Everyone knows how hard it can be to break an old habit. Even just trying to change a speaking mannerism can be frustrating, not to mention not leaning your elbows on the table (even being hit by your mother doesn't always help). It is so easy for some things to become a habit, and then so hard to break them. Therefore, if we can take something we want to be doing and turn it into a habit, how much easier would life be? Unfortunately, anyone who has made a New Year's Resolution knows that it doesn't seem to be that easy. So is there some secret way to form new habits?
It has often been said that it takes 8 weeks to form a new habit, or three weeks, or if you read somewhere else, any other number of weeks. Unfortunately, the time it takes to form a habit depends a lot on what you are trying to do. But don't despair! There are still key factors that if utilized properly will turn your good intention into a life long habit.
First of all, the difficulty of the habit has a major affect on the time it will take to stick. Remembering to floss after your brush your teeth isn't so hard, but trying to teach yourself to sit down and write your best selling novel for three hours a night might take a bit more time. This doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, but why not work in baby steps? Training yourself to sit down for half an hour after dinner is not nearly as daunting as three hours, and once you have that sorted, you can build up to a whole hour, then an hour and a half. Soon you might find you are writing all night!
The second important influence in creating a habit is how often you actually do it. It is harder to break a habit that you do all the time, so it stands to reason that you learn a new habit faster if you do it more. Research has found that this is particularly important at the beginning. Set yourself up to succeed - try to do the habit everyday at the beginning, even if that is more than you want to do later.
The final factor you should take into account is how much it clashes with your old habits. The more it clashes, the longer it will take or the less likely it will form at all. Therefore, when planning your habit forming behavior, try to minimize how much it clashes with your current habits. Want to start going to the gym everyday? Well, get yourself off to a good start by not scheduling it at the same time as X-Factor if you just can't skip it (unless you go to a gym with a TV, and tell yourself you can only watch while jogging... that might work). Look at your daily routine and try to slip the new habit in somewhere it won't cause too many waves, and if you can, try piggy backing on another habit. Always sit down to watch Deal or No Deal? Keep your new language study textbooks next to the TV and when Deal finishes, German starts.
There is no need to be stressed about forming a new habit. With a bit of planning, you can maximize the effectiveness of your efforts and in no time will be finding it harder and harder to break.
It has often been said that it takes 8 weeks to form a new habit, or three weeks, or if you read somewhere else, any other number of weeks. Unfortunately, the time it takes to form a habit depends a lot on what you are trying to do. But don't despair! There are still key factors that if utilized properly will turn your good intention into a life long habit.
First of all, the difficulty of the habit has a major affect on the time it will take to stick. Remembering to floss after your brush your teeth isn't so hard, but trying to teach yourself to sit down and write your best selling novel for three hours a night might take a bit more time. This doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, but why not work in baby steps? Training yourself to sit down for half an hour after dinner is not nearly as daunting as three hours, and once you have that sorted, you can build up to a whole hour, then an hour and a half. Soon you might find you are writing all night!
The second important influence in creating a habit is how often you actually do it. It is harder to break a habit that you do all the time, so it stands to reason that you learn a new habit faster if you do it more. Research has found that this is particularly important at the beginning. Set yourself up to succeed - try to do the habit everyday at the beginning, even if that is more than you want to do later.
The final factor you should take into account is how much it clashes with your old habits. The more it clashes, the longer it will take or the less likely it will form at all. Therefore, when planning your habit forming behavior, try to minimize how much it clashes with your current habits. Want to start going to the gym everyday? Well, get yourself off to a good start by not scheduling it at the same time as X-Factor if you just can't skip it (unless you go to a gym with a TV, and tell yourself you can only watch while jogging... that might work). Look at your daily routine and try to slip the new habit in somewhere it won't cause too many waves, and if you can, try piggy backing on another habit. Always sit down to watch Deal or No Deal? Keep your new language study textbooks next to the TV and when Deal finishes, German starts.
There is no need to be stressed about forming a new habit. With a bit of planning, you can maximize the effectiveness of your efforts and in no time will be finding it harder and harder to break.
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Want to find out more about great tips for motivation, then visit Elizabeth Greentree's site on tips and tricks for becoming a prolific writer.