I am constantly trying to get myself into good routines. Whether it be a good study/sleep/social schedule, or an effective and consistent workout plan, I can just never seem to master the art of regularity. I can tell myself as many times as I want to that I will allocate three times a week to go for an intense run or gym session, but after a few repeats of that, for some reason I cannot keep up with it. I decided to look into it, and I found that a study has been done that could be my answer: I just need to persevere and give it some more time to stick!

 According to a 2009 study by Phillippa Lally and collaborators from the Cancer Research UK Health Behavior Research Centre based at UCL Epidemiology and Public Health, it takes about an average of 66 days to form a habit. So, it could take approximately 10 weeks time until you begin to automatically complete the tasks that you wish to habituate. On top of that, it only works well if there is little disruption in the process. In other words, taking a week or more off from your routine could potentially start you back to square one. It definitely isn’t an easy process to form new habits, but with a little hard work and dedication it could be easier than you think! Aristotle can be quoted in saying, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Source: http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/4284/1/How-long-does-it-take-to-form-a-habit/Page1.html 

Image: http://affirmyourlife.blogspot.com/2009/08/habit-affirmations.html