Time to get used to. How many days does it take to create a new habit? One habit - one period

06.06.2021

Many people ask themselves: how to develop a habit? Do I need to have special knowledge for this? We often wish we could change our lives in better side but don't know how to do it. Someone interferes with laziness, others are in captivity of their own fears. Formed habits greatly affect our sense of self, make us believe in ourselves or, on the contrary, doubt every step we take. How an individual is accustomed to act, being in certain situations, depends on his future. Those who are not afraid to take risks, as a rule, win as a result, gain a lot.

In most cases, people do not even dare to dream about what really excites and occupies them. They are too focused on possible failures that they are afraid to make grandiose plans. Many of these people are unaware that they just need to understand how to develop good habits. Let's try to understand such a difficult issue.

goal setting

This is the first thing to start with. Having the intention to change the scenery of your life, you can not sit back. Passive behavior destroys positive energy. The most important thing is to determine the direction of future changes. Proper goal setting can lead to a satisfactory result. After all, the clearer we imagine what we want, the easier it really becomes to achieve it. Having understood your aspirations, it actually becomes easier: you no longer need to waste your strength on useless activities. It turns out that every hour is filled with a special meaning.

Overcoming obstacles

In any case, a person has to overcome many difficulties in order to get a satisfactory result. The problem is that many stop halfway, never having time to come to what is important and valuable to them.

Competent is able to bring the individual to a completely different level of self-awareness. When self-confidence appears, strength for purposeful actions increases. As a result, the individual feels inspired, wants to be useful to others.

Constant repetition

Thinking about how to develop a habit, you need to systematically perform the same actions. It is recommended to do something every day. Then you will soon find that you no longer think of yourself without a specific task. A person gets used to the fact that he has to overcome his laziness, fear and anxiety. When there is no time to be afraid of your own steps, thoughts about imaginary insolvency fade into the background. Constant repetition contributes to the development of the habit of acting in a certain way. The individual ceases to doubt his abilities, fully focuses on the task at hand.

Exclude gaps

If you worked on yourself for, for example, a week and then stopped, there will be no result. Here the secret is in timing. How many days does it really take to develop a habit? This question is asked by many people who seek to add variety to their daily routine. On average, it takes at least three weeks to form in your head the need to act in a certain way. This cannot be done right away, for the reason that the individual cannot always instantly believe in the prospects he has. It is necessary to exclude omissions. When you are striving for a goal, it is completely unacceptable to indulge yourself. Otherwise, all previous efforts will go down the drain. If one day you want to be lazy and relax a little, remember that by succumbing to temptation, you will not achieve anything.

It is better to do less, but every day. This approach really disciplines, helps to realize that everything is in our hands. Only those who take full responsibility for what is happening can boast of valuable achievements.

Rigid self-discipline

It is necessary just in order not to go the distance. In fact, it is very difficult to stay true to your word when various temptations surround you everywhere. You need to be aware of what is happening, be very reverent about your achievements. If you are really focused on how to develop a habit, you must adhere to strict rules, strive to complete the tasks. Strict discipline does not hurt at all if you are a disorganized and easily distracted person.

When it comes to major changes in life, you need to think globally, and not succumb to momentary impulses. Remember, it is worth only once to meet the temptation, and you already cease to be responsible for individual actions, relieve yourself of responsibility for the events that occur.

Why restrictions are needed

Any framework is necessary in order to be able to move on. They help us understand what is really worth striving for, where to direct our efforts. A person who understands what his predestination is will never waste his life energy in vain. On the contrary, he will begin to collect it bit by bit in order to get together at the right moment and take the necessary steps. The more clearly the individual is aware of this moment, the better. So he has a chance to achieve any goal and live without looking back at the opinion of society.

habit of sports

One of the most difficult things for many citizens is to force themselves to exercise. Some people are so lazy that in their worst nightmare they won't agree to train. They are much more accustomed to lying on the couch at home and watching TV. Reflection and awareness of the benefits of such activities will help such people to move forward. It is at this moment that you need to apply the proposed methodology on how to develop a habit of sports, and start doing it regularly. It is necessary to set a goal for yourself and not retreat in the face of emerging difficulties. Sport loves active people who strive to bring the work they have started to the end. The one who constantly occupies himself with training inevitably becomes stronger, more resilient and more active. Such a person will not miss the opportunity that has arisen, because she has a clear idea in her head of what she wants to achieve.

21 day rule

After thinking about how to develop a habit, you can use worthwhile advice. The 21 day rule works very well. Its essence lies in the fact that during the designated period to perform certain tasks. Gradually, a need will form not to put off things for later, but to do them every day. Three weeks fly by unnoticed, but give amazing results. During this period, the individual gets used to acting in a certain way.

