What can you give up (or take on) for 30 days?
What changes do you desire for your life?
Last summer, my family and I began our journey toward minimalism: fewer possessions, a simplified lifestyle, living more intentionally. As part of that journey, we played the 30 Day Minimalism Game. The premise is simple: Each day, get rid of the number of items for that day. Day one you get rid of one thing and by Day 30 you’re moving 30 things out of the house.
I believe challenges like this work for three reasons:
1. Consistency. When you do something every day for 30 days, it approaches “habit” status. You may have heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Current research suggests it’s closer to 66 days. In any case, doing something every day over time allows new connections to be made in our brains.
2. Momentum. The key to the 30 day minimalism game is momentum that builds over time. After the first week, our mindset shifts from “I could never do that” to “I can do this.” We haven’t used a credit card since December 2008. The practice is effortless for us now.
3. The power of small wins. We learned this truth through Dave Ramsey’s “Debt Snowball.” He argues that making progress with personal finance is 20% knowledge and 80% behavior. Instead of paying your highest-interest-rate debt first, Ramsey advises paying the smallest debt first, because small “wins” do something to our mindset when it comes to motivation. Small wins, over time, add up to big wins and significant life changes.
This month, I’m trying 30 days off of Facebook and 30 days without buying anything on Amazon. We’ll see how it works.
What’s your 30 day challenge?