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The 100 Day Challenge


the 100 day challenge everyday parisian

I took some time away from social media this past week and thought about how I wanted to approach the next few months leading up to the end of 2020. We had no way to anticipate Coronavirus or the ways it would impact our lives and our daily routines. There have been a lot of struggles as we navigate this “new normal.” I am a big fan of routines and I thought this would be a great time to reset and start something new.

Technically the last 100 days of 2020 starts around September 22. I started this on August 24th, and hopefully stretch it through the end of the year. Feel free to start this at any time that feels comfortable and best for you.

The structure is the best way I can get everything done that needs to get accomplished during the day.

The 100 Day Challenge

Take one hour out of your day to do something where you can grow.

I have been saying all year that I need to practice my French but I can never find the time. This is why I am scheduling it in my day. 20 minutes is all it takes on Duolingo. Plus, you can send push notifications so it sends you reminders that you need to practice. You can break this up into smaller pieces depending on your schedule. Instead of scrolling through Instagram/Facebook, improve your language skills.


duolingo french 100 day challenge

The other 40 minutes of that hour is dedicated to yoga/meditation/moving my body. My anxiety levels are at an all-time high these days. I started Peleton yoga classes recently and I have really enjoyed them. (It breaks downs to around $20 a month just to use the app without the bike) You can choose class times between 10 minutes and an hour and focus on different skill sets/levels.


yoga rebecca plotnick


yoga rebecca plotnick

I have decided to do this because, at the end of a difficult 2020, I want to have some sort of accomplishment to be proud of. I will feel more confident when I do visit Paris knowing that I practiced my French and improved my language skills vs letting them lapse during my time away.

I hope this idea inspires you to pick something to focus on and build your skillset in a certain area. I would love to know what you choose and how the challenge is going. Comment below and we can cheer each other on towards the end of 2020.

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  1. Hi Rebecca

    I have achieved my goal of 100 days of French, I do at least an hour a day. For 2021 I am
    trying the 90 days of yoga challenge.

    Thanks for the inspiration. Wishing you a peaceful and safe Christmas

    Fidelma

    Reply

  2. Thanks for the motivation & ideas! I’m borrowing your idea: daily exercise & French practice. I just competed a French class at an international language school (via zoom ) & signed up for the next level. Practicing daily will be the best way to make progress! I’m trying to regain the proficiency I had in French after college. The daily exercise is a ramp up from 3x a week & is much needed during these tense times! Will be either walking or doing an online session. Approx 30 min for each should be doable & hoping I’m inspired to do more! Thanks again for the positivity of your Everyday Parisian insta!!

    Reply

    • Hi Cindy!

      Welcome to the challenge! I hope you are inspired to make this little change in your daily life. Keep me posted on your progress. I appreciate your support with The Print Shop.

      xo
      Rebecca

      Reply

  3. I took French in HS & have on & off through the years tried brushing up on it. I’m joining you today on Duolingo! It’s so much fun & will be a great way to keep me on track.

    I’ve been crazy busy during this pandemic having several different things badly over due updated in our home. I’ve also gone through & cleaned out tons of “stuff” we don’t need. I do that on a pretty regular basis but I’ve done even more this year & will continue to (started with cleaning out & organizing the attic, then the garage, then DVDs & books that I’ve already read but have no special fondness to keep-STILL kept a lot, I am a book lover, then my closets, a couple more areas to go through still). I’ve also revamped my business website & taken steps to take my business to another level (got a new certification early in the pandemic, wrote an guide for DIYers for getting their home market ready, organized items I’m selling now on my site & social).

    All of this feels great & the home improvements are getting done bit by bit which is great but I want to add & stick to a consistent routine in getting moving each day.

    I do this & that but need a real routine. Daily moving about. I’ve never tried yoga but have considered it for years. I took dance for years (over 20 yrs) and loved it but there are no adult classes in my area.

    My goal may just be to do something daily whether it’s walking, riding my bike, doing an online yoga class. Something daily for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

    Getting my home & business in order during this crazy time now the next 100 day’s needs to be for my mind (French lessons) & body (move it or lose it)!!
    Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply

    • Hi Scarlett,

      Thank you for joining me! I dance with Dance Forever here in Chicago but they have an online program you can stream a class at any time or dance with them at different hours of the day. https://www.dance-forever.com/

      I usually do the 9:15 class. Megan and Julia are awesome! I hope you give it a try.

