Looking for a new way to feel accomplished? Want to feel like you’re working towards your goals?
This is where these 30 day Challenge ideas will give you the motivation to make a change in your life this month.
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There are many things we want to do in our lives, but it can be hard to focus on one thing at a time. Why? I bet your life seems crazy and you find it hard to dedicate time out of your day.
This is where a 30 day challenge can truly be useful.
How Does a 30 Day Challenge Work?
A 30 day challenge is designed for you to focus on one thing (and one thing only) for 30 days.
Whether you want to create a new habit, learn something new or create better balance in your life, a 30 day challenge prioritizing one important thing will enhance your life.
The below 30 day challenge ideas are broken down into the following categories:
- Personal development
- Self Care
- Health
- Productivity
- For couples
Look through the list below and see what interests you.
Next, consider of the following:
- Think of what you can add to your daily routine – small changes you’d like to make on a daily basis
- Choose a start date and keep track of your challenge every day. You can get started with this habit tracker
* I recommend posting your calendar or habit tracker to your fridge.
Related:
- 30-Day Gratitude Challenge + Free PDF Printable
- 25 Best Ways To Challenge Yourself in Life
Tips for Starting Your 30 Day Challenge
1. Commit! Once you select our challenge – tell people so they can check in on you
2. Dedicate time every day to complete your challenge. This way it’s easier to stick to.
3. Find a buddy if you think you’ll need an accountability partner. They can do the same challenge as you or find another – but you’ll both check in daily and be accountable to each other.
4. Track! Make sure to track daily. Give yourself a gold star or highlight your calendar in a bright colour to keep your motivation going.
5. Get out of your comfort zone. Trying new things can feel uncomfortable at times, but that is okay. Take small steps and try new things that will help you live a better life in the long run.
How Are These 30 Day Challenge Ideas Life-Changing?
In life we all have goals. We also have things we mean to do, but put off.
The below 30 day challenges are designed to help you reach your goals and help you focus on one important thing you’ve been wanting to do.
Focusing on this one goal for the month will help you feel accomplished and hopefully will have you wanting to try another 30 day challenge the following month.
Just imagine doing a 30 day challenge every month for one year. Think about how good you’ll feel – how proud you’ll be
These challenges are perfect for beginners and those who’ve successfully completed other 30 day habit challenges.
Let’s get started!
Looking for a new way to feel accomplished? Check out these 31 life changing 30-day challenge ideas - designed to help you focus on one important task every day. Get the list with tips to start! #challengeaccepted #30daychallenge
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30 Day Challenge Ideas To Enhance Your Life
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30 Day Challenges for Personal Development
1. Self Love Positive Affirmations
At the beginning of your challenge, write down your personal thoughts – good and bad. Circle the negative thoughts and feelings that you need to change into positive thoughts.
Repeat this and circle the positive thoughts that you want to remind yourself of.
Write 2 to 3 positive affirmations for each thought that you feel will help you focus on a positive outcome.
Access these self love affirmations and download the free worksheet to get started.
2. Track Your Mood
Be mindful of your daily mood (or moods throughout the day) to help you do more of what you love and limit activities that lower your mood.
This 30 day challenge is perfect for anyone going through anxiety, depression or just people trying to focus on what makes them feel good.
Download a free printable mood tracker and begin.
->Or check out my new Mood Tracker Journal available on Amazon! Today I Choose Joy: Mood Tracker
3. Self Love Journaling
Start a daily journal challenge so you can create a writing habit that focuses on improving your self love.
You can access one new journal prompt every day so you can boost your confidence and self-esteem.
-> You can also get these journal prompts in a beautiful self love journal, Love Yourself First Daily Guided Journal (Amazon)
4. Read for 30 to 60 minutes a day
If you’re someone who wishes they had more time to read or has a goal of reading more, this is the perfect challenge for you.
Dedicate a specified amount of time and commit! Even if you just do 15 minutes a day, focus on making it happen.
Tip: If you have kids at home try a family reading time exercise as mentioned in this post. It’s a great way to get your kids reading more too!
5. Incorporate Minimalism into all Areas of Life
Minimalism actually goes way beyond physical clutter. Think of this minimalism challenge as targeting 5 key areas of your life.
