The Ultimate List of 30-Day Challenges for 2022

The end of 2021 is just a few weeks away. Although some things will continue to follow us into 2022, the beginning of a new year certainly means the beginning of some new resolutions.

And what better way to conquer your resolutions than to cultivate new habits? If you haven't made a "Monthly Challenges 2021" list for this year, don't worry. With a fresh start approaching, we're going to help you create a list of 30-day challenges for 2022.

But first, let's start with the why. Why should you take up 30-day challenges for 2022?

If you already have the motivation to pursue new resolutions for 2022, you may think that there's no need to commit yourself to make 30-day challenges. Maybe you think that writing down something like, "I want to be able to speak Japanese in 2022" is enough for you. But here's the thing: Research has shown that when you set goals that are difficult and specific, you are more likely to put effort into achieving them than goals that are too easy or unclear.

Why 30 days, though? Well, regardless of what new habit you are trying to build, forming it requires consistent repetition over a certain time. A habit is successfully formed when you do the action automatically, meaning you don't need to talk yourself into it every time for the habit to be performed.

Although there have been debates on how long you should perform an action for it to be a habit, we believe that 30-day challenges are a great way to start forming your habit.

So, what kinds of 30-day challenges for 2022 should you engage in? Well, that depends entirely on you. You can try 30-day challenges based on weight loss, writing, coding, and many more ideas!

If you don't have any ideas for new habits you want to acquire, here are some common 30-day challenge ideas that may help inspire you.

A 30-day music challenge is meant to expand your musical taste. Let's be honest, most of us tend to listen to the same few songs, by the same few artists, on a loop. And although it doesn't hurt to do that, you may be missing out on some beneficial effects. Research has found that some types of music may be able to boost learning outcomes, while others hinder them.

What will a 30-day music challenge look like? An example might be listening to an unfamiliar song from a different genre of music every single day. So, maybe on the first day, you listen to a song from the Baroque era, and on the second day, you try a song from a Broadway soundtrack.

This one shouldn't be a surprise. Weight-loss challenges are one of the most common 30-day self-improvement challenges and are also one of the top New Year's resolutions in certain countries. This challenge can be especially beneficial if you are overweight or obese since the condition is linked to various poor health outcomes.

The milestones on a 30-day challenge for weight loss can differ from one challenge to another. You can use calorie-based milestones and/or incorporate fasting days into your 30-day challenge for weight loss. You can also include a 30-day workout challenge. Perhaps, on day 1, you do 30 squats and 30 push-ups, and on day 2, you swim for an hour.

A 30-day challenge related to creativity can be a great option, even if you don't consider yourself to be "artistic." After all, both the technical skills and the originality to create art can be trained. A 30-day challenge related to creativity could be a great way to start building these skills. There are lots of benefits of creative expression, so why not try a 30-day creativity challenge and see what happens?

How should you start this challenge? You can organize milestones centered on one form of art that you're interested in. Maybe you want to try an illustration. You can make your first-day milestone a challenge to draw a cartoon version of yourself. Then you can move on to various other drawings of things in your everyday life and environment, such as animals and buildings.

If you've been wanting to expand your culinary skills, a 30-day cooking challenge would be a great way to start. Not only will it help you develop your cooking skills, but it is also a fantastic way to taste new flavors.

You can do a 30-day challenge based on cooking certain cuisines, for example, Italian cooking. Or, you can also try a 30-day challenge with one main ingredient, such as a chicken breast, to see how well you can transform a single ingredient into multiple styles of cuisine.

If you don't want or need to lose weight, 30-day challenges for weight loss might not be relevant for you. But if your diet consists of mostly junk food, you probably want to make a lifestyle change. In that case, you could consider trying a 30-day challenge for healthy eating.

You can do this in tandem with the 30-day challenge for cooking to tackle two 2022 resolutions at once! After all, eating healthy doesn't have to mean you eat a bowl of salad every day. There is more to healthy food than sad salads.

Recommendations suggest that most people should drink at least 2 liters (about eight 8-ounce glasses) of water every day. If you've been drinking less than that, then you can consider this as one of your 30-day challenge ideas. While other challenges on this list focus on trying new things every day, this challenge is all about consistency. Can you drink 2 liters every day for 30 days?

If you feel like you're too busy to do these 30-day challenges, chances are you may not be getting the rest you need. Sleep is crucial to ensuring that you're not tired and energizes you so you can perform your best.

Although it doesn't require you to do anything except sleep, this challenge can be a bit harder than the rest on this list. Focusing on good sleep routines may not seem as exciting or novel as some of the other 30-day challenges, but it's just as important. Just like the other 30-day challenges, try creating milestones to gradually build better sleep habits, create sleep routines, and maintain good sleep hygiene. For example, on day 1, try not to use any electronics after 8:00 p.m. The following day, set a bedtime that will ensure you get enough sleep, and stick to it.