How long does it take to develop a
new habit?
The time period can be any length
from a single second to several years. The speed of new habit pattern
development is largely determined by the intensity of the emotion
that accompanies the decision to begin acting in a particular way.
Many people think, talk about, and
resolve to lose weight and become physically fit. This may go on for years.
Then one day, the doctor says that, “If you don’t get your weight down and
improve your physical condition, you’re in danger of dying at an early age.”
Suddenly, the thought of dying can
be so intense or frightening that the individual immediately changes his diet,
begins exercising, stops smoking, and becomes a healthy and fit person.
Psychologists refer to this as a “significant emotional experience.” Any
experience of intense joy or pain, combined with a behavior, can create a
habitual behavior pattern that may endure for the rest of a person’s life.
For example, putting your hand on a
hot stove or touching a live electrical wire will give you an intense and
immediate pain or shock. The experience may only take a split second. But for
the rest of your life, you will have developed the habit of not putting your
hand on hot stoves, or touching live electrical wires. The habit will have been
formed instantly, and endure permanently.
21
Days to Break a Habit or Make a Habit
According to the experts, it takes
about 21 days to break or form a habit pattern of medium complexity.
By this, we mean simple habits such
as getting up earlier at a specific hour, exercising each morning before you
start out, listening to podcasts in your car, going to bed at a certain
hour, being punctual for appointments, planning every day in advance, starting
with your most important tasks each day, or completing your tasks before you
start something else.
These are habits of medium complexity
that can be quite easily developed in 14-21 days through practice and
repetition.
How
To Develop a Habit
Over the years, a simple, powerful,
proven methodology has been determined for new habit development. It is very
much like a recipe for preparing a dish in the kitchen. You can use it to
develop any habit that you desire. Over time, you will find it easier and
easier to develop the habits that you want to incorporate into your
personality.
1)
Make a Decision
First, make a decision. Decide
clearly that you are going to begin acting in a specific way 100% of the time,
whenever that behavior is required. For example, if you decide to arise early
and exercise each morning, set your clock for a specific time, and when the
alarm goes off, immediately get up, put on your exercise clothes and begin your
exercise session.
2)
Never Allow an Exception to Your New Habit
Second, never allow an exception to
your new habit pattern during the formative stages. Don’t make excuses or
rationalizations. Don’t let yourself off the hook. If you resolve to get up at
6:00 AM each morning, discipline yourself to get up at 6:00 AM, every single
morning until this becomes automatic.
3)
Tell Others You Are Practicing a New Behavior
Third, tell others that you are
going to begin practicing a particular behavior. It is amazing how much more
disciplined and determined you will become when you know that others are
watching you to see if you have the willpower to follow through on your
resolution.
4)
Visualize Your New Habit
Fourth, visualize yourself
performing or behaving in a particular way in a particular situation. The more
often you visualize and imagine yourself acting as if you already had the new
habit, the more rapidly this new behavior will be accepted by your subconscious
mind and become automatic.
5)
Create an Affirmation
Fifth, create an affirmation that
you repeat over and over to yourself. This repetition dramatically increases
the speed at which you develop the new habit. For example, you can say
something like, “I get up and get going immediately at 6:00 AM each
morning!” Repeat these words the last thing before you fall asleep. In most
cases, you will automatically wake up minutes before the alarm clock goes off,
and soon you will need no alarm clock at all.
6)
Resolve to Persist
Sixth, resolve to persist in the new
behavior until it is so automatic and easy that you actually feel uncomfortable
when you do not do what you have decided to do.
7)
Reward Yourself
Seventh, and most important, give
yourself a reward of some kind for practicing in the new behavior. Each time you
reward yourself, you reaffirm and reinforce the behavior. Soon you begin to
associate, at an unconscious level, the pleasure of the reward with the
behavior. You set up your own force field of positive consequences that you
unconsciously look forward to as the result of engaging in the behavior or
habit that you have decided upon.
No comments:
Post a Comment