Latest news with #BreeGroff
New York Times
6 days ago
- Lifestyle
- New York Times
Happiness Doesn't Have to Be a Heavy Lift
I've been feeling a little overwhelmed lately, both by the news and by a bit of life stuff. I wish I could retreat to a mountaintop, but my more realistic plan is to seek out the smallest possible things I can do each day to give myself a lift. Every morning, for instance, I open my Merlin Bird ID app to see if any new birds have shown up in my backyard. (This morning I learned about a Northern Flicker, a bird I did not know existed.) Micro-moments of positivity like this really can improve your well-being, said Barbara Fredrickson, director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Even though these moments are fleeting, she said, they can 'act as nutrients for psychological health and growth, helping you become a better version of yourself, little by little.' Her research, and that of others, suggests that recognizing, cultivating and savoring these bits of happiness builds well-being, resilience and resourcefulness. I asked experts how to incorporate more low-lift, bare-minimum pleasures into your life. 'A pet peeve is something small that disproportionately annoys you,' said Bree Groff, author of the upcoming book 'Today Was Fun.' In contrast, she said, 'a 'reverse pet peeve' is something small that brings you disproportionate joy.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fast Company
17-06-2025
- General
- Fast Company
How to add more fun to your workday (while still getting work done)
How often do you leave work thinking, 'Wow, that was fun!' Once a week? Once a month? Never? If you aren't having fun—real fun—it may be time to rethink your work life, says Bree Groff, author of Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously). The idea that work needed to be fun didn't hit home for Groff until her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2022. She took a leave of absence from her job at a New York-based transformation consulting firm to care for her and her father, who had Alzheimer's disease. After her mother passed away, she went back to work part time with a new perspective. 'One of the things that became obvious while taking care of my parents is that at some point, we'll run out of Mondays,' she says. 'They aren't a renewable resource. So, what are we doing to our lives when we're wishing away five out of seven days of every week?' A common attitude is that work is called work for a reason; it's something to get through to get a paycheck. The flip side is: 'Love what you do, and you'll never work a day in your life.' This phrase suggests that the solution to work being drudgery is that it should be your passion and your identity. That notion also didn't sit right with Groff. Many of the leaders she'd worked with were pouring themselves into their work, but they were also sacrificing their health, sleep, and relationships, hoping for a reward that would come someday in the future.
