Try something new for 30 days - Matt Cutts

Summary

The speaker shares his transformative experience with 30-day challenges, inspired by Morgan Spurlock. He discovered that dedicating a month to new habits made time more memorable and boosted his self-confidence. From daily photography to biking for fun and even conquering Mount Kilimanjaro, he learned that persistence and small, sustainable changes lead to lasting impacts. He encourages the audience to seize the next 30 days to try something new, emphasizing the power of short-term commitments to long-term goals.

Takeaways

• 🔄 Embracing change: The speaker highlights the idea of trying something new for 30 days to break out of a rut.
• 📅 Time significance: 30 days is identified as a manageable period to establish or eliminate a habit.
• 📸 Memory enhancement: Taking a daily photo for a month made the time more memorable and provided a clear recollection of specific days.
• 🚴‍♂️ Boosting self-confidence: Engaging in 30-day challenges led to a noticeable increase in self-confidence, transforming the speaker's lifestyle.
• 🏔️ Overcoming limits: The speaker's adventurous spirit was ignited, culminating in hiking Mount Kilimanjaro, a feat not previously imagined.
• 💡 Desire to achieve: The importance of desire is underscored, suggesting that with enough motivation, one can accomplish anything for 30 days.
• ✍️ Novel writing example: Writing a novel in a month is achievable by committing to a daily word count, as demonstrated by the speaker's experience.
• 🌙 Sacrifice for success: The secret to completing the novel was staying up late to meet the daily writing goal, even at the cost of sleep.
• 🎨 Creativity in identity: Completing the novel allowed the speaker to identify as a novelist, showcasing the power of creative achievement.
• 🍬 Temporary vs. sustainable: The speaker learned that while big challenges are fun, small, sustainable changes are more likely to persist.
• 🛑 The rebound effect: Giving up sugar for 30 days was successful, but the challenge was to maintain the change beyond the 30-day period.
• 🏃‍♂️ Call to action: The speaker encourages the audience to seize the next 30 days to try something they've always wanted to do.

Q & A

What inspired the speaker to start the 30-day challenges?

The speaker was inspired by the Great American philosopher Morgan Spurlock, who encouraged trying something new for 30 days.

Why is 30 days considered the right amount of time to add or subtract a habit?

Thirty days is believed to be just about the right amount of time to establish a new habit or eliminate an existing one, as it is long enough to see progress but not too long to be overwhelming.

How did the speaker's perception of time change after starting the 30-day challenges?

The speaker found that instead of months flying by and being forgotten, the time became more memorable, especially when taking a picture every day for a month.

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

The 30-day challenges helped the speaker's self-confidence to grow, transforming him from a computer nerd to someone who enjoys biking to work and even hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro.

What is the significance of writing sixteen hundred and sixty-seven words a day to complete a novel in 30 days?

Writing 1,667 words a day for 30 days is the strategy used by tens of thousands of people during November to write a 50,000-word novel from scratch, which is the basis of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

What advice does the speaker give for successfully completing a 30-day challenge?

The speaker suggests that if you really want something badly enough, you can do it for 30 days, and for writing a novel, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for the day.

What was the outcome of the speaker's attempt to write a novel in a month?

The speaker successfully wrote a novel in a month, calling it 'The Next Great American Novel,' but admitted that it was awful.

How does the speaker feel about his new identity as a novelist?

The speaker feels empowered by his new identity as a novelist, as it allows him to present himself differently in social situations, such as at a Ted party.

What did the speaker learn about making small, sustainable changes during his 30-day challenges?

The speaker learned that small, sustainable changes are more likely to stick compared to big, crazy challenges, which can be fun but less likely to become long-term habits.

What is the speaker's final question to the audience, and what is its purpose?

The speaker's final question is 'What are you waiting for?', encouraging the audience to take action and try something new for the next 30 days, as time will pass regardless.