What's with 30-day challenges?
An article writer likes
doing 30-day challenges. What she called "challenges" were things
she didn't currently do. She thinks they work to change behavior or stretch her
capacity because, among other things, they present a manageable chunk of time
in one's life.
Another writer doesn't think very highly of
the idea but suggests a few that could work.
It turns out 30-day
challenges are pretty common. There were even more when I searched "psychology
of 30-day challenges."
30 days seems a
convenient way to set apart a manageable length of time and seems related to
how long it takes to develop good habits. However, the
popular duration of 21 days isn't always the right length.
A more holistic
approach seems to be more environmental. Create an environment around you that
encourages permanent change. For example, if you want to change your diet,
clear out your refrigerator and pantry of the kinds of food you want to avoid
and replace that food with the kind you think you should be eating.
