365 Days. Small Steps. Big Change.
A public accountability project. For 365 days I document my journey here every day – with real numbers, good days and bad. At the end, a three-week hike brings it all together.
Why I'm doing this
For a long time, I was unhappy. With myself, my surroundings, my place in the world. Work was what defined me – and beyond work, there was often just emptiness. Over the years, that led to an unhealthy lifestyle.
Lately I've been feeling a shift. Not pushed from the outside, but coming from within. I want to genuinely reshape my life.
Recent experiences have shown me how unimportant rigid, hard goals really are. Goals that blind you to the journey, the growth, the change – to life itself. You move from goal to goal, from chapter to chapter, only to find in the end that the final goal always stays out of reach.
So this isn't about a grand endpoint. It's about the journey. Getting a little better every day, learning something new every day. Mistakes are explicitly welcome – they mean I'm trying. A lot will fail, some will work. Only one thing matters: no standing still. Standing still is falling behind.
What is Project 365?
Over the next 365 days – and hopefully beyond – I'm consciously working on myself. Every day I observe what's holding me back from being happier. Two things have been with me for a long time: smoking and my weight. I'm tackling both with three pillars that will carry me through the year.
The specific measures and metrics will evolve as I go. What works, stays. What doesn't, goes. I document as much as possible publicly – while deliberately keeping a boundary between what I share and what stays private.
The Three Pillars
Movement & Training
10,000 steps or a workout every day. Get out of the chair, get into life. No performance goals – just consistent movement.
Nutrition
At least two mindful, healthy meals a day. No bans, no diet – just paying better attention to what ends up on the plate.
No Smoking
The long-term goal: smoke-free. The path runs in stages – step-by-step reduction, nicotine replacement as a bridge. It's about the direction, not perfection.
The Grand Finale
21-Day Hike
At the end of the 365 days, expected in late April 2027, I'll set off. From my home in Lucerne, heading north for three weeks. Alone, on foot. How far my legs, my body and my mind will carry me – that's yet to be seen. The coming year will prepare me physically and mentally.
For every kilometre I walk, I'll set aside CHF 2.00. The full amount will go to an animal welfare organisation at the end. I'll launch a Betterplace donation campaign for this, where others can join in if they'd like.
- Set off – plan each day fresh
- Set aside CHF 2.00 per kilometre
- Donation proceeds to an animal welfare organisation
- Betterplace campaign to follow
Why Public?
Because transparency creates accountability. You can close a private journal on bad days – a public one you can't. I'm not doing this because I have a story to sell. I'm doing it because I know I'll stick with it when someone is following along.
And perhaps – and this would be the most beautiful side effect – someone facing similar challenges will find something useful here. Not a ready-made solution, but an honest example.