Staying focused on our goals isn’t always easy. And it certainly looks like the picture-perfect start to new beginnings is just around the corner, so we put off our goals for another day. But what’s the best time to start achieving your goals is right now, and the 100-day challenge ideas are a great way to motivate yourself to get started.
If you have ambitious goals, then we have some great 100-day challenge ideas to help you meet them.
What is a 100 day challenge?
A 100-day challenge is about self-improvement. You can really accomplish anything in this area. It’s about helping you work toward a big goal that you would like to accomplish-whether that’s for your fitness, your mental health, your finances, or something else under the sun.
Why 100 days?
The magic number is 100 because it is long enough to make a real difference, but short enough to be attainable.
Why do a 100 day challenge?
While different people have various reasons for initiating a 100-day challenge, they all share a desire to improve themselves in some way. Some people may choose to improve their physical fitness, while others may prefer to improve their finances, health, or other aspects of their lives.
You can pick from a virtually infinite number of 100-day challenge suggestions when you volunteer for the task. But no matter what area of the globe you target, you can find a wealth of benefits by participating in the task.
To motivate yourself to start NOW
Many people wait until the start of a new year to set goals and work on plans. One of the biggest benefits of a 100-day challenge is that you can start it at any time of the year.
Rather than waiting for the new year or spring or for things to “feel right,” committing to a 100-day challenge will motivate you to get started now on your goals.
To hold yourself accountable
We have all been there: We tell ourselves that we’re going to start exercising more…and then we don’t. Here again, a 100-day challenge familiarizes you with numerous aspects of daily work.
By setting up a tracker for your goals, you are making a promise to yourself that is real. For example, instead of just stating, “I’m going to run a mile on Sunday,” you will see it written down on your tracker.
That’s evidence that you made a promise to yourself. In doing so, it helps you hold yourself accountable, so you’ll fulfill your goals even on days when you don’t feel well.
To track your progress
Do you know what that exhilarating feeling of accomplishing an item on your to-do list feels like? Well, it’s what it feels like when you’ve completed a challenge 10 days long!
A 100-day challenge demands you each day to monitor your progress. This way, every day that you work toward your goal, you can visibly see your progress.
For example, you could see the mileage you ran each day on your calendar. You could even view your journal fill up with pages written during your daily sessions.
To achieve your goals faster
It’s evident when you put the effort in, you will see the results.
This is what makes 100-day challenges so effective. If you don’t remain dedicated to working toward your goals, it will be very difficult to make any significant progress.
For example, let’s say your goal is to start a new side business.
You can work around your schedule at your leisure, working on a side gig once per week for about three months. At the end of that time, you will have worked on your side hustle about 14 times.
On the other hand, suppose you completed a 100-day challenge to work on your side business for a hundred days. As a result, you would have worked on your side business 100 times after three months of such work.
Compared to day 14, day 100 was a huge contrast. In addition, you will see the differences between your results and your progress toward your ultimate goal.
100 day challenge ideas to save money
If you have a desire to cut costs or increase your emergency fund, there are a variety of 100-day savings challenge ideas to help you save on large expenses quickly.
1. Only buy the essentials for 100 days
First, make a list of the basic necessities you consider to be your minimum requirements.
Then, don’t deviate from this list for 100 days. Otherwise, keep track of all purchases with a traditional pad and paper or an app.
Although this is one of the more demanding 100-day challenge tasks, you can save a bunch of money by doing this for 100 days!
2. Don’t go to restaurants for 100 days
Similarly, this month-long challenge will help monthly bills significantly less effectively than a traditional budget would, but will not cut a great deal of fat.
To decide if this is the right challenge for you, consider: Do you eat out too much? Do you buy lunch every day at work, or do you call food delivery whenever you’re feeling lazy?
If you’re not alone, you’re not the first to spend money this way. A recent study from Popmenu shows that most individuals spend 40% of their food budget on restaurants.
While everyone deserves a break from eating restaurants, those meals add up quickly. By going cold turkey for 100 days, you can save yourself a considerable sum of money.
3. Save $10 a day for 100 days
Are you missing out on a good savings strategy? (If so, your first step is to make a savings plan ASAP.)
Try this next challenge. It’s like playing a little game with yourself.
Every day, place $10 in a fundraising box.
At the end of the competition, you’ll have $1,000 saved up. Yay!
4. Try the 100 day envelope challenge
The 100-day challenge is one of the most popular 100-day challenge ideas. It’s similar to the save-ten-dollar-a-day challenge, but considerably more intense.
If you prefer not to receive traditional mail and cash payments for this 100-day countdown, you can turn this challenge digital by scanning your replies with an Android or Apple smartphone or tablet.
