Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon in the 1950s, noticed a weird pattern among his patients, one that he found in himself. Whenever he would make a change to someone’s face or arm, he noticed it would take about 21 days for the person to adjust. Similarly, after a person had a limb amputated, they would sense a phantom limb for about 21 days before adapting. These experiences prompted Maltz to think about his own adjustment period to changes and new behaviors.
In 1960, Maltz published his thoughts on behavior change in a book called Psycho-Cybernetics. The quote that prompted the book stated, “These, and many other commonly observed phenomena tend to show that it requires a minimum of about 21 days for an old mental image to dissolve and a new one to jell.” The book went on to become a blockbuster hit, selling more than 30 million copies. In the decades that followed, Maltz's work influenced nearly every major "self-help" professional from Zig Ziglar to Brian Tracy to Tony Robbins. And as more people recited Maltz's story — like a very long game of “Telephone” — people began to forget about his original quote, which was "a minimum of about 21 days." Soon enough, people changed the quote to "It takes 21 days to form a new habit.
The 21 Day Myth is easy to understand, seems believable - and who doesn't want to change their life in just three weeks? But the problem is that Dr. Maxwell Maltz was simply observing what was going on around him, not making a statement of fact. Furthermore, he made sure to say that this was the minimum amount of time needed to adapt to a new change.
So what's the answer? How long does it take to form a habit? How long does it take to break a bad habit? Does science have an answer? What does this mean for you and me?
According to Phillippa Lilly, a health psychology researcher at the University College London, you can’t develop good habits in just three weeks. It takes you at least triple that time. Her research team conducted a 12-week experiment in which 96 people tried to form new habits. The participants reported each day whether or not they followed through with the behavior and how automatic the behavior felt.
This experiment showed that the average person needs 66 days, or about 2 months, to make a new behavior automatic. But how long it takes to form a habit can depend on many things, like the behavior and the person's circumstances. One of the most interesting findings from Lally's study is that "missing an
opportunity to engage in a behavior does not affect the habit formation process." In other words, it is okay to make mistakes! As long as you keep at it, you'll be able to build up better habits in no time. Simply put, if you wish to establish your assumptions properly, the reality is that it will most likely take you anywhere from 2 months to 8 months to develop brand-new habits into your life — not 21 days. Constructing much far better practices is not an all-or-nothing procedure.
Discovering Motivation for the Journey
At the start, one should keep in mind that forming a habit can be a journey. You should not have any reason to get down on yourself if you attempt something for a couple of weeks and it does not ended up being a practice. It is expected to take much longer than that! Welcome the lengthy, leisurely stroll to
achievement. Lastly, accepting much longer timelines can help us recognize that routines are a procedure and not an occasion. All the "21 Days" buzz can make it simple to believe, "Oh, I'll simply do this and it'll be done." However routines never ever work this way. You need to accept the procedure. You need to dedicate yourself to the system. Comprehending this from the start makes it simpler to handle your assumptions and dedicate yourself to taking little, step-by-step enhancements — instead of pressuring yourself into believing that you need to do it at one time.