Do you want to change your lifestyle and improve your health, efficiency, finances, or anything else? If so, you’re not alone, and 30-day challenges can help.
But if you have ever tried to utilize a new habit, such as going to the gym three days a week, meditating for 5 minutes a day, following a budget, or flossing your teeth every day, you already know that attempting to implement a new habit can be extremely difficult.
Our list of suggestions can help you get started on a healthier path.
What are 30-day challenges?
It is a month-long period in which you implement small, easy daily actions that can lead to major long-term changes. 30-day challenges may be guided or self-directed.
Either way, they are fun and enjoyable. They are a great way to get started and stick with your habits.
So, whether you’re looking to save money, improve your health, start a self-care program, or learn a new skill, a 30-day challenge could be just the push you need to take the first step towards establishing a new, rewarding routine.
Why 30-day challenges?
We are aware of a number of elements that impact habit formation, including that there is no “magic number” for how long it takes for a habit to be established.
It takes roughly 66 days for a behavior to become habitual. This may vary based on the kind of behavior you are attempting to implement.
While a task doesn’t guarantee that you will reach your goal of automatic production, 30 days is an excellent amount of time to test yourself without feeling stressed out.
You could also find that your habit has become an ordinary part of your routine if you do adhere to the 30-day cleanup cycle.
Tips for how to complete 30-day challenges successfully
It isn’t easy to make a new habit. So you should do everything you can to put yourself for success.
Take small steps
Perhaps you have failed in the past because you tried to change a habit that was too substantial of a change.
Or perhaps the routine itself was so unpleasant that it was unbearable to even consider doing it.
Because of this, the challenges you take in a 30-day competition should be straightforward and readily incorporated into one of your daily schedules.
Pair your new habit with something you enjoy
What’s more, you may make taking action more fun by doing something you already have an interest in, such as adding something to the routine that you currently enjoy doing.
For example, if you want to strengthen your endurance, allow yourself to relax while watching your favorite television program while exercising on a stationary bicycle at the gym.
If you are doing something that you like with your new habit, you will be more inclined to perform the actions you have committed to.
Be patient with yourself
Do not allow yourself to feel too badly if you miss one day or two days of your project. As long as you meet your goal for the month, you will be 90% successful at the end.
If you are satisfied with a completion rate rather than a precision rating, you acknowledge that you are human.
30-Day challenges: 28 of our favs!
I have included 30 different challenge ideas that you can try below. Depending on your goals and on how you hope to improve your life, you may want to try one of these, or you may want to try several!
No matter what you do, remember to have a good time! Don’t let yourself be too eager to take on big challenges at one time.
1. Self-love 30-day challenge
Self-care is an aspect of self-love that we often neglect. But it is crucial to our mental health and capacity to achieve our goals.
By taking care of our own self-love, we are better suited to provide love and support to others without feeling drained ourselves. Our 30-day self-love challenge is a chance for us to honor ourselves and others.
2. Minimalism challenge
Clean up, simplify, and declutter your life in a step-by-step process. This challenge is great for anyone feeling overtaxed or exhausted.
If you want to declutter your home, or if you want to declutter your mind, this 30-day minimalist challenge can help you prioritize the most important things in life by eliminating the non-essential items you no longer need. Take a look at our helpful decluttering tips if you need some motivation to get started!
3. Tidying-up challenge
Like the 30-day minimalism challenge, this challenge focuses on ridding yourself of physical clutter around your home.
The guided task permits you to work on one room, one closet, and one tabletop at a time. So you can clean up problem areas and then maintain those standards for the long term.
4. Quitting a bad habit challenge
You don’t have to completely change your lifestyle to incorporate something healthy. It can also consist of cutting out negative behaviors that are no longer serving you.
Go on a 30-day quitting challenge to kick a habit to the curb, whether that’s nail-biting, smoking, drinking, or hitting the snooze button. Commit to a 30-day cessation attempt and see how you feel at the end!
5. Sleep better challenge
Getting enough sleep every night can be difficult in itself. We know that a good night’s rest is important for our health and wellbeing.
A sleep challenge can help you get to bed earlier and get more sleep in a more meaningful way.
For example, establishing a 10pm bedtime for 30 days (even on weekends!) may be a good way to get additional sleep and implement a sustainable sleep schedule.
