Another 30 days to go in our circuit breaker! To help you make full use of the time, why not make some habit changes? From fitness challenges to healthier eating habits, to ones that help you improve your finances, there's a monthly challenge for everyone. Here are some 30-day challenge ideas to help you get started!
Less screen time
Between checking your social media 30 times a day, watching Youtube and Netflix, and being on your laptop while you WFH, we spend many, many hours looking at screens. On top of the back, neck and eye strain, all that time spent on our screens means less time experiencing real-life events and being present in our relationships. Over the next 30 days, experiment with cutting back on electronics usage. You could watch one less episode on Netflix, do a social media detox, or just commit to spending less time on your phone.
Quit a bad habit
Got a bad habit that you’ve been meaning to change? A 30-day challenge is the perfect place to start. From biting your nails, overthinking, smoking, being messy or devouring a tub of ice cream every other night, we all have habits we would like to change. It doesn't matter if you use the 30 days to quit cold turkey, or slowly reduce your usage, a month is enough time for a headstart to implement positive change.
An act of kindness
There's nothing like doing random acts of kindness to put a smile on your own face. In addition, being kind reduces stress, anxiety and boosts self-confidence. Over the next 30 days, step out of your comfort zone and do something nice for someone without any expectations. Send someone flowers, leave a tip for your taxi or Grab drivers, cook a meal for your family, the possibilities are endless!
Take on a fitness challenge
A 30-day fitness challenge is a great way to help kick start a healthier lifestyle. It could be 30 minutes of exercise each day, a general weight loss challenge, or a workout challenge that targets a specific part of the body. For some home workout ideas, check out our article here!
A reading challenge
How long has it been since you read a book? Not because you had to, but just to fully immerse yourself and enjoy a good book? Whether it’s a certain number of pages, or a chapter of a book, or for a specific amount of time, try reading something before bed over the next 30 days. Instead of scrolling on your phone, reading will help you feel more relaxed and ease into bedtime.
Declutter your house
You could do a 30-day decluttering challenge, where you clean up one part of your house a day or pick out something to donate each day. Or just commit to cleaning up better and not leave dishes in the sink! You're guaranteed to feel much more comfortable and at peace at home if it’s cleaner and tidier.
Creating a smart home
Setting up a digital home with lights, speakers and thermostats that can be remotely controlled with your smartphone can seem like a daunting challenge. Why not spend the next 30 days researching and learning about the plethora of different products and how they work with other accessories?
Cultivate a new hobby
Be it painting, writing, knitting or perhaps picking up a musical instrument, there's no better time to pick up a new hobby. Doing something that taps into your creative potential also helps to keep the mind sharp and raises self-confidence levels. Try cultivating a new hobby everyday for the next 30 days!
Do a jigsaw puzzle challenge
Jigsaw puzzles are a fun and relatively inexpensive way to exercise your brain! Research shows that they have a positive effect on our memory, and it helps build spatial reasoning and logic skills. Not to mention, it's a great way to bring the family together.
Cut down on sugar
Overhauling your entire diet in one month isn’t realistic, but we can take steps to cultivate healthier eating habits. Sugar has been proven to be one of the unhealthiest things we consume, so imagine how your health will improve by cutting back on it Perhaps at the end of 30 days you will still want to have the occasional sweet treat, but you might find yourself cutting back to an amount that you can feel good about.
Do a savings challenge
Simple savings challenges can really help to turn your finances around. And what better way to make saving money easy and fun than with a money saving challenge? For example if you save $1 on the first day of the month, $2 on the second day, $3 on the third and so on, you’ll have almost $500 by the end of the month!
Bake something everyday
Baking is a great way to reduce stress. And as a bonus, baking is a great way to show and share your love for others! There is also potential to turn baking into a side hustle to generate income. You don't even need to enroll in a cooking school to learn how to bake, as the internet is filled with resources. For the next 30 days, you can learn all there is to know about baking all kinds of pastries as your personal challenge.
Pick up indoor gardening
Indoor gardening can help you be semi self-sufficient. It also helps eliminate food waste and reduces your carbon footprint compared with produce purchased from your supermarkets that are most likely laden with pesticides and herbicides. Not to mention the immense amount of satisfaction you get when eating fruits, vegetables and herbs you’ve planted yourself.
Learn a new language
Challenge yourself to pick up the foundations of a foreign language in 30 days. One easy way to do this is through a language-learning app such as Duolingo and Babbel. Through these apps, you can easily put in 10 minutes a day to learn a language’s vocabulary and grammar rules until you can read and hold basic conversations.
Keep a journal
Consider starting and writing in a journal for the next 30 days. It could be as simple as what you did that day, or listing down the things that you are grateful for. Journaling is an excellent way to work through feelings, process your thoughts, discover what you really want and many more. You don't have to pressure yourself into writing a full page, starting off with just one or two sentences a day will help you to ease into it.