Most of us have probably attempted a few 30-day challenges at one point or another. They’re fun, great for building habits, and really help motivate us to try new things. Plus, there’s the added benefit of being fairly easy to commit to, versus making a “permanent” change.
So I thought I’d round up ten of the best 30-day challenge ideas I could find, and talk a bit about ways to try each of them. As well as some of the benefits of attempting 30-day challenges in general.
I’ll be including challenges that target multiple areas of our lives, ranging from fitness to relationships. So buckle up, we have a lot to cover!
Are 30-day challenges effective?
Some people are skeptical when it comes to the benefits of taking on a 30-day challenge. Specifically, they wonder if they’ll actually be able to notice a difference after it’s all over.
But the short answer to the question listed above is that these types of challenges are popular for a reason! And they actually come with a lot of potential benefits. For instance, some of them could be the following.
- Month-long challenges can help you build new habits in the long term. Because after you stick with something for a month, it’s easier to keep doing it! Likewise, if you want to get rid of a bad habit then breaking it for thirty days will probably make it easier to quit permanently.
- They can also be a good way to test out a lifestyle change you’re unsure about. As an example, maybe you’re considering starting to getting up at 7 AM instead of 8 AM. In that case, you could wake up at 7 AM for a month and then evaluate whether or not you actually like your new schedule!
- And lastly, as I mentioned in the intro, 30-day challenges can be very motivational. Since it almost tricks our brains into thinking that something is fun even if we wouldn’t otherwise think so. (Kind of like when I was a kid… If my mom told me to clean my room, then I didn’t want to; but if she made it into a game somehow, it didn’t seem as daunting to me!)
It’s also worth noting that there are many different types of month-long challenges out there. And, depending on which one you try, you may be looking for more visible or noticeable results.
In that case, there are some things you can do to optimize the experience for yourself…
Tips For Making The Most Of A 30-Day Challenge
Manage Your Expectations
First of all, and perhaps most importantly, you need to go into the challenge with realistic expectations.
Because many people fall into the trap of expecting a lot from things like challenges, becoming disappointed when the results don’t meet them, and then ending up quitting whatever they started due to the disappointment.
But to see results, you have to be consistent! So instead of looking at a 30-day challenge like the answer to all your problems, and assuming it will be life-changing… Look at it as a stepping stone towards your bigger goal.
Because remember, one of the benefits of these challenges is that they can lead to a long term habit. But only if you start them with the right mindset!
Speaking of which…
Do It For The Right Reasons
For any challenge you take on, but especially ones that have to do with your appearance, it’s important that you manage your mindset and intentions going into it. Because not only will this help with your mental health… but it will also help you sustain motivation in the long term.
So when you ask yourself what your “why” is, try to keep that in mind.
If you want to do a workout challenge, don’t do it because you want to look a certain way. Do it because you want to be stronger, more flexible, etc. Or, if you want to change your diet, do it because you want to feel healthier! Not because you want to lose weight.
30-Day Challenge Ideas…
Now, let’s actually jump into the challenges!
1. Learn Something New Every Day
The first challenge, to learn something new every day, can be done in several different ways! So it’s really customizable to you, your goals, and your interests.
For instance, if you want to practice a new language then you could aim to learn five new words in that language per day. If you want to brush up on your history knowledge, you could buy a book on a historical topic and read a few pages every day. Etc…
The only “rule” of this challenge is that you make sure to learn something new every day of the month, no matter how big or small.
2. Switch Up What You Eat
Making small changes to your diet can be a fun way to switch things up, and these changes don’t necessarily need to be fitness related.
Some people might decide they want to incorporate less of a certain ingredient, more of another one, or even try out some dishes from a cuisine they’re not very familiar with. Others might want to start baking, barbequing, or trying other new methods of preparing food.
No matter what your food-related goal is (as long as you’re not doing anything that will harm you), turning it into a 30-day challenge can be a great way to get started or even just test it out.
3. Try Out Some Affirmations
Not everyone believes in the power of affirmations, but many people have found that speaking positive words to themselves do make a difference.
So, whether you’re trying out affirmations for the first time or you just want to get back into it, consider making it into a 30-day challenge!
You could repeat one single affirmation to yourself every day, for thirty days. You could pick out a set of affirmations that have a similar theme. Or you could even just resolve to say something positive to yourself every day of the challenge, and create affirmations based on what you need in the moment.
Here’s a list of some great morning affirmations for you, if you need some inspiration.
