GreenCare recently shared a Clean Commuting & Wellness Challenge story about Judy, a recruitment associate from VCH. Her message: Small steps are all you need to create a healthy habit. This message resonated with us and inspired us to dig a little deeper to find out the best way to create new habits, and how long it takes for them to become part of our daily routine.

How long do I need?

We’ve all heard the slogans: “21 days to that bikini body,” “40 day yoga challenge,” “21 days of clean eating.” Influenced by Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s work in the 1950s, which determined that 21 days is the minimum time people needed to become accustomed to change, society has collectively decided that 3 – 6 weeks is all you need to form a new habit. It seems short enough to be attainable but long enough to actually seem believable. But is this actually true?

According to a recent study, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology by Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London, the length of time it takes for a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And in Lally’s study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit.

Yet, the short timeframe fads still seem appealing. For many people, they find the accountability that comes along with some of these programs to be the biggest motivator to stick with it.

James Clear, a writer on habits and behavioural psychology outlines three reasons why taking longer to form a habit is something to get excited about.

• First, there is no reason to get down on yourself if you try something for a few weeks and it doesn’t become a habit. It’s supposed to take longer than that! There is no need to judge yourself if you can’t master a behavior in 21 short days.
• Second, you don’t have to be perfect. Making a mistake once or twice has no measurable impact on your long-term habits. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and develop strategies for getting back on track.
• And third, embracing longer timelines can help us realize that habits are a process and not an event. All of the “21 Days” hype can make it really easy to think, “Oh, I’ll just do this and it’ll be done.” But habits never work that way. You have to embrace the process.

Still need some accountability?

We created a round up our favourite lifestyle apps to get you started on your journey over on the GreenCare Site. Check them out here>

As well, get inspired by health care staff that challenged themselves during the two-week Clean Commuter and Wellness Challenge. Lots of great stories on the GreenCare Community here. 

Takes time and patience

Forming habits takes time and patience. There is no quick fix that will magically form a habit. But don’t get discouraged! As Judy said, small steps make all the difference.