December is the natural moment to take stock of what the yearlong 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, each month added another layer of habits, mindset shifts, and small experiments in intentional living. Today, I want to share what my own continuation looks like in action.
For me, some habits have taken root. Some drifted, and a few resurfaced when I needed them most. Seeing all of them together in one place made something 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 consolidated every theme from the past 12 months into a single scorecard. What emerged is a weekly framework that is easy to scan and use, even during the most chaotic stretches of life. Below is the full checklist I currently use, along with a printable PDF version for anyone who might find it helpful. The hope is that this tool makes it easier to revisit the habits that mattered most and to carry the lessons of this project forward.
This scorecard is not a rigid prescription. Rather, it is a gentle accountability tool and a reminder to align action with intention. Most importantly, it reflects the tennis-specific contexts that shaped much of my own personal Happiness Project this year. Each section includes three simple checkboxes and one reflection prompt. The goal is not perfection but rather awareness.
Boost Energy
Prioritize consistent sleep and restore physical and mental vitality.
☐ Met my set bedtime most nights
☐ Minimized screen time or doom-scrolling before bed
☐ Slept a consistent number of hours
Reflection prompt: Did better sleep improve my tennis focus, patience, or recovery this week?
Declutter
Reduce friction by simplifying physical and mental spaces.
☐ Tackled one small area of physical clutter
☐ Removed or fixed one recurring annoyance
☐ Completed one lingering “nagging task.”
Reflection prompt: What felt easier because my spaces or processes were less cluttered?
Contentment
Practice satisfaction instead of chasing “more, better, next.”
☐ Noted one moment of genuine satisfaction
☐ Redirected a negative comparison
☐ Savored one small joy in tennis or daily life
Reflection prompt: Where did contentment make things feel lighter?
Passion
Reconnect with what makes tennis enjoyable and meaningful.
☐ Did at least one tennis activity purely for enjoyment
☐ Tried or learned something out of curiosity
☐ Avoided treating hobbies as obligations
Reflection prompt: Where did passion show up this week?
Friendship and Community
Strengthen relationships that enrich tennis and life.
☐ Reached out to a tennis friend or teammate
☐ Expressed appreciation or encouragement
☐ Avoided unnecessary conflict
Reflection prompt: Who added joy to my week?
Spend Out
Use resources intentionally instead of hoarding or saving “for later.”
☐ Used or enjoyed something I tend to save
☐ Spent time, energy, or money on something that improves life
☐ Avoided unnecessary stockpiling
Reflection prompt: What did I finally “spend out” that improved my week?
Eternity
Cultivate gratitude and long-term perspective.
☐ Wrote down one thing I am grateful for
☐ Noted one “eternity moment” that anchored perspective
☐ Practiced grace toward myself or others
Reflection prompt: What mattered beyond the moment?
Technology
Use digital tools deliberately rather than mindlessly.
☐ Set intentional boundaries around tech use
☐ Used technology to support improvement
☐ Avoided defaulting to tech as an escape
Reflection prompt: Did my tech habits support or undermine happiness?
Order
Establish routines that minimize chaos and improve predictability.
☐ Followed a tennis or household routine
☐ Prepared in advance for something that usually causes stress
☐ Applied a systems-thinking fix to one ongoing problem
Reflection prompt: Where did structure make life smoother?
Pay Attention
Increase awareness and reduce autopilot behavior.
☐ Logged food choices or eating patterns
☐ Brought intentionality to a repetitive task
☐ Noticed emotional or physical cues without judgment
Reflection prompt: What changed when I deliberately paid attention?
Lighten Up
Bring humor, joy, and levity into the week.
☐ Laughed or embraced playfulness
☐ Redirected perfectionism
☐ Let go of something 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
☐ Identified one habit to strengthen
☐ Celebrated a habit that is now second nature
Reflection prompt: What stood out when reviewing the whole year in one place?
This scorecard reflects my own priorities, challenges, and the tennis-specific themes that shaped my year. Yours may look entirely different. That is the beauty of a Happiness Project. The idea is universal, but the content is personal.
If you want to carry your own Happiness Project into the new year, please feel free to use this list as a template. Adjust the categories. Rewrite the prompts. Remove anything that does not resonate. Add whatever supports joy in your daily life. Or better yet, draft a completely original scorecard that reflects what you care about most. A few minutes spent defining what matters can make the coming year more intentional.
To make it easier to carry the lessons of this yearlong Happiness Project into the new year, I created a printable “Weekly Happiness Project Scorecard.” It distills every theme and resolution into a simple, trackable format you can review at a glance. Download your free copy here.
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Throughout 2025, I am dedicating the first full weekend of every month to exploring how ideas from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project (<- Sponsored Link) can spark greater enjoyment and happiness in tennis. This is a non-tennis book that I have come to believe everyone should read. Seriously, you should get your hands on a copy of this book and consider trying some of the techniques described by the author.