How long does it take to form a habit? How many days does it take to create a new habit?

If it were enough to gather your willpower and stick to a new behavior model for just 21 days for the habits to become permanent, everyone would be happy. In about six months, the world would be close to perfection. But this did not happen. 21 days is just one of the myths that we humans are so willing to believe.

Each of us has a whole list of qualities that I would like to have, form a habit. For example, waking up early proper nutrition and many others. I think you have no less. Someone may want to quit smoking or start some useful business. But why are these habits still in the planning stage? It's not a matter of time!

Time to change your life

The common belief that you need to hold out for 21 days to form a habit comes from the experience of plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz. In 1950, he noticed that patients needed at least 21 days to get used to new appearance or amputation.

Maltz suggested that changes in the psyche occur in at least 21 days. During this time, a mental image is formed that overshadows the person's past habits. In 1960, his book “Psychocybernetics” was published, and this idea penetrated the masses. The world started talking about “21 days” as a kind of constant “deadline”, beyond which the result awaits us. But after a while, instead of success, people received disappointment. Few managed to change themselves.

Decades later, psychologists from University College London decided to test how long it actually takes to form a new habit. They studied the behavior of 96 participants over 12 weeks. Some had to drink a bottle of water during lunch, others exercised 15 minutes before dinner.

On average, according to their data, a habit is formed in two months (66 days). However, for each person, depending on the type of habit, the amount of time required varies widely. Psychologists say that this can take from 18 to 254 days. It's not three weeks, it's eight months!

Look to the root

Not everyone can change themselves in eight months. Or a year, or a year and a half. It's probably not even a matter of time. Then what? It seems to me that time is not one of the factors necessary to establish a habit. There is the strength of desire, the degree of thinking and the seriousness of the necessary changes.

When we talk about a habit, we mean something useful that will help us become better than our former selves. Nobody wants to intentionally start bad habits. Bad habits are acquired automatically, and it's not difficult. All you have to do is gape a little, and that’s it!

Useful habits are always an overcoming that requires psychological and physical effort. Going up is always harder than going down. To make these changes permanent, psychological strength is required. And the more serious the changes ahead, the more strength is needed.

But sometimes it happens naturally. There are people who, after serious life ups and downs, immediately get rid of their bad habits. Moreover, they themselves note that this happened easily.

Someone, after reading a certain book in a day, becomes a vegetarian, someone quits smoking. And this happens naturally. This happens when a person’s level of thinking increases sharply. For him, a new habit immediately becomes part of his worldview. And he doesn't have to count down 21 or 66 days.

You may want some changes, but not be ready for them. This, for example, applies to those who start smoking again after some time. His volitional efforts have been exhausted, and he himself has not yet changed radically to make the new habit natural. Then he rolls back again.

I really want to believe in 21 days, but, unfortunately, everything is much more complicated. Going up is always harder than going down.

Greetings my dear reader! Let's talk about good habits or skills, or more precisely, how to develop a habit in 21 days without harm to the psyche. I wouldn’t even mention this method if I didn’t know for sure that it works great. And after defeating myself, there is a feeling of pride that I can do everything, well, or almost everything. To do this, we’ll find out where to start, learn to negotiate with ourselves, and discuss whether it’s worth starting alone.

In my opinion, the path to success goes to preparing the consciousness that this is simply necessary. Throughout my life I have tried many times to start new life since Monday, but I still couldn’t reach the end of my intended goal. Why do you think? The answer for me turned out to be simple, the ground was not prepared, that is, within myself I was not ready for change.

There is a lot of material on the Internet, so the question is, but in practice this period of time does not reinforce the habit, and the person only subconsciously understands its existence. And if you continue on the chosen path, the result will definitely come. Although successful experiments have been conducted aimed at developing new skills in just 21 days, these are easy habits, in my opinion.

Preparing the mind is important. Otherwise, you shouldn’t start, it won’t work anyway.

Convince yourself that the future new habit is only the beginning of changes in better side It may not be possible to convince the other “I” quickly, but you will have to try. Just please, don’t complicate this, so as not to be disappointed and lose your temper over trifles.

By the way, complicating things is also a habit and a harmful one at that.

Before you start, read or watch a movie about how others achieve their goals.

