December is here! It definitely is the most wonderful time of the year.
Also, the busiest. Just like that December always ends faster than any other month.
That’s what I feel.
If you are not intentional with this month, you will miss out on a lot of things.
December month is the last chance you have to experience life – to have fun, reflect, grow, enjoy and let go of things.
Don’t end this as another year that happened to you.
This is why I created this 31 day December challenge to make the most of this month.
Let’s explore this fun challenge!
Related Post: 20 Inspiring December Quotes To Brighten Your Spirit
Week 1 – Slow Down and Embrace December
A lot happens during December – its winter, the holiday season and the year end. It feels like the world is suddenly gearing up and transitioning.
And just like that December will disappear in the blink of an eye.
December has a lot to offer. You can only enjoy these if you slow down and take it all in.
This is why the first week is all about slowing down and embracing December.
Day 1: Decorate Your Space for the Season
Create a cozy corner for yourself where you will be spending time doing this December challenge.
Put up some DIY decorations, fairy lights – make that space yours.
Day 2: Have a Cozy Reading Day
Was read more one of your New Year’s Resolutions? Did you follow through it ?
If you didn’t redeem yourself by spending one day dedicated to reading a book. It could be a novella – short and simple – you can actually finish reading in a day.
Or a Christmas novel.
Or if you want to challenge yourself, pick up a 500+ page book and finish it one day.
Make a warm drink, sit in a cozy corner wrapped in blankets and disappear into the world of books.
One book read is better than none.
Related Posts:
➡️15 Life Changing Books Every Woman Must Read
Day 3: Take a Digital Detox Day
Stay away from screens and social media for one full day. Use it only if you need to make calls or send messages.
Don’t trust your will power on this.
Download apps to block apps, put your phone in grey scale mode, keep it in another room or put it in a box.
You could use this time to:
- Make your new year bucket list
- Review your year
- Do some winter journaling
- Declutter your wardrobe
- Or just do nothing and be bored on purpose
Day 4: Create a Festive or Seasonal Playlist
Updating your playlist to the season is such a fun thing to do.
Create a playlist that reflects the season, add songs that stirs up your memories and take you back in time.
Listen to this to make yourself happy while cooking, cleaning, driving or just relaxing.
Let that December energy flow through you in the form of music.
Day 5 : Declutter Your Bedroom
Your bedroom should be in sync with the season to level up the coziness factor.
Clutter kills the vibe.
So, declutter your bedroom and make a cozy space to spend alone time.
Decorate your room with fairy lights, DIY decorations, cozy bedsheets and covers.
When you step into your room, it should feel magical.
You don’t need to go a spending spree for this. Small changes can make huge differences. You just have to be intentional with it.
Day 6 : Have a Self Care Evening
How was this year for you? Have you taken time to relax and unwind?
If you haven’t, do it now.
Pamper yourself to a slow, cozy self care evening.
Treat your skin and hair with a mask, spend hours in your bath tub listening to music.
Follow up with an elaborate skin and hair care routine, get into a comfy pajama set and enjoy a warm drink.
Feel the stress disappear from your body and mind.
You deserve this, so make sure to not skip this evening. It’s going to be a busy month but you need to make time for yourself.
Related Post: 15 Winter Self Care Ideas to Keep You Warm and Happy
Day 7 : Enjoy a Slow Morning
When is last time you enjoyed a slow morning without screens and overthinking?
Mornings should be the most calm and peaceful time we should have for ourselves. But its the exact opposite isn’t it?
We let the outside world hijack our attention even before we have gotten out of bed.
Or we are lost in the past or the future – never in the present moment.
Gift yourself the peace, calm and joy of a slow morning.
You might have to sleep early and keep your phones away.
Also, decide what you want to do during this slow, cozy morning – read a book, journal or maybe do nothing. It’s all up to you.
Week 2 – Reconnect With Yourself
Do you feel that you are not in touch with yourself anymore?
I do.
It used to be occasional and now its a nagging feeling that refuses to go away.
What am I doing, why am I doing this? Does this life make any sense?
Sure, to the outside world yes.
Well, that’s not a surprise. You are following the script handed over to you, aren’t you?
But does things make sense to you? Do you even know what makes sense to you?
Year end is the perfect time to step out of this loop and reconnect with yourself.
This week is all about pausing living on auto-pilot and looking inwards.
Day 8: Write a Letter to Your Future Self
This is the time to be ruthlessly honest to the point that it pains and excites you at the same time.
How do you want your future to be? What does a normal Thursday feel like?
Include your hopes, aspirations, dreams in this letter.
Keep it close to you and read it everyday.
Its a reminder of the direction where you want your life to go.
Day 9: Identify Three Habits You Don’t Want to Take to 2027
Getting rid of bad habits can be more helpful than adding new ones.
This will also help you find the time that you say you don’t have at all.
