it's all in the detail

i sometimes have a quick squizz at "The Happiness Project" where Gretchen Rubin is spending the year writing about how to be happy.

her ruminations and research cover all kinds of ideas and she asks for her readers' input. in the last week or so she has mentioned a couple of rules people have given her as personal steps to happiness:

one was put your shoes on
sounds odd, doesn't it? but having read it i understand. putting shoes on, even for working at/from home, gives a sense of readiness. i always wear shoes at home for just that reason, i can move inside and out and back again without having to hassle around about shoes. i never thought about shoe wearing being a step to happiness but if it saves some frustration it is!

another was make the bed
this is again, about feeling that things are under control, about the link between visual and mental clutter

Ms Rubin doesn't say that we all should wear shoes all the time or that we all should make the bed all the time. her point is that we should identify things that we can do (or not do) in order to contribute to our individual sense of well being

i've been thinking about the things i do for the sake of my enjoyment of life

• turn off the noise. i have probably said so here before but i'll say it again. i really get tired of unneccessary noise. auditory clutter drives me bananas. the radio goes off. the tv goes off and sometimes the kids are sent to their rooms
• make the effort to cook and eat veggies. i know this would seem to be a no brainer but sometimes life is so busy that i find it hard to keep fresh vegetables in the house. if i just find the time and energy to get myself organised not only do we eat better but i feel like a better mum. and that is the point for me, avoiding the nagging sense of defeat that comes from serving meal that is low in vegetables. in support of this cause i have developed a love affair with
• pre-prepared salads. they have a range of different leaves in them and i dont have to cut and wash and store 5 different lettuces. i just get out the bag, add balsamic and olive oil and we have salad. it's too easy.

what sort of things do you do to up the happiness quotient?