It’s the time of year when for whatever reason, people make resolutions. It’s true, New Years Resolutions are an absolute mess. People start out strong, inevitably fail, and continue on just doing as they please for the rest of the year.

But as much as I don’t like to make resolutions, the new year often brings about a period of reflection for me. I like to think back and compare to how I was doing last year: was I happier? Was I more productive? Did I have more friends? Better friends?

This season has been even more introspective than previous years. I’ve reflected on what negatively impacts my happiness, and devised solutions to each that will hopefully destroy each item on the list and leave me a happier, more balanced person.

Balance

Balance is a concept we all struggle with, and the idea of resolutions inherently challenges the balance, or lack thereof, in our lives. It’s hard to know exactly what needs changing when we can’t even remember a time before our habits were developed. Was I happier before I started drinking coffee? How about before I started drinking alcohol? How can I even know?

This year, I’ve decided to hold a candle to every habit I feel is ingrained in who I am, no matter how healthy it may seem or how innocuous it may feel. Each month, I’ll be making a lifestyle change for the entire month, and then reflecting on how that change has impacted my life. Sure, watching TV doesn’t seem like a problem. But what would I be doing with that time if TV was not an option? Maybe I would go out more often for drinks? Maybe I’d become more social? Or maybe I wouldn’t.

While totally crushing each month’s challenge, every day I’ll record: a 1–10 rating on how happy I feel, my mood, how much money I spent that day, and any other notes I feel might be relevant (did I use the time I usually spend gaming productively? Did I even miss that activity?).

The goal

All this work, all this data, ultimately serves to answer the question: what activities and habits have I formed that no longer serve to make me a happier person? What happens when habits I always perceived to be unhealthy are removed? Do I replace them with even more unhealthy habits?

What function does each and every habitual behaviour in my life serve?

The experiments

Each month will be dedicated to either the removal or the addition of an old or new habit, which I predict may have an impact on my overall well-being. Some will be hard, some will be easy, and others I barely know a thing about (how does meditation even work?).

Each of these experiments poses some unique challenges, and each should help to shine a light on habits I take for granted. It’s about balance, isolating each variable, and being mindful of every part of my routine, both the good and the bad.

Sure, I have predictions for how difficult each will be, how I’ll feel about eliminating or adding it to my routine, and whether or not doing it is even practical. But at the very least, I’m hoping for some neat-looking graphs.

Follow thoughts and reactions to each month’s challenge on Medium or Twitter (@dexmcmillan).