Stop doom-scrolling to start reading a book.
Learn a new language or skill instead of binge watching Netflix.
Instead of drinking coffee, drink water in the morning.
What are the three habits that you know is bad but you just can’t stop them?
Identify those and come up with what to swap these with.
2027 doesn’t need to be a repetition of 2026.
Day 10: Go on a Solo Date
Solo date is not just for introverts or people who have no friends. Its for everyone.
You should spend time with yourself, date yourself and be your own best friend.
Yes, even if you have a ton of friends.
The experience of going on a solo date is unmatched.
Go to an aesthetic cafe and order something you’ve never had before.
Dress up and roam around your city as if you are a tourist.
Related Post: 90 Fun and Creative Solo Date Ideas That You Will Love
Day 11: Try Something Creative
Humans beings are creators. And we have completely forgotten about this.
All we do is consume and this is affecting us.
Spend an evening trying to create something, imperfectly just for fun.
A doodle, Zentangle art, a sketch, a short story, personal essay, poem – just to get your creative juices flowing.
This is one of the best ways to disconnect from the outside world, get in touch with your inner child and calm your mind.
Do something to immerse yourself in the experience of creating things.
Day 12: Spend 30 Minutes Learning Something
What is the last thing you were curious about and didn’t try to learn about it because of lack of time?
Have you wondered how does OTPs work? What is a black hole? What are LLMs?
Block 30 minutes time to learn something that have always thought about.
Day 13: Write 10 Things You Admire About Yourself
Did you roll your eyes when your read this? This might be tough for you.
Maybe you don’t appreciate yourself as much as you should.
Take a piece of paper (I insist it should be a paper and not a notes app) and write down 10 things you absolutely love about yourself.
Spend an evening for this because this isn’t going to be easy if you haven’t explored yourself in a long time.
You will experience a deep joy of knowing yourself. And maybe guilt and regret for not appreciating yourself before.
Don’t fight these feelings. Sit with it. Its part of the process.
Day 14: Identify Three Things You’ve Been Doing to Please Others
People pleasing occurs at the expense of being not truthful to yourself.
Do it long enough and you are disconnected from yourself.
Stop filling everyone’s cup by draining yours. Be honest and identify three things you are doing to pleases others.
Figure out how you can stop doing this to be honest to yourself.
And slowly, it will be easier to reconnect with yourself.
Week 3: Make Memories and Enjoy The Season
I am huge December lover. It feels like there is magic in the air.
If you don’t celebrate any other month, at least celebrate December.
Spend some time to make memories and enjoy this season.
Here are a few things you can do:
Day 15: Watch a Christmas Movie
There is something comforting about re-watching movies, especially your childhood favorites. Its comforting and brings back a ton of memories too.
Christmas movies also adds a sprinkle of magic to the season.
Make sure to watch your favorite holiday movie for the 79th time! I am curious, which one is your favorite?
Day 16: Bake Seasonal Cookies
It doesn’t have to be a cookie. You could bake a cake or make a favorite festive treat.
Do you have a cherished family recipe? Or do you want to try something new and different this season?
Make sure to make a list of ingredients and buy them.
Decide when you will make the cookie or cake.
Play the seasonal playlist you had made while baking and have fun!
Day 17: Reconnect With an Old Friend
Is there a friend with whom you have been wanting to reconnect?
Or maybe someone with whom you are not spending as much time as you wish to?
Maintaining friendships has become another task, a thing in the to-do-list. Its takes effort and time to keep these alive.
And sometimes its just hard. This holiday season reconnect with someone.
Go shopping, to the local fair or to movies. If they are far away, in a different time zone, have a virtual date.
Making memories with your friends is an amazing experience.
Related Post: How to Stop Overthinking Friendships and Find Peace
Day 18: Enjoy the Seasonal Decorations
Seasonal decorations are everywhere during this time. You might be seeing it all the time.
Are you really enjoying it though, taking it all in? Spend the night out just to enjoy the decorations.
If possible, go to another town or city to enjoy the decorations there.
Day 19: Journal About The Season
Spend an evening cozying up in your favorite pajamas and socks and have a journaling session.
Journal what you like and don’t like about this season – the holidays, Christmas, New Year, Winter – it’s everything together!
How much did you enjoy this season till now? What are you looking forward to towards the last week of the year?
Journaling is one way that will help you deeply connect with this season and its vibe.
Related Post: 28 Effective Journaling Tips that’ll Help You Start Journaling
Day 20: Do Something Thoughtful For Someone
Holidays might not be a happy and fun time for every one.
Some people might not have family and friends to celebrate with.
Others might be away from their loved ones.
Do something thoughtful to ease their discomfort during this season.
Something small can also make people feel seen and included.
It become more fun and enjoyable when you are being kind and warm, keeping up the true spirits of the holiday season.