It turns out that what used to be an unbearable burden is now becoming something ordinary. The 21-day rule develops the habit of disciplining one's own will. A person develops a need to constantly work on himself in order to achieve significant results.

Reorganization of the daily routine

When the habit is already formed, you may be surprised to find that the work schedule has been rearranged in a convenient way. Now you do not have to constantly force yourself to act in accordance with emerging needs. There is a restructuring throughout the day.

Time is no longer wasted, because a person learns to appreciate every free minute. Suddenly comes the realization of how important it is to properly organize yourself in advance and not waste precious hours in vain.

Consolidation of the result

In any case, it is important not to stop, but to continue to act. A good indicator needs to be fixed. One victory over oneself does not mean that this will continue to happen. It is necessary to try constantly so as not to slow down. Only then will those changes begin in your life that will really please. You need to work hard: see the goal and strive to achieve it.

One habit - one period

This is a very important rule that allows you to correctly distribute the load. Having started to form one habit, it is recommended to work only on it for a while. After three weeks, it will be possible to take on the next one. You can't try to do everything at once. You are unlikely to be able to simultaneously start running in the morning and immediately after that play a musical instrument. Give yourself time to get used to, adapt to changing conditions. It is better to change slowly, but surely, than constantly trying and failing.

And finally one more actionable advice how to develop the right habits: you need to strive for consistency. Here you can not rush or act at random. You need to think carefully about what changes in life you personally need and start working on it. Efforts should be purposeful, and not just repeated a large number of times. Do not forget that there is a rule how to develop a habit in three weeks, it is quite effective. Be sure to use the suggested tips in order to get a chance - to discover new facets of your life.

Maxwell Maltz was a famous plastic surgeon in the fifties of the twentieth century. And one day he discovered a strange pattern.

When Maltz performed an operation - for example, to correct the nose - he noticed that it took about 21 days for patients to get used to a new face. And when a patient's arm or leg was amputated, most patients also experienced phantom pain for about 21 days until they adjusted to the new situation.

This experience made Maltz remember personal experience getting used to changes and new behavior. He realized that it also took him about 21 days to form new habit.

Maltz wrote about the experience and said:

“These and many other frequently observed phenomena tend to show that it takes a minimum of 21 days for the old mental image to dissipate and be replaced by a new one».

And that's when the problem arose.

In the decades that followed, Maltz's work influenced nearly every self-help professional from Zig Ziglar to Brian Tracy to Tony Robbins. And as in the game of "broken phone" - the more people retold the story of Maltz, the more people began to forget what he said: "at least 21 days." The quote was shortened and it turned out like this:

"It takes 21 days to form a habit."

So a well-known myth spread in society that it takes 21 days (or 30 days or another magic number) to create a habit.

Dangerous Lesson: If enough people repeat something enough times, then everyone else starts believing it.

It's easy to see why the 21-Day Myth has become so widespread. It's short enough to inspire us and long enough to be believable. Who wouldn't love the idea of changing their lives in 3 weeks?

But the problem is that Maltz simply observed what was going on around him and didn't state it as a fact. Moreover, he assured that it was the minimum amount of time necessary to adapt to change.

But what is the real answer?

How long does it actually take to create new habits? What does science say about this?

And what does all this mean for us?

Science provides the answer. And as always, he is quite unexpected ...

University College London decided to find out the exact answer.

96 members were asked to choose a new habit they would like to acquire. Most were health-related, such as "eating a piece of fruit with lunch" or "jogging 15 minutes after dinner."

All 84 days of study they went to the site and left a small report: did they complete the action, and how automatically did it feel.

Doing an action without thinking - known in science as "automaticity" - turns out to be the main driver of habits. And it helps illuminate the real question: How long does it take to actually form a habit?

On average, participants who provided sufficient data habit formation took 66 days.

Of course, there were significant differences in how long the habit took to form depending on what exactly needed to be done.

Those who simply had to drink a glass of water after breakfast achieved maximum automatism after about 20 days.

Those habituated to eating fruit at dinner took at least twice as long to form the habit.

The habit of exercising has become the most difficult.

"50 squats after morning coffee" did not become a habit for any of the participants.

"Walking 10 minutes after breakfast" became a habit for several participants after 50 days.

When the researchers combined the results into a single graph, they found a relationship curve between habit and automatism rather than a straight line.

Early repetitions were most beneficial for establishing a habit, and the benefits gradually decreased over time.

It's like climbing a mountain. First there is a steep climb and you quickly move forward.

Then the climb flattens out, and the closer you are to the top, the smaller the increase in height with each step.

