Try something new for 30 days | Matt Cutts

Summary

In this inspiring talk, the speaker shares his journey of embracing 30-day challenges to break out of a rut and enrich his life. He discovered that dedicating a month to new habits or activities not only made his time more memorable but also significantly boosted his self-confidence. From daily photography to writing a novel and biking to work, he learned the power of persistence and the importance of making sustainable changes. He encourages everyone to seize the next 30 days to try something new and potentially life-changing.

Takeaways

• 🔄 The 30-day challenge concept is about adding or removing a habit in one's life for a month to see if it sticks.
• 📸 Engaging in a 30-day challenge, such as taking a photo every day, makes the time memorable and enhances self-awareness.
• 🚴‍♂️ Challenging oneself with 30-day tasks can significantly boost self-confidence and lead to personal transformation.
• 🏔️ Even daunting goals like climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro can be achieved by breaking them down into smaller, achievable steps.
• ✍️ Writing a novel in a month is possible by committing to write a set amount of words daily, demonstrating the power of consistent effort.
• 🌙 The speaker suggests a secret to completing tasks is to not allow oneself to sleep until the day's goal is met, highlighting the importance of discipline.
• 📚 Despite the quality of the novel not being the best, the speaker gained a new identity as a 'novelist', showing that the process is as important as the outcome.
• 🍬 Giving up sugar for 30 days is an example of a challenge that may not be sustainable, as the speaker reverted to old habits after the challenge ended.
• 🔄 Small, sustainable changes are more likely to become lasting habits than big, short-term challenges.
• 🤔 The speaker encourages the audience to consider what they've always wanted to try and to start a 30-day challenge to see if it becomes a habit.
• 👏 The applause at the end of the speech signifies the audience's appreciation for the motivational message shared by the speaker.

Q & A

What inspired the speaker to undertake 30-day challenges?

The speaker was inspired by the great American philosopher, Morgan Spurlock, and the desire to break out of a rut in life.

What is the significance of the 30-day period in forming or breaking habits?

The 30-day period is considered the right amount of time to either add a new habit or remove an existing one, such as watching the news.

How did the 30-day challenges affect the speaker's memory of the months?

The challenges made the months more memorable instead of them flying by and being forgotten, as the speaker took a picture every day for a month.

What impact did the 30-day challenges have on the speaker's self-confidence?

The challenges helped the speaker's self-confidence to grow, transforming from a desk-dwelling computer nerd to someone who bikes to work for fun and even hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro.

What is the secret to completing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days according to the speaker?

The secret is to write 1,667 words a day for a month and not to go to sleep until the daily word count is achieved.

How did the speaker's attempt at writing a novel change their self-perception?

The speaker no longer has to identify solely as a computer scientist but can also consider themselves a novelist.

What did the speaker learn about making sustainable changes through their 30-day challenges?

The speaker learned that small, sustainable changes are more likely to stick compared to big, crazy challenges.

What was the immediate effect of the speaker giving up sugar for 30 days?

On day 31, after giving up sugar for 30 days, the speaker indulged in sugar again, illustrating the difficulty of maintaining big changes.

What is the speaker's call to action for the audience?

The speaker encourages the audience to think about something they've always wanted to try and to give it a shot for the next 30 days.

What is the underlying message of the speaker's 30-day challenges?

The underlying message is that one can achieve significant personal growth and change by committing to a challenge for a focused period of time.

Why is the speaker's approach to the 30-day challenges considered effective?

The approach is effective because it provides a clear timeframe for achieving a goal, allows for the formation of habits, and encourages personal growth and reflection.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Embracing 30-Day Challenges for Personal Growth

The speaker shares their experience of breaking out of a rut by undertaking 30-day challenges, inspired by American philosopher Morgan Spurlock. The concept involves committing to a new habit or eliminating an existing one for 30 days, which is believed to be sufficient time to establish or remove habits. The speaker discovered that these challenges made their time more memorable and significantly boosted their self-confidence. They transitioned from a computer nerd to an adventurous individual, even attempting to bike to work for fun and successfully hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro. The speaker also highlights the importance of setting achievable daily goals, as demonstrated by writing a novel in a month by writing 1,667 words daily. Despite the quality of the novel, the experience enriched their identity, allowing them to identify as a novelist. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the value of sustainable changes over big, fleeting challenges, as the latter are less likely to persist beyond the 30-day period.

Keywords

💡Rut

A rut refers to a state of inactivity or routine where one feels stuck without growth or progress. In the video, the speaker felt stuck in a rut, which motivated him to undertake the 30-day challenge to break the monotony and introduce change into his life.

💡30-day challenge

A 30-day challenge is a self-improvement project where one commits to a new habit or behavior for 30 consecutive days. The video's theme revolves around the idea that dedicating 30 days to a new activity can lead to lasting change, as exemplified by the speaker's various challenges.

💡Habit

A habit is a routine behavior that tends to occur subconsciously. The video discusses the power of 30 days to either establish a new habit or eliminate an existing one, such as the speaker's challenge to take a daily picture or to stop watching the news.

💡Self-confidence

Self-confidence is the belief in one's own abilities and judgments. The speaker's 30-day challenges led to an increase in self-confidence, enabling him to transition from a 'desk-dwelling computer nerd' to someone who enjoys biking to work and even climbing mountains.

💡Morgan Spurlock

Morgan Spurlock is an American filmmaker known for his documentary 'Super Size Me,' where he ate only McDonald's for 30 days to explore its effects on health. The speaker mentions Spurlock to draw a parallel between Spurlock's documentary and his own 30-day challenges.

💡Novel

A novel is a long, fictional narrative in prose. The speaker's challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days is an example of a creative and ambitious 30-day challenge, demonstrating the potential for significant personal achievement in a short time.

💡Sustainable change

Sustainable change refers to modifications that can be maintained over the long term. The video emphasizes the importance of making small, sustainable changes that are more likely to persist, as opposed to drastic, short-lived efforts.

💡Desire

Desire is a strong feeling of wanting to achieve something. The speaker suggests that if one truly desires a goal, they can commit to it for 30 days, highlighting the power of desire in driving personal change.

💡Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. The speaker's mention of hiking Kilimanjaro illustrates the transformative effect of his 30-day challenges, leading him to undertake adventures he would not have considered before.

💡John Hodgman

John Hodgman is an American author known for his humorous and satirical works. The speaker uses the hypothetical encounter with Hodgman to humorously illustrate the personal transformation he underwent, from identifying as a computer scientist to a novelist.

💡Sugar

The speaker's challenge to give up sugar for 30 days serves as an example of a temporary, yet intense, lifestyle change. The humorous aftermath of this challenge on day 31 underscores the difficulty of maintaining drastic changes without gradual, sustainable steps.

Highlights

The 30-day challenge concept: Trying something new for 30 days to form a new habit or break an old one.

30 days is the optimal time frame for habit formation or elimination.

Memorable time through daily picture-taking challenge.

Increased self-confidence through completing 30-day challenges.

Transformation from a computer nerd to an adventurous bike commuter.

Hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro as a result of building confidence through challenges.

The power of commitment: doing anything for 30 days if you want it badly enough.

Writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days is achievable by writing 1,667 words daily.

The importance of finishing daily tasks before resting: writing a novel's secret.

The reality of quickly reverting to old habits after a challenge ends.

The value of making small, sustainable changes for long-term habit formation.

The enjoyment of big, crazy challenges, despite their lower likelihood of sticking.

The call to action: Encouraging the audience to start their own 30-day challenge.

The inevitability of time passing and the opportunity to use it for personal growth.

The potential for personal transformation through committing to a 30-day challenge.

The speaker's personal anecdote of identifying as a novelist after completing a 30-day writing challenge.

Transcripts

A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in a rut,

so I decided to follow in the footsteps

of the great American philosopher, Morgan Spurlock,

and try something new for 30 days.

The idea is actually pretty simple.

Think about something you've always wanted to add to your life

and try it for the next 30 days.

It turns out 30 days is just about the right amount of time

to add a new habit or subtract a habit --

like watching the news --

from your life.

There's a few things I learned while doing these 30-day challenges.

The first was,

instead of the months flying by, forgotten,

the time was much more memorable.

This was part of a challenge I did to take a picture every day for a month.

And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day.

I also noticed

that as I started to do more and harder 30-day challenges,

my self-confidence grew.

I went from desk-dwelling computer nerd

to the kind of guy who bikes to work.

For fun!

(Laughter)

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro,

the highest mountain in Africa.

I would never have been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.

I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough,

you can do anything for 30 days.

Have you ever wanted to write a novel?

Every November,

tens of thousands of people

try to write their own 50,000-word novel, from scratch,

in 30 days.

It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a day

for a month.

So I did.

By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep

until you've written your words for the day.

You might be sleep-deprived,

but you'll finish your novel.

Now is my book the next great American novel?

No. I wrote it in a month.

It's awful.

(Laughter)

But for the rest of my life,

if I meet John Hodgman at a TED party,

I don't have to say,

"I'm a computer scientist."

No, no, if I want to, I can say, "I'm a novelist."

(Laughter)

So here's one last thing I'd like to mention.

I learned that when I made small, sustainable changes,

things I could keep doing,

they were more likely to stick.

There's nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges.

In fact, they're a ton of fun.

But they're less likely to stick.

When I gave up sugar for 30 days,

day 31 looked like this.

(Laughter)

So here's my question to you:

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 the next 30 days.

Thanks.

(Applause)