Personal development is an ongoing process.
We continue to work on different areas of our lives with the goal of improvement. Along the way, some things we try will work and we stick with them. Others will fail and fade away.
Adapting a test and learn mindset helps reduce discouragement when something doesn’t work. We are each unique and the right solution to the same problem will likely be different for each of us.
Treating the process like a set of experiments to learn from is a more positive approach to the progress and keeps us on the path to improvement.
My Story
Over the years, I have experimented with so many different things. Focus has been on categories like productivity, processing email, morning routines, meal planning, meeting techniques, tracking spending, and so much more.
Typically, I need to experiment with 2-3 approaches before finding one that clicks and is perfect for me.
I have tried to learn more about myself and what tends to work to try to make selections to try that have a higher likelihood of success.
Another realization is that what has worked during one phase of my life falls apart at a different stage. When this happens, I just go back to experimentation and find the right solution for this point in time.
Your Turn
Do you test and learn when you are working on personal development?
Have you considered experimenting across the 8 areas of wellbeing – occupational, financial, emotional, social, environmental, physical, spiritual, and intellectual?
What experiments do you plan to focus on this year?