- Physical clutter
- Saying no
- Mental clutter
- Digital clutter (or e-clutter)
- Relationships
You can focus on one of these areas each week of your 30 day challenge.
Learn more about what to focus on for this minimalism challenge so you can live with a clearer more balanced mind.
6. Take a Deep Personal Growth Challenge
Check out my printable personal growth planner designed to help you create the life you love and be more intentional with your daily life.
Choose to make your days happier and more balanced by planning and keeping track of what’s important to you.
Includes:
- 12-month undated calendar with colouring pages for every month
- Annual and weekly mood trackers, weekly habit trackers
- Daily gratitude journal with inspiring quotes
- Building a happy week self-care plan + 75 self care ideas
- Weekly and monthly reflections
- Life Bucket List
- Self Love Affirmations worksheet
- Wall art, stickers and inspirational quotes throughout
- And much more
Get access to the printable personal growth planner and download this month’s daily activities.
7. Send a Daily Thank You Note
Spend every day for 30 days saying thank you to those who’ve impacted your life in a positive way.
This act of kindness will help you express gratitude, which can have endless benefits to your happiness and well-being. So this is the perfect challenge for those who need a reminder of the people who show up.
Start by making a list of everyone you want to send a thank you to. This can include friends, family, neighbours, teachers, local businesses.
Based on your list decide how you want to send your thank you. You can use:
- Snail mail
- Social media
- Text
- Heck – you can even leave a note on someone’s car! (Get creative any way you can).
If you want to easily print some thank you/thinking of you cards at home check out these greeting card options.
8. Learn a New Skill
Is there something you’ve (always) wanted to learn, but never seem to have the time?
I want you to select the one thing you want to start and dedicate the next 30 days to learning this skill.
Whether it’s learning a new language, picking up a paintbrush or learning about photography, spend 30 minutes (minimum) a day of dedicated learning time.
These new skills will give you a sense of accomplishment and purpose in your day.
Did you know? There are some amazing affordable online courses for almost any new hobby or skill you want to pick up.
Resources: Get access to Skillshare Premium, Free for 30 days.
9. Quit a bad habit
Bad habits – we all have them. There may be many things you want to stop doing (spending too much money, biting your nails, eating sugar, watching too much TV, etc).
For the sake of success with your 30 day challenge I want you to only focus on ONE bad habit to quit.
Here is an excellent article from Healthline with actionable tips to help you break your bad habit.
10. Start a Virtual Assistant Side Hustle
Have you been thinking of new ways to make money at home?
Being a virtual assistant is a great way to do this – and one of the best ways to make money as a VA is to become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant.
Resource: If you’re interested in becoming a Pinterest virtual assistant I highly recommend VA Ninja. This course instruction is by a Pinterest expert who will teach you how to rock Pinterest for future clients in an easy step by step course.
11. Get Creative: Calligraphy or Brush Lettering
There are many calligraphy and brush lettering online courses you can try which are super affordable.
Sign up for one and begin your lettering practice!
Course Resources:
- Calligraphy courses on CreativeLive
- Hand lettering classes on CreativeLive
- Check out Skillshare lettering classes. Get 30 days of premium access!
12. Track What Went Well
At the end of each day, write down 3 things that went well.
13. Practice Gratitude
A great time to do this is in the morning. Write what you’re grateful for in notebook or check out my Gratitude Journal with 52 Writing Prompts.
Self Care 30 Day Challenge Ideas
14. Build a Happy Week Self Care Plan
There are 5 types of activities that help us create happiness in our lives (social, spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual).
My therapist once shared with me to work on incorporating activities from each of these categories into my day – every day of the week.
This is your 30 day challenge which will help you build your happy week
I created a ‘Happy Week’ tracker for myself that I also want to share with you >> Printable Self Care Planner.
15. Get 30 Minutes a Day of Alone Time
If you are desperate for alone time, you may be thinking there is no way you can get it.
However, if you choose this challenge you are committing to doing something different (and good) for you – for an entire month.
My recommendation is to carve out 30 minutes of your day in advance. If that means you need to wake up earlier to get your 30 minutes of uninterrupted time, then do that.
Learn more about the importance of alone time, plus get some fun ‘me time’ ideas.
16. Go to bed at the same time every night
…and practice healthy bedtime practices.
