My sister Elizabeth Craft and I are having so much fun with our new podcast,  “Happier with Gretchen Rubin.“

I was in Los Angeles last weekend, as part of my book tour for Better Than Before, which was published last week. (Buy early, buy often!) It was great to have a chance to visit Elizabeth and her family — they live in Encino. While I was there, Elizabeth and I got a professional photo taken of ourselves, for the podcast, and we also managed to record two episodes. Usually, we don’t get to be in the same room as we talk, so it was great to be able to see each other for the conversation.

We also recorded an episode that will be a little bit… different.  I’m dying to see how that one turns out.

As I’ve been doing events for Better Than Before many people have told me that they’re enjoying the podcast. Thanks so much, and thanks for listening!

Here’s what we discuss in today’s episode:

Try This at Home

Embrace good smells. How I love good smells. The unconventional perfumer I mention is Christopher Brosius’ CB I Hate Perfumes. Here’s a photo of my Shrine to Smell. What are some of your favorite smells?

Happiness Stumbling Block

It turns out that working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination. One big theme of Better Than Before is the question of how to use habits to avoid procrastination.

Listener Question

“What’s something that can be done every morning that will guarantee a happierstart to the day?”

Gretchen’s Demerit

I can’t make myself check my voice-mail messages on my land-line phone. It drives me crazy.

Elizabeth’s Gold Star

Inform Fitness Gym. I’m a believer, now Elizabeth is a believer! It’s a gym where we do high-intensity strength-training. The form of training is called “Super Slow.”

Bonus Gold Star

When Elizabeth and I were recording, we got to see Andy Bowers, the brilliant Chief Content Officer of Panoply. Gold Star for Andy, who has made our entree into the world of podcasting so fun and easy.