6. Track your spending 30-day challenge
If you’re looking to manage your funds, a 30-day track-your-spending challenge is a great way to begin a financial reset.
With this challenge, the idea is not to change anything with your spending habits or the way you spend.
Instead of tracking your expenses for just one month, track your spending for an entire month. By monitoring your spending, you can discover where your money is going.
You can save more money in the future by making more informed purchasing decisions now. This is one of our favorite 30-day challenge suggestions!
7. Savings challenge
I suggest a 30-day savings challenge only after you’ve been tracking your expenditures for a while. Once you know where your money is flowing, you can make wiser decisions regarding your single target savings category for the 30-day challenge.
The November donation challenge was for you to stop spending money on a single category for a month. For example, you could eat out less, buy fewer clothes, drink less alcohol, or buy fewer other useful items. You could also combine this with a three-month quitting challenge!
8. Master your overspending 30-day challenge
Our money-saving bundle, part of which we refer to as our “master your over-spending” challenge, only asks that you order expenses for 30 days.
Before you dismiss this one as too difficult, give it a try! We guarantee you will be surprised at how much money you can save by deliberately refraining from purchasing unnecessary items.
9. Meal planning challenge
Another free service included in our discount bundle is a grocery meal-planning challenge. (Lunches often cost $10 to $20 per day, depending on the restaurant).
If you want to save money by eating more nutritious foods, this meal prep challenge can help you accomplish two goals with one stone!
10. Glow-up 30-day self care challenge
If you haven’t heard this term before, a glow-up is a positive change in your physical appearance, your mental health, or your emotions.
Sometimes you just happen to have a glow-up (like when you fall in love or you find out you are pregnant), and sometimes you deliberately plan one (such as if you enter a competition).
The 30-day glow-up challenge is a perfect way to improve one or more aspects of your life so you can enjoy the benefits of being you and feel your best.
11. Social media cleanse
We can’t do anything about social media’s time suck, but we can help combat mental health issues. In addition to causing depression, social media use could be a contributing factor to loneliness. If you want to stop using social media, start a 30-day social media fast.
You may merely delete the social media apps from your phone for 30 days, or you may completely disable your accounts.
You now have more time to read, spend time with family, try a new or old hobby, and immerse yourself in your surroundings.
12. “Get outside” challenge
It can be difficult to remember to go outside when working at home or at the office. But time spent in the outdoors can help to improve your mood.
Additionally, getting outside makes it easier to exercise. With a “get outside” challenge, commit to going outside at least once each day for a whole month. You can go for a walk, explore a new hiking trail, or visit your back yard to sunbathe.
13. Fitness challenge
Fitness programs are great ways to improve your physical health and feel better about yourself mentally. And fitness challenges need not involve strenuous physical exercise.
You can create a customized workout to match your goals and abilities, and the possibilities are virtually limitless. Find tips for all types of fitness challenges here.
14. Gratitude challenge
Practicing gratitude can make us happier and more thankful for the people and things around us.
A gratitude challenge can ensure that you stay mindful of everything to be grateful for.
If you’re participating in a challenge, write a gratitude journal each day or night listing five to ten things you are grateful for. (You can post at any time that fits your schedule.)
If you’re really going to challenge yourself, write about a different person or thing you are grateful for every single day!
15. Reading challenge
Many of us wish we had more time to spend on reading. Fortunately, we don’t have to dedicate hours and days to enjoying the physical and mental health benefits that reading can provide.
Make reading a habit. The puzzle requires you to read 10 pages of a book a day or for 10 minutes each day. How frequently or how much you read is up to you!
16. Meditation challenge
Meditation gives us clarity and focus when we are busy, overwhelmed, or stressed. 30-day challenges are intended to help you make simple but significant modifications to your life.
Thus, begin by starting your day with meditation for about 10 to 15 minutes. As you continue meditating, increase your meditation time each month. If you need help getting started, try a guided meditation challenge.
17. Wake up early challenge
Waking up early for thirty days is an excellent self-improvement challenge. Do whatever you like with this time, from reading while getting your caffeine fix, to working out, to bolstering your confidence with positive affirmations.
As a bonus, having a morning routine might make you feel less hurried on your way to work, and throughout the day, since you will have more time to organize and stay organized.
18. Journaling challenge
Journaling is a helpful method to work on personal growth, and also fight off negative feelings or anxieties. Committing to a 30-day journaling challenge where you spend an hour each day writing can be beneficial.
You may choose to write a piece for a certain amount of time, such as five minutes or 10 minutes, or you can commit to writing a piece every day without time limits.
You can also transform the notebook into a thing you like, such as a positive affirmation book, a calendar where you record all of your good experiences, or a journal where you can write about your day. However, you are likely to feel a lot better when you write in this outlet.
19. Eat healthy challenge
If you want to eat healthier, try a 30-day eat-healthy challenge. You can choose the menu, whether you prefer Whole 30, clean eating, or just want to eat more fruits and vegetables.
At the end of the 30-day challenge, take note of how you feel. It could be just the boost you need to continue your healthy lifestyle on a daily basis.
20. New hobby challenge
Do you feel like you need more time to be creative in your life? Joining a new hobby might be just the thing for you.
Whether you want to write a poem or two, start a blog, start a side hustle, learn a new language, or make crafts, find something that interests you and commit to working on for 30 days.
You can pick whether to complete a hobby for 20 minutes or an hour, and whatever time you have available. This is a great opportunity to discover new ideas.
21. Affirmations challenge
Do you want to expand the number of positive affirmations in your vocabulary? Trying out a positivity challenge could be an excellent idea.
Say some uplifting statements each day. Pick a specific time every day to make the task easier. Using evocative words such as “peace” or “great” can lift your mood and make you think differently.
22. Spend more time with family and friends challenge
Sometimes with work, meetings, hobbies, and other activities, you may find yourself spending less time with family and friends than you’d like. For the 30-day challenge, make an effort to spend more time with your family and friends.
For example, you might decide to spend an additional 20 minutes of quality time with your family each day. Or maybe you’ll commit to going out with your friend group for a meal once a week. Whatever you pick, you will strengthen your relationships for the better.
23. Invest $10 a day challenge
Do you think you cannot afford to donate? You likely can. This $10-a-day challenge is strenuous, but it is possible.
Whatever amount you choose to spend on this challenge is up to you. You could also take on a side hustle or sell some things to raise the money required. You can purchase fewer items to save space in your budget.
If you pay $10 per day, you will have as much as $300 to spend by the end of the 30-day period.
24. Give up sugar for 30 days challenge
A difficult challenge, but it can lead to many positive health effects. Give up sugar for 30 days! Mark your calendar and prepare yourself for sugar in more foods than you might expect.
Be sure to plan ahead for shopping and meal preparation, and pack snacks to stave off hunger cravings. This isn’t an easy task, but you will feel like a boss by the end!
25. Use a slow cooker for 30 days challenge
Using a slow cooker can be a fun way to plan your meals. Many recipes can be found online, and it’s great to be consistent about eating at home instead of consuming at restaurants or ordering in.
Every day for 30 days, prepare a slow cooker meal. You can even be able to prepare all of this ahead of time and not have to cook for a month!
26. Pomodoro technique challenge for time management
Are you easily distracted? The pomodoro technique can help you concentrate by letting you work in 25- or 50-minute intervals with a timer.
You can use this for errands, work, and anything else where time feels like a hassle. Do so for 30 days and see how much better you feel!
27. Laugh more challenge
Any time life becomes too serious, you should instead take a challenge to find humor and cheer up.
Laughter is the best medicine. Watch a humorous movie, go to amusing places, or do any number of other things each day. Laughter has so many positive health effects that you’ll be happy you completed the exercise!
28. Drink water challenge
Everyone knows this lesson – drink more water! However, this challenge will ensure that you drink the proper amount of water each day.
Drink the recommended amount of water for 30 days. Notice how much better you feel if you do!
Change your life for the better with one of these 30 day challenge ideas
Hopefully, one of these 30-day challenges seems both exciting and challenging to you as you make your way through your perpetual self-improvement journey, and advancement.
If you prefer to try all of the challenges, I recommend selecting one or two each month.
If you try to do too many tasks at once, you are more likely to get confused and stop completing any or all of your tasks before the end of the 30 days.
Whatever challenge you take up, explain why you are doing it and how you intend to feel at the end of the day. Make your daily activities manageable, simple, and compatible with your existing routines.
If you’re having trouble figuring out where to go from there, consider creating a personal development plan. When you do this, you will better realize what your goals stand for and why they are important to you.
