Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin Read Free Book Online Page A

once.
    Abundance lovers are attracted by the idea of “more,” of overflow, of addition, of ampleness, of a full pantry. They always want to have more than enough. They like a bit of bustle, and they enjoy collecting things and having a wide array of choices.
    Simplicity lovers and abundance lovers thrive in different environments. For instance, a simplicity lover is likely to work better in an office that’s quiet, with minimal decoration; the abundance lover in an office that’s lively and crammed with visual details. I visited a tech company that had just held a “decorate your team’s cubicle pod” contest, and stuff was everywhere , even hanging from the ceiling. I’m sure the contest was fun, but I thought to myself, “I could never work here.”
    When changing habits, a simplicity lover may be attracted to elimination and simplification—to saving money by cutting off cable TV or quitting online shopping. An abundance lover may be attracted to addition and variety—to making money by starting a freelance career or learning how to invest.
Am I a Finisher or an Opener?
    Some people love finishing, and some people love opening—both literally and figuratively. Finishers love the feeling of bringing a project to completion, and they’re determined to use the last drop in the shampoo bottle; Openers thrill to the excitement of launching a new project, and find pleasure in opening a fresh tube of toothpaste.
    I’m a Finisher; Jamie is an Opener. The other day, I looked inside a kitchen cabinet and saw four bags of granola, all open. When I pointed this out to Jamie and demanded that he not open another bag until those were finished, he just laughed, and for the next few weeks, he amused himself by pretending to open more bags in front of me. As a Finisher, I get a sense of accomplishment when I use the last egg in a carton, and I feel a weird satisfaction when something breaks or wears out. I wondered why I liked to see the stuffing peek out of our sofa, or the hole in an old pair of socks, until I realized that it’s my Finisher nature, delighting in the finish.
    By contrast, an Opener law professor told me, “I’m constantly starting new articles or writing proposals for new courses. I have a stack of drafts that I’ve never bothered to polish into finished pieces. Plus I always have several open jars of mustard in the fridge.”
    If we know whether we’re a Finisher or an Opener, we can shape our habits to suit that preference. For instance, when I was trying to form the habit of blogging regularly, I created one blog, where I post six days a week; when I’ve posted for the day, I’m finished. An Opener acquaintance has bought more than three hundred URLs, maintains twelve sites, and is always considering launching a new site. That suits his desire for opening. I like my strength-training gym; I lift weights for twenty minutes, then I’m finished; there’s not one more thing I can do. Openers might prefer a gym that allows them to rotate through many types of exercise.
    Because Finishers focus on their ability to complete, they may be overly cautious about trying to form new habits; Openers may be overly optimistic about their ability to take on additional habits.
Am I a Familiarity Lover or
a Novelty Lover?
    Some people love familiarity; some love novelty. I’m definitely in the familiarity camp. I love to reread my favorite books and to watch movies over and over. I eat the same foods, more or less, every day. I like returning to places I’ve visited before. Other people thrive on doing new things.
    For familiarity lovers, a habit becomes easier as it becomes familiar. When I felt intimidated by the library when I started law school, I made myself walk through it a few times each day until I felt comfortable enough to work there. When I started blogging, my unfamiliarity with the mechanics of posting made me dread