NEED TO KNOW
A man has locked himself in a room for 365 days to take part in what he is calling his “Isolation Year”Skip Boyce is currently days into his self-orchestrated challenge, which has an end goal of improving his physical and mental healthThe man said his viral efforts aren’t a “stunt,” but rather a “reset”
A man has locked himself in a room for an entire year to try and improve his overall health — and he has been livestreaming his efforts 24/7.
Skip Boyce is currently days into his self-orchestrated challenge, which he is calling his “Isolation Year,” that sees him live in — and never exit — a single room in his home for 365 days.
Boyce, 49, said the decision to isolate himself in the self-contained space, which includes all he could need to live, as well as a bathroom and a series of closets, is being done to rework his physical and mental health.
“The Isolation Year is a reset. For one year, I’m cutting out distractions and noise so I can rebuild the basics: my health, discipline, focus and habits,” he wrote in an Instagram post one day ahead of the challenge’s kickoff on Jan. 10. “Most people build their lives while they’re young, stressed or just trying to survive — and they never really stop to fix what didn’t stick. I’m taking a year to do that on purpose.”
“I’m not disappearing. I still live at home, I still work and I’m still around my family. What I’ve removed is optional stuff — constant scrolling, entertainment, social events and decisions that don’t move me forward,” he continued. “I realized there are some core habits I never built the right way. Instead of pretending that doesn’t matter or trying to fix it halfway, I’m giving it my full attention. This isn’t about being extreme or proving anything. It’s about structure. Isolation just makes the structure unavoidable.”
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Skip Boyce.
@theisolationyear/Instagram
Boyce, a husband and dad to four adult children, will utilize his family to help him complete his Isolation Year, but only minimally. They will assist in ways such as dropping off necessary supplies, including food and toiletries.
Some rules that Boyce must follow over the next many months include having no visitors inside his room, not using any alcohol or drugs and working out frequently, with a goal of losing weight and building up strength.
He will also work to improve his food habits, tracking everything he eats, “So I can learn what helps me and what hurts me,” Boyce said.
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The only instances when Boyce will be permitted to leave his solo-occupancy room will be if there is a medical emergency, if a fire or some other unsafe building condition requires evacuation, or if law enforcement tells him he must.
Boyce said his Isolation Year challenge is not “fake content,” and there will be “no staged drama” and “no scripts.”
“If I’m struggling, I’ll say it. If I break a rule, I own it,” he added, concluding that his viral efforts aren’t a “stunt,” but rather a “reset.”
Skip Boyce.
@theisolationyear/Instagram
Boyce is livestreaming his Isolation Year on YouTube and Discord. He has also been sharing videos and photos on Instagram along the way, under the username @TheIsolationYear.
On his YouTube page, Boyce reiterated that his Isolation Year will always be viewable for all to see, with “no highlights,” “no edits” and “no breaks.”
“It won’t be easy. It won’t be pretty. And it won’t be censored,” he added. “You’ll see the good days, the bad days, the discipline, the setbacks and everything in between — in real time.”
Addressing critiques of his decision to take part in his Isolation Year, Boyce wrote in an Instagram post, “Most people think this is just content. It isn’t. If you’re watching because it’s interesting, intense or motivating — cool. But that’s not what the Isolation Year is actually for. This is a participation experiment.”
“I’m doing this to rebuild discipline, structure and habits later in life — and a lot of you are here because you’re trying to do the same in your own way,” he continued, further explaining that his isolation challenge for himself isn’t “motivation porn” and is instead “pressure, structure and real-time accountability.”