I have a proposal, let’s prepare consciousness using a primitive example. Since many people want to restore health, and this includes 2 main factors: nutrition and exercise, we will direct the development of habits to achieve these goals.

• Do exercises every day to restore stretching and flexibility.
  For what? Let’s ask ourselves and we need to answer.
  To prolong the youth of the body. So as not to be a burden to children in old age. Look like this at your age to be proud of yourself. And many other answers. Give it a try.
• Get up early before work so you have time to study.
• Give up sugar and flour, eventually they are removed extra pounds. This is very useful for the spine, joints, and brain.

Conclusion: we understand why we need to develop habits. Of course, to improve the health of the musculoskeletal system and correct the figure accordingly. And also, think about how this can change your life (upgrading your status, putting a stamp in your passport, changing your place of residence, visiting abroad) your imagination is not limited.

Pick up several new skills at once. Start today, not tomorrow. The saying goes: “Why put off until tomorrow when you can do it today.”

What reasons might prevent you from developing a habit today?

1. Lack of motivation.
2. Fear of failure.
3. The presence of laziness.
4. I don't understand why this is needed.

Watch the educational video.

How to develop a habit in 21 days? Find a teammate for the project

To make it less boring to start what you have planned, try inviting your family members into your project. Maybe your husband will get lucky and agree, for example. Convey to your future ally how easy it is to develop a habit, and in just 21 days your life will change beyond recognition. Get up together, do exercises, and don’t eat sugar and rolls. Cool! And with the money saved, go to the cinema, buy two bicycles or. Offer to a friend, colleague, there will be someone to discuss, support, and consult with.

Think positively

1. First, you need to take the first step, try to hold out for 1 day according to plan.
2. Leave written reminders at eye level, audio reminders on the phone, etc.
3. Then repeat for 2-3 days in a row. After 3 days it will be easier.
4. Last a week without days off. Super!
5. 21 days, a turning point, the awareness of the habit is already there.
6. 40 days, the habit has taken hold, but if you give up everything at this moment, all your efforts will be in vain.
7. 90 days will pass. There is no turning back. The goal has been achieved.

Be able to negotiate with yourself

Learn to negotiate with yourself - this is 90% of success. It may happen that the project is about to collapse. You have to deceive yourself somehow, give several versions.

For example.

• I’ll hold out for 21 days, and then I’ll give up everything.
• When I reach the end, everything will be as before.
• Very soon life will change beyond recognition for the better.
• You can't wait to give up.
• Your friends will be jealous...

My plan

Target: overweight leads to complications for my health.

I bought electronic floor scales to control my weight. I chose a day to start the project.

1. My motivation: to be healthy and extend as long as possible longer life in full motion. To achieve the goal, do exercises and change your diet.
2. Set your alarm 15-20 minutes earlier in the morning, and go to bed earlier in the evening. Subsequently, it will not be needed, the body will use up this time and the body’s biological clock will wake up at the right time.
3. Morning exercises 8-12 minutes.
4. Exclude: sugar and no sweets, rolls (I left the bread). If you really want something sweet, then I eat 2 dates for tea, they replace one cake.
5. Important. On the scale, the needle should show 500-600 grams of your base weight during the day, this is if you need to adjust your body weight. And in order not to gain weight, the difference should be 1 kg. If it exceeds, it means there was overeating. Forcibly, even if I don’t feel like it, I go to do physical exercise (gardening, cleaning, exercise). It was the first time, but then I got used to it. But this is my example, each person is different.

Later, I began to do more complex exercises for endurance (squats for 1 minute 3 times a day), fasting days didn't turn it on.

I didn’t start actively working out right away, I gradually got used to it. The set of exercises I do is described.
Believe it or not, the weight is slowly going down, my mood is good, exercise gives me energy, my legs no longer hurt. The most important thing is not to lose your spirit and hold out for 21 days, and then it will go on as it has always been.

I don’t have the habit of complicating things, torturing myself with diets or running in the morning. Everything will come on its own. You just need to take one step. Starting to work on yourself, if you think about it, is not at all difficult.

Remember, being healthy is fashionable!

Offer your projects, how do you achieve your desired goal?

Nutrition is of great importance in a person’s life, but it is not always possible to eat what is healthy due to ignorance. That's why there are many books. I recommend reading one short but informative one. Download.

