21 Day Rule
It is proven that it takes three weeks to physically break an addiction or change a behavior. Twenty-one days to break any type of habit. In those 21 days you can break any physical dependency for whatever your weapon of choice may be … food, nicotine, alcohol, drugs, sex, even general bad habits in work or play … the rule does indeed work. I had my doubts but now I know it’s true. I only regret I didn’t start working on it 10 years ago instead of a year ago. Dealing with the psychological aspects of an addiction is a lot tougher to deal with than the physical but it’s a start.
First prepare your mind for the next time you really want to do something or you want to actually start and continue doing it, you must realize that doing it for one, two, or even three days in a row is usually not enough except for rare things like fasting which can put you into euphoria after the third day.
It takes at least 21 days to form a good habit or break a bad one. This means that you either have to do something or stop something at least 21 times in a row before it begins to become part of you. So . . .
Decide exactly what you want to do. Write it down and post it where you can see it every day, like your bathroom mirror. Be as specific as possible.
Schedule time to do what you want to do. Again, it takes 21 days to form a habit, so schedule at least 21 days on your calendar and don’t let anything get in the way of your schedule. If you miss one of your scheduled days, it’s best to start over and schedule another 21 days. You must be consistent and dedicated to doing what you want to do. Pat yourself on the back once you reach your 21 days but don’t stop. Schedule another 21 days, and then another and so on, until you do those things you want to do, without even thinking about them . . . like brushing your teeth.
From 2003 to 2010 to 2020 – things don’t change much.