Looking to make huge changes in a short amount of time?! A 30 day challenge is exactly what you need!
Note: There are affiliate links included in this article. Check out my disclosure policy for any questions.
What is a 30 day challenge?
A 30 day challenge is exactly what it sounds like: a challenge that you do for 30 days. These can literally be anything from exercise to mindset to budgeting: whatever habit you want to create (or break). All you have to do is commit to the task for 30 days!
What’s the point of following a 30 day challenge?
Changing your habits is hard. Whether you are looking to create a new habit or break an old one, it is not something you can just decide to do one morning and automatically be done.
Habits take time and dedication. A 30 day challenge is a great way to start on the path to creating new systems and routines in your life.
Once you’ve done it for 30 days, you have a good sense of whether or not you want to continue.
How to start a 30 day challenge?
Starting a 30 day challenge is the easiest part! All you gotta do is pick whatever you want and stick to it. Like I said, a 30 day challenge can literally be anything. Here are over 50 options for you to choose from! And if you don’t see anything you like, make up something that works for YOU!
Health and fitness challenges
Eliminate added sugar
This one is definitely tough, but if you can, try eliminating added sugars from your diet. If you want, you can even start by limiting your consumption and then moving to totally eliminating it after some time.
Create a food journal
For 30 days, try tracking everything you eat in a food journal. This is a great way to see what types of food and ingredients you are eating.
avoid high-processed snacks
Like the sugar challenge, try avoiding any highly processed snacks for the 30 day period. This can do wonders for your health and make you feel so much better.
FOLLOW A MEAL PLAN
I absolutely love this challenge! Try following a meal plan for a 30 day period and see if you can stick with it. If you need some help with this one, I’ve got the perfect BEGINNER meal planning system for you! Meal planning can save you so much time and money, and help you eat a lot healthier.
eat X servings of fruit and vegetables
This one is customizable to you and your lifestyle. Replace the X with however many servings of fruits and vegetables you want to eat each day. Try to make it a number that is more than what you currently are eating.
Start small and remember that you can always build up your servings over the 30 days.
get 7-8 hours of sleep
I think this challenge is so important if you are someone who gets very little sleep. Try to create and stick to a sleep schedule that gives you 7-8 hours each night. You’d be surprised how much your entire day gets better just by having a good night sleep.
Follow a fitness challenge
There are literally thousands of fitness challenges that you can find on blogs and youtube. Find one that works for your life and schedule and stick with it!
Walk 8,000/10,000 steps
Of course, you can change this number to whatever works for you. But, above all, just try to walk a certain number of steps every single day. And make sure whatever number is your goal, it’s above what you are currently walking at.
If you need something to track your steps, I love using my apple watch!
no fast food
For some people, this challenge is easy. For others, it might sound impossible. Regardless, try to go an entire month without eating ANY fast food.
eat at least one home cooked meal
This challenge is going to take some commitment, but try to cook at least one home cooked meal everyday. It could be a healthy breakfast, meal prepped lunch, or homemade dinner. Just one thing every day.
cook dinner
Cooking dinner every single night can get pretty hard, but the 30 day period is a perfect time frame for not eating out. This is going to save you so much money if you eat in every night!
eat breakfast every morning
If you don’t usually, try eating an actual breakfast (not a bar or a cup of coffee) every single morning for the 30 day period. If you want to make this even harder, give yourself some extra requirements to make sure your breakfast is actually a healthy and balanced meal.
drink X amount of water
This challenge is another customizable one. Depending on your lifestyle and weight, determine an appropriate amount of water to drink every day. For a basic number, try to at least drink 64 ounces a day (that’s 8 8-ounce cups).
stretch for 10-15 minutes
Whether it be right when you wake up or right before you go to bed, try to get a few minutes of stretching in every day. Your body is going to thank you later!
walk for 20-30 minutes
This is such a good habit to get into. Just going for a morning or afternoon walk every day is so beneficial for your physical and mental health. Plus, it never hurts to get some fresh air!
