It is time to get serious about making room for happiness. Six months ago I wrote about The Pursuit of Happiness, I had high hopes, but I did not make a way to track it. Tracking it, makes it real and concrete, which also makes it happen (per The Happiness Project). Here is my plan.

Step 1: Pin pointing what makes me happy. I like these things, so these are the things I need to make more room for in my life.

1. Physical Fitness. I do not like to exercise, but I love the feel good effects. PLAN: Leah and I are going to do a bootcamp to kick start the year of getting in shape. I am also going to add sleep to this this goal. I need more of it, and I believe if I make it a priority then it can happen.
2. Financial Security. I realize that this is a life long goal. This year I will focus on making a budget and sticking to it.
3. Mini Adventures. I love the zoo, museums, and visiting out of the way places. There is so much to see in do in the Houston area that I just haven’t had time to do. It is time to make time. Once a month, I’m going on a mini adventure.
4. Friends. I have amazing friends. Most of them live locally, and how often do I see them? Not so often. PLAN: I have told my friends they have no choice, we are making time for each other. Each of us have a month, and we are responsible for planning a fun friend night.
   
5. Books. Reading makes me happy. I love children’s books and I love discussing them and collecting them. For Christmas I got a Reader’s journal that I’m excited to put to use, Goodreads.com helps me track, and some of my new favorite coworkers discuss books with me. This year I won’t waste time with books I don’t like.
6. Clean House. I let the house get a little away from me. When it is clean, it is such a happier place to be. It is time to keep it that way.
7. Shopping. Shopping makes me very very happy. The thing is, I often splurge on many small items. I would like to start focusing my funds on saving for more expensive, quality items.
8. Journal. I have always enjoyed reflecting and documenting. My journal has become a place where I rant, and I’m not so pleased with that. This year I want to go back to recording happy things, small stories that make me smile, and reminders of how blessed my life is.

Step 2: Find a way to track and document these goals. This is the tricky part. JMO and I have talked at length on how I will document this. I made a spreadsheet I was pretty proud of, but it would be difficult to make sure I record daily on it. As of now, I made a calendar. Each month has a spot for my goal. January, for example, I will focus on my physical fitness. The plan is to work out four days a week, and to sleep 9 hours a night (I function best at 9 hours). On the calendar I will mark a “S” for days I meet my sleep goal. If it is one of the four days I am working out, I will record the length, and type of activity. At the end of the month, I will scan and post my calendar. I will also post my mini adventure and my friend night.

Step 3: Understand that this is an ever evolving process. Making goals in January for the entire year is just more likely to fail. If the calendar doesn’t seem the best tracking method after a few months, I will think and reflect and come up with a new method. If I decide that fitness needs to be the primary goal every couple of months, then it will. If I realize I really need to work on something in June, then that will be my goal for June. Resolving to be a better person for a year is just to much. One month at a time.