Every experiment starts with a hypothesis.
It's one of the only things I learned from year 7 science. No one is performing experiments just for the fun of it. OK, we may or may not have had some fun with the bunsen burners... but I digress.
In science, you are performing experiments to prove your hypothesis right or wrong.
It's no different with a 30 day self improvement experiment.
When we are trying to establish habits we often just accept that they are going to be good for us. But what if they aren't? What if they don't suit our personality, our way of thinking and working and living?
Then you are either stuck with a habit that you don't actually like to do and doesn't add the value you want. Or you fail and beat yourself up and think you are a totally undisciplined person.
So, you must start your 30-day experiments with a hypothesis
Before you dive right into a 30-day experiment, ask yourself what am I trying to prove? Maybe you believe that walking for 30 minutes every morning is going to help you feel better both mentally and physically.
There is your hypothesis. And over 30 days you are going to perform an action every day to prove it. You must complete the experiment to make the judgment call on the hypothesis. Not before.
I like to keep a journal where I note down how I feel each day as I perform my daily action. That forms the basis of my data for the end of the experiment. If I'm right I keep going. If I'm wrong, I have no problem discarding it, or pivoting and trying again.
