Habit in 21 days: 13 important rules for improving your life

One of the most specific characteristics of a person is that from time to time he experiences an internal need to acquire new habits. A new habit can be anything: following a new diet or daily routine, going to exercise or planning activities, thinking strategically about upcoming events or going for a run in the morning, etc. It depends on what goals a person sets for himself at the current moment in time, and the methods by which he plans to achieve these goals.

However, in reality, forming a new habit, especially a useful one, may not be so easy. A person may decide on Monday to start doing physical exercises daily at home or, for example, to meditate, but it doesn’t turn out that way at all: the long-awaited “Monday” either never comes, or after a couple of days of effort on oneself, the person loses motivation and does something else , as a result of which a new habit is never formed.

If you have encountered or are encountering such difficulties in your life when forming a new habit, then we recommend that you read on, because in this article we will look at one of the most effective methods of developing a new behavior pattern. The material will also be useful for those who are just about to start instilling a new habit in themselves, because... it will allow you to avoid the most common mistakes in habit formation and achieve the desired result in just a few weeks.

And first, let's talk a little about what a habit is in general.

How to change habits?

If you learn to manage your habits, you will be able to completely manage your life. A large number of bad habits (laziness, staying up late, watching TV, playing computer games, eating unhealthy food, not moving enough) prevents you from instilling new good habits in yourself. Everything then seems complicated and overwhelming. But if your life is surrounded by good habits, then instilling new ones will not be a burden to you. Subsequently, your horizons will expand, your social circle and outlook on life will change. Everything will begin to change very quickly. You can instill a new habit in 21 days , and you can quit a habit in the same way, if you stop, do it within 21 days. After this period, it will be easier for you to do or not do a certain action.

How to decide which habit needs to be eradicated and which one to develop first in 21 days? To do this, you need to prioritize. What problem is most pressing for you at this stage? If you have problems with excess weight and they bother you very much, then it is hardly worth developing the habit of starting to learn a foreign language. You need to approach this issue wisely and wisely prioritize and sequence the plan to change yourself and your life in 21 days.

Journaling

All your achievements and victories need to be written down in a diary specially created for this purpose, where you can paste both your photographs that motivate you to move forward, and positive pictures from magazines. In addition to your own impressions, your daily diary entry should contain the following 5 points with a detailed report on each:

“What important thing did I do today?”
“Who did I help today?”
“What new have I learned?”
“Can I reproach myself for anything?”
“What conclusions have I drawn today?”

By answering the questions asked, a person will be able to better understand his actions and learn to learn lessons from each situation.

What to do to change your life for the better in 21 days?

Don't waste your time , do what will bring you closer to achieving and realizing your goals.
Very important get rid of everything unnecessary in your life: things you don't use. From unnecessary thoughts, ideas and actions that do not lead you to a goal or any result, and even from people who take away your time and drag you down.
It is necessary to get rid of the habit of constantly thinking about something , it only takes away strength and energy. Especially. This concerns thoughts about the past. They are meaningless. To be here and now. When the thoughts in your head subside, you begin to feel with your heart. It is at these moments that epiphanies come. Meditation will help you cope with such a difficult task. By doing them for at least 5 minutes for 21 days, we can change our entire lives.
Try to look at life more simply . Then it will be easier for you to bring your ideas to life. If you complicate things, it means you are looking for reasons or excuses for inaction.
Happiness lies in peace . Try to develop in 21 days the habit of not getting angry, not swearing, not getting upset and not thinking about bad things. There is such a parable: “One of the disciples asked Buddha: “If someone hits me, what should I do?” “If a dry branch falls from a tree and hits you, what will you do?” - he asked in response. - What will i do? “It’s just an accident, a coincidence that I found myself under a tree when a branch fell from it,” said the student. Then Buddha remarked: “Then do the same.” Someone was mad, angry and hit you - it's like a branch from a tree falling on your head. Don’t let this bother you, go on your way as if nothing happened.”
Develop spirituality , be kind and attentive to people.
Start a healthy lifestyle . This includes sports, proper nutrition, hardening, healthy sleep. For example, how to start playing sports? Remember, what is important to you is not the result, but the formation of a habit. Therefore, it will be enough to do 5 minutes of gymnastics and 5 minutes of jogging every day. Next, you will gradually increase the amount of time. It is small steps that form a habit in 21 days.
Make a plan for every day . This is a great habit that will save you a lot of time.
Many people complain about lack of time. Combine activities . For example, while riding a bicycle, listen to audio lessons on learning a foreign language.
Get rid of unnecessary habits : stop aimlessly talking for hours on the phone, watching TV or surfing social networks. This will free up a lot of time for you to form good habits.
To rid yourself of fatigue, you need to do different things one by one .
To prevent life from seeming boring, engage in different activities . If you have been going dancing for a year. Then start going swimming, for example.
Don't focus on results or success. Just enjoy life, the innovations that you introduce into your life. Organize your life and enjoy it - this is the best habit.

You must understand that changing your life, looking at it in a new way is all within your power.