I suggest listening to the Russian cover of the song BIG groups BANG, performed by my son.

You won't regret it, it's translated and sings perfectly. Happy listening!

I’ll end this article here. If it was useful, share with your friends and subscribe to updates.

Come in! Until new publications!

Throughout life, a person constantly acquires new habits and also gets rid of unnecessary ones. But sometimes, you just realize that you urgently need to change something in your life. So why not start now. After all, if you follow certain rules for 21 days, you can say that you will be the beginning of change. Now we will talk about how to change yourself and how to develop new habits in 21 days.

What is a habit?

Before you get used to doing any specific actions, you need to understand what the word “habit” actually means.

Habit – This is a certain model of behavior of an individual (human), the implementation of which develops into a need.

Simply put, a habit is an action that a person performs automatically without thinking about it. The emotional, psychological and physical state of the body depends on its implementation.

Our character is based on our habits. Therefore, there is no need to look for those to blame. It's always easy to do. But changing yourself and your attitude is difficult. Change yourself and you will notice how people around you change, how situations change and new opportunities appear.

What are the habits?

At first glance, habit is a rather simple concept, but even it is divided into 2 types. Habits can be harmful and useful.

• Harmful very easy to acquire almost automatically.
• Useful habits require overcoming a person's psychological and physical barriers. Without certain attitudes, it is difficult to turn any action into a habit.

What do habit and reflex have in common?

A correctly chosen habit becomes a reflex that forces the body to rebuild. The following experiment was carried out. A volunteer who liked to be different from other people decided to change his biorhythms and sleep during the day and stay awake at night. For 21 days, he rested during daylight hours and worked at night. After the habit developed, he decided not to sleep during the day for one day. By evening he was sleepy and lethargic, but as night fell, he felt cheerful and active again. This proves that habits are part of reflexes. That is, under certain circumstances, the body ignores the setting and performs its usual actions.

Become happy in 21 days - fashionable flash mob

Developing habits is not only useful, but also fashionable. A few years ago, such an intercontinental flash mob was popular. Anyone could take part in it. Each participant wore a purple bracelet on their wrist, after which they were not allowed to complain about anything for 21 days. If he still had vague thoughts, he had to take off the bracelet and put it on his other hand, after which the experiment would begin all over again.

The purpose of this action was to teach people to be optimistic and stop complaining about life. Project participants noted that the flash mob helped them change for the better. They began to look at life differently, and the experiment allowed them to become happy in 21 days.

How the 21 day rule works

Every day, millions of people try to develop a wide variety of skills, but not everyone succeeds. Psychologists have come up with one simple rule that, in their opinion, helps achieve the desired goal.

If you repeat the same action every day for 21 days, it is recorded in the subconscious, and we begin to do it unconsciously, i.e. automatically. To bring it to automation is our goal.

Experts in the field of psychology argue that daily work during this particular period deposits an attitude in the subconscious, thanks to which a habit is developed.

A habit transforms into a need over time. How? Let's consider interesting example. Parents force a small child to relieve himself in a designated place. Over time, the importance of this process “reaches” his subconscious and he begins to ask to go to the potty. The habit of going to the child's potty, over the course of several years, develops into the need to go to the toilet.

Why does it take 21 days for a habit to form?

This one is quite logical question, which interests everyone who has set out to instill in themselves this or that habit. I wonder why not 30 days or 35, but rather 21 days? In fact, this number is scientifically based, but to understand why it takes 21 days to form a habit, you will be interested in knowing a few historical facts.

The first person to put forward the “21 days” theory was plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz. In 1950, he noticed that his patients, after operations on their appearance, got used to their appearance only after 21 days. He described his hypothesis in the book “Psychocybrnetics”. After the doctor’s work was lauded by society, people started talking about the theory everywhere.

20 years later, psychologists from London questioned the claim that a habit is formed in 21 days. They conducted their study in which 96 volunteers took part. It lasted 12 weeks. Each was given a task to regularly perform some specific action. After the end of the experiment, after analyzing all the results, they found out that the period of habit formation is different for each person. This is determined by the individuality of each person. Getting used to performing a certain action occurs within 18-254 days.

