Many people believe the phrase, “A habit is formed after repeating it 21 times.”
However, human behavior is not that simple.
A habit is not created by a fixed number, but by the quality of repetition, the environment, and the difficulty of the behavior.
1. The Average Time to Form a Habit
According to a study from a university in London, it takes an average of 66 days for a behavior to become automatic.
However, this is not a perfect rule.
Simple actions, such as drinking a glass of water every morning,
can become habits in about 30 days.
More complex actions, such as regular exercise or changing your diet,
can take more than 90 days.
In other words, what matters is not how many times you repeat something,
but how difficult the behavior is and how consistently you continue it.
2. How the Brain Creates Habits
The human brain is designed to save energy.
When it recognizes repeated patterns, it stores them as automatic behaviors.
If you repeat an action at the same time, in the same place, and in the same way,
your brain begins to treat it as an “automatic program.”
For example, if every morning you wake up and drink water from the same cup,
one day you will find yourself doing it without even thinking.
That is when a behavior becomes a true habit.
3. The Key Is Not Perfection, but “Return”
While forming habits, you will definitely fail sometimes.
You will skip days. You will lose motivation.
This does not mean you failed.
What truly matters is your ability to return after you fall off track.
The stronger this “return ability” becomes,
the stronger and more permanent the habit becomes.
Missing one day does not destroy your progress.
Quitting does.
4. Habits Are About Structure, Not Willpower
Many people think habits depend on strong willpower.
But in reality, habits depend on structure and environment.
Habits are not built through
Willpower → Effort
but through
Structure → Repeatability → Automation
When you design an environment where repetition is easy,
habits will naturally become part of your life.
And when good habits accumulate,
they eventually change the direction of your entire life.