How long does it take to form a habit?
You’ve likely heard different time frames: 21, 66, or 90 days. Maybe longer. Maybe shorter. Either way, the idea that habits take a certain amount of time to form has been talked about for years.
So, how long must you continually do something for it to stick, for it to become a habit?
Well, it depends.
Think about it. What’s so magical about 21, 66, or 90 days? Why, all of a sudden, does a habit just kick in forever after a certain number of days? The truth is there is nothing special about those number of days above.
As this blog title suggests, some habits can be created in as little as one day. Seriously.
Now, you’re probably wondering how. How do you create a new, healthy habit in just one day?
Creating a habit in such a short period of time would be worth celebrating, wouldn’t it?
In fact, celebration is the key.
As BJ Fogg, a behavior scientist at Stanford University has said, “People change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad.”
When you celebrate immediately after doing your new habit, the act of celebrating itself helps the habit stick; because you feel good afterward. Sometimes, this new habit is immediately established (this depends on the habit of course).
Let me ask you a question. Do you want to keep doing things that you absolutely hate? Or, do you want to keep doing things you love?
The answer is obvious: when something feels good, you want to do it again.
Celebrating something evokes emotion. Emotion makes things stick; it wires in new habits. As BJ Fogg has said, “Emotions create habits. Not repetition. Not frequency. Not fairy dust. Emotions.”
Now, before I get into the how of celebrating, you might still have doubts. Doubts because you have been led to believe that it takes a certain number of days for a habit to be wired in; doubts because you’ve had trouble creating new habits before.
To help with those doubts, let me share a short story with you.
A Brown Bear and a Toilet
Last year, coach Greg (aka coach Brown Bear), wanted to start a new habit. See, he’s a man who likes his toilet time. He’s a frequent pooper you could say.
Since he likes to heed nature’s call a few times a day, he figured it would be a good time to build a new habit.
What was the habit?
It was simple, he would read a book or article on his phone for a few minutes while he did his thing. Now here’s the key: he celebrated the act of reading while pooping. And, if you know Greg, then this will come as no surprise—he vocally celebrated it.
He would say, “Nice job Hep!” after he read, or something similar. Sure, people may have heard him but he didn’t care. Know why? Because he felt good celebrating and knew it was helping him create a new, healthy habit for himself.
After celebrating that habit once, Greg started doing it each time he visited the bathroom. It truly was that easy for him to create that habit.
Does that mean you have to vocally celebrate your bathroom time? Nope. I mean, you could, for sure.
But the point is this: by celebrating and making himself feel good about doing his new habit, Greg quickly created the habit.
How Do You Celebrate?
If you’re not used to celebrating then it can feel weird. It can feel awkward. Forced, even. That’s normal if you’re not used to it.
It means you haven’t found the right celebration for you.
Finding the right celebration for you is crucial though, because, as I said above, your goal is to feel good when creating habits, not awkward.
To help, let’s go through a quick exercise to help you figure out a way to celebrate that works for you.
Imagine a time where you won something important to you; this could’ve been winning a game, the lottery, or a bet with friends.
Imagine a time when you were celebrating a loved one for doing something special; this could’ve been when they got married, on their birthday, or when they won an award.
When you imagine one of the scenarios above, of you celebrating, what stuck out to you? What felt good? Made you smile? Made you happy?
Did you celebrate by pumping your fist in the air? By yelling and saying “Woo, I did it!” Did you celebrate quietly to yourself by thinking, “Nice job!” Or, maybe, did you just smile?
Regardless of what you did to celebrate, remember the key is this: it should be personal and meaningful to you.
Even if the idea of celebrating seems odd to you at first—maybe since you haven’t celebrated in a little while—I assure you that we are all capable of it.
It’s like a machine covered in cobwebs. Once you dust them off, everything works just fine. If you haven’t celebrated in a while, that’s okay. Once you dust off the cobwebs of celebration by finding a way that works for you, you’ll be able to feel good doing it. And the more you do it, the more natural it will feel.
Do You Have To Celebrate?
“The feeling of success is a powerful catalyst for change.” – BJ Fogg
Nope. You don’t have to celebrate if you don’t want to.
You can also struggle to create lasting change, to make habits stick, to hit your goals. Or, you could try celebrating your new habits.
Plus, creating a new, healthy habit is worth celebrating. You’re putting time and energy towards improving your life. This could include any number of new habits:
- A habit of putting your fork down after each bite of food will help you eat slower, which means it will help you lose weight over time.
- A habit of going to the gym three times a week will help you grow stronger, which means you’ll be able to play with your kids, move furniture, and do the things you love with more ease.
- A habit of putting your phone away an hour before bed will help you sleep better, which means you’ll have more energy to accomplish your most important tasks each day.
All of these habits are worth celebrating; so, celebrate them! Cheer yourself on. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder. Or all the pats on the all the shoulders.
So, here’s what you do: the next time you start a new habit, immediately perform your celebration with sincerity. Allow yourself that moment of feeling good, because you did something good.
Celebrate immediately, celebrate sincerely; not only will that action become a habit much quicker, but you’ll feel good after performing it. And, feeling good, well, feels good.
So, celebrate. Because change can feel hard enough already. Celebrating your effort along the way makes it easier. Remember, you change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad.
Source:
