How to develop and build a permanent habit

“The fastest way to success is to replace bad habits with good habits.”

— Tom Ziglar

the hardest part of making a habit is to permanent is by starting to put it to work. Relying on willpower and motivation is a tactic that is doomed to fail. Habits are actions we carry out regardless of whether we feel motivated or not.

Breaking or creating a habit is extremely hard; failing is often the rule and not the exception. While traditional wisdom tells us that it takes three weeks to make something a habit, new science tells us that it is much longer than that; developing or changing a habit takes an average of 66 days to truly become ingrained in us, where the actions are automatic.

How Long Does It Take To Form A Habit to make it permanent?

The amount of time it takes for something to become a habit will vary depending on your source of information.  Depending on who you ask, you can get answers anywhere from a week to a year.  But the most popular answer is 21 days—-postulated in the 1960s by Maxwell Maltz, a cosmetic surgeon.  But that number was taken as scientific maxim without ever really being tested, until recently. 

Recent research led by a team at the University College London think they have uncovered just how long (on average) it takes for something to become habitual.  They do not think it takes 21 days to form a habit.  

 They believe it takes an average of 66 days to create a habit. This number trumps the conventional 21 days by more than 3 weeks—so the idea that it takes an average of 66 days may be a surprise to many. So how did researchers get to this magic number? fit girl exercise

This number came from a 2009 study in which 96 participants reported to researchers how long it took them to develop a new habit to the point where it becomes automatic.  The study looked at how long it took to automate a daily routine that involved eating, drinking, or exercise.  

An example of an activity reported in the study would be something along the lines of waking up at 6 daily for breakfast, drinking 2 cups of water after lunch, or doing 50 push-ups right after waking up.

Each participant was allowed to track only one routine during the study. The researchers did the math of all the reported numbers and found that the average was 66 day.  But the study did acknowledge that the days it takes to truly establish a habit—a routine and habitual action without resistance or second-thought—varied greatly.

For some, habits formed in as little as 18 days and for others, it took as long as 254 days. There are of course obvious flaws in the study; the numbers are self-reported and it was only 96 participants in the study.  Thus the numbers may be skewed by those who under-report or over-report and the results may not be representative of the general population.  However, the researchers leading the study believe that the number is close to a true representation of the general public.

Most people believe it takes about 21 days to break or form a habit pattern of medium complexity.

Habits which are more complex or difficult to incorporate into your lifestyle may take longer

Here are tips that will turn any new practice into a permanent part of your life:

Clearly define your plan:

As the military always say, prior preparation prevents poor performance. Have a clearly defined plan sets you up for success and defines the threshold for success, as well as parameters that you must not cross.

You need to write down a plan, and have it clearly visible or accessible. The plan needs to be specific about what you need to do and what you can’t do. For instance, if your plan is just to run every day, that is too general of a plan. 

The plan needs to be more specific, it needs to include the distance you have to run, a time requirement, and allowable excuses for missing a day.

“We won’t make ourselves more creative and productive and healthy by copying other people’s habits, even the habits of geniuses,” Rubin wrote on her website. “We must know our own nature, and what habits serve us best.”

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.

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.

Remind yourself why you’re making a change.

Having motivation is a key factor when trying to effectively change your behavior.

To keep yourself motivated, ask yourself why you want to make a change in the first place. Thinking about your long-term goals and the results you will one day achieve will help you power through that 6 a.m. Cross Fit session, especially when you feel like giving up.

“Make sure that what you’re trying to change is something YOU really want to do, not something you feel you Should,”

“You’re much less likely to accomplish a change if you don’t want to do it, and it’s not in keeping with your values.”

Visualize yourself as already having the habit

One major problem with forming a new habit is that you’re not the person with the habit—you need to grow into him/her. Well, that process can be sped up with the use of one of our own internal and incredibly under-utilized apps: our imagination. Practice visualization for 10-20 minutes a day, imagining exactly what your life will be like and how you’ll feel once you’ve mastered your new habit.

Eliminate negative behavior triggers

Negative behavior triggers are the reasons why the habit hasn’t stuck in the first place. They are the environments, people, objects, and other external stimuli that trigger certain behavior to unfold. First, identify what they are, and then plan your day in such a way that you’re least likely to run into or come across them.

But don’t rely on willpower alone.

Studies show that people who think they have the most willpower are the most likely to give in to temptation because they “fail to predict when, where and why they will give in,”

Instead of relying on your willpower alone, consider all the obstacles you might run into and figure out how you can prevent them. After all, you’re only human, which means being prone to setbacks and mistakes.

Reward yourself regularly

Habits fail in the short term as they’re often tiring and unrewarding to start. Keep up the pace in these crucial early moments by setting incentives to strive for. For example, if you’re trying to do yoga twice a week, plan a trip to your favorite restaurant every time you reach a multiple of 10 sessions.