Another study was carried out by American scientists on astronauts. 20 people took part in the experiment. Each of them was given glasses that they did not have to take off for 30 days. These glasses were special. The secret was in the lenses. When putting them on, the world turned upside down (in the literal sense of the word), that is, the astronauts saw an inverted image.

Scientists noticed that it was after 21 days that the brain of each of the experiment participants adapted. If the glasses were removed on the 10th or 19th day, then the experiment had to be started again, because the effect disappeared. After the volunteers got used to seeing the upside-down world, they were allowed to take off their glasses. After which their brains were rebuilt again for 21 days.

Many consider the results of US scientists to be unreliable, since the astronauts did not take off their glasses during the entire experiment, which lasted about 300 hours. If you rely on their results, then in order to accustom yourself to daily jogging, you will have to run for 21 days, interrupting only to sleep.

Having studied the results of all the studies conducted, we can say that a habit is developed in a minimum of 21 days, and a maximum of 254. This is influenced by many factors, which we will now talk about.

How to force yourself to move forward

If you decide to acquire any useful habit and doubt your willpower, try to come to an agreement with your “I”. For example, you decided to read books before bed and thus develop, but you don’t know how long you will last. Think of habit formation as a 21-day experiment. This time will be enough for you to understand whether you need it at all or not.

Main! Just start doing it. Do it once and just repeat it tomorrow. So, day after day. Stop reading, go and do it! It’s also important to remember that over the years you will regret that you didn’t change something in your life, that you could have been more decisive! Think about it, root it in your head, say it out loud if necessary, when it’s hard to tear yourself away from the couch and go do what you planned.

And the first habit on the list is getting things done. Hold out for 21 days. Prove to yourself that you can do it.

For a habit to become a part of your life, it must bring joy, harmony and a sense of self-satisfaction. So don't be afraid to experiment and take action.

Take a piece of paper and write down 10 habits that will make your life better. Then choose the most desirable one. Commit to yourself that you will perform the action regularly for 21 days. Take a calendar and circle these days. Next to each date, put a plus if the task was completed today, or a minus if not. Such visibility will help you control the execution of actions and make you proud of yourself.

If at the end of the experiment you realize that you still don’t like the habit, quit it and start the experiment with a new task.

For example, if you read every day for 3 weeks before bed scientific literature, and after this period you don’t feel satisfied, stop torturing yourself. If you still want to expand your horizons, try reading easy-to-understand books, poetry, classics, etc. By going through them, you will definitely find your favorite works and can develop a habit in 21 days.

Step by step steps to form a habit

Forming a habit is a rather difficult and responsible process. It consists of several stages that must be completed. Now we will tell you how to do this step by step.

1. Making a decision . To develop a habit, you need to understand that you really need it. Besides this, you still have to want to get it. Desire will control your actions and help you overcome the difficult period of 21 days. For example, you decided to eat only healthy and nutritious foods in order to lose weight, feel healthy and vigorous. In this case, when you want to eat sausages, your subconscious mind itself will stop you.
2. Start. If you have a goal, then take action. Don’t put off such an important matter until “later.” Don't wait for a new week, month or good mood, because the habit will accompany you throughout your life.
3. Repeat for the first two days . After you have started active actions, you need to hold out for the first 2 days. This is the initial distance that will have to be overcome.
4. Repeat throughout the week . This is the second distance that needs to be covered. Every day, no matter what, perform the intended action. Habit formation does not include weekends and holidays.
5. Repeat for 21 days. By performing the action during this period of time, you will realize that you are doing it automatically. That is, the process of forming a habit is already bringing the first successes.
6. Repeat 40 days . It is necessary to continue to monitor the development of the habit after 21 days. After all, three weeks may not be enough. It depends on the complexity of the habit, motivation and individual characteristics person.
7. Repeat for 90 days . After you complete the steps for exactly 90 days, you can say with great confidence that you will form a sustainable habit.

How not to break down?

We are all human and we tend to doubt. This also applies to habits. Sometimes, depending on his volitional abilities, it is very difficult for a person not to go astray from the intended path. Now we will share little secrets that will not only help you develop a new habit in 21 days, but will also strengthen your willpower.

