Two Weeks to Form a habit?
I regret to inform you all that my mother was wrong. But only about how long it takes to form a habit. Amongst her many other endearing traits, my mother’s ability to believe is awe-inspiring.
Growing up, my mother told us that it took exactly two weeks to form a habit if you were consistent. She was so convinced of this that she believed you could train your hair to feather in the early 80’s. Her belief was so strong that her hair did indeed feather. Mine did not. I obviously lacked her conviction.
My Mom even looks beautiful in a clay mask! Look at how gorgeous her feathered hair is. Imagine how clear her complexion was after she washed off the mask…
My Mom’s funky 80’s hair circa 1985. I wanted to be a photographer–isn’t it obvious with the artsy angle of this shoot?
21-day fixes?
In my late teens, the magic number became twenty-one days. It seemed impossible NOT to achieve something if you kept at it for three weeks! Don’t believe me? Just go on YouTube or Google and type in “21-day fix” and see all of the amazing things you can accomplish in just three weeks—a beach body, lose 21 pounds, overcome addictions, develop a good habit, etc.
This one is probably my favourite. You might be hypnotized–let me know if you make it to the end without being brainwashed!
21-day Myth
This is false information—a great example of how gossip works. A plastic surgeon named Maxwell Maltz ACTUALLY said:
“… it requires a minimum of about 21 days for an old mental image to dissolve and a new one to jell.”
Maltz was talking MINIMUMS here. Read more about how Maltz’ words got skewed here.
How many days does it take to form a habit?
I was curious about this question as well—now that Camp NaNoWriMo is done and I’ve completed the course where I learned to polish my writing, am I going to be able keep up my good writing habits? Do I still need to put the alerts in my phone? Is it now going to become automatic?
Spill the goods already! is there a magic number?
And the answer is—-
(drum roll!!!)
It really depends on the person.
On average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In Lally’s study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit.—James Clear
In his article, Clear insists that taking longer than 21-days is good news. It takes the pressure off.
1) It takes most people longer than 21 days. (He tells us to “embrace the long slow walk.”)
2) Making a mistake now and then doesn’t mean it’s back to square one. We don’t have to be perfect.
3) A longer timeline helps you realize that change “is not an event but a process.”
Now what?
Decide what you want to do and do start doing it. Be deliberate. If you need an alert in your phone (as I do—that’s why I am finally consistent with these Monday blog posts!). You need to figure out what works for you and keep pecking away. Practice does make perfection, but only when that practice is deliberate and attentive.
In the meantime, you might want to read this article. Clearly, I’ve developed a minor crush on James Clear—I’ve even signed up for his newsletters!
You might want to take a look at these past posts as well: