Mindful Monday - Forming and Breaking Habits

About This Talk

Habits take time to form and time to break. Chris explains that whether someone is starting a habit or dropping one, the brain is being wired or unwired as connections are built or dissolved, and that usually takes three to six weeks. He asks listeners to give a change that long, and shares a simple way to keep it from feeling endless.

Key Ideas

• Forming or breaking a habit takes the average person about three to six weeks.
• Either way, the brain is building or dissolving the synaptic connections behind the habit, and that takes time.
• Count the days, then the weeks, so a habit change has an end date and doesn’t feel endless.

“The closer you get to six weeks, the closer you are to being finished.”