Boost Your Mood Tenner Week Day 3: We like a challenge
Welcome to Day 3 of the ‘Boost Your Mood’ Tenner Week budgeting challenge. Today’s activity is called We like a challenge, and it’s all about trying or learning something new.
Trying new things – at your own pace – can be an excellent confidence boost. When we set out to learn a skill, try something different, or gain more knowledge, these new experiences can be a source of contentment, engagement, excitement, or joy.
This can help to raise self-esteem, create or build upon a sense of capability or purpose, and/or connect with others. It also potentially makes us feel more in control of our lives, and gain a sense of accomplishment or time well spent.
You can start small, or try a bigger challenge. It’s up to you.
Ideas for the ‘We like a challenge’ activity today
Think about different ways to learn a new skill or gain some knowledge. Perhaps there’s something you’ve already been thinking about?
Here are just a few budget-friendly prompts to get you started:
- Read a non-fiction book about any subject – free from the library, at low cost second hand or borrowed from a friend
- Learn to cook a particular type of food or cuisine – websites, blogs, cookbooks, videos
- Do a workplace or online tutorial to learn how to use a certain piece of software, or AI
- Ask a friend or relative to teach you how to knit, crochet, etc (you could offer to teach them how to play a musical instrument or make them a cake in return)
- Sign up for a free or cheap class, workshop or one-off talk
- Improve your language skills with a free app such as Duolingo or local lessons (for example, to be able to have simple conversations in the local language when you go on holiday)
- Research any topic that interests you, from your family tree to the works of Shakespeare
- Read or watch the news, or try a crossword or Sudoku
- Try something practical: bicycle maintenance, DIY projects, how to mend something or grow a certain type of flower
- Try something creative: sketching, painting, singing, creative writing, scrapbooking, photography or anything else you like the idea of
- Research or plan a trip to somewhere you haven’t been before, even if it’s a new coffee shop that’s recently opened around the corner from work
This doesn’t have to be about forcing yourself to learn or try anything, it can just be something lighthearted for fun.
All you need to do today is think about what you’d really like to learn or try, however large or small, and take one positive step towards it.
For example, you could:
- Order a book from the library, or read an article
- Choose and save a recipe you’d really love to make
- Download a free language app
- Watch a short video tutorial
- Look for local courses or talks
- Pick out a free place or event to visit, and add it to your diary
- Find out about free skills training at work
Take the first small step today, and see whether you find it enjoyable or interesting. If that goes well, you could look into it more over the weekend – it could become a new hobby or interest.
More useful resources
- The Tenner Week Challenge rules
- 12 tips for a successful Tenner Week
- The ‘Boost Your Mood’ Tenner Week schedule
I really like a challenge, so this year I’m joining in with Gretchen Rubin’s “24 for 2024 List” and picking 24 things to do. That might be a bit much for some people!
What do you want to learn or try? It can be as simple or as complicated as you like.
By the way, if you’d like a free printable spending diary to give your Tenner Week budgeting challenge an even bigger boost, just fill in the form below.