      Keep me posted on your progress.

      Rebecca

      Reply

  4. Perfect! I’m going to join too. I really need to declutter & organize my house so doing a little bit everyday for 100 days will be super manageable!! Pantry, here I come!

    Reply

    • Cathy,

      Thank you! I am so happy to have you join. Your pantry sounds like a great place to start 🙂

      Keep me posted on how it goes!

      Rebecca

      Reply

  5. I’m joining the 100th day challenge tomorrow. Excellent, excellent idea. I took French in high school and would love to see how much I remember…or don’t 🙂

    Reply

  6. Love your website Rebecca! Very inspiring. I bought a stationary recumbent bike (https://www.amazon.com/MaxKare-Stationary-Adjustable-Resistance-Adjustment/dp/B07TXHYPTV/ref=sr_1_1) for the 100 day challenge. I put the bike together yesterday and rode 20 miles. I plan to do 20 miles each day plus lots of core workouts and weights. My goal is take off 50 lbs by the end of 2020. I’m also studying Italian and would really like to be fluent next time I visit my friends in Ravenna. Half way through reading, Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World — it’s an excellent book. I also decided to have an Akashic reading done by a woman in South Africa that was mind-blowing and really helped me tremendously with issues in my life. I feel very focused and at peace now and hopefully this feeling will last! Thank you for posting the 100 day challenge!

    Reply

  7. Ever since I was inspired by your 100 Day Challenge I’ve been throwing around ideas. I knew I wanted to do something to re-center myself after all the craziness 2020 has brought us. I thought about meditation, reading inspirational books, walking through the park listening to classic jazz. All a good start, however when I say your post about journaling I knew that was what would be important for me. Thank you, once again, for suggesting the right thing, at the right time.

    Reply

    • Hi Dawn,

      Thank you! I am so happy to inspire you. Journaling is a great idea. I can’t wait to hear your progress over the next 100 days. I hope you can end 2020 on a positive note. xo

      Reply

  8. I’m going to spend 30 minutes of each day exercising and 30 minutes reading. About 10 years ago I lost a lot of weight and it felt amazing! I want that feeling back. Also, I’m trying to read my way through Amazon’s 100 Books To Read In A Lifetime.

    Reply

    • Hi Maigen,

      That sounds amazing! How was your long weekend? I found some more time for long walks and yoga. I really think making a dedicated workout time each day will help shed a few pounds. What is your first book on your list? Sadly, I haven’t read much since the pandemic but I would like to get back into a good book.

      xo
      Rebecca

      Reply

  9. I am going to do the 100 day challenge. I will restart learning French with Doulingo. I also started taking long walks. I try to read a chapter of the book I am currently reading. I am reading Becoming A Better You by Joel Osteen.

    Reply

  10. Back in the day, I studied classical ballet for 15+ years. I recently discovered an online YouTube and occasionally live Ballet for Beginners class for ‘mature’ people. For my 100 day challenge I will spend 1 hour a day in ballet class. It’s not only wonderful to get back to this art form I love but it’s great exercise, muscle strengthening, and because of the focus and discipline, very meditative, too.

    Reply

    • Hi Claire,

      This sounds fantastic! Could you share the link to the class? I dance via zoom but it is a mixture of jazz/hip hop/ ballet. I haven’t tried ballet since I was a kid. Good luck with the challenge and keep me posted how it goes!

      xo

      Reply

  11. I am in! I am going to do it two different ways.
    1) 100 days of self-healing. I’ve recently exited a co-dependent relationship that had me realizing I needed to heal a childhood wound from losing parents and fearing emotional abandonment. I owe self this time to heal—with therapy, a self-worth course I’m taking, podcasts,and not reaching out to my ex. Maybe 7 hours of this a week— but not simply one a day.

    2) my 60 minutes daily with be 40 minutes of walking (or an online workout) and 20 minutes of enrichment activity- Duolingo, reading, knitting, learning to embroider).
    Thank you for this, Rebecca!

    Reply

  12. I would love to join in as well. Great idea!
    1. After years and years of dreaming of learning French, I got a tutor. So excited!
    2. Meditation. I can’t make myself meditate, I start and quit all the time.
    3. Daily movement – even if I can’t exercise, or don’t want to, 30 min of biking or walking.

