It’s been 11 days since I wrapped up my version of the 30-day experiment. While I can’t claim any scientific proof of what it “did” to me, I can say this: I’m still riding a surprisingly strong wave of momentum. The experience sparked what feels like the beginning of a new identity that I’ve been reflecting on and bringing up in conversation more than I expected.
One thing that’s stuck with me from the experiment is this growing sense that I want to disrupt the trance of everyday complacency—not by pushing, but by planting ideas that people can choose to engage with if they’re ready. That concept has been taking shape in different ways for me, and it feels deeply resonant.
On a behavioral level, I’m noticing that boredom and resentment have greatly diminished and continued to diminish since I concluded the last experiment. I don’t really have any time to kill anymore, because I’m going nonstop with insights that have just been coming in a flood since day 30. The challenge has been figuring out how to capture them and harness them in a useful way without falling into the rabbit hole of ideas that go nowhere.
The structure of having specific questions to ask myself for 30 days was really valuable—so much so that I really couldn’t live without it after the experiment. I started following the same structure but in different ways. I have realized that one of my strategies for tackling complex and gnarly problems is to ask questions about my question. I have found that when I’m looking at something complicated and I’ve exhausted all of my obvious ideas and sit down and try to think about new solutions, I draw a blank and get frustrated. When I think about different questions and let go of any need for an answer, I start generating new ideas again.
I should also note that I did not follow the process strictly for the last 30 days. I did not use the physical workbook, I did not do any drawing or doodling, and I did not do any coloring either. I also did not fill out the mood grid, as I noticed Sheila did by looking at her day 30 blog post. I think I may have missed out on some benefit of the process by not incorporating the visual creative elements. And honestly, right now I am still feeling a lot of resistance to doing anything visual and creative. I like drawing and painting, but for some reason I just don’t want to do it. It might be that my logical mind is on such a roll that I don’t want to disturb the momentum I’ve already got going. It might be that I’m feeling generally overwhelmed with a lot of other things going on and don’t feel like I have room to add more. Or it might be pure emotional resistance or fear of success, because a part of my psyche knows that visuals and creativity are exactly what would be needed to unlock the key to greater performance. When you’re in the middle of it, it’s really hard to see one way or the other. Just for today, I am giving myself permission to not do anything involving drawing or painting. Tomorrow is another day.
I definitely got what I came for with this round of the experiment. I remember a few days after day 30 thinking to myself one phrase that I’ll never forget: “I’ve now found a mission worth living for.”