15 Best 30-Day Challenge Ideas to Improve Your Life

A 30-day challenge can boost your mental health, help you save money, or create a new habit in just one month. Here are the best ideas.

15 Amazing 30-Day Challenge Ideas to Improve Your Life: Try One Next Month!

Whether you've fallen off track with your goals or are simply looking for a fun way to create a new habit, these 30-day challenge ideas can help you kick bad behaviors and get out of a rut. The 30-day time period is perfect for kickstarting new habits - it's short enough that it feels attainable but long enough that it truly helps create new behaviors.

Are you ready to change your life? Try out one (or several!) of these 30-day challenge ideas.

Looking for more ways to improve your wellness? Check out the wellness planner or try using a fitness journal!

*Use this printable to keep track of your grateful heart experiences and positive changes. Visit our Etsy store.

Health and Fitness 30-Day Challenge Ideas

Complete 30 Minutes of Exercise Daily

Experts recommend getting a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week. [*] By focusing on getting 30 minutes each day with this fitness challenge, you can meet and exceed this standard.

You don't have to go all out every day. You can also change things up so that you don't get bored. Try walking during your lunch break. Try taking a yoga class or going swimming. If you prefer yoga, you could make this a yoga challenge and practice every day! No matter what you do, your physical health will benefit. You might even lose weight!

Start Meal Planning

Spend 30 days meal planning and sticking to the plan for 30 days. This is one of those challenge ideas that sounds easy but is actually a tough one. Still, it's so worth it. Set a goal with your meal planning and remember that every fitness challenge doesn't have to be about weight loss. Do you want to eat more vegetables or a healthy lunch? Do you want to cut out snacking or fast food? Whether you want to get yourself to eat breakfast or kick the bad habit of going out to eat, meal planning can make a huge difference.

Keep a Food Journal

Perhaps the thought of eating better is overwhelming for you. You can start by simply keeping a food journal for 30 days. It only takes a few minutes, so it isn't too difficult to start. This challenge gives you insight into what you're eating, and you might be surprised! We often have a bad habit or two that we're unaware of - like snacking late into the night. Once you're done with this challenge, you can set small goals to improve.

Quit Drinking Alcohol

Like everything else, alcohol in moderation is fine. However, it can be easy to overdo it - from a beer after a long day to happy hour with coworkers. One of the best 30-day challenge ideas is to quit drinking.

This can help reset your mindset around alcohol and help you limit it more in the future. You might even find that you want to take a longer break and go beyond the 30 days.

Related: 8 Simple Ways To Prioritize Self-Care at Work

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30-Day Challenge Ideas for Productivity and Personal Development

Start a New Morning Routine

A morning routine can help you create new habits, establish a sense of calm, and get ahead on your tasks for the day. There are so many benefits to having a morning routine! Read my blog on how to create the perfect morning routine here.

Limit Screen Time

On average, we spend more than seven hours looking at screens daily. [*] You spend so much time clicking around, toggle, menu, close, search, and scrolling. Think of all the other things you could get done! Use this 30-day challenge to do a social media detox or limit time watching television. Be sure to plan for what you'll do to fill that new free time.

Try a New Bedtime Routine

A bedtime routine can be a time to practice self-care, boost your well-being, and help you fall asleep faster. It can also be designed around your own goals. Do you want to go to bed earlier? Let go of stress? Check out my guide on creating the best bedtime routine here.

Minimalism Challenge

Sometimes having so much stuff can hinder us. With minimalism challenge ideas, you can either stop buying things for the entire month or aim to get rid of things. Having fewer things can lead to a better life.

Related: 25 Self-Love Journal Prompts to Boost Confidence With Journaling and Affirmations

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Self-Care 30-Day Challenge Ideas

Start a Gratitude Journal

According to the research, when you practice gratitude, you feel happier and less stressed. [*] Spending time being thankful is one of the best self-care acts you can do. Keep a gratitude journal and write at least three things down each day.

Swap Negative Self Talk

The way you talk to yourself determines your self-worth and confidence. For the entire month, take note of when you're negative to yourself and challenge the idea. Then spend time saying something nice about yourself. This is one of the toughest self-care challenge ideas, but also the most rewarding.

Related: 9 Best Wellness Box Subscriptions for the Perfect Self-Care Gift

Meditate for the Present Moment

Meditation can boost emotional well-being and mental health, as well as overall health. It can also help you let go of negative thoughts and find clarity amongst all your ideas. Use this 30-day challenge to practice self-care and meditate every day and be amazed by how clear your mind gets.

Reading Challenge

There are many 30-day challenge ideas for reading, so pick one that suits you. Decide if you want to finish one book or several - or maybe you want to read a certain number of pages each day. Either way, use this 30-day challenge to make it a lifelong habit.

Related: How Gratitude Can Improve Your Life: 5 Benefits of Having Gratitude

*Don't forget, you can practice gratitude during your self-care moments. This "Self-love Affair" Box is amazing!

Wealth-Related 30-Day Challenge Ideas

Do a Savings Challenge

Do you need to save money for a big purchase? Set a dollar amount you need to save for the month, then figure out where you can cut spending or how you can earn more money, like picking up a side hustle.

Try a Spending Freeze

Do a spending freeze for 30 days. You can choose what categories the freeze applies to - for example, maybe you will stop spending money on clothing. Or, maybe the spending freeze applies to all categories except groceries. This challenge might force you to eat a home cooked meal or get some awesome ideas for other areas of your life that can change!

Build an Emergency Fund

This is the perfect challenge for getting started with financial discipline. You might need more than one month to build an emergency fund, but you get started by budgeting and choosing to track where you spend money. Set a goal for how much you want to add to the fund each month.

There are so many great ideas to choose from! Be sure to track the challenge to stay motivated - my 30-day challenge planner page is perfect for the job.

These 30-day challenge ideas can help you get out of a rut or change your entire life. Whatever challenge you choose, your future self will thank you!

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