Data-driven happiness: Because your joy deserves a strategy, not just a guess.
Nowadays we're all about tracking our steps, sleep, and even social media time. But what if we could apply that same tracking focus and obsession to our happiness?
Since we're all unique, becoming happiness analysts of our own lives could help us figure out what really makes us tick. So, let's dive in and see how we can use data to boost our mood and live a happier life through an analyst’s mindset!
First, Define Your Happiness Metric: Be specific on how you will track your happiness. This may include a daily mood rating such as 0 representing complete misery to 10 representing the happiest you’ve ever felt. Consider a happiness tracking app such as the Happimeter to track your moods and reactions or use a mood tracker journal such as The Five Minute Journal. Identify if you are going to track how often you are happy and/or if you want to track the people, places, and things that contribute to your feelings of happiness.
Decide how often you will track your happiness. I’d suggest tracking your happiness daily for a month to get the best results. Tracking too infrequently might lead to forgetting, while tracking for too long can make it feel like a chore. A month strikes a good balance.
Identify what happiness looks like for you. Happiness may include feeling happy, relaxed, creative, calm, adventurous, energetic, proud, acknowledged, or excited. There are a lot of feelings that can look like happiness so try identifying those as well.
Gather Your Data: Pick a time of day that works for you to do your check in and stick to it. Set an alarm to remind you, or tie your tracking to something you already do like reading before bed or having your morning coffee. If you miss a day, no biggie! Just fill the data in later or tack on an extra day. Remember, this is about getting better, not being perfect.
If you find yourself slipping up, don't be discouraged. Try experimenting with different times of day to find what works best for you. For example, if you are too tired at night to gather data, try doing it in the morning. If you don’t like writing, then try putting the information in your phone. Allow yourself to be flexible in this process as you learn what works best for you.
Make the process enjoyable – try adding a touch of fun to your tracking, so it doesn't feel like a chore. Get creative with your journaling by using different colored pens, give yourself a smiley face sticker for every day you track, or reward yourself for staying committed to your goals.
Reward yourself for a job well done. Your reward could be a simple self-affirmation like, "I'm awesome!", a tangible gift for yourself, or allowing yourself to brag to your loved ones about your amazing accountability. Positive affirmations and visualizing a cheering squad can also go a long way in keeping you motivated.
Analyze and Identify Patterns: Look for correlations between your actions and your feelings of being happy. What habits lead to increased happiness? What people, places, and things make you feel happy? When do you feel the happiest? What barriers get in the way of you feeling happy? Happiness apps can help you digitally find patterns whereas paper and pen metrics will take a little more effort. If you regularly look at your patterns, such as once a week, it’ll be easier to see them.
You may want to ask significant others if they notice any trends in your happiness so you can be aware of them too. Think of the Snickers commercial of the grouchy friend who is portrayed as Roseanne Barr and then his friends give him a Snickers and he is transformed back into his happy self. Sometimes others can see things in us that we can’t. If you have a therapist, ask them for honest feedback as they may be able to help you identify patterns.
Trial and Error: Test out new routines and strategies. We often learn best by doing. Use your data to see what works and what doesn't. For example: maybe one day you feel happiest going out with friends while another you’d prefer to stay at home. Maybe trying a new dish will help you feel happy and adventurous vs. eating what you know you already like.
Try reading self-help books or articles to give you different ideas of what could make you feel happy. There is no one size fits all for happiness so you’ll have to explore what works for you and be flexible that what you need to feel happy may change from day to day. Use trial and error to turn the process of "sigh" moments into "aha!" moments.
Make Data-Driven Decisions: Instead of going with your gut for life decisions, use your data and insights to make informed choices for what works and what doesn’t work in making you happy.
Prioritize activities that truly contribute to your goals and let go of the things that no longer serve you. For instance, you might discover that the things you once thought brought you joy no longer do. This can include realizing that drinking alcohol actually makes you feel anxious the next day, staying up late watching tv makes you feel more tired in the morning, drinking too much coffee causes an afternoon crash, or recognizing the old friends you once loved you have now outgrown.
It can be tough to break old habits, but if they are no longer serving you, it's time for a change. You might have to actively stop yourself from engaging in these habits, like avoiding those comfort foods that leave you feeling unwell, or not calling that friend who always dominates the conversation and leaves you drained. Instead, focus on activities that genuinely make you feel good, like getting exercise even when you're exhausted from work or seeking out relationships where you feel supported and loved rather than having to chase the person. It's about prioritizing what truly nourishes your well-being.
Seek Out Case Studies: Seek out real-life examples of people who've used analytics to achieve their happiness goals whether they are friends, mentors, motivational speakers, or Instagram influencers. Read self-help books of people who have learned how to be happy despite obstacles such as The Blue Zones of Happiness, The Happiest Man on Earth, or Furiously Happy.
Ask the happiest person you know what they do to feel good. You can even use your own past experiences of things that have made you feel happy. What has worked for you before may work for you again.
Mindful Data Collection: Don't let tracking become an obsession. Making changes is about improvement, not perfection. Data is a tool, not the end goal. Regularly assess if the tracking process is adding value or becoming a burden. As you change in life so may your data so it’s ok to evolve your process.
If you struggle with this process, seek out a professional to help you in analyzing your life and help you follow through with making the changes. Leveraging help from others is a keyway to being more efficient and effective because it can be difficult to see what we need to change within ourselves. I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, “I’m really great at telling others what to do, but I struggle with seeing it and doing it for myself.”
Change is hard and so is self-reflection. If you struggle with this process, seeking professional help can be a game-changer. Therapists and coaches are trained to help you analyze your life and guide you through the necessary changes. Remember, even superheroes call for backup sometimes.
Your life is your most valuable dataset so begin your happiness analysis today!
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