Mental Hack for Happiness: Transform Your Daily Routine into a Source of Joy and Satisfaction

According to author and behavioral decision making expert Cassie Holmes, you don't have to go on an extravagant vacation or wait until the workweek is over to find true happiness and satisfaction in life. You can find joy in your everyday routine.

A recent Talker survey of 2,000 U.S. residents found that one in four Americans experience boredom with their routines. To overcome this, Holmes uses a simple phrase to remind herself to appreciate the present moment: "Count your times left."

Since her daughter was four years old, Holmes has been taking her on coffee dates. Recently, she revealed this on the "Everyday Better with Leah Smart" podcast. Now, five years later, these hang-out sessions can feel like a chore.

"Now that she's nine, we've had numerous coffee dates in the past," Holmes remarked. "However, I wondered, 'How many coffee dates do we have in the future?'"

Instead of being frustrated by the frequent hangouts, she began to appreciate the remaining opportunities to bond with her daughter before she outgrows the age range.

"In a few years, she'll prefer to hang out with her friends at the coffee shop instead of spending time with me," said Holmes, a renowned researcher of time and happiness, and a bestselling author. "This will decrease our frequency of spending time together. Then she'll head off to college and move to New York."

Finding joy and satisfaction in more mundane tasks helped her calculate how much time she had left.

'Time is the most valuable resource we have'

Holmes emphasized that the quick exercise not only helps her find happiness but also encourages her to pay closer attention to how she spends her time. Rather than mindlessly scrolling through coffee dates with her daughter, she now seeks meaningful conversation and connection, which she values more highly.

To avoid regret later, it's important to do what psychologist Michael Gervais advises and always rewrite sentences in an alternative version with the same length.

"Gervais wrote for CNBC Make It last year that time is the most valuable resource we have. He stated that it's easy to lose sight of what is truly important in the daily grind. However, being mindful of our own mortality fundamentally changes our perspective on what we value and how we use our time."

"Recognizing that time is the most valuable resource will help align your choices with your values."

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