Some of us find it harder than others

The decrease in the rate of consolidation was particularly pronounced among some participants for whom habit formation was particularly difficult. So much so that researchers were surprised at how slowly some habits form:

Although the study lasted only 84 days, by extrapolating the curves, it was found that some habits may require up to 254 days to form - most of the year!

Conclusions - inspiring and not so

What does this study show?

Often, creating a habit takes a lot longer than we think..
This explains why we so often give up what we started. For example, running in the morning, or eating healthier, or not breaking down or screaming over nothing. You just need more time! And you just need to understand it, and be ready for it.
21 days is enough to create a habit if it's something very simple. For example, drink a glass of water after breakfast.
Anything more complex will take longer. And in some activities, much, much more. Count on 50-60 days and even more. Sometimes it may take a whole year.
For some of us, habits are especially difficult.
In this case, you need to start with something very simple. And understand that you may have to spend more time. Practice, so to speak, on cats, understand the mechanics of the process and what works for you. And then move on to something more complex.

I can tell you from myself that by practicing different habits, mastering some and failing others, you will understand how it works, and you can eventually learn to develop habits much easier and with greater success.

Because habit is not something supernatural. It's just a matter of perseverance and "deliberate practice." Aristotle warned us about this:

We are what we constantly do. Perfection, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.

In the end, it doesn't matter how many days it takes you to form the habit you want - 50 or 500. One way or another, you can do it.

All you have to do is start from day one and repeat over and over again. Forget the numbers and just do your job for today.

I already had such goals, about how to return a guy, etc. I want to go through again) I like this method, it still bears fruit. To be honest, we broke up for like a year, but ...) This is a "but")) In general, there is hope, and mutual communication, desire, etc. Throughout the year, loyalty and reciprocity, sincerity were kept between us. And now I just want to do this technique again in order to, first of all, understand myself, what I want) And, of course, during this time I understood and realized all my problems, I told him half, we corresponded, and We talked and saw each other on the phone, well, warmth, what else to say ... Everything was preserved) And a lot of problems were also discussed, I watched and studied videos about relationships, and went through marathons, read books. In general, this year, the period of parting for both of us, was very productive and successful in all plans) We have grown very spiritually! But the desire was preserved - and this is the most important thing!) I want to see it again) Let's go!)

Briefly about the rules:

The bottom line is that for 21 days you can’t get in touch with this person, even if there are attempts on his part. Exactly 21 days in a row, 21 times we write the following phrase: "His name, he understands that I am the best woman for him on Earth", the same thing for guys on girls. Try to think about this person only when writing phrases, otherwise don’t think like that, score it completely) The bottom line is that in 21 days, doing this practice, comes an awareness that would not have come without this practice. Now it’s like a waxing moon, so it’s time) The advantage of this practice is that when 21 days pass, if a person tried to contact you, then you contact him on day 22, if not, then you think you need him at all or no, listen to yourself) Below I will throw off the video, which says in detail) And yes! This is not magic, love spell, etc. This is a bright, good visualization - ruling your thoughts and desires)

I will write as much as possible

Termination Criteria

Awareness, understanding, passing)

Personal Resources

Achieving your goal, understanding, awareness, happiness, success in any case)

It is enough to repeat the new action exactly twenty-one days

21 is a magic number. And this is not a rigid framework or goal. This is the real path to success.

But why exactly 21 days, and not 10, 30 or 50?

It turns out that this number is scientifically proven. An interesting experiment was conducted in the USA. They recruited a group of 20 people and each was given glasses that turned the image upside down. Participants in the experiment had to wear them 24 hours a day.

And it was after 21 days that the peak of brain adaptation to pictures occurred.

The human eye began to perceive the image as the norm and learned to turn it into the correct one.

But if a person stopped wearing glasses even for a day, the brain returned to the previous mode, and it again took him 21 days to switch

This is how the 21 day rule was born.

I give many techniques, tools and practices that lead to success. But in order for the new installation to start working, you need to read affirmations, do practices and other actions for at least 21 days.

Keep up the regularity. Even if you do something for 21 days, but at the same time skip the fifth, eighth, twelfth and twentieth, this is still not habit formation. Each pass devalues the previous effort spent. You have to start again from the first day. Therefore, try to still hold out all these days without "truancy"

Tell us, how do you introduce new habits into your life? Do you use the 21 day rule?

All diseases that exist are always associated with some bad character traits. Having the wrong views on life, at first we have a bad effect on the mind ...
Every woman has patronesses - Lunar Goddesses They are addressed: for protection and help in any life issues; for happiness in family life; goddess help...
Without exaggeration - resentment is dangerous! They lead to serious illnesses. How does this happen? Here is someone who said unpleasant words to you - on purpose or not. All...