Exercise for 30 minutes
This one isn’t complicated: just do any form of exercise for 30 minutes each day. It can be cardio, weights, or just going for a run. Whatever you like, just get out and do something!
stop drinking caffeine after noon
For those coffee addicts out there, this one might be tough. BUT, try your hardest to stop drinking caffeine after noon. This is going to seriously improve your mood (although it might take a few weeks to get used to it).
only take the stairs
Imagine the change you would make to your health if you climbed 3 or 4 or 5 flights of stairs every day instead of using an elevator. Of course, in some cases (like if you work on the 20th floor!), this is not practical. Nonetheless, try your hardest to choose the stairs as often as possible.
Mental health and happiness
give a compliment
This one not only benefits yourself, but someone else too! Try giving someone a genuine compliment everyday for 30 days.
random act of kindness challenge
The random act of kindness challenge means that you should do something nice for someone else every day. Maybe you can help someone at the supermarket or lend someone a pencil! Whatever you can think of can apply for this challenge.
no complaining
Ok, I’m not going to lie, this one is DEFINITELY a commitment. But, try not complaining for a full 30 days. If you can last, your mood and outlook on life is going to drastically change for the better.
LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SMILE EVERY MORNING
This one might sound silly but it can seriously improve your mood. Every morning, just look in the mirror for a minute and smile at yourself. This is going to set your day up for happiness and success.
read X pages of a book
Depending on how much time you have, try reading a certain amount of pages of a book every day. Or if you prefer, try reading for a certain amount of time each day. For example, I like to read 30-60 minutes every night before I go to sleep.
write in a journal
I started writing in a journal for a challenge last year and have been journaling ever since! I like to journal at night before bed, but you can also write in the mornings when you wake up. There are dozens of different types of journals you can choose, so do some research and pick the one that’s best for you.
meditate
Try meditating every day for 30 days. You can meditate on your own or use an online resource to help you! There are hundreds of youtube videos or apps available for guided meditation.
Do yoga
This one’s the same as meditation. Try starting with a youtube video and see if you can do it on your own after a few weeks.
gratitude journaling
A gratitude journal is a specific type of journal that is all about writing about what you are grateful for!
spend X amount of time in nature
Depending on your schedule, you can fill in the X with whatever amount of time you have to spend in nature. You can go for a walk or just sit out and think, whatever you prefer!
avoid negative self talk
For an entire month, avoid any negative self talk, both internal and external. I know this sounds hard, but if you can follow through, your mindset is going to be so much better!
listen to a podcast
There are literally thousands of Podcasts out there for every type of listener. Find a topic that you like, do some research, and you’ll find yourself the perfect Podcast. You can ever experiment with new ones every day for the first few weeks to see what you like.
social media freeze
I know I may sound crazy, but bear with me. For 30 days, try giving up all social media platforms.
Finances
track spending
For the 30 day period, try tracking everything that you are spending, whether it be on bills, groceries, or clothes. You can get a specialized budget tracker or just use a notepad for this.
create and stick to a budget
Of course, your budget is going to vary based on what you are budgeting and how much you want to spend. You can literally budget anything, from food to clothes to activities.
shopping ban
Try to go on a complete shopping ban for one month. You still want to buy food and other necessities, but avoid buying anything extra (yes, that means clothes and shoes and makeup!)
savings challenge
Try a savings challenge for a month to save a lot of money in a short period of time. Maybe save $1 one day, $2 the next, and so on. There are hundreds of savings challenges on the internet, so find what that works for you.
Creativity
take a photo
Something as simple as taking a photo every day can be great for your mindset. Plus, it is so cool to be able to have a portfolio of your life by the end of the 30 days.
draw something
You don’t have to be good at drawing to do this challenge. Just get some paper and doodle something every day to get your creative juices flowing.
watch a ted talk
Pick a new Ted Talk every day and watch it. Not only will you be entertained, but you’d be surprised how much you can learn from just watching a Ted Talk. There are so many different options, so there’s definitely something for everyone.
