21 days / 30 days / 60 days etc. are all commonly held notions about habit formation that are not entirely accurate.
In fact, according to the world's leading expert on habits (and my favorite) Dr BJ Fogg, "There is no universal answer to the question".
Getting to know this was an eye opener for me.
BJ has been researching habits for over 2 decades!
In his book Tiny Habits, he says, "Habit formation time depends on three things.
+ The person doing the habit
+ The habit itself (the action)
+ The context".
BJ's research found that, "Habits can form very quickly, as long as people have a strong positive emotion connected to the behavior. Some habits seem to get wired in immediately: You do the behavior once, and then you don’t consider other options again. You just created an instant habit."
So, remember - emotions create habits. Which is why, the Tiny Habits method has 'Celebration' as part of it. It is what helps to wire in the habit.
One habit that I formed rather quickly (in just 5 days), is the Maui Habit.
Which habit have you formed quickly?
You can find out more about the Maui Habit in BJ's TEDx Talk here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L1R7OtJhWs