Day 21: Have a Christmas Themed Game Night
Game nights are fun by itself. But themed game nights are more fun.
Host a Christmas themed game night with friends and family.
You will get to spend such wonderful time with your loved ones and make a ton of memories too.
Week 4: Reflect, Release and Recharge
One thing you must do towards the end of year is reflect on the year that has gone by.
Its non-negotiable.
It doesn’t matter if you had the worst year or the best year, you should look back on it and keep the good and let of the rest before you begin new year.
Also, relax and rest because you need it. You deserve it.
Day 22: Look Through Your Camera Roll
Relive the whole year through the photos you’ve clicked.
You will remember the many small moments that faded away, the moments that made you smile and be present.
We always, always forget the small things but these are the ones that makes our lives meaningful and better.
Looking through your camera roll will bring your attention to such moments.
And suddenly, you will see many good, cute moments that’s worth cherishing.
Day 23: Write 10 Things You’re Proud of Accomplishing This Year
Challenge yourself to only write about the small accomplishments. Why ?
Because we give way too much importance to the big ones and completely ignore the small ones. Take this day to celebrate the small ones.
Had a terrible year?
Well, you survived and that’s an accomplishment too.
It has to be 10 so that you really look inwards and find things that you did – the small wins.
Day 24: Do End of Year Review
Look back on the year.
Did you stick to your New Year’s Resolutions? What did you follow through with?
What worked? What went wrong?
What do you think of these goals right now? Would you want to stick to the same goals in the New Year too?
Review each area of your life.
Do a complete, honest end of the year review.
Do this to learn from your mistakes and understand your wins.
Related Post: How To Do A Personal Reflective End of Year Review
Day 25: Do an End of Year Ritual
Do you have a personal end of year ritual?
If no, start one from this year.
Its your way of saying good bye to the year.
And make this fun. Don’t do the serious stuff like journaling and decluttering.
Maybe host a solo year end party where you dress up, blast music on speakers and dance around. Or have a good bye year photo shoot.
Make a end of year album with the keepsakes you have or print 20 to 30 photos and add it to the journal.
Have fun. That’s all you need to do.
Day 26: Write Down 5 Lessons This Year Taught You
Every year teaches you something if you are ready to look and accept for those lessons.
If you don’t life will keep on repeating things until you learn those lessons.
Life is a very brutal and honest teacher.
So, let’s not test her, right?
In a journal write down 5 lessons you learned this year.
Revisit your successes and failures, happy and sad moments and look what are these moments teaching you. Its not going to be easy – a friendly warning.
Related Post: 10 Powerful Life Lessons I Learned Through Tough Seasons
Day 27: Identify What Drained Your Energy This Year
Managing your energy is more important than managing your time. It took me a lot of years to understand this simple thing.
You can have a perfectly color coded time blocked calendar and still struggle to get things done if you don’t have the energy to do things.
Were you not able to do things because you had no time or because you had no energy?
What were the things that were draining your energy – bad friends, toxic workplace?
Identify three things that drained your energy this year.
Think what you can do about these in new year so that you can better manage your energy.
Day 28: Give Yourself a Day Without Expectation
On this day, I will not be telling you what to do.
You do what you feel like doing. Maybe repeat something in this list.
Or do something spontaneously.
A day where you are going to listen to your heart. And obviously have fun!
Final Three Days: Prepare for a New Chapter
Day 29: Create a New Year Bucket List
What are the things you want to do in New Year?
Create a fun New Year’s bucket list.
How satisfying it would be when you cross the items in your bucket list?
A bucket list makes sure that life is not just happening to you, you are living it the way you want it to be.
Related Post: The Ultimate New Year Bucket List Ideas for 2027
Day 30: Let Go
Throw your phone away and sit in absolute silence. You can have a warm drink.
And just let go of all the things that didn’t work out for you.
All the things that went wrong, friendships that is not going to make it to next year, dreams and goals that died this year – let all of it go.
Visualize it escaping from your mind.
Feel your chest becoming heavy, tears filling up your eyes and the release that comes after letting go. Embrace this bitter sweet moment.
Don’t take anything negative from this year to the next one.
Just let go.
Day 31: Set Something Other than New Year’s Resolutions
Every year its the same – you set the New Year’s Resolutions and give up on it.
Try something new this New Year.
Some of the options are:
- Choose a word of the year
- Decide to do 12 30 days challenges
- Do at least one 365 day challenge
- Set 3 intentions
Try something different this New Year.
Conclusion
You might have wasted the entire year.
Maybe it was sad and disappointing.
No mater how it was you can still end the year with a win.
Promise yourself that you’ll enjoy, relax and have a fun filled December.
You don’t have to do everything mentioned in this December challenge.
Do the ones that you find interesting and end this year with a positive and happy vibe.
Have a happy, awesome and amazing December!
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