{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "id": "CC-005",
  "title": "What is my Once-a-Day Challenge?",
  "topic": "Conversations and practice",
  "author": {
    "name": "Craig Coffee",
    "id": "https://usedtostutter.com/craig-coffee#person"
  },
  "canonical_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice",
  "access": "public",
  "content_kind": "author_published_article",
  "context_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/about-this-material",
  "source_sha256": "8c5a3fe6f1d239a7036bbda4bd8fa6efe4e74924cf68caa50f1f78796d9d3ef5",
  "source_markdown": "# What is my Once-a-Day Challenge?\n\nBy [Craig Coffee](/craig-coffee)\n\nI challenged myself to talk to one new person per day. I was about 14 and still stuttering. I didn't call it the Once-a-Day Challenge at the time. That is the name I use for it now.\n\nI had noticed a small difference. When somebody approached me, I felt intimidated. When I approached them, my speech was a little better. It was still hard, but I had found somewhere to start.\n\n## How did I do it before I could drive?\n\nIf I was out at a store with my parents, I could ask a store employee a question. At school, I could talk to a teacher or another employee I didn't know. Once I could drive, I had more chances to go out and do it.\n\nThe places I meant were ordinary places, like a grocery store or Target. I was practicing a respectful approach. It was as much about getting myself to approach as it was about what I said when I got there.\n\n## What can one of those conversations look like?\n\nIn the grocery-store video, I walked in and saw a man looking at cookies. I commented on how good they looked. I talked about how I used to eat junk food and asked him, “how about you?”\n\nHe said he was diabetic and couldn't touch it. I replied, “But you still look at it. Smart.” That was the exchange. Then I explained what had happened: we were looking at the same thing, I said something about it, and his reply gave me something to respond to.\n\nThere was no perfect opening I had prepared before walking in. The person was there. The cookies were there. I found the conversation in the situation.\n\n## The work continued when they answered\n\nI used to spend the other person's turn planning mine. What word would I have to say? What could I avoid? I was thinking about speech while barely hearing the conversation.\n\nSo part of [the practice](/stuttering-practice-in-real-conversations) was learning to give my attention to what they actually said. Ask something, hear it, and answer. Those simple parts could feel very difficult while I was nervous.\n\nI wasn't waiting for perfect speech. I blocked, I missed openings and sometimes I wasn't quick enough. I was learning while those things were still happening.\n\n## Why did I choose strangers?\n\nFor me, a stranger felt like a fresh start. Someone who already knew me could bring up the memory of stuttering in front of them. I could feel as if they expected it before I even opened my mouth.\n\nSomeone I had never met hadn't heard my speech before. I liked getting that first interaction. That was my reason for doing much of this practice with people I didn't know.\n\n## What did I do after missing a day?\n\nIf I missed a day, I would make it up by talking to two people the next day. I was relentless about this because working on my speech was such a big part of my life.\n\nThat is the commitment I described making. [I've also talked about backing down and difficult days](/when-you-dont-feel-like-practicing-speech). The struggle belongs in the account alongside how determined I was.\n\n## What did the practice become later?\n\nOver time, talking with people became much more habitual. I described speaking with the clerk and the person bagging the groceries, or talking with ten or twelve strangers during a day of travel. I kept thinking of it as practice and keeping my tools sharp.\n\nI also valued what could happen when I returned to the same places. Someone wasn't quite a stranger the next time. We could talk again. [The relationships](/returning-to-places-where-you-practice-speaking) became part of what I enjoyed about being out in the world.\n\nThe first commitment was one new person a day. The life I wanted was bigger than getting through that one exchange. I wanted to be able to talk, take part and enjoy being with people.\n\n## Related answers\n\n- [Why did I have to practice in real conversations?](/stuttering-practice-in-real-conversations)\n- [Who did I look for when I was starting to practice speaking?](/choosing-someone-to-practice-speaking-with)\n\n[Find your question](/questions)\n",
  "relative_link_base": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice",
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "reading-content",
      "heading": null,
      "heading_level": null,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice#reading-content",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "I challenged myself to talk to one new person per day. I was about 14 and still stuttering. I didn't call it the Once-a-Day Challenge at the time. That is the name I use for it now.\n\nI had noticed a small difference. When somebody approached me, I felt intimidated. When I approached them, my speech was a little better. It was still hard, but I had found somewhere to start.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "780470e22f64449f15d897fa1ea5061deceb3f50547fd455822d10499f1ec057"
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    {
      "id": "how-did-i-do-it-before-i-could-drive",
      "heading": "How did I do it before I could drive?",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice#how-did-i-do-it-before-i-could-drive",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## How did I do it before I could drive?\n\nIf I was out at a store with my parents, I could ask a store employee a question. At school, I could talk to a teacher or another employee I didn't know. Once I could drive, I had more chances to go out and do it.\n\nThe places I meant were ordinary places, like a grocery store or Target. I was practicing a respectful approach. It was as much about getting myself to approach as it was about what I said when I got there.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "21e6f4168f787f45916a5bc54ab13bddeb464a44c775a7c178d3960a73acc89e"