The ability to refuse

Often bad habits, disguised as an annoying necessity (can’t relax without a cigarette, can’t cheer up without a cup of coffee), hold a person so firmly that he begins to give them the status of a manifestation of personal individuality. When it comes to giving up parasitic actions, the individual defends them with all passion, claiming that without the said cigarettes or drink, he cannot make decisions and will generally “lose himself as a person.”

A paradoxical situation arises - a person seems ready to develop and improve, but at the same time he is aggressive towards an imaginary encroachment on his comfort zone. Nothing good will come from trying to “pull” an object out of its shell, seeing such obvious resistance, because addictions are just the tip of the iceberg, visible on the surface. The reasons for this behavior are known only to the person himself, and until he wants to hold himself accountable, all attempts to improve his life are doomed to failure.

Self-control in the first stages of overcoming is very important, but it does not play such a decisive role in giving up bad habits as the person’s own desire to do so. You can’t lose weight by denying yourself the cakes you dream about at night. But you can convince yourself of the harmfulness of this product by watching a video that shows the unsightly side of their manufacturing technology. You need to hate the habit, and only then there is a chance to be able to give it up forever.

Forming habits in 21 days

The main goal of 21 days is to consolidate the correct daily routine at the habit level.

Here are the main 7 rules:

We wake up as early as possible , preferably without an alarm clock. Try to set yourself up in the evening and give the order that you need to get up a couple of hours earlier than usual.
Immediately after waking up, you begin studying a foreign language . This can be combined with breakfast.
Next, do exercises or jogging outside. Minimum duration 21 minutes.
On the way to and from work, you read or listen to a book online. This should not be an ordinary novel, but literature that develops the mind or promotes self-development.
At work or school, make a plan for your planned activities and carry out everything according to plan. In your free time, think about what you would really like to do.
After a hard day, spend time with your family , pay attention to your wife or husband and children. If you don't have a family yet, go on a date.
Try going to bed earlier than usual. You can watch a good movie.

The following rules must be followed: do not eat sweets and bread, do not drink or smoke. Also, do not watch TV, news or read newspapers. Throw away 1-3 things every day. Which you don't use. Do not criticize, judge or be angry with anyone. Think more about the future, what countries you want to visit, what to do and how you see yourself.

Difficulties on the way to a new life

From the experience of psychologists observing the internal struggle of people striving for their ideal, we can conclude that half of all episodes of failures and “breakdowns” of patients occur due to the indirect fault of “public opinion.”

The social environment of a person, in which he previously felt comfortable, is an established cell that has its own norms of behavior and way of thinking of its participants. An individual for whom this shell becomes small has every chance of feeling universal condemnation and returning to past habits for fear of being left alone.

Experts recommend that an individual who expands the boundaries of his consciousness and is committed to change gradually introduce into his social circle people who have achieved mental balance or are close to the ideal to which the person strives. Over time, his need for people from his “former life” will completely disappear and the temptation to “fall into old habits” will disappear by itself.

21 minute rule

Anyone who exercises 21 minutes a day should not worry about their health.
If you spend 21 minutes a day cleaning your home, you won't have to worry about clutter.
Anyone who devotes 21 minutes a day to improving concentration will not have to worry about creative block.
Anyone who finds 21 minutes a day to listen to the affairs of their husband or wife need not worry about problems in their relationship.
If you spend 21 minutes a day listening to yourself and taking personal notes, you won't have to worry about running out of ideas.
Anyone who works 21 minutes a day to create sources of income does not need to worry about their own financial well-being.
Anyone who sets aside 21 minutes for rest should not be afraid of overwork and fatigue.

Of course, it is not easy to comply with all these rules at the same time. They should not be a burden to you, so, of course, you can retreat a little from them and rest. But it is very important to do them systematically in order to consolidate the habit. Then your life will reach a whole new level.

Start right now, don't put it off until later. Then the results will not keep you waiting. The result of developing a habit in 21 days will be improved health, state of mind and body, enlightenment of the mind, passion and novelty in work and family life.

Travel helps change consciousness and perception of the world

Visiting a new country not only gives you an unforgettable experience, but also makes you realize that there is a lot in life that you have not yet experienced. Then you want to live, see, know, feel, try... So you have lived 21 days with the right habits. What to do next? If you feel wonderful, continue to live your life to the fullest . Why go back to the old ways if you are much better now?

Did you know that every 120 days the cells of the human body are completely renewed? You have already lived 21 days in a new look! You only have 99 days left to become a new person at the molecular level. Don't stop, now you know that you can do anything!

Topics: Personal growth, Habit formation, Goals and desires

Dr. Maltz's "three weeks" system

The concept of “21 days” was introduced by the American doctor M. Maltz in the 50s of the last century and was based on his personal observations of patients. Dr. Maltz wrote down his findings based on the health status of surgical patients. He came to the conclusion that patients need exactly 3 weeks to realize and accept themselves in a changed form - after amputation, plastic surgery or removal of certain organs.

After a while, other specialists continued work on the new concept, and the doctor’s theory that a habit is formed in 21 days received many confirmations.