Philosophy Discussion Forums | A Humans-Only Club for Open-Minded Discussion & Debate

[Sushan]

Understanding habit formation deeply is a transformative journey. The insight that it takes approximately 21 days to form a new habit, as mentioned, is echoed in various research studies and psychological theories. This period isn’t just a number; it reflects the time our brain needs to rewire itself to adopt new behaviors or drop old ones. Starting with a micro-habit, something so small that it requires minimal effort, aligns with the idea of "atomic habits" proposed by James Clear. He suggests that small changes accumulate into remarkable results over time, which I find incredibly empowering. The beauty of this approach lies in its simplicity and efficiency. For example, integrating the habit of reading just one page of a book every night can eventually turn into a lifelong habit of reading, fostering personal growth and learning.

The strategy of incorporating crucial habits into the morning routine is another principle that resonates with me. Morning hours are indeed a precious time, offering a fresh slate each day to imprint our intentions and actions. Research supports that willpower is strongest in the morning and wanes throughout the day due to decision fatigue. By placing the most challenging tasks in the morning, I'm leveraging my peak willpower to tackle them head-on. Personally, this method has been a game-changer for my exercise routine.

The discussion on free will in the context of habit formation is fascinating and invites deeper contemplation. The notion that our lives are a series of habits, some consciously chosen and others formed through repeated actions and thoughts, challenges the traditional understanding of free will. Are we really making free choices, or are we just acting out our ingrained habits? This philosophical inquiry opens up a vast arena for debate and exploration. I find the idea liberating in a way—it suggests that by consciously forming beneficial habits, we're essentially sculpting our destiny, one small action at a time.

For anyone intrigued by this discussion on free will, I highly recommend joining the conversation at this link:

viewtopic.php?f=47&t=17826

[Lorna Philip Enslin]

Thank you for responding to my request for advice on breaking the habit of waking up when I should be asleep! Your response held a lot of insight and I will take cognizance of it as best I can.
Sincerely
Lorna

[Ukaegbu Confidence]

"Mental Exhaustion—You have a very limited amount of willpower each day, so the later it gets in the day, the more likely it becomes that you'll be out of willpower." I absolutely agree with this. I know firsthand what moving a task to later in the day does. I usually am unable to do the task, or I have very little productivity if I eventually do it.

[Moisés Alcántara Ayre]

Micro habits can be very powerful--some I have kept as micro habits and haven't grown them into habits.

It seems there is a process from micro habits requiring effort and willpower to habits requiring less effort and no willpower. This sounds very interesting.

[mrlefty0706]

Hi Scott,
The way you simplify the process of building new habits or stopping old habits makes it sound easy to do. When I quit smoking 40 years ago, I found that every day it got easier and after three weeks the physical addiction was gone but the mental addiction carried on for a few more months. Cold turkey worked for me.

[Risper Ouma Lisa Anyango]

It's the first time am hearing about the 21 days theory and that means that I have never tried ot out. But let me give it a shot and to something I always wanted to do for the next 21 days. I might keep p doing it, or be unable to hit the 22 days goal but one thing I will be glad about is that I learnt something new.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

It takes about 21 days of consistently doing something every day (or not doing something) to build a habit of doing it (or not doing it).

I've always been a big fan of the 21 day habit forming process and have applied it many times. A perfect example, and I'm sure no coincidence is that today is day 20 of the mentoring program, and I'm at my PC following each of the requirements first thing in my day, it took me zero willpower to log in and achieve this, it's now a daily habit, and my first task every day.

In my philosophy, there's no such thing as a good habit or a bad habit. I cannot honestly tell you what habits to have. I choose mine, and you choose yours. What's best for me may not be best for you. What I want for me may not be what want for you, and that's fine. It's better than fine. It's beautiful. The world would be worse if every single person was just a copy of me or just a copy of you. Diversity is what makes the world beautiful. You choose what habits you want and which you don't. And, as always, when it comes to your choices, you get exactly what you want, meaning you what you choose.

Wow, that's an interesting view that there are no bad habits, they're habits we choose. I like this!

