How long does it take to build a habit? #Habits

15 Oct 2020 · 1 min

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TJ Walker breaks down the myth that habits form in 21 or 66 days. He set a goal of 12,500 daily steps, up from the American average of 3,000, and it took five years before the behavior finally became automatic.

Questions this video answers

12,500 steps per day.

About 3,000 steps per day.

About five years (with it becoming automatic in the last month or so).

Two weeks, 21 days, 66 days, and 180 days.

Chapters

How long does it take before a new action becomes a true habit? Something you do automatically without thinking about it? Some say two weeks, 21 days, 66 days, 180 days. There's a lot of numbers. Frankly, it just depends on many variables. And it's different per activity. It's different per person. Five years ago, I decided I wanted to walk 12,500 steps per day. The average American does about 3,000 steps. It was somewhat of an arbitrary number, but I did it. I wrote it down. I had to think about it. It wasn't a habit. It's only been in the last month or so where I find that I automatically do it. And I don't have to do extra steps around the living room at the end of the night. It's just automatically done. It has become a habit. It's become who I am. So it might take five years, but that's okay.