Recently I've been looking to change my life a bit. I'm not in the 'eat healthy' mindset right now, but I'd love to work on things like less screen time or saving money. I'm going to be 30 this year and that really means I need to step up and start getting things sorted!

As a gamer at heart, I love to earn points, prizes and achievements, so what better way to make changes in my life than to award myself points and prizes for achieving my goals. After looking at plans and challenges I've done in the past, I've come up with the '4 week challenge' a way to change my habits and point my life in the direction I want.

The 4 week challenge

The 4 week challenge allows you to earn a maximum of 10 points a day, you earn under 5 categories: 3 are things you want to change/work on and two to keep you going (daily accountability and daily challenge). For each category you complete each day, you get two points, for something you tried to complete but didn't quite manage, you get 1 point. You set yourself a total e.g. 250 points and when you hit that you buy yourself a prize. (You can do smaller 50 point prizes if you usually slip off the wheel much quicker!)

 

My 4 week challenge

For my 4 week challenge, the 3 chosen areas I'll be working on each day are:

1. Limiting mobile screen time - specifically Facebook

2. Get up earlier - start the day earlier, get more done

3. Calorie Goal - for weightloss

250 points = Prize

My prize is a new sims game.

 

Ideas for your 4 week challenge

1. Food (diet/meal plan)

2. Work (more or less)

3. Water intake

4. Cleaning challenge

5. Journaling

6. Self care time

7. Exercise (x mins a day)

8. Finance goal (£x a day)

9. Sleep (wake earlier/ bed earlier)

10. Home declutter

11. Start walking

There are so many possibilities!

 

Rules

Set your goal points for each of your 3 categories. Make sure you don't plan on changing them in the future. They need to be hard, but not so hard you are set to fail.

 

My goals:

Screen time - <30mins Facebook app time 2 points, 30-60mins Facebook app time 1 point

Sleeping - Up before 8am - 2 points, Up before 8:30am - 1 point

Calories - 140o kcal or less - 2 points, 1400-1600 kcal - 1 point

 

Accountability

The best way to get sometime done is to stay accountable. Stay accountable by updating somewhere each day on the points you've earn.

If you message 2 friends or post a group you get 2 points

If you message 1 friend you get 1 point

*if you really don't have anyone to message and don't want to join a group, get a notebook and write about your journey so you can look back. This will be an all or nothing pointer this way.

 

Set your post out like this so it's easy to keep track:

Week 1 day 7

Daily Points 8/10

Points so far: 56/70

Notes:

Today I tried a new flavour herb in my dinner. I surprisingly loved it and will make it again! I need to set another alarm for tomorrow so I can reach my goal of waking up earlier.

 



 

Daily Challenge

To mix things up, every day of the week there is an extra challenge. This is to keep you going and stop you from getting bored. If you complete the challenge, you get 2 points. If you don't do it, you get 0. It's all or nothing with this one, sorry!

Pick one challenge from the list below each day and give it a go! Don't forget, no doing challenges on a Sunday, it's a day of rest or use it to make challenge points up from another day!

 

Daily Challenges

Me time! Take a long bubble bath, read a book for half an hour, paint your nails, meditate. Give back to yourself and do something that makes you feel great.

I'm awesome! Time to think about why you are awesome! Because believe me, you are! Are you awesome because you run your own biz? Is it because you've cleaned the whole house this week? Do you bring up the kids by yourself? Or did you just manage to get out of bed this morning when the whole world is on top of you? Celebrate you!

Get it done! Theres always something somewhere that we've not done. Writing that essay, cleaning out the fridge, buying that new duvet cover, get it done today!

Try something new! Today's your day to try something new. A new dance class, some new herbs or a recipe, try out gardening or a new game. Try something new and you may love it!

Spring Cleaning! Okay, It's not spring but the house can always do with a bit of a clean and a de-clutter. Today's the day to work on 1 room or task in the house that needs doing. Clean the cupboards, do a wardrobe cleanse, declutter the kids toys. There are so many things to do, so just pick one!

Be Grateful! Today is all about being grateful for what you have. It might not be much, but it's still something to be thankful for. Is it the one that you love? Your pet? That iPad that you saved for, the business you worked so hard on? Write down something you're totally thankful to have in your life!

Let your hair down! Today is all about being able to let your hair down and have fun! You can head out to town to do some charity shop shopping, go to the cinema, dance naked in the living room, run around the park with the kids, take a picnic or just do something fun that you love. Today is a reminder to love life!

Get outside! Getting outside can make a huge difference to your mental health. So today we are going to make sure we leave the house. Take the kids to the park, walk along the river, wonder around town or just lay in the grass on the local field. Get out of the house and take in the blue skies above!

Be a slob! Didn't think you'd see this here, did you? But it's important to give yourself a break too and today's all about that. Lay on the sofa, grab the snacks and enjoy watching your fave Netflix series or grab the PS4 controller and play a game.

 

FREE PASS!

If you are having a bad mental health day, in too much pain or feel ill, STOP!

You get the full 10 points for recognising that your body NEEDS a break. There's no need to cheat, you are only cheating yourself, so if you need a break, take it!

 

That's it! If you are doing the 4 week challenge, I'd love to know! Pop me a comment below and let me know what you are working on.