# Challenge Workbook > A 7-day self-paced challenge workbook with daily worksheets, prompts, worked examples, and a scorecard. Pre-filled with a 7-day social-content sprint for a bakery. Source: https://buildpdfs.com/templates/challenge-workbook Category: Lead Magnets A 7-day self-paced challenge workbook with daily worksheets, prompts, worked examples, and a scorecard. Pre-filled with a 7-day social-content sprint for a bakery. ## What's included - Day-by-day structure from Day 1 to Day 7 with a time budget per task - Worksheet pages with prompts and lined answer space - Idea-bank and brain-dump pages to start each day's task - Worked example next to each blank worksheet - Weekly scorecard to track what got done - Note-before-you-start page that sets expectations ## Sample content The 7\-Day Content Sprint. Plan Batch Post One week · 4 h 10 Free Workbook7 sessions A free workbook: **plan, batch and post a week of content** in 7 short sessions. by Maya Lind mayalind.co **Maya Lind**Content coach for small business owners. Writes The Sunday Draft, a free letter read every week by owners who want to post without the panic. Inside 03How the sprint works 04Day 1 to Day 7 11Hook worksheet 12Pillars worksheet 13Sprint checklist A note before you start ### Hi, I’m Maya. If you run a small business, you already have a full-time job. Posting every day on top of it is how most owners burn out. They post hard for two weeks, miss a few days, feel guilty, and go quiet for a month. I’ve coached more than 400 owners — bakers, physios, florists, accountants. The ones who stay consistent are not more creative. They just stopped making content one post at a time. They decide once, film once and schedule once. That’s this sprint. Seven short sessions, 20 to 60 minutes each. By Sunday you will have a week of posts written, filmed and scheduled — and a routine you can repeat without dread. Do the days in order. Done beats perfect. If you get stuck, reply to any Sunday Draft email. I read every one. With you all week, Maya **P.S.** Print the worksheets on pages 11–13 before you start. Pen and paper make you decide faster than any app. **7** short sessions, one a day **4 h 10** total, spread over a week **7 posts** written, filmed and scheduled ### How the sprint works One week Seven sessions Each day has one job and a timer. Finish the job, stop, and close the laptop. The sprint works because each session is small enough to do on a busy day. | Day01 | Pick 3 content pillars | Three topics you can post about all year | 30 min | | ----- | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | ------ | | Day02 | Find 20 ideas in 20 minutes | An idea bank, with 7 posts starred for this week | 20 min | | Day03 | Write hooks that stop the scroll | A strong first line for each of the 7 posts | 40 min | | Day04 | Batch-film in one hour | Raw clips for all 7 posts, plus B-roll | 60 min | | Day05 | Edit fast | 7 finished videos with captions | 45 min | | Day06 | Schedule the week | Every post queued at the right time | 30 min | | Day07 | Review and repeat | What worked, and next week’s sessions booked | 25 min | | | Total time | Less than one evening of scrolling | 4 h 10 | ##### Three rules for the week 1. **One session a day.** Don’t run ahead. Rest is part of the plan. 2. **Set a timer.** When it rings, you stop — even mid-sentence. 3. **Good enough ships.** A posted 7/10 beats a perfect draft. ##### What you need * Your phone and a cheap tripod * A notebook, or the worksheets in this guide * A free scheduler: Meta Business Suite, Later or Buffer * A window with daylight Day01 Session 1 · Strategy #### Pick 3 content pillars **30** minutes Goal Choose three topics you can post about for a year without running out of things to say. ##### Why it matters When every post starts from a blank page, most of your energy goes into deciding what to say. Pillars make that decision once. They also teach your audience what to expect from you. People follow an account because they know what they will get next — not because of one lucky post. ##### Steps 1. **Brain-dump for 10 minutes.** List everything you could talk about without notes: products, process, opinions, customer questions, your story. Aim for 15 items. 