I’ve heard various friends say that it takes three week to turn a behavior into a habit.
The stages of forming a habit:
- Precontemplation. You have a vague sense that you want to make a change. Maybe you’re not sure where or how to start. Maybe you make a lot of excuses why you can’t change. This is a good time for a list of pros and cons. Why do you want to change, and why will it be good for you? What’s holding you back?
- Contemplation. You have a firmer sense that you want to make a change. You intend to do something… you’re just not quite ready to do it yet. This is a good time to do some research into how to make the change — and how to make it last. This is also a good time to test drive your change (like try a new exercise program or diet for a day or two).
- Preparation. You are ready to start working. You are ready to commit to making the effort for a long time — at least those crucial three weeks of forming a habit. This is a good time to look at your schedule and make sure your new habit will fit. This is also a good time to tell friends and family about your plan.
- Action. Time to put your plan into action.
- Maintenance. By this point, your daily routine doesn’t feel like work. Your new habit has truly become a habit — and you miss it if you skip a day.
I’ve used this technique to write my first novel. A writer I admire proposed that you could write a novel in just three months — simply by writing three pages every day. So I gave it a try. The first few weeks were the hardest. I skipped days here and there, and complained a LOT about having to do it. But as time went on, I found the pages adding up. Having fiction time in the day became part of the routine and I did start to miss it if I missed a day.
And in the end, I had a completed novel. It’s probably not going to see the light of day (or the bestseller list), but I’m proud of myself for making fiction writing a habit!