‘Do something for 30 days’: Matt Cutts offers advice for achieving goals

In a short and lighthearted Ted-Ed Talk, American software engineer, Matt Cutts offers a piece of advice about setting and achieving goals by being consistent for 30 days.

“The idea is actually pretty simple. Think about something that you have always wanted to add to your life and try for the next 30 days,” he says.

Cutts asserts that 30 days is just about the “right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract an old habit from your life”.

He goes on to explain the various things he learned after adopting 30-day challenges in his life. “First, instead of the months flying by forgotten, the time was much more memorable. 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,” he says.

Cutts believes that if one wants something badly enough, they can do anything for 30 days.

“I learnt that when I made small sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were more likely to stick. There is nothing wrong with big crazy challenge. In fact, they are fun but they are less likely to stick,” he adds.

He concludes by asking the audience, “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.”