    },
    {
      "id": "what-can-one-of-those-conversations-look-like",
      "heading": "What can one of those conversations look like?",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice#what-can-one-of-those-conversations-look-like",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## What can one of those conversations look like?\n\nIn the grocery-store video, I walked in and saw a man looking at cookies. I commented on how good they looked. I talked about how I used to eat junk food and asked him, “how about you?”\n\nHe said he was diabetic and couldn't touch it. I replied, “But you still look at it. Smart.” That was the exchange. Then I explained what had happened: we were looking at the same thing, I said something about it, and his reply gave me something to respond to.\n\nThere was no perfect opening I had prepared before walking in. The person was there. The cookies were there. I found the conversation in the situation.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "7ab0c748542a3c9cea8bbb42b94b9e306e72f8921fb5793c96009ebdc99256de"
    },
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      "id": "the-work-continued-when-they-answered",
      "heading": "The work continued when they answered",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice#the-work-continued-when-they-answered",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## The work continued when they answered\n\nI used to spend the other person's turn planning mine. What word would I have to say? What could I avoid? I was thinking about speech while barely hearing the conversation.\n\nSo part of [the practice](/stuttering-practice-in-real-conversations) was learning to give my attention to what they actually said. Ask something, hear it, and answer. Those simple parts could feel very difficult while I was nervous.\n\nI wasn't waiting for perfect speech. I blocked, I missed openings and sometimes I wasn't quick enough. I was learning while those things were still happening.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "c712ff8f68e1c13c558643b811441fbca2ae9ccd64a8bcdd650dd38451845fb4"
    },
    {
      "id": "why-did-i-choose-strangers",
      "heading": "Why did I choose strangers?",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice#why-did-i-choose-strangers",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## Why did I choose strangers?\n\nFor me, a stranger felt like a fresh start. Someone who already knew me could bring up the memory of stuttering in front of them. I could feel as if they expected it before I even opened my mouth.\n\nSomeone I had never met hadn't heard my speech before. I liked getting that first interaction. That was my reason for doing much of this practice with people I didn't know.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "5229022fe8cbcfd2537753c4ce6d4c507469570156a9b71da7aba302f3faa588"
    },
    {
      "id": "what-did-i-do-after-missing-a-day",
      "heading": "What did I do after missing a day?",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice#what-did-i-do-after-missing-a-day",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## What did I do after missing a day?\n\nIf I missed a day, I would make it up by talking to two people the next day. I was relentless about this because working on my speech was such a big part of my life.\n\nThat is the commitment I described making. [I've also talked about backing down and difficult days](/when-you-dont-feel-like-practicing-speech). The struggle belongs in the account alongside how determined I was.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "92a2153d8a60589cef94de64c286f4c8e6042372904b8a74a7bfad015fdd6884"
    },
    {
      "id": "what-did-the-practice-become-later",
      "heading": "What did the practice become later?",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice#what-did-the-practice-become-later",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## What did the practice become later?\n\nOver time, talking with people became much more habitual. I described speaking with the clerk and the person bagging the groceries, or talking with ten or twelve strangers during a day of travel. I kept thinking of it as practice and keeping my tools sharp.\n\nI also valued what could happen when I returned to the same places. Someone wasn't quite a stranger the next time. We could talk again. [The relationships](/returning-to-places-where-you-practice-speaking) became part of what I enjoyed about being out in the world.\n\nThe first commitment was one new person a day. The life I wanted was bigger than getting through that one exchange. I wanted to be able to talk, take part and enjoy being with people.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "c27a24d1e770c632b7d7f6d8a182ea6fd51888d0b61066dc4ea1dbda210565e9"
    },
    {
      "id": "related-answers",
      "heading": "Related answers",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/daily-stuttering-practice#related-answers",
      "role": "navigation",
      "source_markdown": "## Related answers\n\n- [Why did I have to practice in real conversations?](/stuttering-practice-in-real-conversations)\n- [Who did I look for when I was starting to practice speaking?](/choosing-someone-to-practice-speaking-with)\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "bbe4750a02ecbeca5f7de8a2b78d2d9a1236fcaead866e145685782f54f8eaa1"
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  "related_book_sections": [
    {
      "id": "the-once-a-day-challenge",
      "title": "THE ONCE-A-DAY CHALLENGE",
      "url": "https://usedtostutter.com/reader/book/editions/corrected-2026-10-04-9e1d376a993f/chapters/the-once-a-day-challenge",
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