The 75 soft challenge: rules, free printable checklist & how to actually finish
The 75 soft challenge is what happened when the internet looked at 75 Hard — two workouts a day, zero alcohol, restart from day one if you slip — and said: respectfully, no. Same 75 days, same idea of proving to yourself that you can keep a promise for two and a half months. But rules written for a person with a job, a period, and a life.
That one design change — you don't restart when you miss — is why 75 soft is the version people actually finish. And finishing is the entire product. Nobody's life was changed by day 11 of a challenge they quit on day 12.
The 75 soft challenge rules
Four rules, every day, for 75 days:
Some people add a fifth personal rule — a skincare ritual, a daily photo, a screen curfew. Lovely, but add it after week one. The four rules are the challenge; the fifth is decoration.
What happens if you miss a day?
Nothing catastrophic — and that's by design. You do not restart. You do not owe anyone burpees. You wake up the next day and tick the list again. In 75 Hard, one 80% day erases eleven perfect ones; in 75 soft, a bad day is just a bad day.
One honest warning, though: "no restart" quietly becomes "no challenge" if nobody sees you miss. The people who finish almost always have one witness — a friend running it beside them who notices the quiet day. More on that below.
The free printable checklist (PDF)
If you're a paper person: here's a free printable 75 soft challenge tracker — the four rules, 75 day-circles to colour in, and week milestones, on one page. No email address, no catch.
The 75 soft checklist, on paper 🖨️
One page, A4, stick it on the fridge or inside your wardrobe door.
Download the free PDF75 soft vs 75 hard, in one paragraph
75 Hard is a mental-toughness program: two workouts (one outside, whatever the weather), a strict diet, no alcohol at all, a gallon of water, non-fiction only, a daily progress photo — and a full restart the moment you miss anything. 75 soft keeps the shape and drops the punishment. If you're choosing between them, we wrote the honest comparison: 75 soft vs 75 hard — which one should you actually do?
How to track the 75 soft challenge
Seventy-five days is too long for vibes. You need four things the printable can't fully give you:
- A streak you can see — the run of days is the motivation engine.
- A streak that forgives — one shielded miss shouldn't feel like game over.
- A photo log — day-75-you will want the receipts, privately.
- A witness — one person who sees your ticks and notices when you go quiet. This is the single biggest predictor of finishing.
That's exactly what Bloom is: a free-to-start 75 soft challenge app where the four rules are tap-to-tick daily cards, the streak has a shield for being human, your progress photos stay private, and you pair with an accountability partner — your real bestie via an invite link, or an AI one who texts like a friend. When you go quiet, someone notices. That's the difference between day 40 and day 75.
Do your 75 soft with a witness 🌸
Free to start — the checklist, the forgiving streak, the photo diary, and a bestie who notices. On iPhone and Android.
Quick answers
Is the 75 soft challenge free?
The challenge itself is just rules — completely free. Tracking it is free too: the printable PDF above costs nothing, and Bloom is free to download and start on both stores.
When should I start?
Next Monday, or today. January and September are the big waves — a September start finishes right before the holidays, a January 1 start finishes in mid-March. But the best start date is the one you don't postpone.
Can I do 75 soft with a friend?
You should. Doing it beside one person roughly doubles your odds — goal-sharing studies put completion around 76% with a weekly witness versus 43% alone. Bloom's pairing exists precisely for this: you see each other's checklists every day.
Also on the blog: 75 soft vs 75 hard · the 75 day glow up challenge · the winter arc challenge.