2. **Circle what buyers care about** before they buy — not what you find interesting. 3. **Sort into three buckets:** one that teaches, one that shows behind the scenes, one that proves results. 4. **Name each pillar in 2–4 words.** “Bread at home” beats “Educational content”. 5. **Write them on the worksheet** on page 12. Example · Juniper Bakery Teach **“Bread at home”** Starter care, why loaves go flat, flour swaps. Behind **“The 4 a.m. shift”** The ovens, the team, the first delivery of the day. Proof **“Our regulars”** Customer stories, wedding cakes, five-star reviews. Pillars are a promise to your audience — and a rest for your brain. Tip If a pillar can’t give you 10 post ideas in five minutes, it is too narrow. Merge it with another one. Day02 Session 2 · Ideas #### Find 20 ideas in 20 minutes **20** minutes Goal Fill an idea bank, so you never start from zero again. One idea per sticky note. Move them around until a week appears. ##### Idea starters * The mistake I see every week… * What I’d do if I started again… * A myth in my industry… * How we actually make… * A customer asked me… * My tools under $50… ##### Why it matters Ideas come from questions, not inspiration. Your customers already tell you what to post — in DMs, reviews, emails and at the till. You only need to write it down. ##### Steps 1. **Set a 20-minute timer.** Quantity first. You judge later. 2. **Mine five sources:** your last 20 DMs and emails, your reviews, the questions you answer every week, a competitor’s comments, and Google’s “People also ask” box. 3. **Write a promise, not a topic.** “3 reasons your sourdough is flat”, not “sourdough”. 4. **Tag each idea** with its pillar: T, B or P. 5. **Star the 7 you’d most like to read.** Those are this week’s posts. Tip Keep the idea bank in one note on your phone. Add to it the moment a customer asks you a question — that is next week’s post. Day03 Session 3 · Writing #### Write hooks that stop the scroll **40** minutes Goal Write a first line for each of your 7 posts that earns the next three seconds. > “Your hook is not a summary of the post. It’s the reason to read it.”Maya’s rule of thumb ##### Why it matters People decide to stay or scroll in under two seconds. The hook is the only part of the post that everyone sees, so give it a third of your writing time. ##### Steps 1. **Write 3 hooks per post** with the formulas on page 11. 2. **Read each one aloud.** If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, rewrite it. 3. **Cut the warm-up.** “So today I wanted to talk about…” goes. 4. **Be specific:** a number, a name, a time, a place. 5. **Pick a winner** and copy it into “My best 3”. ##### Before → after | Some tips for better bread | Your sourdough is flat because of one thing you do at 9 p.m. | | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | | We’re hiring! | We need someone who likes 4 a.m. and the smell of butter. | | New spring menu is here | We tested 31 recipes. These 6 made the menu. | | Thank you to our customers | Ruth has bought the same loaf every Friday since 2019. | Tip Keep hooks under 12 words. If it needs a comma, it probably needs a cut. Day04 Session 4 · Filming #### Batch-film in one hour **60** minutes Goal Film all 7 posts in one session, with one set-up and one outfit change. ##### Steps 1. **Set up once.** Pick a spot by a window and face the light. Lock the phone on a tripod at eye level. 2. **Write a shot list:** each post’s hook and three talking points on one card. 3. **Film every hook first,** three takes each. Hooks need your best energy. 4. **Then film the body of each post.** Clap once between takes — the spike makes cuts easy to find. 5. **Grab 10 minutes of B-roll:** hands at work, close-ups, the shop, the street. You will use it all month. Shot list · Post 3 Hook Your sourdough is flat because of one thing you do at 9 p.m. Point 1 Fridge too early = no rise Point 2 Wait until it grows by half Point 3 Poke test — slow spring back B-roll Hands shaping, oven door, crumb shot Tip Change your top between groups of posts. Same afternoon, but on the feed it reads as a different day. Day05 Session 5 · Editing #### Edit fast **45** minutes Goal Edit 7 posts in 45 minutes — about six minutes each. ##### Steps 1. **Use one template** in CapCut or Instagram’s Edits app: same font, same caption style, same end card. 2. **Cut the first second.