30-Day Challenge Tracker

42 ideas for a 30-day challenge

Tap one to put it on your tracker. Each is a small daily minimum you can do on a bad day too.

How to do a 30-day challenge that sticks

1. One challenge at a time. Two at once is how both end on day 9.
2. Set a daily minimum, not a target. "Walk 20 minutes" beats "get fit". On a good day do more; on a bad day the minimum still counts.
3. Mark the box the same day. Keep the sheet where you'll see it: the fridge, the desk, next to the bed.
4. Put rewards on the way, not only at the end. Day 30 is far away on day 3. A small reward on day 7 gets you through the first week, when most challenges stop.
5. Decide now what a missed day means. Most people do best with "never miss twice": miss one, and the next day matters more. If you want strict rules, restart at day 1.

Questions

Does a 30-day challenge build a habit?

Thirty days is a start, not a finish line. A 2010 study by Phillippa Lally at UCL found that a new daily behaviour took a median of 66 days to feel automatic, and anywhere from 18 to 254 days depending on the person and the habit. Use the 30 days to prove you can do it, then keep the habit going on a normal tracker.

When should I start?

Any day works. The 1st of a month is easy to remember, and November has exactly 30 days.

What makes a good reward?

Something you want that doesn't undo the challenge: a book, a film night, new kit for the habit itself. Keep the day 7 reward small and the day 30 reward the one you look forward to. Our dopamine menu builder has more ideas.

Prefer it on your phone?

Habit Rewards is a habit tracker for iPhone and Android that works the same way: you tick off the habit each day, every check-in pays coins, and you spend the coins on rewards you set yourself. It keeps the streak count and sends a reminder, so day 17 doesn't slip. See also our printable monthly habit tracker and the 75 Hard calculator.