Going to bed at the same time every night might sound easy, but this + creating some healthy bedtime practices might be a little more challenging if you’re used to binge-watching TV or spending time on social media before bed.
I encourage you to end your screen time 1 hour before bed.
This means you can make a cozy drink, read, write in a journal, stretch, cuddle your dog, etc. But no TV or mobile devices!
Try this healthy & delicious golden milk (turmeric) tea recipe before bed to help you improve your zzz’s.
17. Enjoy One Simple Pleasure Every Day
I think we can all agree that it’s the simple pleasures in life that make us feel good. I encourage you to write a list of 30 simple pleasures that make you feel good.
Now, make sure you make that simple pleasure happen every day for 30 days.
Get some inspiration here: 99 Simple Pleasures in Life to Fill You With Joy
18. Practice Saying No
If you typically say yes to people even when you want to say no, this is a great challenge for you – especially if you get anxious about saying yes too often.
For your challenge I want you to first think about uncovering your stress about saying no.
Ask yourself these questions:
- When you want to say no, but can’t where the guilt is coming from?
- Why is saying no is important for you?
- Why is saying no hard?
- Who do you want to say no to?
- Is saying yes giving you anxiety and stress?
Learn more about the above questions in this article and begin your 30 day challenge of saying NO!
19. Meditate for 5 to 10 minutes
Mediation is said to be amazing to improve concentration and focus, practice mindfulness, decrease stress, improve sleep and help you relax.
The easiest way to start this challenge is to download a meditation app and do your meditation practice at the same time every day.
20. Create a New Morning Self Care Routine
Starting your day on the right foot literally impacts everything that follows. Creating a new (good for you) morning routine can be so beneficial to your overall work-life balance.
Wake up 30 to 60 minutes early every day and make the most of your time. Think about what makes you feel good or accomplished and focus on that.
Resource: Check out these self care morning routine ideas.
21. Colour
Colouring for adults is extremely relaxing. I find it can help reduce stress rapidly after just 10 minutes of colouring.
See if you can dedicate just 15 minutes a day to colouring and notice the difference!
Colouring Book Top Picks:
- Secret Garden Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book
- Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Designs
22. Listen to music
If you’re looking to lift your mood, listening to some happy tunes on a regular basis really makes a difference.
First, think about how you can make it easier to listen to (great) music daily:
- Create playlists using Spotify or Amazon Music
- Listen to music while walking your dog
- Get a Google Home or Echo device and play in the background while working
- Have a personal dance party while making dinner
Think about how you can listen to music every day and I promise you won’t want to stop.
For those who enjoy some older tunes with a mixture of genres, check out my happy playlist!
23. Practice Daily Mindfulness
Mindfulness is about focusing on the present moment.
Apart from meditation, there are a few ways you can practice mindfulness:
- 5 senses mindfulness practice
- Mindful eating
- Mindful walking
- Mindful colouring exercises
- Mindful music
You can focus on each of the above activities for each week of the month or if there is one you love, continue with that for the entire month – the choice is yours.
Learn more about the above mindfulness exercises and how you can get started.
30 Day Challenge Ideas For Physical Health
24. Drink a Healthy Smoothie
This one is pretty straightforward. Get out your blender and have a healthy smoothie every day for 30 days.
Try different recipes and also think about when you enjoy smoothies the most – for breakfast or mid-afternoon snack?
Here is my favourite smoothie recipe: raspberry spinach smoothie (this one works great with blueberries too).
25. Workout for 15 minutes a day
For those who want to start a workout routine take a small step and just begin with 15 minutes every day for 30 days.
Try and workout at the same time each day to create a habit and come up with a list of potential 15-minute workout routines.
Some examples:
- Walk around the block
- Find a YouTube workout video
- Dance in your kitchen
- Try a stationary bike
- Do weights
To improve your chances of succeeding with this challenge I encourage you to find a partner to do this with.
Check out this 30-day fitness challenge workout routines. This includes a calendar tracker!
26. Stop Eating Sugar
Too much sugar in our diets can directly impact your mental health and overall health. Experts say that sugar can even be more addicting than cocaine, which is really quite shocking.
For this challenge focus on cutting out all added sugar for 30 days. If cutting out all sugar is too hard, try this challenge in steps. For example, cut sugar out of your coffee or tea.
Every little bit helps.
