THE 21 DAYS: FACT OR MYTH?

If I ask you a question- How long do you think it takes to form a habit? 21 days, you’ll prompt. Well, my take on that is that isn’t it a very short period? For example- You’ll find it easier to make a habit of scrolling through your phone for at least 30 minutes a day but if someone asks you to make a habit of exercising regularly, it seems to be like climbing a mountain. You might find it funny but ask yourself, isn’t it true?
To be honest, it’s a myth that you develop a habit within the limit of 21 days.
Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a cosmetic surgeon and the author of Psycho- Cybernetics (1920), stated the theory of developing a habit in the period of 21 days. He experienced this from his daily-life incidents. Being a doctor, he had to perform surgeries on a daily basis. He experienced a pattern of recovery of 21 days in his patients. He further noticed that it too took him 21 days to develop a new habit or to make adjustments to his changing behaviour. He published a book named Psycho- Cybernetics in which he stated that “It requires a minimum of about 21 days.” That’s when the problem started. People started shortening the fact and it spread like this- “It takes 21 days to develop a habit.” This is how the society spread the myth of 21 days for forming a new habit.
So as to conclude, the science says that it takes 2 months which can be estimated to 66 days, to form a new habit or develop a change of behaviour in you.
Ending with the quote of the day-

“Breaking old habits and forming new ones always takes time, but it is worth in the end”
-Joyce Meyer