A GUIDED BOOK JOURNEY

The Happiness Project

Gretchen Rubin

30 days to test small, concrete resolutions and notice what actually makes you happier.

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What you'll learn

Small concrete resolutions, tracked daily

Vague hopes for more happiness don't stick. Specific, trackable daily resolutions do.

Monthly themes

Grouping resolutions around a theme, like energy or relationships, keeps the project from feeling scattered.

Being yourself

Happiness comes from building a life around what YOU genuinely find fun, not what's supposed to make people happy.

Energy as the foundation

Sleep, movement, and clearing clutter aren't small stuff. They're the foundation everything else rests on.

The four splendid truths, in practice

To feel better, you have to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth, and act accordingly, day by day.

The 30-day arc

Four parts, thirty days, walked at your own pace.

Energy first

Days 1–7

Pick one sleep resolution

Choose one simple sleep commitment to test this week.

Track your bedtime tonight

Write down when you actually go to bed tonight.

Move for ten minutes

Move your body for ten minutes and notice how you feel after.

Clear one visible surface

Pick one cluttered surface and clear it completely.

Notice your energy pattern

Map when your energy peaks and dips throughout the day.

Add a second resolution

Layer in a second small resolution alongside your first.

Review what actually worked

Look at what you actually did and what shifted.

Being yourself

Days 8–14

List supposed-to-be-fun activities

Write down activities you do because they're supposed to be fun.

Name what YOU enjoy

Identify what you genuinely enjoy, not what sounds good.

Try one genuine pleasure

Do one thing today that's actually pleasurable to you.

Drop one joyless should

Drop one activity you do out of obligation, not joy.

Schedule fun you'll actually do

Put real fun on your calendar like any other commitment.

Notice guilt around enjoyment

Notice any guilt that shows up when you prioritize enjoyment.

Build your real fun list

Create your personal list of activities that reliably feel good.

III

Monthly themes

Days 15–23

Choose your monthly theme

Pick one theme to focus your resolutions for the next two weeks.

Write three specific resolutions

Turn your theme into three trackable, concrete actions.

Track each one today

Mark whether you did each resolution today.

Notice what feels scattered

Identify where your attention feels pulled in too many directions.

Refine one unclear resolution

Rewrite one vague resolution into something you can actually track.

Check in at midpoint

Assess what's working, what's not, and what to adjust.

Add a resolution if ready

Add another small resolution if you're ready to layer.

Track without judging slips

Track your day without making slips mean anything about you.

Review your theme's impact

Reflect on how your theme has shaped the last two weeks.

Living the truths

Days 24–30

Name what moved the needle

Name the one or two things that made the biggest difference.

Identify your feeling-good actions

List the actions that consistently make you feel energized and good.

Identify your feeling-right actions

List the actions that feel aligned with who you want to be.

Build your daily scorecard

Design a simple daily checklist of your most important habits.

Notice your growth atmosphere

Notice what conditions help you actually follow through.

Commit to three lasting habits

Choose three resolutions to carry forward as lasting habits.

Celebrate and plan next month

Acknowledge how far you've come and set your theme for next month.