• Give yourself a reward , which you can afford if you don’t freeload and complete everything on time.
• Use positive reinforcement : self-hypnosis, imitation of someone, in general, anything, as long as it helps you not go astray from your intended path.
• Constantly motivate yourself . Without proper self-hypnosis, you will not achieve desired result and you won’t understand that you really need the habit. If you find it difficult to do this, seek help from family and friends who believe in you. They'll charge you positive emotions and return to the right path. In addition, look around you; those around you must have noticed the changes that have occurred in you. Positive feedback from friends and colleagues is also an excellent motivator. For example, if you decide to go to the gym, then within a couple of weeks you will notice how your body is changing. People around you cannot help but notice this. They will definitely speak positively about your habit, and your family will encourage your endeavor. This is what will force you to move on, without stopping there.
• Make sure you perform your actions regularly . Habit formation does not tolerate even the shortest breaks. In case of failures, you will have to start all over again. Only daily work on yourself guarantees a positive result. It’s like taking pills: if the doctor tells you to take them 3 times a day for 4 weeks, then that’s what you need to do, otherwise the disease will return, and the result of the treatment will be meaningless. To make this easier, keep a diary of your successes and write down every day that the action was completed, what emotions it caused you, who appreciated your undertaking. When you feel like giving up, look through your notes. They won't let you stop halfway. Today it is fashionable to blog, so why not start now. A sense of responsibility to a large audience of readers will not allow you to stray from your intended path. And people, by the way, really love such experiments and watch them with pleasure.
• Make enough effort . They easily get used to bad habits; good ones are acquired through hard and painstaking work. Remember this and constantly work on yourself. If you want to quit, think about how much you have already done to make the habit a part of you. Once you realize how far you have come and how much you have endured, you will not want to stop.

Tips from successful people to help you form a habit

Probably each of us, at least once in our lives, looked at successful, rich and self-sufficient people with envy. But they became like this thanks to the right habits. Having developed them in themselves, they were able to achieve what they wanted. Here are a few secrets from successful people that will help anyone develop a habit.

1. Plan your every day . Write down all your actions that you want to perform during the day. Through some experimental studies, it has been proven that you need to do 6 items on your list per day. This is exactly the amount that can be realistically completed, regardless of their volume. Don't forget the habit. By doing it at the scheduled time, you will not be able to avoid doing it.
2. Develop several habits at once . For example, if you decide to lead healthy image life, then go to the gym, eat right, etc.
3. Test yourself for “Weak”. Simply put, challenge yourself to change yourself in 21 days. For example, standing in front of a mirror, tell your reflection “Are you weak in not eating fast food for 21 days?” Your subconscious will rebel, and this will allow you to hold out for the cherished 3 weeks.
4. Self-development. Always develop, strive to learn something new, expand your horizons. The more useful information you learn, the wiser you become. And the knowledge acquired throughout life helps in many situations, including influencing the process of forming habits.
5. Exercise regularly. This is beneficial for the physical, psychological and moral state of a person.
6. Smile. No matter what, smile at everyone. If you don't find reasons to be happy, smile anyway. First, you can imagine yourself as an actor playing his role. Over time, you will realize that you really like this state, because in return people answer you in the same way.

All recommendations work in reverse order: you can engage in both self-development and, for example, developing positive habits in your children. Methodical, environmentally friendly, helpful, and you can develop any skill in your children. Children who have more conscious, ingrained and regular habits are more successful both among their peers and in adulthood. Habit formation is based on discipline. Discipline your child, but at the same time show by your example that everything is possible and then he will succeed too.

Every person has a million habits. Some of them are good and some are not so good. But they all directly influence the formation of our character. If you don’t like something about yourself, then the same habits will help you correct the situation. Simple actions that you do for 3 weeks will become a habit, and after 3 months they will transform into a need. Developing habits in 21 days is not at all difficult, the main thing is to believe in yourself and go towards your goal.

The 21-Day Mental Diet by Brian Tracy

In this article you will learn what a habit is and how it affects the quality of life. And also how to eliminate unwanted ones and how a habit can be developed in 21 days and become useful for you.

Psychology has long established the fact 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 really 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 does not always turn out to be acceptable to us in the future. After all, each person is individual and what is beneficial for one person can have a detrimental effect on another person.

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

Habits– this is our usual state. If you are used to lying down and watching TV, then going to gym will be a whole test for you. Isn't it?

But we can change our usual state by simply learning to manage 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 life. If you are poor, sick or stingy, it is a habit to be like that. You do all the actions that lead to this outcome.

