Editor's Note: Why I Still Come Back to This Challenge
Last updated: February 2026
I first tried the 10 Day Mental Challenge after reading Tony Robbins' Awaken the Giant Within about a decade ago. I failed on Day 2. Got stuck in traffic, someone cut me off, and I spent the next 20 minutes fuming about it. Way past the 2-minute rule.
I tried again and made it to Day 6 before a frustrating work situation knocked me off track. Third attempt? I finally made it through all 10 days. And the difference it made was noticeable. Not in some dramatic, life-changing way, but in the small moments. Things that used to derail my mood for hours barely registered.
I've done the challenge probably five or six times since then, usually when I notice my default mood slipping. It's like a reset button for your mental state.
What's Changed Since 2013
The principles here haven't changed at all. Robbins' framework is timeless. But the tools for supporting a challenge like this are much better now.
Mood tracking apps. I use Daylio to rate my mood daily on a five-point scale. During the 10 Day Mental Challenge, I rate myself twice: once mid-day and once in the evening. After the 10 days, you can look at the data and see a clear upward trend. Having that visual proof makes the challenge feel more concrete.
Journaling apps. The original post mentions Evernote for writing down your rules. I've switched to Day One for journaling and Apple Notes for quick reference. I keep my challenge rules as a pinned note that I review every morning during my rise ritual.
Affect labeling. I learned this from my sports psychologist: when you notice a negative emotion rising, simply name it out loud. “I'm annoyed.” “I'm frustrated.” That's it. Something about verbalizing the emotion takes the edge off. I messed up something at Asian Efficiency once and felt really frustrated. My first step was to say to myself, “I'm so annoyed at myself for doing that.” That simple act helped me process it and move on. During the 10 Day Mental Challenge, affect labeling is your fastest tool for catching negative emotions within the 2-minute window.
The Challenge Gets Easier Each Time
The first time through, you'll probably fail multiple times. That's normal. The second time, you'll make it further. By the third attempt, you start to notice something interesting: the challenge isn't really about willpower anymore. Your brain starts automatically catching negative spirals before they build momentum. That's the real payoff.
I believe this challenge is one of the highest-leverage things you can do for your productivity. Not because it teaches you a new system or tool, but because it upgrades the operating system running everything else. When your baseline emotional state is positive, every other productivity practice works better.
The framework below is the Asian Efficiency version of Robbins' original challenge. It's practical, structured, and you can start it today.
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[Original article starts: “The 10 Day Mental Challenge is a thought exercise introduced by Tony Robbins…” and continues through all sections]
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The 10 Day Mental Challenge is a thought exercise introduced by Tony Robbins in his book Awaken the Giant Within. It tells readers: You will not indulge in or dwell in any unresourceful thoughts or emotions for ten consecutive days. Here is the version that we teach and use at Asian Efficiency.
Setting Up Your Challenge
The premise of the challenge is simple – be and stay positive for ten consecutive days, and notice the difference that it makes in your life.
Define Your Rules
The first thing you want to do is define your rules. Here the ones that we recommend clients start with:
– No indulgence in unresourceful thoughts and emotions. This is the Robbins classic. – No indulgence in procrastination. – Be fully engaged in everything you do. If you're being productive, be fully productive. If you're taking a break, fully take a break. There are to be no stuck states where you get caught halfway and beat yourself up for not doing the other thing. – Your most important task comes first every morning. – At all decisions points, ask “what is the right thing to do?” and then go do that immediately. – You get 2 minutes breaking any of the above and then you have to start the 10 days over.
Gather Your Resources
You'll also want to create a resource list to help yourself out. For example: 1. Ways to get in a good mood.
– Music. – Tea.
I <3 tea.– Coffee. – Smiling.
2. Ways to beat procrastination fast.
– Solar Flaring. – Pomodoros.
3. Ways to get unstuck.
– Going for a walk. – Taking a break. – Changing environments.
4. And so on.
Harness Technology
Use the technologies and systems at your disposal to make this easier. We recommend:
– Pulling up your calendar and creating a 10-day all-day event that says “10 day mental challenge”. If you have a large wall calendar, make it more dramatic and put a big band of colour across those 10 days. – Write down your rules in an Evernote note and carry them around with you. – Make reviewing your rules part of your morning and evening rituals. – At the end of every day, review how you went in your daily journal entry.
Executing The Challenge
Now that you've done all the groundwork, this should be easy – just start living the Challenge. No unresourceful thoughts and emotions. No procrastination. Get fully engaged. And do the right thing.
Where to Go Next
We've just given you the starting suggestions for the 10 day mental challenge that we teach at Asian Efficiency. If you're feeling ambitious, you can add other productive habits to the challenge list – like adopting a better email management system, or clear to neutral.
In fact, when you're done with one 10 day challenge, take on another and use it to adopt new habits over time.
Do the challenge for 10 days and experience the quality of difference that it makes in your life… then keep on doing those things forever.
If you're looking for more productive habits to adopt, both the Asian Efficiency Primer and our Premium Newsletters are packed full of cutting-edge habits, rituals and actionable ideas to help you become a better you.
The 10 Day Mental Challenge is a thought exercise from Tony Robbins' book Awaken the Giant Within. The goal is to stay positive and avoid indulging in negative thoughts or emotions for 10 consecutive days. If you slip into a negative state for more than 2 minutes, you restart the count from Day 1. The challenge builds awareness of your emotional patterns and trains you to redirect negative thoughts quickly.
The core rules are: no indulging in unresourceful thoughts or emotions, no procrastination, be fully engaged in everything you do, tackle your most important task first every morning, and at every decision point ask what the right thing to do is and do it immediately. If you break any rule for more than 2 minutes, restart the 10 days from the beginning.
Most people fail 2-4 times before completing all 10 consecutive days. Failing early is normal and expected. The most common failure points are Days 2-4 when the novelty wears off and old habits reassert themselves. Each failed attempt builds your awareness of emotional triggers, making subsequent attempts easier. By the third try, most people notice they can catch negative thoughts much faster.
You have 2 minutes to redirect the negative thought before you must restart. Effective techniques include affect labeling (naming the emotion out loud, like saying “I am frustrated”), changing your physical state by smiling or going for a short walk, asking yourself “what is the right thing to do right now,” and referring to your pre-made list of mood-boosting activities like listening to music or making tea. The key is catching the negative state quickly and taking immediate action.
Yes, when done consistently. The challenge works by training your brain to recognize and interrupt negative thought patterns before they spiral. After completing 10 days, most people report feeling more positive by default, reacting less emotionally to minor frustrations, and having more mental energy for productive work. The effects are strongest when you repeat the challenge periodically, treating it as a mental fitness exercise rather than a one-time event.
Create a 10-day calendar event to mark your challenge period. Use a mood tracking app like Daylio to rate your emotional state twice daily during the challenge. Keep your challenge rules in a note app that you review every morning. Journal briefly each evening about how the day went and any moments where you almost broke the rules. This combination of visual tracking and reflection makes the challenge more concrete and increases your success rate.
What advice do you have for someone who has severe depression and anxiety?
Hi I would like to ask how we can “fully take a break” or taking breaks in general. Although it seems like something basic, people in this day and age stop thinking about relaxing and are constantly busy or at least “act” busy.
Hi I have a question and I know this seems stupid but…
how do you take a break or fully take a break? lol
Whatever means necessary! If you're sitting on the pot, tell yourself this is my break! If you have 2 minutes in your car tell yourself "this is my break and I am fully aware!"
Do what ever you can to sneak those breaks in and then BAM you realize you need to start to TAKE your break. Peace will begin to grow in your heart.