Get the transcript here.

Hey there, my wonderfully weird friend! Welcome back to another episode of “Get It Together, Weirdo,” where we embrace our quirks and find creative ways to make life work for us. 

A quick question for you to start us off today. Do you want to figure out how to manage the different aspects of your life based on actual facts?

If so…it’s time to experiment.

Even if you’ve never considered yourself a science-y kind of person, you can still experiment with your life in fun, practical ways in order to get evidence-based solutions that work for your specific needs. 

Whether it’s figuring out how to organize your day, trying out a new hobby, or just deciding what to make for dinner, experimentation can help you approach things with curiosity and confidence instead of anxiety and overwhelm. 

So, what happens when we take a little inspiration from the scientific method to create lives that work for us?

Before you start picturing me or yourself in a lab coat with goggles on, let me be clear: experimentation doesn’t have to be a “mad scientist in the lab” kind of thing. It’s not about beakers and explosions (although, that may be kind of fun). 

It’s about having a structured way to try new things, gather evidence, and figure out what actually works for you.

For me, experimenting has been a game-changer. It’s how I figured out what I want to do in life, how I want to organize my time…even what books and hobbies I enjoy. It can be as simple as asking, “What happens if I try this?” and then giving myself permission to play around to find the answer.

So, today, we’re going to talk about how you can bring experimentation into your life, overcome the fear of trying new things, and use this approach to create a life that feels good and works for your unique brain.

Let’s start with a little science, shall we? Hopefully we’ve all learned about the scientific method in school. It’s really just a fancy way of saying, “Let’s figure this shit out step by step.” 

The basic idea is simple:

1. Ask a Question: What do you want to know or solve?
2. Do Some Research: Gather some information or ideas.
3. Form a Hypothesis: Take a guess at what might work.
4. Test It Out: Try the thing!
5. Analyze the Results: Reflect on what happened.
6. Draw a Conclusion: Decide what you learned and what you want to do next.

You can totally adapt this for non-science-y purposes. Maybe you’re trying to figure out the best way to manage your to-do list, so your “hypothesis” is something like, “Using a digital task manager will help me feel less overwhelmed.” Then you test it out for a week or two, see how it feels, figure out what you like and don’t like, determine what works for you or if you maybe need to try something else.

Let’s be real, though: trying new things can be scary. Fear often shows up in sneaky ways when we’re thinking about experimenting. 

We worry about failure, about wasting time, about what other people might think about us for trying certain things. And these fears can keep us stuck in the same old patterns, even when we know those patterns aren’t working.

Guess what? Most of these fears aren’t actually dangerous—they just feel big and overwhelming at that moment. 

One trick that’s helped me is reframing those fears as curiosity. So, instead of thinking, “What if this goes horribly wrong?” try asking, “What will I learn if I give this a shot?” Instead of “How utterly embarrassing will this be when I fail?” try asking, “How will the results of this experiment help me figure out what to do next?”

When you approach things with curiosity instead of fear, it opens the door to all kinds of possibilities—and it makes the whole process a lot more fun.

Experimentation also gives you permission to let go of the all-or-nothing mindset. You don’t have to commit to a new system, hobby, or approach forever and ever. 

Trying something out doesn’t mean you’re married to it—it’s just a test. If it works, great! If it doesn’t, no worries. You just gained some valuable new knowledge.

For me, this mindset has been so freeing. Instead of being overwhelmed with guilt or anxiety when something doesn’t work, I can look at it as part of the process. It’s not a failure—it’s feedback. And that feedback helps me make better choices moving forward.

Let’s talk about how you can design your own experiments, starting with a few tips to keep things nice and manageable:

1. Start Small: Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many experiments at once. Pick one or two things to focus on, then move on to your next experiment after you’ve wrapped those first ones up.
2. Set a Timeframe: Decide how long you’ll test something before you reflect on it. A week? Two weeks? A month?
3. Reflect and Assess: At the end of your experiment, take some time to think about how it felt. What worked? What didn’t? What would you do differently next time?

Let’s say you’re experimenting with a new morning routine. Maybe you decide to try to eat a healthy breakfast before you have your three cups of coffee. After a week, you check in with yourself: Did it feel good? Do you feel as though that helped you feel better throughout the day? Or was it just annoying to not get your caffeine fix first thing in the morning? 

Based on your answers, you can tweak your approach or try something else.

Now, let’s talk about boundaries for a minute. 

Boundaries are super important—but they also need to serve you. Sometimes, the boundaries we set can end up hindering our growth instead of supporting our well-being. 

Maybe you’ve set a boundary around how much time you spend on hobbies because you’re worried about being “productive.” 

But what if loosening that boundary, allowing yourself to spend more time on your hobbies, could actually help you feel more balanced and energized?

Experimenting with boundaries can help you figure out what’s truly serving you and what might need adjusting. Ask yourself: Are my boundaries supporting my health and happiness, or are they holding me back? 

And remember, expanding your boundaries doesn’t mean abandoning them altogether—it’s about finding a balance that works for you. Don’t break down boundaries that you’ve established that you know are good for your health, safety, and well-being.

You just want to consider what boundaries you may be imposing on yourself because of societal standards that don’t actually serve you in a healthy or supportive way.

So, here’s your homework, my wonderful weirdo: pick one small thing to experiment with. 

It could be a new way to organize your tasks, a new hobby you’ve been curious about, or even just trying out a different kind of snack (because let’s be honest, snacks are important). 

Give it a try, reflect on how it feels, and remember—you’re not aiming for perfection. You’re just gathering information to figure out what works for you.

If you want to stay in the loop on new episodes, posts, and other tidbits I share, hop on my email list, or join us for weekly coworking on Mondays! I’d love to have you in the community. 

I’ll talk to you again soon.

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