My Own Happiness Project

I just ran across Gretchen Rubin's site discussing the Happiness Project and I decided to start one of my own!


I have no idea how it works, but I guess I'll figure it out as I go along.

I've now set up a chart from Joe's Goals (although so far, I only have one goal!) and I'm posting Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Subjects.


Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.

Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

So where am I on these? Well, I'm not going to worry about Temperance. I'm there on that one. Order, well, that's going to take some work.

Strictly speaking, on the first half of that sentence - I'm there. "Let all your things have their places". I like my life orderly and I want my life orderly. All things in my home and in my office have their place and sometimes I can get slightly obessive about it, but I realize that it is just me trying to control things when I'm feeling out of control. I'm not worried about the "chaos" in that respect.

The second part of that sentence, not so much. "Let each part of your business have its time". This is where I have a big problem. I get distracted very easily and some days I will spend so much time doing everything but work during working hours that I can't sleep at night because of the guilt.

So for the first part of my Happiness Project, this will be what I focus on to begin with.
Baby steps, baby steps...

Update
I've gone back to Joe's Goals and added everything I can think of off the top of my head to keep focused on the task at hand. Namely, work first, everything else later.

I also made Joe's Goals my homepage, so every time I turn my computer on, I go there first.