Could a 2-Week Experiment Change Everything?
“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Unlike traditional science experiments with multiple subjects, self-experiments have one subject, you, and one question, "What if?"
What are curious about? Is there something you want to know? I invite you to consider testing a habit or lifestyle adjustment using a 2-week experiment.
Testing habits in 2-week increments gives you the ability to gather data about yourself in a non-judgmental, short-term way. This insight and information can be used to improve the quality of your life in a short period of time.
What Do You Need To Do?
There’s no need to be intimidated, it’s super easy. The key is to choose one habit and maintain it for 14 straight days.
For example,
- What if, lying in your bed prior to dozing off, you gave thanks for all that went well that day?
- What if you added two additional vegetables to your daily intake?
- What would happen if you stopped eating at 7:00 pm every day and didn’t eat again until after 7:00 am the next day? How would you feel upon waking? How would 12 hours of not eating impact digestion and sleep?
- What if, upon waking every morning, you stretched for 15 minutes before you did anything else?
- What if you turned off all electronics off at 8:00 pm each night? What could your evening routine look like? How might it impact the quality/quantity of your sleep?
- What if you wrote a handwritten note of appreciation every day for two weeks? What kind of ripple effect would that have on the people in your life?
- What if you stepped outside every day at the same time, took a 20 minute walk, and then took a picture of the western sky?
The possibilities are endless.
If you’re interested, decide what you’d like to know then add a habit or delete a habit as necessary. Keep a logbook and make a note every day about how you feel and what you notice.
At the conclusion of 2 weeks, set aside 15 minutes to review the notes and summarize the experience. Ask yourself what you uncovered and how you felt. Going forward, will you continue the added habit or eliminate the deleted habit?
In sum, the data provides insight that can quickly be applied to impactful habit shifts in any area of life.
Ready to run a self-experiment?
Information presented by W(h)ealth should not be relied upon to determine diet, make a medical diagnosis, or determine treatment for a medical condition. The information is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. Consult a doctor and/or medical professional before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition.
