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" For years, I didn&amp;#039;t like my morning routine. Too much crabbiness and foot-dragging \u2014 and that was just me. My family wasn&amp;#039;t any better. Finally, I thought, The morning is so important; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. How can I improve my \u2014 and my family&amp;#039;s \u2014 experience? The answer: I needed to get out of bed earlier. These days, I rise at 6:00 A.M. every single day \u2014 even on weekends and when I&amp;#039;m on vacation. That way, I get a peaceful hour to myself, at my computer, before my family wakes up. I have the opportunity to get organized and prepared for what lies ahead, the apartment is quiet, the light is dim and soothing, and the world feels very serene. I&amp;#039;ve become so attached to this gift of time that I would get up even earlier--at 4:30 or 5:00 A.M. \u2014 if I could, but that would mean I&amp;#039;d have to go to bed at 8:00 P.M., and I just can&amp;#039;t live that way; I&amp;#039;m already too much of a fuddy-duddy as it is. I often hear people complain that they don&amp;#039;t have enough time to do the things that are important to them. They vow to exercise more often, or work on a novel, or meditate, or simply curl up and read for pleasure \u2014 but somehow, they never seem able to fit these pursuits into their day. I know the feeling. But here&amp;#039;s what I&amp;#039;ve noticed: When we finally get to that point in the evening when work and chores are finished, the office isn&amp;#039;t e-mailing, and the kids are in bed (freedom!), instead of getting down to writing or meditating or popping in a workout tape, we end up sitting in front of the computer, reading about Kate Middleton&amp;#039;s pregnancy or doing spring-clothing shopping or researching the works of J.M. Barrie. Or, we stay up late watching an episode of The Wire. And then it&amp;#039;s hard to get out of bed in the morning. Not that these activities aren&amp;#039;t pleasant, but they tend not to give much happiness bang for the buck. In that same hour or two, you could have been exercising, working on your novel, or knitting. I know what you&amp;#039;re thinking: I&amp;#039;m always too tired by that time of night! And it&amp;#039;s true. You are too tired. Which brings me back to my strategy of going to bed earlier, waking up earlier, and using that reclaimed morning hour for any activity you&amp;#039;ve been wishing you could add to your life. Think an hour isn&amp;#039;t long enough to get anything substantial done? Give it a try. To crib from Voltaire: Don&amp;#039;t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. In other words, if you can&amp;#039;t write for three hours, don&amp;#039;t let that prevent you from writing for one. Afterward, you&amp;#039;ll discover how gratifying it is to start your day knowing you&amp;#039;ve accomplished something important to you. Even if you can&amp;#039;t see setting your alarm for 6:00 A.M. every day, remember that early rising also works as an occasional strategy. My former college roommate gets up at 4:30 A.M. on Sundays to go for a 16-mile run \u2014 the only running she does all week! I talked to a guy who loves going for long bike rides, except that now that he&amp;#039;s the father of two young children, his disappearing for an entire Saturday (and leaving his wife with the kids) isn&amp;#039;t an option. So one day each weekend, he gets up at 5:00 A.M., rides his bike, and is home in time for lunch with his family. Of course, it takes a while to adjust to a new sleep schedule; don&amp;#039;t expect to be productive right off the bat. And if you&amp;#039;re truly not a morning person (or you have a little kid who&amp;#039;s waking up at 5:30 A.M. already, demanding your attention), this strategy may not be for you. But if you ease into your new morning routine, you may find it&amp;#039;s not as tough as you think. For the first week or so, I suggest getting up at the new time every day, even on weekends, but not trying to accomplish anything much; your goal is simply to get accustomed to the new rhythm. Now that I&amp;#039;m in the early habit, I wouldn&amp;#039;t trade my morning hour for anything. If you sleep through it and rise with the rest of the world, when the phone is ringing and your e-mail inbox is already full, you&amp;#039;ll never know what a gift it is. You have to be there, wide awake, to experience it. Next:   Gretchen Rubin: What&amp;#039;s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?  JT: Exercise. I do it by commuting by bicycle from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Crossing the East River is especially joyful, but just getting outside and moving is generally enough to raise my spirits. GR: What do you know now about happiness that you didn&amp;#039;t know when you were 18 years old? JT: How much joy you can get from doing things for your children \u2014 and for other people, too. GR: Is there anything you find yourself doing that repeatedly gets in the way of your happiness?JT: Surfing the Web. I&amp;#039;ve tried to cut back by using some of the techniques we describe in the book. I like RescueTime software, which keeps track of what I&amp;#039;m doing on the computer. It doesn&amp;#039;t actually stop me from surfing, but it discourages me, because I know I&amp;#039;ll get a report e-mailed to me that details exactly how much time I wasted. GR: Is there a happiness mantra that helps you?  JT: Years ago, when I was researching an article on stress, one social scientist passed on a simple tip: &amp;quot;At some point every day, you have to say, &amp;#039;No more work.&amp;#039; &amp;quot; However many tasks remain undone, you have to give yourself permission to relax and enjoy the evening. GR: Is there something you notice other people doing that detracts from their happiness?  JT: Dieting. In the book, we have a number of strategies for controlling weight, but we advise against dieting. We don&amp;#039;t think people should beat themselves up for not being thin enough. GR: How do you give yourself a happiness boost when you&amp;#039;re blue? JT: I play one turn of Wordfeud (a Scrabble-like game) with my wife. We keep a game going on our smartphones. Or, if I have more time, I&amp;#039;ll read a chapter of whatever novel I&amp;#039;ve got going on my Kindle. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/advice/a19299/the-happiness-project-making-time-for-yourself/>