Recommended reading: I Quit Sugar: Complete 8-Week Detox Program & Cookbook
27. No Take Out Food for 30 Days
This includes no fast food! This challenge is not only good for your health but great for your budget.
I recommend creating a meal plan once a week so it’s easy to accommodate at home cooking.
Tip: Prepping healthy food at home once a week makes it much easier to make a home-cooked meal at the end of a long work day.
Check out this weekly meal plan printable template, which also includes a grocery list to help you out.
28. Take Daily Walks
Getting a fresh start in the morning with a walk has so many benefits for your health – including your mental and emotional well-being.
This challenge is perfect for everyone, so if walking more is a goal for you get started!
Tips for your 30 days of walking:
- Try new walking routes around your neighbourhood
- Explore some nearby parks
- Find some hiking trails you can try on the weekend
- Listen to some music or a podcast while walking
- Take your dog, kids or spouse to keep your family active
- Enjoy nature and just do it!
Resource: Check out these habit trackers to help you stick to the plan.
29. Get 8 Hours of Sleep
This can be a tough one but aim to get your 8 to 9 hours of sleep every night for 30 days.
To make it easier, go to get at the same time every night, don’t use any screens (including TV) for 30 minutes before bed and try reading – which really helps you get sleepy.
30. No Alchohol
This is a perfect challenge after the Christmas holidays, after a vacation or whenever you want to improve your overall health.
As an alternative try sparkling water with water or lime which still feels special.
31. Get Fresh Air Everyday
This is a particularly good challenge if you work from home. It can seem challenging to get outside, especially in the winter. So, the challenge here is to get quality fresh air every day.
You could have your morning coffee outside, read outside, do some gardening, feed the birds, go for a walk, etc, etc.
32. Go Fully Plant Based For 30-Days
Reset your body with a fully plant-based vegan diet for 30 days. To help you get started, check out these vegan pantry staples.
Tip: Don’t think about what you can’t eat, but instead focus on new healthy foods and new recipes you are adding to your diet, that you wouldn’t normally eat.
33. Keep A Food Journal
Great to improve healthy eating.
34. Eat 5 Servings of Veggies
Ideal to track this in your food journal too!
30 Day Productivity Challenges
35. Time Block Daily
Time blocking is working for set intervals (on one specific task) followed by a short break.
You do this to break out your day into time blocks.
For example, you may work for 30 minutes and have a 5 minute break or 60 minutes with a 10 minute break.
At the beginning or each day (or the night before) write a list of the various tasks you need to complete that day.
You now fit them into blocks of time you can keep track of in your calendar.
Get inspiration here: Time Blocking Your Way to a Balanced Life
36. Take a Time Management Online Class
I strongly believe that productivity starts with time management and for this 30 day challenge I encourage you to sign up for an online time management course and implement what you’ve learned for 30 days!
Skillshare has many time management courses to choose from. See classes here.
37. Meal Plan
Creating a meal plan you follow for 30 days will change your day-to-day life!
Check out this post from a fellow blogger on her best tips to create a meal plan, even with a large family.
38. Tidy Your Desk At The End of The Day
This is the perfect way to increase your productivity at the beginning of your day tomorrow.
39. Review Your Day In the Morning
This will help you prioritize and start on track by knowing what’s coming up.
40. Wake Up One Hour Early
What would you do with an additional one hour every day? I bet you can think of a lot! So, give it a try and see if you can make it a lasting habit.
41. Avoid Multi-Tasking
Specifically, go for single-tasking. I find setting a timer helps you stick to one thing at a time.
42. Complete your to-do list every day
To get started with this challenge, make sure to write a to-do list you can actually accomplish each day.
Then I encourage you to allocate time to each task (30 mins, 1 hour, etc). Then set the timer for your first task and do it.
Tip: Start your hardest task first. This may be a task you’ve been putting off, but once it’s complete it will truly relieve the stress you’ve been feeling about accomplishing this activity.
43. Answer all emails
Your first step to accomplishing this daily task is to unsubscribe from any emails you receive that are eating up space in your inbox.
Once you unsubscribe, start this email challenge with a zero-message inbox (all messages read and responded to or filed).
Now take care of your inbox every day.
