A great way to shake up your everyday routines and adopt some positive new habits is to take on a challenge with a limited time period. You might have seen people online talk about doing things like 100 squats a day for a month or not using their phones for 30 days, but you don’t have to take on anything this extreme. In fact, it can be discouraging if you choose a challenge that is too difficult. Below are a few interesting challenges that can change your life for the better over the course of a few weeks.
Financial Fitness
If you are like a lot of people, your financial life may be something that at best you try to avoid thinking about and at worst that cause you a lot of stress, but it doesn’t have to be this way. You could set yourself a task to read one personal finance article a day for a month and try to apply what you have learned. You may be surprised at what you learn. Maybe there are tax strategies you weren’t aware of or investment opportunities you didn’t know you could take. You may find that some of your assets have more value than you realized. If you have a life insurance policy, it may be possible to sell it as part of a life settlement. You can review a guide that explains how to do this.
Daily Journaling
Another great habit to try is setting aside a few minutes each day to write in a journal. Many people do this in the morning or right before bed, but anytime that works for you is fine. How you start a journaling habit and what you write is up to you. You can list the things that you are grateful for, write about your day, try to work out a creative project or simply spend 10 or 20 minutes in stream of consciousness writing. Many people find that this regular discipline gives them breakthroughs in various challenges they may be facing.
Go Outside
Getting a little time outside every day is good for you, so assuming that the weather is not too extreme where you are today, consider taking anywhere from 10 or 15 minutes to an hour or so to step outside, feel the sun or the wind or the rain on your face, and walk around the block. You don’t have to go into the wilderness to get the benefit of being in nature, as a park or even your own yard will do. This habit can help you learn how to live with less by showing you how to feel joy from the simple things. See how this affects your mood and wellbeing over the course of 30 days.
People-Focused Challenges
Another thing you could try is a challenge focused on reaching out to others. You could pledge to compliment one person each day, or you could decide that you are going to have three pleasant interactions with strangers each day. If you’ve been neglecting friends, maybe you’ll try to make a 15-minute phone call each day while you’re doing another task, or maybe you’ll set aside a specific time to catch up with your kids or your spouse each evening.
