Looking for some good personal challenges to take on for self improvement? You are in the right place. In this post, to make it easy for you I have set up different 30 day self improvement challenges you can take on for every area of your life- health, wealth, sustainabilty, self care and better habits.
When I first began my self improvement journey, and decided I will be intentional with my habits and lifestyle, I actually could feel the difference in just 30 days.
My life became simpler and peaceful.
But don’t try to change immediately. Don’t make it overwhelming for yourself to start. Just Begin each day. Take it one day at a time.
As William Wordsworth says, “To Begin, Begin”
But before you begin to challenge yourself, here are somethings I want to remind you about how you should do the 30 day challenge.
Pin for later 🙂
How to do the 30 day challenge
Table of Contents
1. Don’t pick more than 3 challenges at a time
I know there are 100 challenges to choose from, but pick only those from the area you feel you most need to focus on. And never more than 3.
Once you get the 1-3 challenges done for 30 days, and it becomes a habit, then you can add another or give up another.
2. Get a habit tracker
Get a Habit tracker and place it somewhere you can see. Here are some Free Habit Tracker Printables.
3. Don’t miss for more than 2 days
Try your best not to miss for 2 days in a row. When you miss for 2 days in a row, immediately the past pattern starts to dominate and you will fall back.
4. Expect to fail
Let me get real with you, because I want you to get real with yourself.
If this is the first time you are doing a 30 day challenge, then my best tip for you would be to expect yourself to fail behorehand at some point in time.
Then make a plan for what you will do, or say to yourself, when you do fail instead of getting discouraged.
When I take something new, I expect myself to fall back at some point, and when I actually do, I say to myself, “Its okay, I knew this would happen. I won’t be discouraged, and I will try again”
When you expect to fail beforehand, you actually set youself up for better success.
5. Keep trying
Expecting to fail doesn’t mean you don’t try after that. Instead, what happens is it doesn’t let you be discouraged, since you had already expected it (given your strong past habits) so be kind to yourself, notice it, and try again.
Just English writer Charlotte Bronte who refused to be discouraged said, “My motto is to try again.”
6. Be kind to yourself
Lastly, when we decide to get started with self improvement, we tend to lag behind on kindess when we find ourselves with too many things to change.
But what matters more is changing yourself not to change yourself, but to change yourself to be a better you.
Even if you could go only half way through for 10 days or 15 days, remember that even 1 day of progress is better than 30 days of same past patterns.
Give yourself cheers for completing those 10 days, or even 1 day!
It is better to do less than you hoped than to do nothing at all.
Come back to it again and again.
Now let us start with the challenges.
P.S some of these links are affiliate links. If you purchase from my link, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
30-Day Self-Improvement Challenge to do in the morning
1. Try intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting isn’t just a trend; it’s a proven method with numerous benefits. It can help you improve your metabolism and manage your weight better. It also affects overall well-being and eating habits.
If you want to start, you can take this quiz and learn if fasting is good for you. This quiz is created by Lasta Fasting app which has a fasting tracker (reminder), personalized plans, a supportive community and articles to guide you through the process.
2. Start waking up at 5 am
Here is how to wake up early and become a morning person
3. No phone in the morning
Challenge yourself to strictly not use your phone in the morning as soon as you wake up and instead do your morning routine.
Here is my morning routine before 8 am.
4. Make bed right after waking up
This is such an easy challenge to do, but has immediate great effect on the brain and in how you feel
5. Create a morning routine
Here are 5 ingredients to add to your morning routine.
If you already have a morning routine, but are failing to stick to one, here is how to make your morning routine stick.
6. Read a book first thing in the morning
Get into the habit of reading for 20 minutes or 5 pages first thing in the morning instead of checking your phone.
If you want to build a reading habit, here are 18 easy to read books for beginners (fiction+non-fiction)
7. Stretch for 5-10 minutes
I love Pamela Reif’s Stretching exercises for 5 mins and 10 minutes.
8. Affirm the Positive for 5 minutes
Write down your own affirmations and affirm positive sentences. Here are 19 Positive affirmations that will change the way you think!
I also love this podcast, ‘affirmations babe’
9. Write down your daily goals and to-dos
At the start of each day write down your daily 1-3 goals and work on accomplishing them. Make the goals really actionable such that you can actually see yourself doing them.
Here are 12 lists every body should have to stay organized.
The more you accomplish even tiny goals, the more your faith and confidence in yourself starts growing. It is truly the way for actual self improvement.
10. Sit in silence for 10 minutes to visualize your dreams
Give time for your dreams and visualize your dreams coming true.
Here is how to make your visualization process even more powerful!
11. Meditate for 10 minutes
Take a guided meditation simply sit in silence, or listen to meditation music.
P.S. I have created a 21-Day Journaling Guide for Self-discovery, growth and healing.
If you haven’t taken any other challenge of mine, you can join this challenge.
You will receive journal prompts and guidance from me for the next 21 days to inspire you every day.
30-Day Challenges for Self-Improvement for Better Health
12. Exercise for 20 minutes
Again, I love Pamela Reif’s workout. Currently, I am loving her dance workouts. You can find your own workout which you enjoy and stick with it.
13.Walk 5000 steps everyday and gradually increase by 100
Here is something to help you track your steps.
