category of open door, which was things basically related to the emptiness phase of life, which I'm calling open door. But then door was literally the door of my apartment or the door of our weekend house, literally having to do with that door. Number 17 was work outside my office. I love, there's a little library right near my apartment. I love to work there. I love to work in a coffee shop. I have an external monitor now. I love to work that way, but often I just don't get organized enough or I feel like

I don't have enough solid time where I don't need to get on the phone or meet with somebody. But I really wanted to push myself. I didn't do this as much as I wanted, but it really reminded me of how much I do love to work outside my office. So I'm going to repeat this. Good. And number 18, I think this is a fun one. Kayack every warm day. Yes.

If we were at that house and I could kayak, I would kayak. And definitely this is the kind of thing where I did it so much more because it is on my list. And I was like, I want to do this every single day where there's a lot of times I might have been like, oh, maybe I'll go later in the day. maybe I'll go later in the day, and oh, now it's too late, but this really got me to do it. I did it every warm day that we were there. It was very satisfying. Grouch, we talk about what's the least you thing you do, and I do think kayaking every warm day is one of the least you things that you do. Oh, interesting. I don't think of you as one who would jump into a kayak. Now I am. I jump into a kayak, a drop of a hat. Okay, number 19, tree, plant,

and bird ID. This is fun. So I have learned to, I do. see some trees, I think. I have a long way to go with more plants and bird identification, but it's fun. It's harder than you think. I don't think I have a mind that works that way somehow, but I want to get better at it. Number 20, there's a little door in the house. Yeah, so in our house, this weekend house, there is this little door that has a little cubby behind it. It's hard to describe. And I keep thinking, I need to have a vision of what is in that little cubby so that when you open the door, it's like, whoa, what is in there? I have not had that vision, but I don't want to rush it. I don't want to settle for something that's not

really, really terrific. So I am just holding that in mind and looking for what that vision would be. So that might take years, but that's okay. Yeah, you love a miniature, Gretz, so I'm guessing it's going to be some sort of miniature situation. I think there could be very likely. Okay, number 21, make nice signs for the Wi-Fi password, how to turn on the projector, and how to reboot the Wi-Fi for your weekend house. We hope to have a lot of guests there. So, you know, when you go to a lovely bed and breakfast or something, and they have like a little framed thing on the desk and it has the Wi-Fi password and all that. So I thought, instead of just having handwritten signs, scotch tape to various places, let's make a really nice sign so that if we

have guests, they know how to do all this stuff very easily, even if we're not there to tell them or it's the middle of the night or whatever. But I decided that I'm going to delegate this to lies in Eleanor to make these signs. Good idea. Okay. And Grette, your final category was watercolor. You have talked a lot about learning to watercolor over the last couple of years. Number 22 on your list is watercolor every day. This is something where I haven't done it every day. In a way, I was letting myself down. But I have watercolor so much more than I would have done otherwise. And I really love trying to do it every day. So I'm going to repeat it. I'm doing more than I would otherwise do. So that counts.

There you go. Number 23, 12 postcards of watercolor. This was a great idea. I did about six or seven. I did not do 12. Okay. Well, I'll give you credit for that. Yeah. Number 24, bench sketch once a week. This is when I would go to the Met and sketch a scene. And I did that several times, but I didn't really enjoy it. So I decided that I was going to stop doing it. It wasn't very satisfying. I would rather use that drawing, sketching energy in watercolor.

So I sort of decided to cross that off the list. Okay, fair enough. You like walking around the met. You don't want to just sit in one spot. That is exactly right. Okay, finally, number 25, create a watercolor station at your apartment and at your house. That's the strategy of convenience. If you want yourself to do something, make it as convenient as possible.

And I had been putting everything away every time. And then I realized, no, make it as convenient as possible. Find a way to leave everything out. And so that took some rearranging, but I managed to do that. and that did help with me doing it more. Excellent, Gretsch. I think your watercoloring is great, by the way. I find it very impressive.

Oh, well, thank you. Well, this was super fun. It's always good to reflect on these. It's so interesting, and now we have to think about what's coming up in 26. If you want to know more about the design your year, all the different exercises, you can go to have your cast.com slash design your year. But let us know if you tried this and how reflecting on your list worked for you, let us know on Instagram, threads, TikTok, Facebook, drop us an email.

at podcast at gretchenrubin.com or as always you can go to the show notes. This is happiercast.com slash 565. Yes. And finally, Gretch, we are not doing a demerit this week. We only have just one huge gold star. One huge gold stars or perhaps a trillion gold stars for our father, who is the best father ever. We've been reflecting so much lately and together as a family of just how great a father he is. Yeah, I was just saying, Gretchen, you know, he has very piercing blue eyes. Yes. But nobody comments on that. They comment on his smile because his smile is so big.

People call him Smile and Jack. That's what my friends always called him. So I think, wow, to have piercing blue eyes, but nobody notices him because you have such a great smile. That makes me smile. No one was more surprised than our parents that we both ended up as writers. Nobody saw that coming. Would I describe him as cheerful more or good nature? We went back and forth and like, well,

cheerful means XYZ, good nature means XYZ, which describes him better. They both describe him better. But we did decide on good nature ultimately, because that was more internal and cheerful is more external. He's both. He's both. Yes, yes, he is. So a million gold stars and one giant gold star for our father. Yes. The resource for this week, if you want to join the Move 26 and 26 challenge or you want to print off your 26 for 26 list, again, there's one central place where you can find all of this. Happiercast.com slash design your year. It's everything related to design your year, the one word theme, the annual list, the challenge, and then all kinds of tools and guides that go with it. So check it out. And Elizabeth, what are we reading? Well, we're not really getting any reading done right now. Yeah, we're more just talking to each other. We're more talking to each other.

And that's it for this episode of Happier. Remember to try this at home. Review your 25 for 25 list. Let us know, what did you learn? What did you get done? What did you not get done? we want to know. Thank you to our executive producer, Chuck Reed, and everyone at Lemonada. And your rhyming reminder. If you like the show, let others know. Until next week, I'm Elizabeth Kraft. And I'm Gretchen Rubin. Thanks for joining us, onward and upward. Yes, a very Kansas City family thing to do. That's always our tradition. From the Onward Project.

Hi, Gretchen, Craig Robinson, and my little sister, Michelle here. We host a new podcast called IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. We know you're the queen of giving advice, so we wanted to get a few tips from you. You know, Gretchen, a lot of our listeners are going through some major life changes. What advice do you have for folks who are trying to stay grounded in the midst of major life transitions? Craig and Michelle, I am so happy to be talking to you. Here are a few questions that might help us gain perspective. So consider questions like this.

What activities take up my time but are not particularly useful or stimulating for me? Do I spend a lot of time on something that's important to someone else, but is not very important to me? If I could magically change one habit in my life, what would I choose? And here's a question, would I like to have more time in solitude, restorative solitude, or would I like to have more time with friends? You know, just thinking about questions like this can help us start to figure out how we might make our lives happier with greater self-knowledge, we're better able to make hard decisions that reflect ourselves, our own nature, our own interests, our own values. In my own case, I have found that the more my life reflects my nature, the happier I get, and the more grounded

I feel when I'm going through a period of major change or transition. For more great advice, search for IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, wherever you get podcast. You can listen to Issa Ray on letting go of certain friendships. Kiki Palmer on why disappointment is actually the key to career success, Seth and Lauren Rogan on caring for aging parents, and so many more.