The three words above are part of what most of us need to create structure in our lives. We do the same things — hopefully ones that are good for us mentally and physically — repeatedly. Sometimes, we also repeatedly do things we know are not good for us mentally and physically. Those are also habits, and they are as difficult to stop as the good ones are to start.
Meanwhile, a new year is often enough for many people to at least say they are going to start something healthy (or stop something unhealthy) through repetition, habit and continuity. Eat less. Exercise more. Spend less time on social media. Read more books. Drink more water. Consume less alcohol. Stop smoking. Start praying. Whatever the starts and stops may be, we tend to use Jan. 1 as the day to begin. And, by Jan. 4, many of those resolutions are already broken. That’s OK. Slow and steady, as the saying goes.
For the last 365 days, we have been referencing the year as 2025. Granted, most of us don’t write the date as often as we used to, mostly because we don’t hand-write as many checks as we used to, but the problem remains. Many of us have already made the mistake of writing 2025 when we meant 2026. I made it to Jan. 2. The real question is, how many more times will I do it? Or, stated in a more general way, how long does it take to form a new habit?
When asked, many people will answer, “21 days.” This number seems to have ties to a book published in 1960 by Dr. Maxwell Maltz entitled “Psycho-Cybernetics.” More than 30 million copies of the book have been sold, and, as a result, this claim has become accepted as fact, at least for some. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.
According to a 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, forming a new habit can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days. The study also concluded that, on average, a new behavior requires 66 days to become automatic. The difference, the study states, depends on the habit in question. Pleasure-based habits are the most challenging to break, because these enjoyable behaviors prompt our brains to release dopamine, a reward that strengthens the habit and creates the craving to do it again.
So how should a person start? The first step is to become more aware of our habits so we can develop strategies to change them. Another strategy is to replace a bad habit with a good one.
And then, of course, there are repetition, habit and continuity.
Have a great 2026 and thank you for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Lake Panorama Times
641-332-2707
shane@gctimesnews.com