Gretchen Rubin is working on something she calls the Happiness Project.  She has spent 12 months taking all the advice of the ages from ancient to modern on how to be happy – and she’s writing a book about it. Gretchen also writes articles on her website about happiness.  She recently wrote a list of 12 quick steps, some very small that are aimed at making your workday better. Here are six of my favorites:

2. Sit up straight with your shoulders down — every time I adjust my sitting position, I instantly feel more energetic and cheerier. 7. Don’t let yourself get too hungry. The Big Man goes without eating for hours and hours at a time, so once, trying to be helpful, I bought him a big bag of granola to keep in his desk. He ate the whole bag in one day and ended up sick as a dog. Lesson: eat regularly. 8. Take care of difficult calls, tasks, or emails as quickly as possible. Procrastinating makes them harder; getting them done gives a big boost of relieved energy. 10. Let yourself stay ignorant of things you don’t need to know. 11. Go outside at least once a day, and if possible, take a walk. The sunlight and activity is good for your focus, mood, and retention of information. 12. Say “Good morning” to everyone. Social contact is cheering, and if you feel that you’re on good terms with all the people in your office, you’ll be happier each day. Also, it’s polite.

Ms Rubin is interesting and apparently working on happiness in her own right. She started out as a lawyer. At Yale Law School, she was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal. She went on to clerk for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court. She said she had a great experience in law, but realized that what she really wanted to do was write. Since making the switch, She’s published four books. Read her entire article. Gretchen’s own 12 Commandments (bettering Moses by 2)