Some tips to make this challenge work:
- If this is for your work inbox, ask colleagues to remove you from emails that you do not need to be cc’d on
- Set up automated filing for emails that are not urgent, so you can respond or read later: ex: newsletters
- If for work encourage people to send you one email with all the details regarding a project and not 10. This can be achieved if you have a conversation about the best ways to work effectively together
- Have a dedicated time to read and respond to emails – with no interruptions and no multitasking
44. Spend 30 minutes working towards a big goal
Whatever your goal, do it for 30 minutes every single day for a month. Just imagine how much you will accomplish.
Tip: Break your goal into chunks of activities you need to accomplish (to reach your goal). This will h
30 Day Challenges for Couples
45. Start Dating Again
Now, you can’t go on a date every day for 30 days but you can dedicate one day a week for ‘date night’.
You can also have no-spend or low-spend dates, either at home or in your neighbourhood.
Get creative and take turns planning each date.
46. Compliment Your Spouse Daily
This challenge is something you can do without telling your other half.
Tell them you love them because…, thank them for their effort, and communicate how you appreciate them.
Simply say something nice every day.
47. talk about your day
This is especially important to be mindful of if you’re both going through a really busy season.
48. Get Physical
Touch, kiss, cuddle, hold hands, make love.
49. Do Something To Help Your Partner
It could be taking a chore off their plate or making them coffee.
50. Take a 30 Day Relationship Challenge
Check out this one.
51. Take a Nightly Stroll
Go for a walk after dinner every night for a month.
Not only will you feel healthier, but you’ll also feel more connected enjoying this simple pleasure together.
52. Send Cute and Sexy Text Messages
This is something couples do when they first get together, but why not spice things up years into your relationship.
53. Workout Together
Whether it’s going for a run, doing weights or mat exercises, doing a daily workout is great motivation for your health goals, but also is a wonderful way to have fun together.
54. Cook Together Every Day
Making a daily meal together is a great way to chat about your day, flirt and connect in a different way.
More 30 Day Challenges To Try
55. Try a Self Love Challenge
Access the 30 day self love challenge to get started.
56. Track A New Habit
Whatever habit you’d like to focus on, track it for 30 days to help you make it a routine.
57. Declutter 3 items every day
Keep a box or bag handy so you can easily add a new item you want to get rid of easily.
58. Create An Evening Routine
Get some ideas here to help you unwind at the end of a long day.
59. Take A Lunch Break Every Day
A perfect challenge for you workaholics out there.
The key is to physically leave your workspace. go eat lunch, get outside for some fresh air and let your body and mind have a break.
60. Make a New Recipe
This can be a lot of fun if you like to cook and also help you get out of a cooking rut. Making a new recipe on a daily basis doesn’t have to be as hard as it might sound.
A new recipe can be a drink, snack, breakfast and of course lunch and dinner.
61. Put things away after use
This helps prevent a build-up of mess that can be overwhelming.
62. Call Someone You Love
Your mom, dad, best friend – anyone who puts a smile on your face.
63. No Social Media
Remove the apps from your phone and fill your time in other ways.
64. No TV
The same as social media – imagine all pf the other positive ways you could fill your time!
65. Track Your Spending
Great to see where your money is actually going.
66. No Screen Time After 7pm
Think you can do it?! Give it a try – and instead of continuous scrolling, you can allocate quality time to something you’ve been putting off.
67. Don’t Use Your Credit Cards
If you’ve been thinking about reducing your credit card use, how about eliminating usage altogether? It might seem difficult at first, but anything is possible for 30 days.
68. Make Your Bed
Once you get in the habit of this you won’t turn back!
69. Watch A TED Talk Video
Get inspired and learn something from someone who’s walked a different path than you.
70. Write in a Dream Journal
This is for you active dreamers out there.
30 Day Challenge Inspiration
I hope the above list of 30-day challenges inspired you to take action and start your own 30-day challenge.
No matter what you choose (big or small), take pride in sticking to your plan for 30 days!
What 30 Day Challenge Idea Will You Try?
Share in the comments below!
Related Intentional Living Posts & Resources:
- 30 Day Self Love Challenge – The Ultimate Love Yourself List
- How To Live a Life of Purpose with Intentional Living
- How To Create Lasting Habits
- Personal Growth Planners & Worksheets
- 13 Ways To Be Grateful for What You Have
For more inspiration and to get the latest post from Put The Kettle On, let’s connect!
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Yolanda xo
