Right guys, another 30 day challenge to add to the collection and this one is the 30 day self-improvement challenge. In this post, we spoke about the key areas of self-improvement, so I’ve combined all of these together to create get some rounded growth and personal development going over the next 30 days.
Follow along exactly, or tweak it to make it your own. The most important thing is you’re doing one thing every day, as that’s what’s going to really develop you. So let’s get started…
DAY 1:
Let’s kick off the challenge by starting a new book. As this is the 30 day self improvement challenge, pick one that focuses specifically on self improvement, or an aspect of it. Try to put at least 10 minutes aside, either weekly or daily, to read a little more of it. Either way, decide on what you will do today and commit to it so that you’ll stick to it.
DAY 2:
Today, I want you to wake up an hour earlier than you usually would, to see if it boosts productivity for you. (Everyone’s different, but if you don’t try you don’t know.) You can also look at how you can spend that extra hour, using these morning routine suggestions.
DAY 3:
Next up, we’re going to create a new evening self-care routine to get the rest you need to feel restored. Click here for how to do that. It’s all about creating healthy habits that support you. Self-improvement is also about recognising our need to take a break to walk the longer mile ahead. You can’t be driving a car if it has no petrol. If you want to perform at your best, you have to feel your best.
DAY 4:
Now we’ve done a bit of the ground work, I want you to pick one fear that you have and do one thing today to work on it. Start small. So for example, if you have a fear of public speaking, challenge yourself to record a video and share it on social media or do a Facebook Live. It’s things like this that are going to really help us to grow – and you only have to take baby steps to begin with, until your confidence starts to grow!
DAY 5:
Remove a bad habit. Pick a bad habit that you have and commit today to make that change. It could be something like slouching, nail biting, smoking, always being late, overeating, staying up too late at night, procrastinating the things that matter.
When you really start to think of it, I bet you’ll actually find heaps of habits you could change. Start with one and then write down a plan of action for what you’re going to do to tackle it. This leads me onto my next challenge…
DAY 6:
Create a new habit. This could be to replace yesterday’s bad habit. Or it could be entirely different. Pick something positive you can do that will tie into that self-improvement. The key here is to start very simple.
DAY 7:
It’s time to up your activity now… literally! As part of this 30 day self improvement challenge, I want you to make sure you’re doing at least 10,000 steps, every day, for the next seven days. If you already do this- see if you can up it by a couple of thousands, or reduce your calorie consumption by a couple of hundred (if dieting is something you struggle with more.) Healthy body, healthy mind.
DAY 8:
Create a vision board then hang it up in your room of office space. Your environment sets the mood and tone for you, so let’s spruce things up a little to get you more inspired and remind you what you’re working towards! As part of this, you want to get super clear on both your short term and long term goals. But don’t find this daunting or scary… it’s exciting! Trust me.
DAY 9:
Get organised with your finances. Today’s the day for a little money management. Pay any overdue bills you have piling up, look at any debts you may have and create a spreadsheet for getting rid of the things you owe and saving towards the things you want. If you’re unsure where to start – take to google! See what savings tips and recommendations they have on there. Then map things out better for yourself so that you have a better plan of action and something to work towards.
DAY 10:
Do one thing you’ve been putting off. We’re on a roll now aren’t we – so kill that procrastination by doing something that’s important, but that you’ve been avoiding doing. The relief you feel when you remove that niggling feeling is amazing – you will honestly become so much lighter! And the more you do this, the easier you’ll find it to do. So start today with one task you’ve been procrastinating!
DAY 11:
Limit your screen time / social media usage… This is a good one now! If you want to become the best version of yourself, and do and achieve everything you want to and more – it’s important you’re making the best use of your time. Most phones now have a screen-time feature, which shows you how much time you spend on different things. I want you to take a look at this, seeing what’s eating away your life and set a limit on it.
So it could be reducing time scrolling through social media or spending less time messaging friends (instead choosing to do a phone call instead – which is faster and actually builds a better connection.) It’s small changes like this which will make a big difference – not only daily, but over a longer period of time too.
DAY 12:
Start to develop a new skill! So it could be mindfulness, meditation, positive self-talk, better communication, better listening, mastering your sleep pattern, improving your time management. It could be something completely new, something you’ve tried a little before or something you want to improve on. But start working on it today.
Notice all of these skills are based around self-improvement but you could go for something relating to a different area- which will still enhance your life or benefit the way you see yourself.
DAY 13:
Look to be kinder! Self improvement is not just about being the best, most effective, top performing version of yourself. It’s also about being a good person too, and kindness is at the heart of that. Have a read of this for 50 acts of kindness you can do from anywhere in the world, anytime… even during lockdown! Pick at least one of them and do it today. They don’t take long. You could even turn that list into your own kindness bucket-list and work your way through them to spread more love and joy!
DAY 14:
You’re starting to make some great progress now, in many different areas of your life – so let’s begin to record it. You’ll actually find it pretty cool to look back on and notice the changes you’ve actually made. If you’re not sure where to start – write three things you’re proud of achieving this week, then get into the habit of doing this daily.
In fact, try to do this every day, for the rest of the challenge now. It will shift your mindset into one that’s more positive and appreciative. And mindset is EVERYTHING!
DAY 15:
Learn something new! Knowledge is power, so today we’re going to start reading up on something different. It could be tackling a particular problem area in your life – like confidence. Or learning something deeper – like what it is that makes new habits form. Or, you could just read something for fun, picking a random topic. At the very least then, you’ll come in handy at a pub quiz 😉 but it will also expand your mind further, which is always a good thing.
