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21 Days to Habit Change – Fact or Myth
Posted By : Ellen Martin on 23-Jun-2010A question was asked on a conference call with Steve Levinson, author of Following Through: A Revolutionary New Model For Finishing Whatever You Start, whether he thought it really takes 21 days to change a habit. He pointed out that there is no scientific evidence that it takes 21 days to change a habit. It really depends on the complexity of the behavior and the potential consequences of not changing it.
For example, if you pressed a button which then caused your house to explode, you would never press that button again. This is an example of instant behavior change! What really determines the amount of time it takes to change a habit is your focused effort on changing that behavior. This is why it’s so important to focus on changing one habit or behavior at a time. So, choose one thing that you would like to change and focus all of your effort on changing that one before moving on to the next. The beginning of a new year always causes folks to think about renewal and change. Unfortunately, within a few weeks most give up. Just remember that behavior change is tough and it doesn’t always happen overnight or in 21 days. Just get back on the horse and try again!
15 Responses to “21 Days to Habit Change – Fact or Myth”
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oh yes!
focusing on one thing at a time makes all the difference in the world.
I know I’ve experienced dramatic shifts when my whole mind, body and spirit are total with one thing.
thank you Ellen!
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Ellen Martin Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:02 am
Hi Laura,
Focus is the most important skill to develop when pursuing more productive days. Thanks for the comment!
Ellen
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Ellen,
This is great information. While I do believe changing habits and patterns takes time, I love that we can make immediate change if we really put our minds to it and don’t blindly follow statistics.
Write on!~
Lisa
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Ellen ~
It’s nice knowing that it may not take 21 days to change a habit! I just like to get it done, so if it takes less time I’m a happy camper. Ok, what do I need to change?
Robin
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AND, it is important to remember habits CAN change. THANK GOODNESS! XO, Katherine.
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Thanks Ellen. I’m so glad you offered insight into the 21-day myth. I’m have several habits on my list and now I’m going to take them one at a time.
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Hi Ellen this is a great post. Indeed change can be tough and it doesn’t always happen overnight. It is so true that we have to just get back on the horse and try again!Hugs
Heidi Alexandra
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Ellen,
Interesting discussion about making change. I agree that if you focus on something, it will change. Too often, we focus on what we don’t want instead of what we do want. I’ve found the art of writing down the change really helps.
Linda
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Precise formulae don’t work for most people and I never did understand where the 21 days came from Ellen. Glad t hear that you also have different thoughts. I was told that we change either by constant, spaced repetition or impact. The house exploding is certainly impactQ
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That ‘Q’ isn’t supposed to be there, it’s a finger-slip!
Lynn
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Ellen – I love it! One thing at a time and then move on to the next. Far less daunting than going in thinking it will take 21 days or 35 days!
Terry
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Ellen – Very interesting post. Makes me wonder where the 21-day thing came from! I know it certainly didn’t take me 21 days to figure out I shouldn’t touch a hot stove!
I really like Laura’s observation about body, mind and soul being in alignment…
Thanks!
Phil
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Ellen,
So where do I buy that blow up your house button?
Mitch
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I love this little tidbit. I’ve heard that 21 day thing forever, but I find that sometimes I just CHANGE and sometimes even after 21 days I am struggling to do something new. Thanks for the clarification!
Sue Painter
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Thanks for debunking the myth -it is so individual depending on why and what and how much we want change. If we are ready it often seems to happen quite effortlessly. I absolutely agree with changing one thing at a time -baby steps work without stress.
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