If you are a goal-oriented person that is ready for a change in your life, a 30-day challenge may be what you need.
30-day challenges may be fun, exhilarating, and revealing but mostly they should be intentional and have a purpose that benefits some area you want to change or improve.
Benefits of 30-Day Challenges
The great things about 30-day challenges is that they allow us to focus on specific goals without overwhelm and success {or failure} is measurable!
I can’t tell you how many times, I failed to achieve a goal because I didn’t get specific enough and had no way of measuring what success would look like to me. No more! Now, I choose goals, set up 30-day challenges, and commit to a desired change; the results are fully documented and I can self-evaluate with the results. Are you ready to do the same?
In this series of 30-day challenges, you will find challenges in seven different areas: wellness, consumption, personal development, cleaning, money, relationships, and parentings. Working diligently to make positive changes in each of these areas can be life-changing – in a good way.
The Best 30-Day Challenges for Wellness
1. Exercise daily
The science has confirmed that as little as 30 minutes of exercise a day can make a difference in your weight, heath conditions, and mood {source}. You can start with small things like choosing the stairs instead of taking the elevator or you can commit to at-home fitness activities that can be accomplished in your living room. If you’d prefer more accountability, check your local parks and recreation organization for classes or a local gym.
2. Spend time in nature
The benefits of spending time in nature include decreased depression symptoms and increased immune functioning {source}. You can challenge yourself to visit neighborhood parks, local parks, national parks, or a grass patch with a single tree. It all counts; however, I highly recommend getting to dense area of trees (safely) to block out all the trapping of modernity – even if just for a brief time.
3. Wake up early {with intention}
A 30-day challenge with the goal of waking early could result in improved mental health and time to be more productive {source}. Just imagine having uninterrupted quiet time to read, journal, exercise, meditate, or whatever. If done with intention, you could eliminate the need to rush and that can lead to less stress.
4. Start a new morning routine
There are hundreds of 5 AM morning routine videos online and while some may be annoying there are several good psychological reasons to adopt a morning routine for yourself{source}. The main reason is for the structure and to reduce the need for early morning decision-making.
5. Get enough sleep
Did you know that sleep debt is a thing. No matter the reason for your lack of sleep, it can lead to a negative impact on our cognitive functioning, energy levels, and immune-system responses {source}. Depending on how your life is set up, it may be difficult to get the required amount of sleep each night; however, any improvement in your sleep habits is a win for your physical and mental health.
6. Start a new bedtime routine
Bedtime routines aren’t just for children. They are valuable for the same reasons morning routines are. Bedtime routines add structure, organization, and reduce the amount of necessary decision-making that may be stressful, so that the body can more easily prepare for sleep.
7. Level-up daily oral hygiene practices
It may seem silly to do a 30-day challenge for mouth hygiene but the data is in,”In adults between the ages of 20 and 64, 91% have dental caries [cavities] and 27% have untreated tooth decay”; also gum disease and tooth erosion is prevalent {source}. Committing to brush after meals and floss daily and lead to better dental hygiene.
8. Begin scripting
While some believe you get the life you want by wishing on a star, others understand that we must first picture or imagine what we desire for our lives so that we can manifest it. Scripting is a process that involves “writing a script for your life or a detailed narrative of the future you envision for yourself” {resource}. Visit the same resource for details on exactly how to begin your scripting practice. One key to the process is consistency hence the benefit of starting with a 30-day challenge.
9. Write letters to yourself and others
Does anyone do snail mail anymore? Here you’ll find ten reasons you should write more handwritten letters. This resource focuses on the value it sends to others but I’d offer that there is also a huge value to writing letters to your future self too. You can do this easily with a website call https://www.futureme.org
10. Do a ’30-Day Productivity Challenge’
I’ve written about the difference between being busy and being productive here. Basically, productivity is largely what you are able to produce; it is a measure of your output – not time invested. Committing to a productivity challenge can help you decrease ineffective uses on time and focus on completing projects.
11. Make giving a hobby
It’s no coincidence that many faiths involve promoting generosity. While giving is often noticeably helpful to the receiver, it is useful to note that the giver also benefits. When researchers looked at the health benefits of giving, they found that giving can contribute to increased self-esteem, lower risk of depression, better physical health, and even a longer life {source} – go figure. Developing a habit of giving doesn’t need to be expensive and doesn’t need to only rely on giving money. It’s possible to get creative with how you give by paying attention to the tangible needs in your community or by contributing time and resources to an organization already in existence.
Related:
7 Secrets of Self-Confident Moms
20 Inspirational Believe In Yourself Quotes
Improve Your Productivity With This One Word…
Ready To Change Your Life?
You can absolutely achieve your goals in life with small yet meaningful behavior changes. There are plenty of 30-day challenges to help you get started.
So…which one will you try?
No matter what your goal, I’d caution trying to making too many changes at once, which is a quick way to end up overwhelmed and wanting to give up. Instead, try to work on 1-3 challenges and get the results you want before moving on to others.
If you didn’t find a challenge that meets your goal in this post, stay tuned for the 30-day challenges to change consumption habits.
