Create a new habit in 21 days through routines
I remember as a child having read an article about how“it takes 21 days to form a habit”. I think it might have been in “Reader’s Digest” (this magazine used to be extremely popular in Mexico, and particularly in my household). I have tested it before, with varying degrees of success (mostly, having succeeded, but sometimes not).
I always wanted to know if it rang true only because I was convincing myself that I already had a new habit or whether it worked and I was just verifying the existence of said habit. What did I do? I set out to prove this statement again, using myself as the lab rat.
You may remember that I used to be a night owl. I still think that, to some extent, I *am* a nocturne creature. However, because of the fact that in the past couple of months I have had many more client meetings to attend in the morning, I decided to start shifting my behavioral patterns and wake up early in the morning and work through the day.
I still put in 12-15 hours/day of work, and some nights I do some work late. But I still wake up early in the morning and follow the same routine. I’m working by (at the latest) 8:00am. And I have to say that all those entries I found on Google, and that magazine article I read when I was a child, do work. Today is the 21st day that I’ve been waking up early and starting work at the very latest by 8:00am regardless of how late I go to sleep, and I feel fantastic.
How is YOUR Monday morning looking?
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This is a habit I need to cultivate myself. Especially spending so much time alone, isolated. I am a night owl and have found I feel more disconnected from society if I stay up to late.
I have not yet made it 21 days, however. I think 4 has been my longest.