How to change habits?

If you learn to manage your 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 unhealthy food, not moving enough) prevents you from instilling new good habits. Everything then seems complicated and overwhelming. 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 and outlook on life will change. Everything will begin to change very quickly.

You can instill a new habit in 21 days, just as 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 do a certain action.

How to decide which habit needs to be eradicated and which one to develop first in 21 days?

To do this, you need to prioritize. What problem is most pressing for you at this stage? If you have problems with overweight and they bother you very much, then it’s hardly worth creating the habit of starting to learn a foreign language.

You need to approach this issue wisely and wisely prioritize and sequence 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 your life, looking at it in a new way is all within your power.

The main goal of 21 days is to consolidate at the habit level correct routine day.

Here are the main 7 rules:

1. We wake up as early as possible, preferably without an alarm clock. Try to set yourself up in the evening and give the order that you need to get up a couple of hours earlier than usual.
2. Immediately after waking up, start studying foreign language. This can be combined with breakfast.
3. Next, do exercises or jogging outside. Minimum duration 21 minutes.
4. On the way to and from work, you read or listen to a book online. This should not be an ordinary novel, but literature that develops the mind or promotes self-development.
5. At work or school, make a plan for your planned activities and carry out everything according to plan. IN free time think about what you would really like to do.
6. After working day spend time with your family, pay attention to your wife or husband, children. If you don't have a family yet, go on a date.
7. Try going to bed earlier than usual. You can watch a good movie.

The following rules must be followed: do not eat sweets and bread, do not drink or smoke. Also, do not watch TV, news or read newspapers. Throw away 1-3 things every day. Which you don't use. Do not criticize, judge or be angry with anyone. Think more about the future, what countries you want to visit, what to do and how to see yourself.

21 minute rule

Anyone who exercises 21 minutes a day should not worry about their health.

If you spend 21 minutes a day cleaning your home, you won't have to worry about clutter.

Anyone who devotes 21 minutes a day to improving concentration will not have to worry about writer's block.

Anyone who finds 21 minutes a day to listen to the affairs of their husband or wife need not worry about problems in their relationship.

If you spend 21 minutes a day listening to yourself and taking personal notes, you won't have to worry about running out of ideas.

Anyone who works 21 minutes a day to create sources of income does not need to worry about their own financial well-being.

Anyone who sets aside 21 minutes for rest should not be afraid of overwork and fatigue.

Who reads useful book at least 21 minutes a day, no need to worry about becoming an expert

Alex Baihou

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

Start right now, don't put it off until later. 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, passion and novelty in work and family life.

Travel helps change consciousness and perception of the world

Visiting a new country not only gives unforgettable experience, but also gives you the realization that there is a lot in life that you have not yet known. Then you want to live, see, know, feel, try...

Now you have lived 21 days with the right habits. What to do next? If you feel wonderful, continue to live your life to the fullest. Why go back to the old ways if you are much better now?

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 only have 99 days left to become a new person at the molecular level. Don't stop, now you know that you can do anything!

How long will it take a person to develop a new habit, such as eating healthier? It turns out that there is specific data on how long it takes for our actions to become automatic.

The most common answer to the above question is: “It takes twenty-one days to form any new habit.”. But there is actually no scientific proof of this data. Myth about 21 day appeared in connection with the publication of a book by plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz. He noted that amputation survivors took an average of three weeks to adjust to the loss of a limb. Thus, Dr. Maltz stated that people need 21 a day to adapt to some major changes in life. However, if we are not talking about amputation of limbs, these data cannot be considered reliable.

So how long does it take for a habit to form?

During the experiment, scientists established a certain connection between the regularity of actions and automaticity. On average, automaticity, that is, habit, is formed by 66 day of practice. In other words, after two months the action becomes as automatic as possible.

According to the graph, in the initial stages, regular practice is accompanied by a noticeable increase in the level of automaticity, which subsequently smoothly reaches its maximum.

And although on average we are talking about 66 days, scientists found that to form the various habits examined during the experiment, it took 18 to 254 days. For example, drinking a glass of water for breakfast (blue line on the graph) becomes a habit very quickly. Meanwhile, it takes more effort to make half a hundred squats in the morning a habit (purple line).