December is the natural time to take stock of what the years-long Happiness Project has taught me. Yesterday’s post explored Gretchen Rubin’s “Boot Camp Perfect” idea and the value of consolidating dozens of individual resolutions into one structured tool. Throughout 2025, a new layer of habits, mindset changes and small experiments with conscious living were added every month. Today I want to share what my own continuation looks like in action.
For me, some habits have taken root. Some floated away, and a few resurfaced when I needed them most. When I saw them all together in one place, something became very clear to me. The most effective way to carry these insights into the new year is to turn them into a weekly check-in that keeps them visible without being overwhelming.
To make this structure as practical as possible, I have combined every theme from the past twelve months into one scorecard. The result is a weekly framework that is easy to scan and use, even during life’s most chaotic times. Below is the full checklist I currently use, along with a printable PDF version for anyone who might find it useful. The hope is that this tool will make it easier to revisit the habits that mattered most and continue the learnings from this project.
This scorecard is not a rigid recipe. Rather, it is a gentle accountability tool and a reminder to align action with intention. Most importantly, it reflects the tennis-specific contexts that have been a big part of my own personal happiness project this year. Each section contains three simple checkboxes and one reflection prompt. The goal is not perfection, but rather consciousness.
Boost energy
Prioritize consistent sleep and restore physical and mental vitality.
☐ Met my regular bedtime most nights
☐ Minimized screen time or doom scrolling before bed
☐ A consistent number of hours slept
Reflection prompt: Has better sleep this week improved my tennis focus, patience or recovery?
Clean up
Reduce friction by simplifying physical and mental spaces.
☐ Addressed one small area of physical clutter
☐ One recurring annoyance removed or resolved
☐ One lingering ‘nagging task’ completed.
Reflection prompt: What felt easier because my spaces or processes were less cluttered?
Satisfaction
Practice contentment instead of chasing “more, better, next.”
☐ One moment of genuine satisfaction noted
☐ A negative comparison forwarded
☐ Enjoyed a little fun in tennis or everyday life
Reflection prompt: Where did contentment make things feel lighter?
Passion
Reconnect with what makes tennis fun and meaningful.
☐ Done at least one tennis activity purely for fun
☐ Tried or learned something out of curiosity
☐ I avoided viewing hobbies as obligations
Reflection prompt: Where did the passion shine through this week?
Friendship and community
Strengthen relationships that enrich tennis and life.
☐ Contacted a tennis friend or teammate
☐ Expression of appreciation or encouragement
☐ Unnecessary conflicts avoided
Reflection prompt: Who added joy to my week?
Give out
Use resources consciously rather than hoarding them or saving them ‘for later’.
☐ I used or enjoyed something that I keep often
☐ Time, energy or money spent on something that improves life
☐ Unnecessary stockpiling avoided
Reflection prompt: What did I ultimately “spend” that improved my week?
Eternity
Cultivate gratitude and a long-term perspective.
☐ I wrote down one thing I am grateful for
☐Noted one “moment of eternity” that anchored the perspective
☐ Practiced mercy toward myself or others
Reflection prompt: What else mattered beyond this moment?
Technology
Use digital tools purposefully rather than mindlessly.
☐ Intentionally set boundaries around technology use
☐ Used technology to support improvements
☐ Avoid using technology as an escape
Reflection prompt: Have my tech habits supported or undermined happiness?
Order
Create routines that minimize chaos and improve predictability.
☐ Followed a tennis or housekeeping routine
☐ Prepared in advance for something that usually causes stress
☐ A systems thinking solution applied to an ongoing problem
Reflection prompt: Where has structure made life smoother?
NB
Increase awareness and reduce autopilot behavior.
☐ Fixed food choices or eating patterns
☐ Bringing purposefulness to a repetitive task
☐ Noticing emotional or physical cues without judgment
Reflection prompt: What changed when I started consciously paying attention?
Illuminated
Bring humor, joy and levity into the week.
☐ Playfulness laughed or embraced
☐ Redirected perfectionism
☐ Let go of something that is not worth the emotional energy
Reflection prompt: Where did lightness make a difference?
Boot camp perfect
Review, reinforce and integrate all habits.
☐ Reviewed this scorecard at least once
☐ One habit identified to strengthen
☐ Celebrated a habit that is now second nature
Reflection prompt: What stood out when looking back at the entire year in one place?
This scorecard reflects my own priorities, challenges, and the tennis-specific themes that have shaped my year. Yours may look very different. That’s the beauty of a Happiness Project. The idea is universal, but the content is personal.
If you’d like to take your own Happiness Project into the new year, feel free to use this list as a template. Adjust the categories. Rewrite the directions. Remove anything that doesn’t resonate. Add what sustains joy in your daily life. Or better yet, create a completely original scorecard that reflects what matters most to you. Spending a few minutes defining what’s important can bring more awareness to the year ahead.
To make it easier to take the lessons from this year-long happiness project into the new year, I’ve created a printable “Weekly Happiness Project Scorecard.” It distills every theme and resolution into a simple, trackable format that you can view at a glance. Download your free copy here.
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Throughout 2025, I will dedicate the first full weekend of each month to exploring how the ideas of Gretchen Rubin’s Tthe Happiness Project (<- Sponsored link) can provides more fun and happiness when playing tennis. This is a non-tennis book that I have come to believe everyone should read. Seriously, you should get a copy of this book and consider trying some of the techniques described by the author.
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