The reason the new resolutions don't stick, I've decided, is not because I don't want them to, but because I haven't erased the bad habit (I want to change) with the new habit. For instance, let's say I make a resolution to have a clean room. The habit I need to get into is doing my laundry and putting it away regularly, and not letting it pile up and take over my room (as I currently do). It's easy to say that I need to keep my room clean, but the it's more beneficial to look at the root cause-habit of my messy room (laundry) and replace it with a good habit.
So, how to form a habit? Experts (my old college roommate J) said it took 21 days to establish a habit. I remember this because she decided to get out of the perfectly good habit of drinking soda and replace it with the insane habit of NOT drinking soda. To do this, she began her 21 day journey, and if I recall correctly, she made it.
I've also looked at a couple of websites, and the consensus seems to be that it takes 3-4 weeks of consistency for a habit to form. I've also read that small rewards are key to encouragement. Also to note, if you break your habit, you need to start over from day one.
Happy habit forming!
This blog post brought to you by "Thoughtful Thursdays"
1 comment:
yes, starting a new habit or breaking an old one can be very difficult! rewards and other people can help you. i think it's also helpful to know the different steps that most people take in making habits (consciously or not). i have a book called Changing For Good that you might find interesting, if you want to borrow it some time.
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