Monthly Positive Challenge
Test one beneficial daily behavior for a full month
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 99%
The Monthly Positive Challenge is a one-month behavior experiment governed by three rules: the chosen action or abstention must improve your life, it must happen daily, and you must complete the month even after a lapse. The short horizon lowers resistance because the commitment is finite, while daily repetition provides enough exposure to feel the effect. At month-end, review the result rather than automatically stopping: retain the behavior if it materially helped, adapt it if necessary, or choose a different challenge. Sharing the experiment with others can add motivation, but everyone may choose a different behavior. The method treats a missed day as a recoverable interruption, not a reason to abandon the test.
Origin
Mehrabi began the practice three years before the interview and said more than one hundred friends, family members, and clients were doing monthly challenges.
Core principles
- 01Change is easier when it is time-bounded
- 02Daily repetition makes the experiment meaningful
- 03A missed day does not invalidate the month
- 04Useful changes can continue after the trial
How to run it
- 1
Select one positive change
Choose one thing to do or not do that would have a positive impact on your life.
Pro tip Pick a specific behavior you can observe each day.
Watch out Do not choose a merely weekly action.
- 2
Define the daily rule
Translate the change into a daily commitment for the coming calendar month.
Pro tip Starting with a shorter month can make the first experiment feel manageable.
- 3
Run the full-month experiment
Follow the rule each day. If you miss once, resume rather than abandoning or replacing the challenge.
Pro tip Share the challenge with others for motivation, even if their challenges differ.
Watch out Do not use one imperfect day as permission to quit.
- 4
Review and retain
At the end of the month, assess its impact and choose whether to continue, modify, or retire the behavior. Then select the next challenge.
Pro tip Keep the parts that became naturally beneficial.
In the wild
Mehrabi chose not to consume artificial sugar for February, including removing sugar from tea and avoiding sweets and biscuits. She completed the month and found that one part of the experiment—drinking tea without sugar—continued for years.
→ A bounded challenge produced a durable reduction in sugar consumption.
As a serious person, Mehrabi challenged herself to play like a child for at least fifteen minutes every day. The experiment deliberately added a neglected behavior rather than removing a bad habit.
→ The same structure supported adding restorative behavior as well as stopping habits.
Common mistakes
Choosing a weekly behavior
The method relies on daily practice; a once-a-week commitment is a different experiment.
Quitting after one lapse
A skipped day does not end the challenge. Resume and complete the month before judging it.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who want to test a positive habit without making an indefinite commitment upfront.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for behaviors that cannot safely or realistically be performed every day.
From the transcript
“you choose something that you're gonna do or not do on a daily basis and the rules are that it has to have a positive…”
“the third rule is that you have to finish the month so even if you skip one day or you just can't do one day…”
“one month is long and short at the same time so if you put your mind to it you can't stick to it for one…”
From the episode
Lousin Mehrabi: EQ Is The New IQ
Lousin Mehrabi