** Start on the first word of the hook. 3. **Remove every pause** longer than half a second. Jump cuts are fine. 4. **Add captions** — most people watch muted. Fix only the words that are wrong. 5. **Write the caption now,** while the post is fresh in your head. 6. **Export and name it** “Day–Pillar–Hook”, like _Tue-Teach-flat-sourdough_. Example · finished caption J **juniperbakery** Reel · Tuesday 7:30 a.m. Your sourdough is flat because of one thing you do at 9 p.m. You put it in the fridge too early. Let the dough grow by about half at room temperature first — that’s 3 to 5 hours in a warm kitchen. Try it this weekend and tell me how it goes. **Save this for your next bake.** ← hook, value, one ask. That’s it. “Viewers forgive a plain edit. They don’t forgive a slow start.” The three-pass rule **1** Cut Trim the start, the pauses and the ending. Nothing else. **2** Captions Auto-captions, then fix names and numbers. **3** Sound Voice at full level, music low. No fourth pass. Day06 Session 6 · Planning #### Schedule the week **30** minutes Goal Queue all 7 posts in a scheduler, so the week runs without you. ##### Why it matters Posting by hand means opening the app at the right minute — and then losing 40 minutes to the feed. A scheduler keeps you out of it. ##### Steps 1. **Open a scheduler:** Meta Business Suite (free for Instagram and Facebook), Later or Buffer. 2. **Check your insights** for when followers are online. Start there; adjust after two weeks. 3. **Mix the pillars.** Never two “teach” posts back to back. 4. **Paste captions,** add 3–5 specific hashtags and pick the cover frame. 5. **Block 15 minutes** after each post goes live to reply to comments. ##### Specific beats popular * **#sourdoughtips** instead of #food * **#leedsbakery** instead of #smallbusiness * **#weddingcakeideas** instead of #love ##### Example week | Day | Pillar | Format | Time | | --- | --------------------------------------- | -------- | -------- | | Mon | Teach | Reel | 7:30 am | | Tue | Behind | Stories | 8:00 am | | Wed | Proof | Carousel | 12:00 pm | | Thu | Teach | Reel | 7:30 am | | Fri | Behind | Reel | 5:00 pm | | Sat | Proof | Photo | 9:00 am | | Sun | Rest. Reply to DMs if you feel like it. | | | Tip Leave Sunday empty. A gap in the plan is what makes the plan last. Day07 Session 7 · Review #### Review and repeat **25** minutes Goal Learn from this week in 25 minutes and book the next sprint before Monday. ##### Why it matters Most owners never look at their numbers — or look every hour. Once a week is right: enough data to see a pattern, not enough to panic. ##### Steps 1. **Log saves, shares and comments** for each post. Ignore likes. 2. **Circle the top two.** What do they share — pillar, hook, format? 3. **Read every comment and DM.** New questions go into the idea bank. 4. **Keep, drop, try:** one thing to repeat, one to stop, one test. 5. **Book next week’s sessions** in your calendar now. ##### Example scorecard · week 1 | Post | Saves | Shares | Comm. | | ------------------ | ----- | ------ | ----- | | Flat sourdough fix | 212 | 48 | 31 | | The 4 a.m. shift | 36 | 12 | 19 | | Wedding cake story | 58 | 9 | 24 | | Starter in 3 steps | 174 | 39 | 22 | | Meet Tomas | 21 | 6 | 27 | | Ruth’s Friday loaf | 44 | 15 | 36 | **Keep** “Fix a problem” reels on Mon and Thu. **Drop** Stories nobody taps through. **Try** A carousel of 5 starter mistakes. ##### Three questions to ask 1. Which post would I be proud to pin? 2. Which question came up more than once? 3. What was easy to make — and still did well? Every sprint gets shorter Week 1 **4 h 10** Week 2 **≈ 2 h 45** Week 4 **≈ 2 h** Why Your pillars are set and the idea bank keeps growing. Worksheet · use on Day 3 ### Hook worksheet Day 03 Six formulas · fill the blanks _A_The mistake I see every . _B_Stop if you want . _C_I tried for days. Here’s what happened. _D_ things I wish I knew before . _E_Why your isn’t (and the fix). _F_You don’t need to . Three hooks per post · star the winner Post 1 Idea: Post 2 Idea: Post 3 Idea: Post 4 Idea: Post 5 Idea: Post 6 Idea: Under 12 words Has a number, name or time I’d say it out loud ##### My best 3 The three hooks you would stop for. Use them first this week. Worksheet · use on Day 1 ### My content pillars Day 01 01 The teaching pillar What do you know that saves your customer time, money or a mistake? Pillar name Who it helps, and how 10 post ideas Reel Carousel Stories Photo 02 The backstage pillar What happens in your business that customers never see? Pillar name Who it helps, and how 10 post ideas Reel Carousel Stories Photo 03 The proof pillar Which results, reviews and customer stories show that you deliver? Pillar name Who it helps, and how 10 post ideas Reel Carousel Stories Photo **The pillar test** My buyer cares about it before they buy I can list 10 ideas in 5 minutes I could talk about it for a year Tick as you go ### Sprint checklist All week ##### _00_Before you start 10 min * Print the worksheets on pages 11–13 * Book 7 short sessions in my calendar ##### _01_Pillars 30 min * Brain-dump 15 things I can talk about * Circle what buyers care about * Name 3 pillars in 2–4 words each ##### _02_Ideas 20 min * Read my last 20 DMs, emails and reviews * Write 20 ideas as promises * Tag each idea T, B or P * Star 7 posts for this week ##### _03_Hooks 40 min * Write 3 hooks for each post * Read them aloud and cut the warm-up * Fill in “My best 3” ##### _04_Filming 60 min * Set up by a window, phone at eye level * Film all hooks first, 3 takes each * Film the body of each post * Capture 10 minutes of B-roll ##### _05_Editing 45 min * Make one edit template and reuse it * Cut silence and pauses over 0.5 s * Add and correct captions * Write 7 captions: hook, value, one ask ##### _06_Scheduling 30 min * Check when my followers are online * Queue 7 posts, mixing the pillars * Block 15 min a day for replies ##### _07_Review 25 min * Log saves, shares and comments * Find what my top 2 posts share * Write one keep, one drop, one try * Book next week’s sessions **Done? Tell me.** Post your favourite from the week and tag **@maya.creates**. I share a few finished sprints every Sunday. That’s one week done ### Keepgoing. A sprint gets you started. A routine keeps you posting. The Sunday Draft helps with the second part. The Sunday Draft One short email, every Sunday at 7 a.m.: a hook formula to try, a post idea for the week, and what is working for small accounts right now. Five minutes to read. Free. Join at mayalind.co/sunday → Website **mayalind.co** Instagram & TikTok **@maya.creates** **Know someone who keeps saying they’ll “post more”?** Send them this workbook. It’s free at mayalind.co/sprint. © 2026 Maya Lind. Share this workbook freely with a friend who needs it — please don’t sell it. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a challenge workbook? A challenge workbook is a guided set of worksheets that walks a reader through one small task a day, over 5 to 7 days, toward one clear result. It is a popular format for a lead magnet or a paid mini-course. ### What should a challenge workbook include? Include a note before you start, one section per day with an instruction, a worked example, and a worksheet, an idea bank or brain-dump page to get unstuck, and a scorecard to track progress. This template has each section, pre-filled for a 7-day content sprint. ### How long should a challenge be? 5 to 7 days is the most common length. It is short enough that people finish it start to finish, but long enough to show a real result by the end. ### Is this challenge workbook template free? Yes. You can customize the challenge workbook template for free and download it as a print-ready PDF. Describe your challenge topic and daily tasks to the AI and it builds out every day. ## Related reading - [How to make a lead magnet PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/how-to-make-a-lead-magnet-pdf) - [Lead magnets that actually convert](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/lead-magnets-that-convert) - [How to create a lead magnet with AI](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/how-to-create-a-lead-magnet-with-ai) [Use this template](https://buildpdfs.com/signup?templateId=challenge-workbook) — free, no credit card required.