By the end of this training period, you will have saved $5,050!
5. Dedicate time to your side hustle for 100 days
You can generate a new income stream by working a side gig. For example, you can start a blog, start a graphic design business, or become a freelance teacher, writer, or website designer.
It can be difficult to motivate you to start a new endeavor and then stick with it.
In this challenge, you commit yourself to working on your side job every day for 100 days.
To stay on track, start each week by making a daily list of what you plan to do each day that week. At the end, see how much your business has grown!
6. Don’t use credit cards or debit cards for 100 days
It’s incredibly easy to spend more than you need when you use credit cards or debit cards. In fact, a famous study from Dun & Bradstreet showed that people spend 12 to 18% more when they use plastic cards than cash.
Do your part for this 100-day challenge by paying for everything with cash. See how much of your purchasing you typically do by credit card.
To make life more convenient, you may want to make an exception for items like rent, Internet fees, etc. However, for shopping, meals out, and other non-necessities, you should spend everything in cash.
Ultimately, your expenses are likely to decrease significantly. Also, make sure you keep track of your expenses, using either a paper or an app.
7. Save your $1 bills for 100 days
This is a great puzzle to make saving automatic without experiencing any pain.
For 100 days, every time you handle money, take all the $1 bills you touch and put them in a barrel. After the end of the challenge, see how much you have been able to save up.
You can also participate in this quest by saving all of your $5 bills, too.
8. Make coffee at home for 100 days
Don’t worry-we won’t penalize you for ordering your usual $5 latte. That isn’t what we do here. If you do what makes you happy, then that’s what you do!
That said, regular coffee purchases can add up quickly.
For example, suppose you purchase three cups of coffee per week for $4 apiece. At the end of 100 days (approximately 14 weeks), you would have spent $168 on coffee.
But if you made all that coffee at home, you’d save over 100 days in just 100 days!
9. Save all your spare change for 100 days
Every penny counts, so save whatever change you can for 100 days.
Empty your wallet or wallet and add any additional small change that you get during this time to your spare change fund. You may even start using cash more frequently in order to save money. At the end of the 100 days, see how much you have saved.
10. Make a budget every week for 100 days
Keep your cash in your budget for the next 100 days. Choose the day of the week, and your budget will remain the same on that day of the week. For example, budget your money every Monday.
During this 100-day process, you’ll spend only $14 each day. After this period, your budget will have dramatically improved.
11. Pay off x amount of debt in 100 days
There is plenty of progress to be made with this as well. If you owe a great deal of money, choose an amount you can pay off in 100 days. For example, $1,000 in debt.
Make every opportunity count towards your goal, paying down your debt as much as possible by the end of the 100 days. At the end of the 100 days, see if you have met your goal (or paid off even more)!
You might have earned more than you would have without the training. You can then pay off the rest of your debt quickly and add to your achievement!
Why challenging yourself helps with financial wellness
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So, why is this important?
True financial wellness goes far beyond just your wealth. After all, your net worth contributes to your overall feeling of security-physically and mentally.
Financial wellness does not happen overnight. There are many aspects of financial planning, including saving, investing, borrowing, debt, credit and more. But by successfully completing a 100-day challenge, you can substantially reduce your financial debt so you can make your way to financial freedom.
How to start a 100 day challenge
It may seem daunting to complete a 100-day challenge, but it only takes a few steps to begin.
Pick your goal
Begin by clearly outlining what you want to accomplish. Then, write it.
Writing down your goals will help you to stay focused on attaining them.
Make a plan of attack
Which actions will you take (or avoid) for 100 consecutive days?
If you are participating in an exercise challenge, you can set the goal of running one mile every day for 100 days.
Or you can train yourself to pay closer attention to your mental well-being. In that case, you can participate in a challenge in which you write about something in your journal every day for 100 days.
Create a tracker (and use it)
Tracking your progress on a daily basis is an important part of any 100-day challenge. By reminding yourself to continue even when you don’t feel like running that extra mile or have time to journal, you can stay motivated for the entire duration of the competition.
The most important step is to choose a tracker that you will actually use. This can be a to-do list, a journal, or an app.
Note your progress
At the end of the competition (after celebrating), take some time to review yourself.
In either case, what have you learned along the way? What changes will you make moving forward?
Which 100 day challenge are you ready to take on?
Small steps can lead to large consequences. However, it can be difficult to get yourself moving and stay focused.
One of the 100-day challenge is to try one of these tasks to give you a headstart toward meeting your goals.
Once you start noticing the financial benefits of being a benefactor, we can bet that you will want to continue. Next, check out these 18 money- and time-saving tips that could save you a great deal of money.
