The General Project Outline

I highly recommend reading Gretchen Rubin's book called "The Happiness Project". Its motivating and insightful, and its the original. :)

However if you want a shortcut to creating your own project, I outlined how she got started. These are the steps I've followed to set up my own project. It might seem daunting at first to start your own, but breaking down into these steps and thinking about it a little at a time actually isn't so bad.

1. Really think about what makes you happy. What makes you unhappy?
1. This is happiness on a daily level, ask yourself questions like
1.  "I feel happy/unhappy when I come home and see ______."
2. "I feel happy/unhappy at work when ________"
3. "I hate when________"
4. "I love to ______"
5. "I look forward to __________"
6. "I dread _______"
7. "I feel stress free when I ______"
8. "_____ always picks me up when I feel down."
    
Every little thing can build up and influence happiness one way or another.

2. Identify your areas to work on.
1. Use the insight about what brings you happiness and what takes it away to find your areas to work on each month. These are general
   categories of your life that influence your happiness the most.
3. Come up with concrete happiness-boosting resolutions.
1. Take what you've identified as your happiness-boosters and downers
   and turn them into actions that will either bring more constant
   happiness, or eliminate some stress, worry, anger, or frustration.
   Try to have about 4 for each category.
2. These are measurable actions. You want to be able to track your
   progress.
    
4. Create a chart of some sort.
1. Tracking progress is ideal for a project like this.
1. Rewarding yourself in a small way for achieving your goals
    brings happiness.
2. Having something to look at helps you to remember what
    you are trying to do each day and holds you accountable
    for where you're lacking

Good luck! Please let me know if you have any questions or would like clarification on something!


Here is the breakdown of Gretchen Rubin's project. It doesn't go into detail on what each resolution means to her, but most of it is self explanatory and you get the idea of how to set up the project.

 

1. Vitality: BOOST ENERGY
1. Go to sleep earlier
2. Exercise better
3. Toss, restore, organize
4. Tackle a nagging task
5. Act more energetic
2. Marriage: REMEMBER LOVE
1. Quit nagging
2. Don't expect praise/appreciation
3. Fight right
4. No dumping
5. Give proofs of love
3. Work: AIM HIGHER
1. Launch a blog
2. Enjoy fun of failure
3. Ask for help
4. Work smart
5. Enjoy now
4. Parenthood: LIGHTEN UP
1. Sing in the morning
2. Acknowledge the reality of people's feelings
3. Be a treasure house of happy memories
4. Take time for projects
5. Leisure: BE SERIOUS ABOUT PLAY
1. Find more fun
2. Take time to be silly
3. Go off the path
4. Start a collection
6. Friendship: MAKE TIME FOR FRIENDS
1. Remember birthdays
2. Be generous
3. Show up
4. Don't gossip
5. Make 3 new friends
7. Money: BUY SOME HAPPINESS
1. Indulge in a modest splurge
2. Buy needful things
3. Spend out
4. Give something up
8. Eternity: CONTEMPLATE THE HEAVENS
1. Read memoirs of catastrophe
2. Keep gratitude notebook
3. Imitate a spiritual master
9. Books: PURSUE A PASSION
1. Write a novel
2. Make time
3. Forget about results
4. Master a new technology
10. Mindfulness: PAY ATTENTION
1. Meditate on koans
2. Examine true rules
3. Stimulate the mind in new ways
4. Keep a food diary
11. Attitude: KEEP A CONTENTED HEART
1. Laugh out loud
2. Use good manners
3. Give positive reviews
4. Find an area of refuge
12. HAPPINESS