Try something new for 30 days

Is there something you've always meant to do, wanted to do, but just... haven't? Matt Cutts suggests: Try it for 30 days. This short, lighthearted talk offers a neat way to think about setting and achieving goals.

A few years ago,
I felt like I was stuck in a rut,

so I decided to follow in the footsteps

of the great American
philosopher, Morgan Spurlock,

and try something new for 30 days.

The idea is actually pretty simple.

Think about something you've always
wanted to add to your life

and try it for the next 30 days.

It turns out 30 days is just
about the right amount of time

to add a new habit or subtract a habit --

like watching the news --

from your life.

There's a few things I learned
while doing these 30-day challenges.

The first was,

instead of the months
flying by, forgotten,

the time was much more memorable.

This was part of a challenge I did
to take a picture every day for a month.

And I remember exactly where I was
and what I was doing that day.

I also noticed

that as I started to do more
and harder 30-day challenges,

my self-confidence grew.

I went from desk-dwelling computer nerd

to the kind of guy who bikes to work.

For fun!

(Laughter)

Even last year, I ended up hiking
up Mt. Kilimanjaro,

the highest mountain in Africa.

I would never have been that adventurous
before I started my 30-day challenges.

I also figured out that if you
really want something badly enough,

you can do anything for 30 days.

Have you ever wanted to write a novel?

Every November,

tens of thousands of people

try to write their own
50,000-word novel, from scratch,

in 30 days.

It turns out, all you have to do
is write 1,667 words a day

for a month.

So I did.

By the way, the secret
is not to go to sleep

until you've written
your words for the day.

You might be sleep-deprived,

but you'll finish your novel.

Now is my book the next great
American novel?

No. I wrote it in a month.

It's awful.

(Laughter)

But for the rest of my life,

if I meet John Hodgman at a TED party,

I don't have to say,

"I'm a computer scientist."

No, no, if I want to,
I can say, "I'm a novelist."

(Laughter)

So here's one last thing
I'd like to mention.

I learned that when I made
small, sustainable changes,

things I could keep doing,

they were more likely to stick.

There's nothing wrong
with big, crazy challenges.

In fact, they're a ton of fun.

But they're less likely to stick.

When I gave up sugar for 30 days,

day 31 looked like this.

(Laughter)

So here's my question to you:

What are you waiting for?

I guarantee you the next 30 days

are going to pass
whether you like it or not,

so why not think about something
you have always wanted to try

and give it a shot!

For the next 30 days.

Thanks.

(Applause)