Intentional living experiments are small investigations into different ways of living. They allow us to learn, grow, find out what is enough, and live a purposeful life.
I’ve completed different intentional living experiments the last few years, one summer mimicking Jen Hatmaker’s 7 Experiment. I always learn a lot about myself and my desire for comfort, simplicity, and ease. Intentional living experiments mix things up, stretch me, and teach me how to be a better human.
Doing Life Somewhere New
In February my family and I experienced life somewhere new for a month. The past few years my husband and I have been dreaming about traveling extensively with our family. We love our home and community and also have the desire to experience new places with our kids in a big way. At the beginning of COVID, we decided to go south for a month in February. We had been planning and saving for awhile, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it happen with my husband working from home.
Our family took the plunge and lived in South Padre, Texas for four weeks. We enjoyed the sunshine, my husband worked on the patio, and we did pool after school. We learned a lot and it wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. There were sleeping struggles, 40 hours in the car, a crazy winter storm that left us without water, and figuring out how to live and work someplace new. But, it was our adventure, our intentional living experiment. We learned a lot about ourselves and decided this is an experiment we will do again.
For the next three months (and possibly more), I will be exploring more intentional living experiments. I will be completing one experiment a month and journaling my findings to report at the end of each month. Below you will find my Intentional Living Experiments.
Intentional Living Experiments
February: Doing Life Somewhere New/Social Media Break
March: Low Buy Month
April: Walk Everyday
May: Hands on Homeschooling
I chose these experiments because I want to focus and stretch myself in these specific areas. I want to do a Low Buy Month, where our family reduces our consumption on unnecessary items for four weeks and we focus on what we do have instead of what we don’t have. Walking is something I have come to love and I want to make it a priority with a walk everyday experiment. Hands on learning is a struggle for me, especially as we have added kids to our family, and I want to see if it’s something I can incorporate more into our homeschool day.
Additional Intentional Living Experiments
An Intentional Living Experiment doesn’t have to span the course of a month. It can span a day, a week, or whatever feels right. It can be tailored to anyone’s goals and values and is simply a way to see if there is another way.
3 Minutes of Meditation
Water Only
Scripture Memorization
Outside Everyday
Sugar Detox
Tech or Social Media Detox
Read Everyday
No Eating Out
News Detox
Bible Everyday
Only Buy Secondhand
Gratitude Practice
New Clothing Fast
No Yelling
TV Detox
Pray Everyday
A Thank You Note a Day
As I make this list, I am humbled by how many experiments I feel called to. There are so many ways to grow and so many experiments I want to try so I learn more about myself.
Have you ever tried an Intentional Living Experiment? What is an Intentional Living Experiment you could start today?
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