How long does it take to break a bad habit?

If you have been trying to kick a bad habit and haven’t been successful, you might be wondering how long it will take to fully break the habit.

There is the well known 21 day rule which was established during the 1960’s when a psychology book called Psycho-Cybernatics made its way onto the habit scene. This book says it takes a minimum of 21 days for an old image to dissolve and a new one to take its place. 

More recently though, scientists took a group of 96 people and found it can take an average of 66 days to form a habit. The study, which was published in The European Journal of Social Psychology, found that the actual number of days to form a habit ranged from 18 to 254 days. 

So truthfully, changing a habit can take time, which can make it easier to feel like a failure if you are not able to change a habit in the 21 day time frame.

How Are Habits Formed?

Realistically habits are meant to be hard to change. Habits are formed out of repetitive actions and as you do something over and over again you are connecting (rewiring) neurons in the brain. Think of it like you are building little bridges in the brain, strengthening the memory of doing that thing again and again.

The good thing about habits is they are formed out of repetitive behaviors that eventually slip into our daily routine without any thought. 

The bad thing about habits is they are formed out of repetitive behaviors that eventually slip into our daily routine without any thought. 😉

That’s right, your brain doesn’t know the difference between whether the habit is right for you or not, it just follows your desires… Me: “More chocolate please…” Brain: “Okay, let’s find chocolate!”

I’m oversimplifying things a bit. There are many more things at play such as hormones, etc.

But for the most part, once you have broken a habit, it’s rare that you will find yourself going back. If that thing keeps reappearing, it’s a sign that the habit is not fully broken.

And how do you know if you’ve fully broken a habit? If you have to think about doing it again, then you have overcome the habit.

Here are some things I have learned about breaking old habits which seem to be keys for helping to get the bad habit gone…

1. Create a new healthy habit to take the old habit’s place- this is because the brain wires up to help you learn. So whether it’s a good or bad habit, your brain is trying to help you keep doing it.

2. Eliminate contact with the old habit- seeing it, feeling it, hearing it, can make it rewire to it. So try to disconnect from it or any memories of it as much as you can while you are breaking the habit.

3. Know your values. This way you can know whether this habit is a “yes” or a “no” for you. If you don’t know what your values are yet, check out this values worksheet.

4. Listen to your body- the body tells you if this is a good habit or bad habit. 

5. Journal or write down your progress… keep a simple calendar and write down the new thing you did each day.

6. Take a break- go on a trip, go on a walk, take time away or apart. Seeing new sights, being around new people, and giving your body and mind a break from the old environment will often help bring in a new perspective.