DAY 16:
It’s time to get active again – last week you made sure you was doing at least 10,000 steps daily. Now it’s time to step it up with at least 1 hour of exercise. It could be a run, a bike ride, a body pump video, an online HIIT session. Try to make it something you wouldn’t usually do and which challenges you! Then decide how many times a week you’ll be doing this.
DAY 17:
Whilst we’re on a bit of a health kick, let’s also spend an hour swatting up on diet and nutrition. Health is wealth as they say and without it, you have nothing. So invest a little time to better inform the things you choose to eat!
Research shows that food does actually affect the way you feel, so if you want to perform at your best – it’s important for that reason too.
DAY 18:
When we talk about health, we also can’t forget about our mind, so today’s focus for self improvement is all about developing that kick-ass mental strength. As part of this you have to learn to stop wasting precious energy going over the things you can’t control, learn to become more resilient when tolerating the things you don’t like, destroy that negative self-talk and replace it with thoughts that are more productive, the list could go on and on.
Start with one key area that – if you can improve on – will contribute to better mental health. I’ll leave it open for you to decide what exactly you want to do with this one – based on what you currently struggle the most with.
DAY 19:
Let’s look at our relationships now – and this doesn’t have to just be with a partner, it can be with friends or family too. Do one thing today to show your loved ones just how much you care, and to strengthen the bond that you have. Get creative! Then think about what small things you can do weekly or daily, to further enhance your relationships.
DAY 20:
We’ve looked at saving money and getting on top of our finances, so now we’re going to have a little look at MAKING more money. See, believe it or not, financial freedom is more achievable than you may think – because it means different things to different people. It’s not everything, but it gives you options. So today we’re just going to brainstorm how we can increase what we earn – either through our current work, or additional income streams!
DAY 21:
Get organised! By now you’ll be able to see the kind of progress you’re making, and the areas which are maybe still lacking a little, so before we come to the end of this 30 day self improvement challenge – I want you to make a list of all the areas you still want to work on. You can keep adding to this. This isn’t a quick-fix, it’s a long-term journey for ongoing self-improvement, so this list will become a base for you to refer back to.
If you’re short of ideas, here’s 100 ideas for self-improvement so you can grab a little inspiration! Try to make it personal to you though. Don’t just do things for the sake of doing them. Tackle first the areas that you really need to – the areas that are holding you back more than most.
DAY 22:
Make positive changes to become more productive – at whatever you’re doing. Start getting into the habit of prioritising the most important tasks first, using lists, keeping distractions to a minimum, working for set blocks, utilising breaks effectively, trying different productivity methods. Then, when you find what works, do more of it!
DAY 23:
Evaluate your experiences. You don’t learn from your experiences. You learn from evaluating your experiences. So, evaluate yours to see what you can take away from them. Put 30 minutes aside today to dig deeper!
DAY 24:
Let’s have a look at our work or career. Identify one thing that holds you back, and tackle it head on. So it could be a fear of cold calling, in which case – start today, right now, by picking up that phone and doing a few! Just take the plunge. It will help to grow your courage and eradicate your fears. For more ideas when it comes to this area of self improvement, click here.
DAY 25:
Get clear on your mission, your vision, your values and your goals. You might want to break this down and do it over a longer period of time. After all, you probably won’t have all the answers right now! But just start by being more conscious of it. Understand what’s truly important to you and become more aware of the way in which you want to live – then live by it. It sounds so simple but it’s often something that we just don’t do! It’s all about conscious living to ensure we’re being the best possible version of ourselves.
DAY 26:
Tune into a new podcast. You’re doing so well now and the finish line is very much in sight! Today we’re simply going to listen to a personal development podcast – nothing too heavy. It’s just going back to expanding your knowledge again.
DAY 27:
And today – I want you to pick another new skill to focus on and improve with. It might be soft skills like communication, problem solving, emotional intelligence, teamwork etc. Or maybe you’d like to develop some skills and turn them into passions or hobbies. The choice is yours! It’s just always a good thing when you’re learning and growing.
DAY 28:
It’s time to get a little deep now and delve into acceptance and forgiveness. Both are key for creating real happiness in your life. It’s all about accepting the things you can’t change, accepting when things don’t go your way. Then also forgiving the mistakes you make, letting go of any hurt, moving on from failures, choosing to forgive people so that you’re no longer holding onto the pain and resentment. Identify an area that you know is holding you back, and then work through it – with others if you need. If you can change your mindset, it will change your life. Particularly when it comes to topics like these.
DAY 29:
We’re so close to the end now so I think it’s time for some well-deserved FUN! Do one thing today that pushes you out of your comfort zone, but really excites you. It’s all about new experiences, trying different things, doing different things. So be ballsy with it… go on, I dare you!
DAY 30:
Last but not least, I want us to finish off by making an investment in ourselves. Up until now, we’ve just been investing out time. To end the 30 day self improvement challenge, I therefore thought it would be a good thing to invest a little money into something which will pay back even further. It could be in coaching, therapy, a course, a qualification, some training. Whatever area you’d like to change / develop or improve within – even if that’s starting with a small investment to begin with. It will be worth it, I promise you.
So there we have it – the 30 Day Self Improvement Challenge. Bookmark this so that you can keep checking back in for your daily tasks. Be also to subscribe below for further support and inspiration.
We’ve also just launched a Facebook Support Group to help to hold each other accountable on this – feel free to join that here.
And remember, if this is too much for you – branch it out to last over 60 days, doing one thing every other day to make it less overwhelming and more manageable. Do what works for you. The most important thing is that you’re still doing it.
Best of luck!
Love,
Ell_xx
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