We decided that it is a good idea to start a new year with a habit building challenge.  Therefore, we have created exactly that.  The objective of this challenge is to pick something you will work on every day.  The something you work on should be do-able in fifteen minutes or less.  After twenty-one days, a new habit should be established, and your year off to a successful start.  The idea of 21 days guaranteeing a habit may be a myth.  However, this is a solid start on that goal.

A New-Year Resolution That Sticks

We often talk about using natural transition times to launch a new idea or product. There is no better time like this than the new year. As part of our turning the corner into 2021, we have come up with the 21-day challenge. It is simple, free, and may change your business or even your life.

The Habit Building Challenge

The basis for 21 days is to build a habit. We like to focus on turning the small into something big so here are the ground rules.

  • Be ready to start on January 1st. You can start later, but why wait?
  • Select a goal for your year ahead, it may be a New Year’s Resolution, or maybe it is a skill or product you want to tackle in the year ahead.
  • Create a plan to work on that skill or goal 15 minutes a day. That is all, no more, preferably no less. Also, this will be for 21 days straight. You are not going to take weekends off.
  • Repeat for 21 days. We will send an email each day to help “remind” you of the challenge.
  • Send us an email at Develpreneur.com with your goal if you would like a more personal daily update. You can even ask to stay anonymous, and we will use the goal to help others with a plan.

Food For Thought

If you need an idea, here are some to get you started.

  • Learn a new spoken language (try Duolingo for 15 minutes/day)
  • Start a blog (write 15 minutes a day)
  • Start a podcast (record yourself or outline topics each day)
  • Get healthy (walk, jog, or exercise 15 minutes a day)
  • Find balance (meditate or pray 15 minutes a day)
  • Learn a new code language or library (15 minutes a day coding in that tool)
  • Become a better leader (spend time reading or listening to leadership content)
  • Learn a skill (juggle, cook, sleight of hand, etc. practice 15 minutes a day)

All suggestions are welcome if you want to add them to our list of items for the habit building challenge!

Rob Broadhead

Rob is a founder of, and frequent contributor to, Develpreneur. This includes the Building Better Developers podcast. He is also a lifetime learner as a developer, designer, and manager of software solutions. Rob is the founder of RB Consulting and has managed to author a book about his family experiences and a few about becoming a better developer. In his free time, he stays busy raising five children (although they have grown into adults). When he has a chance to breathe, he is on the ice playing hockey to relax or working on his ballroom dance skills.

One Reply to “The 21-Day Habit Building Challenge”

  1. Pingback: Become A Better Developer In The New Year

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