How the Thirty-Day Challenge Teacher Commuter Playlist Eased My Stress and Made Me Smile

For the past couple of years, I have been incorporating a Thirty-Day Challenge activity with my homeroom, and it has always been well-received. This year, I decided to try spacing some of these challenges out for myself throughout the year and document the effects.

While working on my first challenge, "The Thirty-Day Challenge Teacher Commuter Playlist: Volume 1," I also conducted research and reflected along the way. At the end of 30 days, I put together a Thirty-Day Challenge toolkit that can be to help incorporate these types of challenges into your personal growth and self-care routines. The toolkit includes research findings, challenge ideas, and journal prompts for reflecting along the way. I am pleased with how it turned out.

Thirty Day Challenges for the Mind, Body, Spirit and School

Thirty-Day Challenges are a powerful tool for personal growth and development. By committing to a small challenge for a short period of time, you will build new habits, break old ones, and learn more about yourself in the process.This tool provides the framework for using these challenges to become…

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The Teacher Commuter Playlist: Volume 1

My first challenge was simple and impactful. My goal was to create a playlist of songs that would get me pumped up on the way to school. Each day, I added a new song to the playlist, and then my daughter and I would listen to it on the way to school.

You can access the playlist on YouTube (one of the songs is not playable) and Spotify if you would like to listen.

Here are a few things I noticed along the way:

• Just making it something I had to do each day added a challenge to my routine. It was such an easy task, but I needed to make it a priority so I didn't miss a day. This helped me to build my "discipline muscle."
• I was happy with the playlist when it was complete. My daughter even asks to listen to it when we drive together in the truck.
• It became a stress reliever. I was listening to more music, which provided a welcome distraction from the stressors in my life.
• I can see the power of using these types of challenges to build habits in smaller steps. It's easier to say that I'm going to try something for thirty days as opposed to saying that I'm going to do it indefinitely.

If you're feeling stuck in your routine or looking to take small steps toward positive life changes, a Thirty-Day Challenge may be just what you need. It can be a form of micro self-care or mini-professional development.

Use the toolkit to set achievable goals, reflect on your progress, and build your "discipline muscle" one day at a time. Start your own thirty-day challenge today and see what changes it can bring to your life!

If you start your challenge and use Twitter, let's connect @jeremyajorg. I would love to hear about your challenge choice and how it goes.