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Twelve 30-Day Challenges To Try In 2019

Twelve 30-Day Challenges To Try In 2019

Are you the type of person who likes to challenge yourself? We’re always up for something that pushes us to be better people.

Here are twelves 30-day challenges to inspire you to commit to something new. Who knows, you might even find something that you never knew you liked doing! But even if you don’t, you’ll still have the satisfaction of knowing you completed a challenge.

Twelve 30-Day Challenges To Try In 2019:

1. The Whole30

If you’ve been here awhile, you’ve probably heard us mention the Whole30 a time or five. We’re big fans to say the least.

If you’re not familiar, the Whole30 eliminates sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, or carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites for 30 days. You’re also not supposed to eat any baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “approved” ingredients. Oh, and you also aren’t to weigh yourself for 30 days. Sound good?

If you’re wondering why do this, the goal of the program is to heal your body from inflammation, cravings, blood sugar rises and falls, and to restore balance to your digestive tract.

Both myself and several of our contributors, including Jessica who shared what she learned here, have completed several Whole30s.

Before beginning, we recommend browsing the Whole30 website for information about Whole30. We also highly encourage you to read the book, The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, to gain a deeper understanding of the “why” behind the program.

In our twenties we have the ability to create long-term habits that are either good or bad for us.

2. No-Spend Challenge

Like the Whole30, we’re also big fans of taking on a no-spend challenge.

A no-spend challenge involves cutting back on “want” expenses for 30 days. Essentially, you commit to not making any extraneous purchases beyond your fixed expenses and “need” expenses. Are you up for the challenge?

10 Shocking Money Stats You Won’t Believe

3. The 1 Mile A Day Challenge

This one is simple: each day of the month run or walk one mile a day.

It’s not a major commitment — going one mile generally takes somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes to complete. That said, it’s one that will help you build a healthy habit and get some exercise in on a daily basis. Give it a go!

4. The Pantry Challenge

For this challenge, your goal is to empty your pantry! We often buy things on sale or simply buy things that get pushed to the back of our pantries and eventually we forget we have them. Instead of letting those food items go to waste, meal plan around what is in your pantry for one month.

Not only will you eliminate additional food costs for the month, but you’ll also eliminate food waste. It’s a win-win.

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5. The 465 Declutter Challenge

For this challenge, you’ll declutter the number of items from your home for what day it is. For example, on the 1st of the month you’ll declutter one item. On the 30th, you ‘ll declutter 30. By the end of the month, you’ll have removed 465 things from your home!

With those decluttered items, you could consider donating them, sell them on an app like Poshmark or at ThredUp, or giving them to someone in your life who would make better use out of them.

Related: 5 Free Ways To Donate Your Trash To a Good Cause

6. The $500 Challenge

This challenge is focused around earning more money. If you needed to earn an extra $500 in a month, how would you do it?

For this challenge, use your unique skillsets to earn $500. Side hustle your way to to more green in your pocket!

Related: How I Built My Side Hustle Through Social Media

7. 30 Days of Meditation

We’re big fans of meditation here at GenTwenty and mention it often. Have you ever tried it?

According to Headspace, meditation is about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. You’re learning to observe them without judgment. And eventually, you may start to better understand them as well.”

To start building your mindfulness routine, begin by meditating for 5 minutes a day. The Headspace app is a resource we recommend for building the habit!

8. Get 8 Hours of Sleep Every Night

Do you regularly prioritize sleep? Many of us, especially in America, don’t. However, sleep is incredibly important for us to not only be able to function as people but to thrive and be our best selves.

While the amount of sleep we each need might vary, most people typically need somewhere between 7 and 9 hours.

For 30 days straight, we challenge you to get 8 hours of sleep every night! Try beginning by getting ready for bed an hour before you need to sleep.

9. Record One Second a Day

As we get older, too many days pass by in a complete blur. Take at least a month — but the whole year would be neat as well — and record one second of each day. There’s actually an app called One Second Everyday that makes it easy!

10. The 1500 Pages Challenge

To read 1500 pages (that’s five 300 page books!) in a single 30 day month, you only need to read 50 pages a day!

The average person reads about 50-70 pages an hour depending on the type of book you’re reading. Bring your book with your or listen to audio books in the car or on your commute. We easily spend at least an hour a day on pointless things like checking our phones — might as well get some reading in!

Related: 10 Books To Read in 2019

11. The Bucket List

Do you have a bucket list? Something like 30 Things to Do Before 30 or 25 Things To Do Before 25?

Try making a month-long bucket list. Fill it with 30 things you can easily check off in a month. Here are a few ideas:

  • try one new restaurant or coffee shop
  • read a classic novel
  • sign up for a cooking class
  • take an online course
  • try a new workout

Then, complete every thing off of your bucket list in a month!

12. The Meet 30 New People Challenge

Thirty days, 30 new people… can you do it? This one isn’t as hard as it seems. All it takes is reaching out and connecting with someone!

For example, invite your friends to bring a friend and arrange a picnic or go to a local event together. You’ll easily be able to meet new people that way! Or go to a Bumble Bizz event and get to know other professionals in your area! You can even network in your own office, meet your neighbors, or take a class all by yourself.  Don’t be shy!


Which of these 30-day challenges are you going to try first? Remember, nothing great ever happened to anyone who stayed inside their comfort zone.

About the Author

Nicole Booz

Nicole Booz is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of GenTwenty, GenThirty, and The Capsule Collab. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and is the author of The Kidult Handbook (Simon & Schuster May 2018). She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s probably hiking, eating brunch, or planning her next great adventure.

Website: genthirty.com