{"id":1852,"date":"2021-06-24T15:22:34","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T15:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-583903-1890774.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=1852"},"modified":"2021-06-24T15:22:34","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T15:22:34","slug":"hints-on-habit-forming-from-an-88-year-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/2021\/06\/24\/hints-on-habit-forming-from-an-88-year-old\/","title":{"rendered":"Hints on Habit-Forming From an 88-Year-Old"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When we talk about making changes in our lives, what we\u2019re really talking about is forming new habits. But as you\u2019ve no doubt realized, breaking from routine — even if it\u2019s done in service of a new routine — is hard. Really hard. It\u2019s why so many health articles, TED Talks, and apps promise that they\u2019ve found the solution. So few of us believe we have the answer; so many of us are looking to try something new.<\/p>\n

Part of the problem, of course, is that there\u2019s no single rule for building habits that\u2019s going to work for everyone. With that in mind, blogger Darius Foroux decided to think outside the box. He recognized that his 88-year-old grandfather had certain healthy habits that were etched in stone: things like going for a daily walk, or going to bed at the same time every night.<\/p>\n

So instead of trying the next in a long line of habit-tracking apps, Darius asked his grandfather<\/a><\/strong> to explain how he\u2019d formed those iron-clad habits. And he says that his grandfather’s process comes down to these four steps.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 1: Decide What Habit You Want to Form, and Why<\/h5>\n

The ‘what’ of a habit is easy enough. But Darius\u2019s grandfather insists that you should have a firm reason for why you\u2019re trying to form a particular habit. Don\u2019t attempt to wake up at 6:00 every morning just because it\u2019s what \u201csuccessful people\u201d do. Figure out what\u2019s important to you — or what goal you\u2019re trying to accomplish — and set out to build your habits from there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 2: Pick a Set Time For Your Habit<\/h5>\n

Darius acknowledges that if you\u2019re not a retired 88-year-old, this one might prove difficult. But the idea is that if you value something, and want to commit to doing it daily, putting it in your calendar in permanent ink will force you to make time for it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 3: Measure Your Habits<\/h5>\n

There is a lot to be said for measuring your goals. Measuring keeps you accountable, for one thing. And being able to look back on what you\u2019ve accomplished — say in miles run, or in minutes spent doing yoga — can be a powerful motivator. But motivation and accountability aside, measuring your habits will also help with the step above. If you know how long you need to complete a habit, it will be easier to work it into your day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 4: Do It For at Least One Week<\/h5>\n

You\u2019ve probably seen a half-dozen assertions about how long it takes to form a habit. Darius refers to research that says it takes 66 days<\/a><\/strong>. You\u2019ve probably seen other people say it takes 28 days. But according to Darius\u2019s grandfather, it takes just 7. \u201cIn my experience, it takes a week to get used to doing something regularly,\u201d he told Darius. \u201cSo if you successfully wake up at the same time every day for seven days straight, you can count on yourself to do it every day from that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s the confidence of a man with an iron will, someone to whom habit-forming comes easily. But maybe he\u2019s right. Maybe — with a schedule in place, and with a solid understanding of what\u2019s motivating us — a week is all it takes.<\/p>\n

It certainly can\u2019t hurt to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  When we talk about making changes in our lives, what we\u2019re really talking about is forming new habits. But as you\u2019ve no doubt realized, breaking from routine — even if it\u2019s done in service of a new routine — is hard. Really hard. It\u2019s why so many health articles, TED Talks, and apps promise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1852"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2112,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions\/2112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspirationpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}