Posting to follow. You all are inspiring.
I've found that over the years, my "plan for maximum happiness/fulfillment" has changed as my priorities have shifted. Therefore, built into the plan is the need to re-evaluate the plan every 3-5 years.
Whenever I find myself starting to feel unfulfilled, unmotivated, uncomfortable, I ask myself a few questions to help me clarify my values and goals for that season:
1. If I can magically take away anything from my life right now, what would I take away? Why would I take that away? How is it causing me pain right now?
2. If the thing(s) I want to take away can't be removed, what would make my life better right now? What can I put into my life to alleviate or mitigate the pain?
I've found that "positive" tasks usually fall into three categories: distraction tasks, problem-solving tasks, and joyful/meaning-making tasks. Some tasks help you feel better becaues they distract you from the painful situation (e.g., alcohol, visualizing being on a beach when you're getting a needle). These are short-term, in-the-moment solutions. Other tasks help you feel better because they help you solve the problem (e.g., changing your mindset, changing the situation). These are longer-term solutions. The third type doesn't just remove pain, it adds joy.
When I'm unhappy with my life situation, I try to focus first on finding problem-solving strategies. However, there are some things in life that can't be solved. E.g., At this particular point in my life, I cannot just stop working. In those situations, I move to distraction/mitigation strategies to make the present more bearable until circumstances change and I can find a more permanent solution.
To be honest, I need to work on building in joyful/meaning-making tasks. Those have been hard for me to find lately, as I've found that being burned out makes it mentally more difficult for me to find joy, even in previously joyful things. And like Dr Kidstache, I am also not particularly Mustachian. I've been experimenting with taking Uber/hiring drivers and greatly inflating my lifestyle (hello, 100% rent increase, multiple international vacations, and increased heating bills) in order to survive.