20 30-day challenges to pick from
Just because New Year’s Day has come and gone doesn’t mean that it’s too late to set a goal for 2018. Why not try a 30-day challenge? Four weeks is long enough time to create a new habit that lasts, and it’s brief and attainable enough that you should be able to remain committed. Here are 20 trending 30-day challenges for you to pick from.
- Appreciation challenge. Food. Shelter. Netflix. Don’t take the essentials for granted any longer. Set an alarm on your phone for the same time each day, and spend a minute or two practicing gratitude for everything you have.
- One-photo-a-day challenge. Document each day in a single snapshot. Again, you can set an alarm and take a photo of whatever you’re doing when it goes off (note: set it for after work hours). Or download an app like Project 365 that prompts you and stores the photos for you. Use this app to keep it up for an entire year if all goes well in the first 30 days.
- No complaints challenge. Are you prone to gathering around the water cooler with coworkers and slamming your boss? Break this habit in the next month. Commit to biting your tongue any time you feel a complaint coming on.
- Reading challenge. If you have time to binge the entire new season of Peaky Blinders in a week, you have time to read. Ask around for a book recommendation and read a chapter a day — or more if you really get sucked into the story.
- Exercise challenge. If you’re not hitting the gym regularly, don’t attempt to suddenly launch into a grueling fitness routine. Instead, just challenge yourself to move every day — even if it’s a 10-minute walk around the block.
- Zero-bailing challenge. Are you that friend who everyone expects to skip out on plans at the last minute? Break this bad habit and restore your reputation by not bailing on commitments for a month.
- Play a game challenge. Adults rarely find the time to play. Carve out some time every day to play ping-pong, start a pick-up game of basketball, or otherwise embrace your inner child.
- Daily writing challenge. Even if it’s just a sentence or a paragraph, jot down thoughts about what’s happening with you each morning or evening. At the end of the month, you’ll have an account of all that went down — you may even be inspired to keep it up for a whole year.
- Save spare change challenge. If you’ve been struggling to put money in your savings account, this is the month to turn things around. Instead of swiping your debit card, pay with cash only for a month and put all of the spare change in a jar at the end of each day. Then cash out on day 30 and put the pull in your savings account.
- Track your spending challenge. Create a better budget with the help of an app like Mint, which allows you to easily track your spending. You’ll learn where you need to cut back in order to put more away this month.
- House-cleaning challenge. Devote just 10 minutes daily to straightening up around the apartment for 30 days, and watch your home (and your habits) transform.
- Decluttering challenge. Similarly, commit to clearing clutter as soon as you set it down. For instance, don’t let mail pile up. Open it immediately or recycle stuff you recognize as junk.
- DIY projects challenge. Doing a new DIY project everyday might be a lofty goal, but you can totally commit to a project each week. Choose four projects at the beginning of your 30-day stretch to complete by the end of the month.
- Yoga challenge. If you have a hard time combating stress, make this the month that changes things. Start your day with a 10-minute yoga video on days you can’t make it to a full yoga class.
- Surprise-your-significant-other challenge. Each day, surprise your spouse or significant other with a small treat and watch the joy that it brings them. It could be something as small as their favorite candy or a magazine or even a love note.
- Nature-time challenge. Nature has an organic calming effect. Take full advantage of this by spending at least 15 minutes each day outside, rain or shine. Go for a walk or take your lunch at the local park.
- No-TV challenge. If you’re really interested in switching up your daily routine, turn off the TV for the next 30 days. Entertain yourself with any of the other items on your to-do list, like reading or yoga.
- Random acts of kindness challenge. Do something selfless every day for a month, and you might be surprised by the ways your outlook changes. You don’t have to go overboard — holding the door open counts!
- One-app-a-day challenge. If you’re the entrepreneurial type, spend the next 30 days brainstorming. Spend 10 or 15 minutes each day devising an idea for a new app. If you have anything viable at the end of the month, pursue it further.
- Ten thousand steps challenge. How many steps do you take per day? If it’s at least 300, you can easily conquer this challenge. Set your FitBit or step-counting app to zero and try to get to 10,000 steps by the end of the 30 days. You’ll emerge a healthier and more active you.
Thirty 30-Day Challenges to Jump-Start the Best Version of Your Life [Daring to Live Fully]
A List of 30-Day Challenges You Can Start Today [The Mission]
15 Unique 30 Day Challenges Guaranteed to Make You a Better You [Forbes]