Organization
create daily to do lists
Every morning, try to make a to do list of the things that need to get done that day. It doesn’t have to be anything long, fancy, or crazy, just a quick list of some tasks.
If you want to plan ahead, try writing your lists the night before to plan for the next day.
give away/donate one thing
Pick one item every day to throw away or donate. By the end of the 30 days, you’ll have gotten rid of 30 items! If you keep going, you can be cleaned and decluttered in no time.
make your bed
Just try making you bed every single morning right when you wake up. It is something easy to do that makes you feel accomplished and sets up your day for success.
spend 15 minutes cleaning up the house each night
I’m not asking for an hour of your time here. Just a few minutes each night to tidy up the house or your room. The worst thing you can do is leave the messes and have to wake up to them the next morning.
get rid of a trash bag each day
Imagine what your house could look like if you got rid of an entire bag of trash every single day for a month. That’s 30 bags of trash gone!
clean a small area every day
Pick a small and contained area and try to clean it up every day. Who knows, by the time you finish the challenge, you could have an entire room or floor or house completely cleaned.
spend 15 minutes on digital clutter
Don’t forget about your digital clutter. While it might not be in your face like a messy counter is, digital clutter is just as important. Spend some time each day going through your photos, contacts, notes, emails, and whatever else is cluttering up your phone or computer.
Productivity
follow a morning routine
I cannot tell you how important it is for you to start a morning routine and stick with it. Just something small will set your entire day up for success.
follow a night routine
Likewise, a night routine will set up the NEXT day for success. A good night routine will give you a good night sleep, which is so important to living a productive lifestyle.
wake up at the same time every morning
One of the pillars of a good morning routine is waking up at the same time every morning. This is going to create an automatic alarm clock in your body as you get used to the time. The first few weeks might be tough, but the more you follow a schedule, the easier it gets.
go to sleep at the same time every night
Going off of that last challenge, also try going to sleep at the same time every night. If you do both challenges simultaneously, you will create a really great sleep schedule that will insanely improve your life.
STOP WORKING AFTER A DESIGNATED TIME
Maybe every night at 9:00, you stop any work and just give yourself some free time. Try picking a time and sticking to it every day. Remember, free time is a GOOD thing and everyone needs it!
Limit screen time
This is another customizable challenge depending on your life. Obviously, if you work from your phone, limiting screen time is different from someone who only uses it for fun. Check your screen time analytics to see how often you are currently on your phone, and slowly work your way to where you want to be.
There are a bunch of tools that will limit certain apps and screen time that make this challenge a lot easier.
turn off electronics after 8PM
That includes your phone, the tv, your computer, all of it. Try to spend a few hours every day without electronics and see how much it’ll change your life. You can also always adjust the time frame depending on when you go to sleep.
GET UP 20-30 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR REGULAR TIME
You’d be surprised what 20-30 minutes can do for your day. While it may be a half hour less sleep, this gives you a half hour to have some YOU TIME, which is always a plus.
Personal growth and business
spend 30-60 minutes educating yourself
Always wanted to learn a new language or a new skill? Spend some time every day teaching yourself something new.
reach out to a new person
This can be a new friend or a professional relationship, but just try to reach out to someone new for 30 days. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up with 30 new friends by the end of the challenge!
start a side business
Obviously this is a bit more of a commitment than some of the others on this list, but it is a great challenge to try. 30 days is a great time period to get a side hustle off the ground, so give it a try and see what happens.
Relationship
eat one meal with a partner/friend/family
Just having one meal a day with someone significant in your life can do wonders for your relationship. Sit down, eat a meal, and have a conversation!
call or video call someone
Whether it may be a family member, old friend, or anyone in between, give someone new a call every day!
Wrap up
That was a lot. I know this might be overwhelming with all the options, but just pick one or two to start with. Try out the challenges and stick to them for 30 days. If you liked the habit, keep going! If not, try something new.
You can track your progress by the week or by the month. When I do 30 day challenges, I love adding it to my weekly and monthly refresh to make sure I am sticking to the challenge.
Good luck with your challenge and remember to stick with it for the full 30 days!