It has long been established in psychology that 21 days is enough to instill new habits and thus improve the quality of life. There are many controversial articles on the Internet about whether 21 days is enough to change your life for the better? You must understand that 21 days is a kind of probation. Do you have enough willpower and do you need this habit. After all, what we desire is not always acceptable to us in the future. After all, each person is individual and what is beneficial for one person can be detrimental to another person.

Everything in life seems so familiar: our body, way of thinking, abilities. We get used to perceive life this way and not otherwise, to do the same actions every day. It is neither good nor bad if your life suits you completely, you feel happy and healthy.

habits is our usual state. If you are used to lying and watching TV, then going to gym will be a real test for you. Is not it?

But we can change our usual state simply by learning to control our habits. Most habits are formed in childhood, we have copied certain behaviors from our parents, teachers or friends. A habit is something we do unconsciously, automatically. Even the habit of thinking in a certain way greatly affects the quality of our lives. If you are poor, sick or miserly, it is a habit to be. You do all the actions that lead to this outcome.

How to change habits?

If you learn to manage habits, you will be able to completely manage your life. A large number of bad habits (laziness, staying up late, watching TV, playing computer games, eating junk food, not moving enough) prevent you from instilling new good habits in yourself. Everything then seems complicated and unbearable. But if your life is surrounded by good habits, then instilling new ones will not be a burden to you. Subsequently, your horizons will expand, your social circle, outlook on life will change. Everything will change very rapidly. You Can Cultivate a New Habit in 21 Days, in the same way, you can quit a habit, if you stop, do it within 21 days. After this period, it will be easier for you to do or not to do a certain action.

How to decide which habit to eliminate, and which one to develop in 21 days in the first place? To do this, you need to prioritize. What is the most pressing issue for you at this stage? If you have problems with excess weight and they bother you very much, then it is hardly worth building the habit of starting to learn a foreign language. You need to competently approach this issue and wisely prioritize and prioritize the implementation of the plan to change yourself and your life in 21 days.

What to do to change your life for the better in 21 days?

You must understand that changing life, looking at it in a new way is all within your power.

Forming habits in 21 days

The main goal of 21 days is to fix the correct daily routine at the level of habit.

Here are the main 7 rules:

Wake up as early as possible preferably without an alarm. Try to set yourself up in the evening and give the installation that you need to get up a couple of hours earlier than usual.
Right after waking up start studying foreign language . It can be combined with breakfast.
Further doing exercises or running outside. Minimum duration 21 minutes.
Reading or listening to a book on your way to and from work online. This should not be an ordinary novel, but literature that develops the mind or promotes self-development.
Make a plan at work or school planned tasks and do everything according to plan. In your free time, think about what you would really like to do.
After labor day spend time with family, pay attention to the wife or husband, children. If there is no family yet, go on a date.
Try going to bed earlier, than usual. You can watch a good movie.

It is necessary to comply with such rules: do not eat sweets and bread, do not drink or smoke. Also do not watch TV, news and do not read newspapers. Throw away 1-3 things every day. Which you don't use. Don't criticize, don't judge, and don't get angry at anyone. Think more about the future, what countries you want to visit, what to do and how you see yourself.

21 minute rule

Who goes in for sports 21 minutes a day, he should not worry about his health;

Who spends 21 minutes a day cleaning his house, he does not need to worry about the mess;

If you set aside 21 minutes a day to improve your concentration, you don't have to worry about a creative block;

Whoever finds 21 minutes a day to listen to their husband or wife's business need not worry about relationship problems;

Those who set aside 21 minutes a day for listening to themselves and keeping personal records need not worry about the lack of ideas;

Those who work 21 minutes a day on creating sources of income do not need to worry about their own financial well-being;

Who allocates 21 minutes for rest, one should not be afraid of overwork and fatigue;

Who is reading useful book at least 21 minutes a day, you don't have to worry about becoming an expert.
© Alex Baihou

Of course, it is not easy to fulfill all these rules at the same time. They should not be a burden to you, so, of course, you can retreat a little from them, relax. But it is very important to perform them systematically in order to consolidate the habit. Then your life will be taken to a whole new level.

Start now, don't delay. Then the results will not keep you waiting. The result of developing a habit in 21 days will be improved health, state of mind and body, enlightenment of the mind, enthusiasm and novelty in work and family life.

Travel helps to change consciousness and perception of the world

Visiting a new country gives not only unforgettable impressions, but also gives the realization that there is a lot in life that you have not yet known. Then you want to live, see, learn, feel, try... Here you have lived 21 days with the right habits. What to do next? If you feel wonderful, continue to live a fulfilling life. Why go back to the old, if now you are much better?

Did you know that every 120 days the cells of the human body are completely renewed? You have already lived 21 days in a new look! You have only 99 days left to become a new person at the molecular level. Don't stop now you know you can do it!