Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin

very little time for themselves, they race around without a break, and their only leisure time comes at night. Some use that time to catch up on work—to knock off some emails or to read a report. Others use the time for fun. Their kids are asleep, the trash is out, office emails have stopped, and they can finally spend the time with their spouse, or enjoy some solitude, or goof off.
    A law school friend told me, with surprising vehemence, “I work at a shitty job at a law firm from morning to night. Without that time at the end of the day, to read, to relax, I have nothing for myself.”
    â€œYou might feel better if you got more sleep,” I pointed out.
    â€œIf I went to sleep earlier, that would mean the firm is getting all of me.” He shook his head. “No way.”
    People don’t want to lose that precious open slot of time, even to sleep. It feels like a deprivation—and people hate to feel deprived. This it’s-my-only-time-to-myself phenomenon is a big habits challenge. “Rest, relax, and enjoy” is #4 of the Essential Seven, and many people complain of constant exhaustion yet cling to that last outpost of open time. But the fact is, we need sleep.
    Second: move. Physical activity is the magical elixir of practically everything. Exercise relieves anxiety, boosts energy and mood, improves memory, sharpens executive function, and contributes to weight maintenance. It both energizes us and calms us. Among its most helpful benefits , it can help us stick to our other good habits by strengthening our self-command. Also, it certainly makes everyday life easier. At Parents’ Night at my daughters’ school, I see many parents wait in a long line to take the elevator rather than face three flights of stairs.
    Some people assume that “exercise” requires a long visit to the gym, complete with shower, but just moving around gives benefits. The people who get the biggest boost in health are those who go from being completely sedentary to being slightly less sedentary, with the main drop in mortality rates coming from people doing their first twenty minutes of exercise (about 40 percent of Americans report that they get no exercise).
    However, of people who start an exercise program, about half have dropped out by the six-month point. The reason, I suspect, is that people often choose a form of exercise based on misleading factors, such as how they want to change their appearance; what’s in fashion (as with clothes and hairstyles, different forms of exercise go in and out of vogue); or what someone else suggests. These considerations can be helpful, but in the end, we’re far more likely to stick with an exercise routine that suits our temperament and schedule. For instance, a night person shouldn’t expect to get up early to exercise; it’s just not going to happen.
    Many factors contribute to whether an exercise regimen is likely to suit a particular individual. It’s important to consider:
    Are you a morning person or a night person (Lark or Owl)?
    Do you enjoy spending time outdoors, or do you prefer not to deal with weather?
    Are you motivated by competition?
    Do you enjoy exercising to strong music and a driving beat, or do you prefer a quiet background?
    Do you respond well to some form of external accountability (a trainer, a running group), or is internal accountability sufficient?
    Do you like to challenge yourself with exercise (learning a new skill, pushing yourself physically), or do you prefer familiar activities?
    Do you like sports and games?
    Is it inconvenient for you to take a shower afterwards?
    As I considered my own answers—Lark, both, no, quiet, internal, familiar, no, sometimes—I realized why my exercise routine works well for me. I don’t like to push myself very hard at all , or try new things, and I don’t. Each week, indoors, I take one relaxed yoga class and make one or two trips to a cardio gym for