There are a multitude of different answers to the question ‘how long does it take to create a new habit’ – no one truly knows and I’d say that there are a lot of moving parts with that particular question: your personality type, the magnitude of the change, your context or circumstances and how deeply entrenched you are in behaviour that doesn’t align with this new goal.
Let’s say that if you’re looking to introduce a new way of doing something, then the habit will form at some point, but it might not be linear. We can even adopt good habits for years, stray off the path a little, and then return to them. It’s usually the initial phase that’s tricky as we have to recondition how we think about something – and it’s the change in our mindset, approach or routine that is key to forming a new habit.
Most habits follow 4 stages:
Cue – this is the prompt that kickstarts your usual habit
Craving – what do you usually want?
Response – what do you usually do?
Reward – why do you do it?
This habit loop, which you can apply to anything, represents a system that you’re currently following, consciously or not. Consider this, as an example of a poor habit you would like to address:
Cue – it’s 7.30pm
Craving – you want to relax and wind down after a long day
Response – you sit in front of the TV for the next 3.5 hours with snacks
Reward – unchallenging, easy entertainment
Let’s say you propose to shake things up and choose to make more conscious, satisfying decisions about your evening. You could do things quite differently:
Cue – it’s 7.30pm
Craving – you want to relax and wind down after a long day
Response – spend 30-60 minutes walking or at the gym; watch your favourite TV show for one hour; spend the final part of your evening reading, painting, listening to music or chatting with the TV off
Reward – a varied, rewarding, relaxing evening
· You can see that the part that needs attention is your response
· The cue and craving is the same
· The reward takes care of itself
· The reward is also your motivator and reminder of your reason to make the change
· For the response to change you will need to know what you are hoping to implement instead. That will involve some planning, preparation and execution to make it happen
I always think that getting the support of other people is helpful. Ask someone to meet you for a walk or offer to pick them up to go to the gym – make yourself accountable. Then have your favourite TV show recorded and ready to watch. And know what the final part of your evening might hold that will lead to a lovely sleep afterwards (avoiding screens and those bad ‘wide awake’ rays before bed).
It helps a lot to understand the habit you’re trying to form. If you need to reduce your sugar intake, read about the benefits of a low-sugar diet (reduced inflammation, reduced risk of diabetes and heart issues, better skin and so on). If you understand your area of change – and why you’ve chosen it - it can be a great way to motivate your continued positivity. Someone I know has chosen to get up an hour earlier every day - and the thought of her once a day, fancy coffee treat is her reward, it works!
Write down the area of your life that you’d like to change. Make sure you’re not trying to do too much at once. You could apply the couch potato example above to two nights a week instead of setting yourself up for an early fall by asking too much of yourself every day. Make Tuesdays your non-TV night, aim to go the gym on a Saturday morning, do some cooking for the week on a Sunday evening – pick your lane and consider what is achievable.
You may know what new habit you’d like to create for yourself. If you just know you’d like to make some changes but are unsure how, you could read our article based on Michael Mosley’s ‘Just One Thing’ series for inspiration (link) or listen to his excellent BBC podcast (link).
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