4. Throw Away Or Donate Something Per Day
Decluttering can be a stressful and overwhelming task, especially if you try to tackle it all at once. But if you break the job into sections, it suddenly becomes a lot more manageable!
Which is why one of the 30-day challenges I wanted to talk about today is centered around reducing clutter in the home! All it consists of is getting rid of one item every day, for a month. Just one! And it could be anything; a coffee mug you don’t use, a shirt you don’t wear, etc.
Or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, you could increase the daily declutter quota to be a bit more. Maybe you get rid of something from every room in your home, or you get rid of multiple items a day.
No matter which option you choose though, you’ll probably see a noticeable difference afterwards.
5. Perform A Kind Act Every Day
If there’s one thing in life that we can be sure of, it’s that even a small act of kindness can make a big difference! Whether the kindness is coming from a stranger, a friend, a partner, a family member, etc.
And to complete this challenge, you don’t even have to do anything too exciting if you don’t want to. Your kind daily act could be anything from calling your mom to give her a compliment, to buying your partner a cup of coffee from their favorite coffee place.
Plus, if you wanted to increase the difficulty of the challenge, you could do a “bigger” act of kindness once a week during the month. Like volunteer at a local charity, or donate to a good cause.
Then at the end of the month, you’ll know that you spread some love and kindness to those around you. Which is a reward all on its own!
6. Be An Early Bird
Something that I think most people have faced at some point in their lives is a messed up sleep schedule! It could be caused by a multitude of things, some in our control and some not. But there’s no denying that it can throw your entire life out of whack! (I’m struggling with this right now in fact.)
So, if it’s within your control and you’d like to start waking up a bit earlier, then a fun month-long challenge could be to get up at a designated time every morning!
Or if you’re like me and your sleep schedule is really messed up, the challenge could be to get from A (your current sleep schedule) to B (your preferred sleep schedule) over the course of the month. That way you can slowly make your way towards the goal, without wearing yourself out.
7. Track Something For An Entire Month
This 30-day challenge may sound a bit vague, but I left it that way on purpose. So that you can really tailor it to fit your needs!
Basically the only rule of this challenge is that you track some aspect of your life for a month. It could be your water intake, your sleep quality, how many steps you take, or even the amount of pages you read per day. It just needs to be some metric that’s related to a goal of yours.
I think this is a really fun idea, because it allows you to measure where you’re at currently with something. Which will then give you the information you need to set realistic goals for yourself in regards to that thing.
You could even pair this challenge with another that you want to start; either to measure your progress along the way, or to measure the results by tracking yourself before and after you complete the thirty days!
8. Set A Step Goal
Especially depending on your profession, hobbies, and current physical activity levels… it can be all too easy to forget to move our bodies around on a day-to-day basis. But unfortunately, this can lead to a lot of health issues in the long run!
So, even if it’s something as simple as taking more steps daily, increasing our movement is vital to keeping our bodies strong and healthy. Which is why many people like setting step goals, to ensure that they reach a minimum threshold of movement per day.
Some do it with the help of apps, smart watches, etc. But if you don’t have access to those tools, then you could simply set reminders on your phone to walk every so often throughout the day.
Because this challenge format is mostly just about increasing your movement. And you can achieve that without counting every step.
9. Completely Cut Out Something
Sometimes breaking an old, bad habit is just as important as building a new one. So although it might not be as gratifying as starting something new, refraining from a habit for an entire month can be just as powerful as any other type of 30-day challenge.
And, depending on what the habit is that you want to break…You could even consider adding an element of habit-building to the challenge as well by “replacing” the bad habit with a good one.
Let’s say (as an example) that you struggle with negative self-talk and want to work on it! Not only could one of the rules of your challenge be to cut back on talking negatively to yourself, but another could be that every time you have a negative thought you replace it with a positive affirmation instead!
10. Step Outside Of Your Comfort Zone
I saved one of my favorite 30-day challenges for last, and it is to try something new and step out of your comfort zone in some way for an entire month.
This one doesn’t necessarily have to revolve around something you complete every day (although it could), it just needs to include you challenging yourself and pushing against your own limits. Within reason of course.
Maybe for you this could mean that you join a cooking class that you’ve been nervous to participate in. Or that you finally try that new restaurant that piqued your interest. It could even be something as simple as dying your hair a fresh color!
The point is that you’re growing as a person and gaining new experience, which is really what life is all about!