    Looking forward!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much, Natasha!

      I think having a French tutor will really help you. I had one for a while and the one on one attention is great.

      Have you tried the Calm app or I know peloton has a mediation section too?

      You can definitely master 30 minutes of walking a day. Try listening to a podcast.

      Keep in touch and let me know how the progress goes!

      Reply

  13. I’ve been working on my French all year. Reading more. And taking one step every day toward my goal of retiring (or at least semi retiring) in 5 1/2 years. (My 55 the birthday)

    Reply

  14. I’m in! Like some of the others, I’m going to take a slightly different approach to 1 hour a day for 100 days. 1) No spending $$ on clothing with the exception of a fall coat and bag
    2) Read 20 pages a day or listen to a podcast
    3) Start each day making a list of To Dos

    Reply

  15. I am going to tackle the 100 Day Challenge slightly differently. I am going to do 100 days of no spending – I will only spend money on necessities such as food and gas, along with replacement items. I will also do something productive each day (cleaning, cooking, exercising, volunteer work, etc) – this should help me to build myself back up after loosing my job last December and being in a perpetual state of uncertainty.

    Reply

    • Hi Jennifer,

      I love your approach. This will really put into perspective your spending habits and see how you can improve going into 2021. Sending you lots of love. I lost my job in 2008 and there was a lot of rebuilding and pivoting. Keep me posted on how the challenge and job search are going. xo

      Reply

  16. Thanks for this reminder on goal setting. I signed up for a French conversation class and a beginning German class at a local college (100% online) that begin in September but I have not been good with keeping up on my French grammar and vocabulary work. I’m going to recommit to that. Glad you love the peloton yoga. I enjoy their cycling classes and just started strength training with their Total Strength program!

    Reply

  17. I’m all in! I’ve sort of started, but I have not been consistent…until now! I’m going to up my strength training workouts to twice a week, along with my regular cardio. I would also like to cook more vegan meals. Thanks!

    Reply

  18. I’m definitely in. I’ve used your link to set up an account on Duolingo. Learning French has been a lifelong goal of mine. I’m also giving up spending $$ on things I don’t NEED. (So I’ll be placing my order for your notecards prior to 9/1 😂 for real.) And sinceI’m on a mission to reduce clutter by dealing with 5 items each day to decide whether to keep, discard or donate. I have WAY too much stuff. Finally, I’m going to attempt to get rid of 5# of extra weight while I’m in this disciplined mode.
    Thank you so much for creating this challenge. I am going to use a notebook to keep track of my progress and success.
    Merci beaucoup!

    Reply

    • Hi Joy,

      This is amazing, thank you! I will keep an eye out for your notecard order 🙂 I am putting myself on a shopping freeze when it comes to skincare… This will help reduce all the extra bottles in my cabinet that are half used. It has become a bad habit!

      I love the idea of using a notebook of keeping tracking of your progress and success. Bon chance and keep me posted!

      xo
      Rebecca

      Reply

  19. Thanks for the inspiration…it’s just what I needed! I’m going full in with several little challenges (drink more water daily, rid our house of unused items, floss EVERY day) and some bigger ones (learn to play piano and walk a minimum of 3 miles every day.). Again, thank you! PS: I’ve enlisted a few friends to do the challenge too…you’re having a far-reaching effect!

    Reply

    • Hi Kate!!

      This makes me so happy, thank you! I am thrilled you are enlisting friends to do the challenge too. I can’t wait to hear about your progress. Getting rid of items in your house will make you feel so might lighter, I did it when I moved recently. There are so many "things" we don’t use. Flossing is always good too 🙂

      Try listening to a podcast on those walks.

      Keep in touch. xo

      Reply

  20. I am in ! I am currently trying to learn Italian and hope to learn French (working skills) soon after. Do you mind if I mention this challenge on my blog, Ladolcevitae.org? I think it is a fantastic idea 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Claudia,

      Fantastic! Yes, please feel free to share. Lots of luck with the challenge and I hope you find it fun and accomplished at the end 🙂

      xo

      Reply

  21. I need to improve my french as well and never find the time or motivation. I think this could be a nice time to try . And with yoga as well! I m in !

