Author Gretchen Rubin received international attention for her 2009 best-selling book, The Happiness Project, in which she reexamines her own happiness and tries to develop mood-boosting habits. This week, Rubin shared some of her most efficient mood-boosting tips. For the most part, they can be accomplished in a minute or less.

作家格雷琴·鲁宾因为2009年的畅销书籍《快乐计划》而获得国际关注。书中，她重新审视了自己的快乐，并且努力培养出能够提升情绪的习惯。本周，鲁宾分享了一些她认为最有效的情绪提升建议。其中很大一部分都能在几分钟内完成。

 

“The thing that’s surprising to me is that, for most people, outer order does contribute to inner calm and creativity,” Rubin says. She says one easy way to maintain order and, in turn, boost happiness, is to make the bed. Every day.

鲁宾说：“对大多数人来说，最让我惊讶的事实是外部的整洁能够帮你实现内心的沉静和创造力。她说保持整洁和快乐的一个简单方法就是——整理床铺，而且还要每天都整理。

 

Rubin says she “used to scoff at scented candles,” but now she understands scents are “a way to get a quick lift without any time and energy, money.”

鲁宾说她以前总是对香味蜡烛不屑一顾，但如今她明白了：“香味可以让你不费时、不费力甚至不费金钱就提升情绪。”

 

Overwhelmed by unopened mail, and other tiny tasks? “The one-minute rule says that anything I can do in less than a minute, I should do without delay,” Rubin says. “So I don’t postpone hanging up my coat, printing out a document and filing it, glancing over a letter and throwing it away.”

被未读邮件和其他杂事淹没了吗？“一分钟定律就是，能够在一分钟之内完成的事，我绝不拖延，”鲁宾说。“所以我总是及时挂起外套、及时打印好文件并填好，我甚至及时阅读信件然后丢掉，从不拖延。”

 

Since sleep and mood are linked, Rubin says folks who struggle with turning out the light may benefit from a bedtime alarm. “For many people, an alarm really helps; they just need that trigger,” she says.

鲁宾说，由于情绪和睡眠是挂钩的，所以那些不想关灯睡觉的人最好设置一个上床闹铃，你们会从中受益良多。“对很多人来说，闹铃的确很有效；他们只是需要一个提醒而已。”她说。

 

“I mean, I don’t watch a TV show if I don’t like it,” Rubin says. So why not apply the same logic to books? “I used to have this feeling that a ‘real reader’ would finish a book if [she] started it. Now I just have so much more time to read the books that I like, and I like everything that I read.”

“我的意思是，如果我不喜欢一个节目，那我就不看了，”鲁宾说。所以为什么不把同样的逻辑用到读书上呢？“我以前一直觉得，一位真正的读者读一本书必须有始有终。如今我却有更多的时间读我喜欢的书，我爱我读的每一本书。”

 

This one may be especially helpful for parents: When leaving a room, pick up as you go, one thing at a time. Without having to dedicate a lot of time and energy to it.

这个建议对父母特别有帮助：离开房间时，带上一件东西。这件小事根本不会花去太多时间和精力。

 

“It’s familiar, but it actually really does work,” Rubin says. “It’s a very easy way to change your mood.”

“听起来很熟悉，但的确很有用，”鲁宾说。“这样很容易可以改变情绪。”

 

Rubin also swears by this simple energy-booster, especially when you may only have a few seconds to spare.

鲁宾很喜欢这种简单的情绪提升法，特别当你只有几秒钟的休息时间时。

 

“Ancient philosophers and contemporary scientists would agree that relationships are a key—maybe the key—to happiness,” Rubin says. “So anytime you do something that broadens your relationships or deepens your relationship, it’s gonna make you happier.”

古代哲学家和当代科学家一致认为，感情可能是通往幸福的关键，”鲁宾说。“所以不管任何时候，做一些深化感情或者扩大交际的事情，都能使你更快乐。”

 

Rubin draws a direct connection between habits and happiness, and she also notes that hard rules can spare one the agony of decision-making.

鲁宾认为习惯和快乐之间有着直接联系，她还认为严格的规则可以让一个人从“做决定的痛苦”中解放出来。