14. Do 10 pushups every day and gradually increase
Make it really easy to show it. 10 pushups is easy to do. Anybody can show up for it. Then gradually increase.
15. Have a fresh juice every morning
Here are some fresh juices you can easily make at home
16. Eat fruits for breakfast
17. Add one vegetable to your lunch
18. Drink 2 litres of water
Have your own water bottle. I always keep my water bottle in front of me and I make sure it’s always filled.
This water bottle might really inspire you to become the water drinker you wish to be.
19. Cook your own meals
20. Be consistent with meal times
21. Eat only home-cooked food
22.No processed food for 30 days
23. Take the stairs
24. Eat only fresh food
25. Start intermittent fasting
30-Day Self-Improvement Challenge Ideas to Break Bad Habits
26.No alcohol
Here a warm post on Cup Of Jo you might find inspiring and love, “Why I Gave up Drinking- and how it changed my Life”
27.No smoking
28.No caffeine
29.No unhealthy snacks and keep only healthy snacks
30.No Takeaway food for 30 days
31.No complaining
32.No negative self-talk
33.No lying
34.No Gossips
35.No cursing
36.No social media at every small gap of time
37.No news
38.No TV
30-Day Self Improvement Challenge Ideas for Better Productivity
39. Create a simple daily routine
Here is how to make a simple daily routine you can stick to
40. Tidy your desk immediately
41. Do 2-minute tasks immediately
One habit that is to be applied from the GTD system by David Allen (Getting Things Done)
42. Schedule your tasks that take longer or delegate them immediately
One out of the 10 best productivity techniques to follow.
43. Don’t work after 6 pm
Set a work hour limit, and don’t work after that hour. No emails. No calls. No sending documents. Give the rest of the time for family and for your own recreation
44. Don’t multitask
45. Don’t work in bed
Strictly don’t work in your bed, and use it only for sleeping.
46. Don’t keep anything pending
47. Check email only twice a day
48. Take lunch to work
49. Clear your inbox regularly
50. Clear your phone storage
51. Organize your files immediately
Here are more habits to have an organized life
30-Day Self-Improvement Challenge for better Self Care
52. Wake up with gratitude
53. Wear nice house clothes
54. Look nice and tidy even at home
55. Dance and release good feelings
56. Sleep for 7-8 Hours
57. Pray first thing in the morning and last thing at night
Here is why to pray and How I pray everyday.
58.No digital devices before bed
59. Set screen time limits
Here is how to set screen time limits on your iphone and ipad.
How to set screen time limits on android
60. Use the bed only for sleeping
61. Follow a relaxing night routine
62. Sleep before 11 pm
63. Find atleast one way to motivate yourself
Here are some ways to motivate yourself
- Read Books
- Exercise
- Listen to Podcast
- Listen to uplifting music
- Read Quotes
- Watch youtube videos
- Stay close to nature
64. Say no when you want to say no Here is what happens when you learn to say
65. Take baths every day
66. Brush teeth two times a day
67. Floss daily
68. Pray with your partner together
69. Record your feelings in a journal for 30 days
70. Write down 5 things you are grateful for every day
71. Write a love note to yourself every day
72. Call your friends every week
73. Call your parents every day
74. Spend at least 30 minutes out in the sun
Self-Improvement Challenge for Better Finance
75. Track every penny you spend for 30 days
76. Save $10 dollars every day for emergency fund
Here is a post on how to start an emergency fund
77. Stick to a weekly budget for 30 days
Here is why monthly budgets don’t work and why you must set a weekly budget instead.
78. Try a savings challenge
Here are some money savings challenges to try in 2022
79. Start an online business
80. Work for a side income
You can start a blog or start YouTube. Here are 18 other ideas to earn passive income.
30 Day Self Improvement Challenge to be Sustainable
81. No single-use plastic for 30 days as much as possible
82. Walk instead of driving
83. Plan your meals for a week
84. Start a sustainability journal
85. Go meatless once a week
86. Always bring your own bag
87. Create a capsule wardrobe
Other 30 day Self Improvement Challenge Ideas
88.Sit up straight
89. Walk straight
90. Listen to good podcasts while waiting
Here are 10 best podcasts to listen to on Spotify
91. Bless strangers you pass through
92. Keep half hour for learning every day
93. Learn a new word
94. Learn a new skill
95. Learn a new language
96. Perfect a new recipe
97. Write everyday
98. Publish in your blog every day
99. Publish a youtube video every day
100. Have time for recreation
So here is my big list of 100 achievable 30-Day Challenge Ideas. I hope you enjoy doing them.
Start slow. Begin again. Keep Going, and don’t forget to be kind to yourself in your self-improvement journey.
Tell me in the comments below what 3 challenges are you planning to take on for yourself this year.
Pin for later 🙂
I love this list of 30-day challenges! It’s really inspiring and gives me so many great ideas for self-improvement. I can’t wait to try the gratitude journaling and daily meditation challenges. Thanks, Vishaka, for sharing these practical and achievable ideas!
I loved this list of 30-day challenges! It’s inspiring to see so many creative and achievable ideas all in one place. I’m particularly excited to try the “Daily Gratitude Journal” challenge. Thanks for the motivation, Vishaka!
You’re much welcome! so glad it inspired you 🙂