Suggestion One: Start small with a micro-habit..

For example, if you want to floss your teeth daily, then you can start by building the habit of flossing just one tooth per day, which only takes a few seconds or so. It takes about 3 weeks (21 days) to build a new habit... But--even better!--you will find that, once you already have the micro-habit down, progression tends to be exponential, not linear. When it comes to building the habit of flossing teeth, the first tooth is the hardest.


5 days isn't habit. 21 days is.

I'm applying this from today. My book is ready (in my mind) to write, but I keep getting overwhelmed by the thought of writing the entire thing. But I don't need to. I'm starting off with a paragraph a day. I'm confident that in 21 days I''ll be writing much more than that.

Suggestion Two: Put your most important or toughest to follow habits into your morning routing.

The more important a habit is to you, the earlier you want to put into your daily routine. Likewise, the harder a habit is for you to keep, the earlier you want to put it into your morning routine.

Yes, yes, yes, that's why I do my mentoring tasks the very first thing when I wake up!

- Mental Exhaustion -- You have a very limited amount of willpower each day, so the later it gets in the day the more likely it becomes that you'll be out of willpower.

This is legitimate. I find I work (content writing) much better in the morning when my mind is fresh and alert. By the afternoon, if I'm rushing to make a deadline it takes me an hour to write what I could have done in 15 minutes in the morning.

[Alida Spies]

I agree with this! Establishing a habit of doing something early in the morning works very well for me, and if something unforeseen happens there's always time to fit it in later in the day. I feel like I've broken a promise if I don't complete what I've established, even though it affects nobody else. It's a promise to myself that I'm breaking and that is as important as a promise to someone else, for me anyway. I've never had to break a new habit that I've wanted to establish, down into smaller pieces, but I can see the benefit in doing that if it's something complicated.

Breaking a habit can be much more complicated. I've stopped smoking numerous times, always because I was forced to, e.g., landing in a hospital, but I always started again. The longest period of non-smoking was 30 days. Smoking is more than a habit though, it's an addiction, physical as well as mental. My biggest problem is that I don't really want to stop, although I know it's bad for my health. I will get on top of it, my goal is by the end of this year.

Thank you for sharing, it's all very valuable!

[Shirley Labzentis]

I agree with what you are saying about building new habits. It's funny that you should mention gummy bears, as I am also addicted to them and if I bring them home from the store, I will eat the whole bag in one sitting. I will have to think about what my new habits will be. Probably one will be hitting the gym every day. I use to go to the gym and also swimming five days a week, but then I moved to Texas and some how got out of the habit. You are right. If you don't start it in the morning, you won't feel like doing it in the afternoon.

[Goodness Kene]

Repetition births habit. Comsistent practice births perfection. I totally agree with the 21 days routine theory. It works!

[Shewaofafrica]

I have heard of people who say that it takes 21 days to build a habit. I haven't tried this before but I heard it works. Another technique that has helped me to build positive habits is by having mentors.

[Pimporn Chandee1]

Dear Scott
Thank you very much for the micro habit formation. I will put it to use for losing weight and for becoming healthier.

Pimporn

[Amy Jackson]

"5 days isn't habit. 21 days is".
This write-up is a really good guide for forming habits and you really hit the nail on the head several times. I'm definitely going to be making some adjustment for myself.
Thank you.

[Marissa Maniaci]

I really appreciate the recommendation to push important habits to earlier in the day. I find myself having grand plans for how productive I'm going to be when I get home from work, and then I just slump on the couch until bedtime. It seems intimidating to get up earlier in the morning, but I do think there would be a higher chance of completing my intended tasks in the morning rather than the evening.

[Mercy119]

I agree that habits are the dividends of free will. I recently got asked how I avoid junk food and it was unfathomable to me that that is difficult for some people. Looking back, it's because I've developed a habit of home cooking and eating healthy. That is in part due to my free will and the choices that were made for me. I.e. we didn't consume junk food growing up. That combination has left me with a habit that keeps me healthy. Some (bad) habits might be difficult to break if we developed them due uncontrollable environmental factors. That those habits will require tremendous free will to overcome.