1. Use A Timer

A timer can become your best friend or a nasty whip, depending on your situation. If you are employed and have a difficult boss its probably more the whip thing. But here we are talking about manifesting your own choice in form of your current challenge. So if you are practicing for an exam or playing the piano or go jogging daily for a certain set time - say half an hour – a timer may feel more like a support! It tells you not to give in and actually do it!

2. Set Mini Goals

Mini goals are a nice way of making your challenge become real. Mini goals help you to break it down: if you e.g. want to play the piano for 1 hr daily, a mini goal could be to break down your challenge into working on a piece and/or do some finger exercises. Working on a piece could mean to pay special attention to phrasing or rhythm. If your challenge is about jogging regularly you might focus on your breathing or release tension in a certain group of muscles.

3. Find A Buddy  

Finding a 'Buddy' is a great way of supporting your challenge. It means you tell somebody you trust about your intended practice - ideally somebody familiar with doing challenges or currently doing one themselves (check out the 30 Day Groove community). A Buddy would ask you about your progress and how you manage to keep the set time. If the Buddy is experienced you may exchange insights and whatever else you have noticed during the process. And don't underrate the positive feeling you generate when you yourself support somebody else!

4. Set Apart A Specific Time

It is very important to set apart a certain time for your practicing. Better to limit the time to just – let's say – 15 min. daily and do it regularly than to do something occasionally (which will fade out anyway after a while). Daily practices create new neuronal networks. One of the information contained in it is: just do it! In that way it becomes 'natural', integrated after a while.

5. Develop A 'No Matter What' Attitude

You may want to adopt a 'no-matter-what' attitude: program yourself to 'Just Do IT!', even when you are tired. Exception: when you are really sick! But otherwise just doing something self-chosen becomes an empowering habit in your life.

6. Tell Your Friends  About Your Challenge

Telling your friends about your intention makes it somehow 'official'. It is a good way of not leaving a backdoor open for escape. Friends might come back to you and ask you how you are doing with your challenge.

7. Make Challenges Achievable

30 Day challenges are not your ultimate life goals although they might contribute to them. So be aware of that and make them achievable. If you are too ambitious and become stressed out about it, your intentions will backfire and you might quit the whole project.To empower yourself you have to find the right measure (time and issue-wise)  between inspiring and achievable versus overwhelming and counterproductive.

8. Only Take On Challenges That Are Personal And Dear To You!

If your challenge doesn't mean something really personal to you it might be the wrong choice. 'I could do this or that' doesn't carry enough inherent motivation to get you through 30 days! 'I want to do!' or 'I always wanted to do' will get you a long way.

9. Don't Beat Yourself Up In Case You Missed It.

Remember what it says on the package insert of any medication: if you missed your medicin yesterday, don't overdose today'. Just carry on with your (self-)prescribed dose of daily challenge today. No drama, no loss. Missing your challenge more often on the other hand may indicate over- ambition or simply the wrong choice. Still,try to finish it, you owe it to yourself. Learn from these experiences.

10. Do Some Kind Of Celebration At The End!

This is, of course, self-explanatory. You finished the whole thing? Well, that is clearly an achievment and reason for a nice celebration . . . . before you get on to your new challenge:) !