TED Talk review: Try something new for 30 days

In his short but motivating TED Talk, “Try something new for 30 days”, Matt Cutts talks about the benefits of trying 30-day challenges.

After trying many of these himself, from giving up sugar to taking a photo a day to writing a novel in 30 days, he found that a month is “just about the right amount of time to add or subtract a habit”. By marking each day in these ways, he found he was able to make time slow down a little and created memories that he wouldn’t have had without his challenges. He also realized that small, sustainable changes were the most likely to stick.

As someone who has been participating in Dai Manuel’s 28 day Whole Life Fitness Manifesto for a little over a year, I have to agree with Matt on both counts; small sustainable changes coupled with the 30(ish) day challenge format work really well for me.

But when he talks about marking time with these challenges it made me think about my kids and how fast they’re growing up. Time moves so fast and if there is a trick to make it feel like it’s going slower or to make it feel more significant as it passes, then I’m all for it.

If you feel the same, and are looking for a way to introduce small, sustainable physical literacy-developing changes into your family’s routine, then our 30-day family physical literacy challenge (#AfL30days), starting on March 1, might be just what you’re looking for.

As Cutts says at the end of his talk: “What are you waiting for? I guarantee you, the next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not, so why not think about something you have always wanted to try and give it a shot for 30 days.”