I had a great original idea this weekend. The idea to steal Leo Babuata's idea for an experiment which he calls "A Year of Living Without". The concept is simple - each month for the next twelve I will give up one thing in the pursuit of self betterment and to, as Leo puts it, "test the boundaries of my needs". I haven't decided what all 12 will be yet but when I figure that out I'll create a schedule for the year to come. Suffice to say some will be relatively easy (i.e. sugar, which will be September's sacrifice) and others more difficult (all forms of video entertainment, or coffee). I'm open to suggestions!
Why do this? Well basically it just seems like a really cool experiment. I'll be able to track my progress and see what affect, if any, eliminating certain parts of my routine has on my life. Will I play better poker? Will my focus improve or worsen without coffee for a month? Will my energy levels improve? Will I actually read more if I don't watch TV or will time be wasted some other way?
As I mentioned above the first month will be sugar (to clarify I'm talking mostly about eliminating consumption of sugar derived from processed foods, not from all sugar--i.e that which comes from fruits/veggies is acceptable). I consume far too much of it at the moment - I went through a whole pack of chewy caramel tim tams in a day last week.. eugh. Okay, it was fantastic...but unsustainable.
So no chocolate, no ice cream, no sugary drinks. No sweetened yoghurt, no muesli bars. If I want something sweet I'm restrainted to fruit and vegetables - a fact that became all too real after dinner last night. I had a carrot for dessert. Yes, a carrot. It made me feel like a cross between a guinea pig and Sarah Jessica Parker (a horse, for those unaware of the startling similarity between the two). Ah see, sugar deprivation is already making me mean. Just kidding I would have said that anyway.. but I feel sorry for those who have to be around me the month I give up coffee.
I have high hopes for the experiment. I'll post a recap at the end of each month with my thoughts on how things went and whether or not I'll sustain life without what I gave up for longer than the month. Wish me luck, call me crazy, and enjoy my year-long blogathon journey on this matter!