    Reply

  22. I am going to take this idea and run with it!!! I am not sure what I want to accomplish yet in the last 100 days. But with September also being my birthday month, this is a great time for honing in on those things that I really want to get done before 2020 is done. 2020 is not lost, it just needs some redesigning!!

    Reply

  23. Coucou Rebecca,

    Now that you mentioned it, I’m going to give Duolingo a try so I can practice French daily. Even though my electronic devices are set to French, I could use another way to practice French each day besides trying to annoy Siri with questions in French 😊. Aside from brushing up on French, I’m going to try and start playing the piano again.

    Merci!

    Christine

    Reply

    • Hi Christine,

      That is fantastic! I hope you enjoy Duolingo. It is a fun way to practice with repetition to learn new vocabulary and phrases. I have never asked Siri a question in French. That is an idea.

      Let me know how the piano and French progress goes. I am cheering you on!

      xo
      Rebecca

      Reply

  24. I’ll give this a try – 2020 is killing me and I like the idea of being more goal oriented with things that have purpose. I’m going to sign up for the French lessons (have always wanted to learn but done nothing about it) to spend 30 minutes a day —-then I’m going to commit to spending the other 30 minutes on either photography or watercolor painting. Both are hobbies that I’ve lost my motivation to do anymore…and I bet by committing even 30 minutes a day to one or both that I’ll feel more joy than depression. Thank you for an inspiring article.

    Reply

    • Thank you so much, Shannon! I know 2020 has been really hard. I hope this is a bright spot in your day with your French lessons and art. It has been difficult to get motivated but I am hoping with just a few minutes a day, it will be something fun to focus on and improve on in the next 100 days. Keep me posted on your progress.

      xo

      Reply

  25. Hi Rebecca , I love your photo gorgeous as always and I’m going do the duo lingo to practice my French so I can fluent at it and get back into shape with 30 min treadmill this year has been a year that’s been lost !! Merci for your blogs and photos love them please stay safe and healthy xoxo

    Reply

    • Hi Clara,

      Great idea! You can listen to a French podcast while you are on the treadmill 😉 There are some great things you can do in just 30 minutes. I hope the French practice helps you make progress over the next 100 days. Keep me posted and stay safe and healthy. xo

      Reply

  26. I’m inspired to rid my home of useless items. If we haven’t used it since March and it’s not seasonal it goes
    Hopefully to others or if not to the dump
    I’ve also been inspired to go through all my forty years of Paris related journals, photos and drawings and edit them down to a more manageable level
    All this because for last week now I cannot even go outside for a walk due to the chocking smoke hazard from the lightning fires
    You are an inspiration to me
    I also have been watching things on Netflix with French subtitles and original language French tv series like Spirals with no subtitles

    Reply

    • Hi Susanne,

      You are doing an amazing thing by letting go of items you haven’t used. I am sure there are lots of people out there that could use those items 🙂 I cleared out and donated a lot when I moved. It is amazing how much lighter we feel once we let go of "things" that we don’t need.

      Please stay safe and healthy at home. Keep me posted on your progress and if you watch anything good. Have you tried "Call My Agent!" on Netflix?

      Reply

  28. Rebecca, I love this idea! I am joining you and my commitment is to practice my Spanish with Duolingo and conversational workbooks for 30 minutes a day. I’ll also be restarting my beginning Russian studies for 30 minutes a day.

    Reply

  29. Love this idea! My husband and I are dedicating an hour each night to learn Italian. But this a good reminder for me to brush up on my French, too! Bon chance!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Michelle! I am so happy to hear you and your husband are practicing Italian. What a fun activity to do together. Bon Chance!

      Reply

  30. I love this idea. I’ve been inconsistent practicing my Spanish so this is a good timeline for myself. I’m also a newbie runner so this will motivate me to keep to it.

    Reply

  31. I love the idea of this challenge! Kudos to you for choosing to spend some time with Duolingo. My challenge is to finish my French tree in Duolingo by the end of this year. I had previously finished it but they added plenty of new lessons, and new stories (which I love to do).

    Reply

    • Thank you, Deborah! I am so happy to hear you are joining the challenge. Bon chance with the French tree. Keep me posted on how you do. I am enjoying the new stories too 🙂

      Reply