Why asking ‘how long it takes to build a habit’ is the wrong question

The problem is that it focuses on time as being the missing component behind what makes a habit stick ⏰ 

“If I can just stick at this task for long enough, it will eventually become easy”.

While this might work in some rare situations, for example:

In a Hollywood movie 🎬, where the out-of-shape main protagonist must undergo an impossibly brutal workout regime, which they initially suck at 😓

But they stick at it, and after a motivational montage, they’re in fantastic shape and ready to take on the bad guy 💪

However, most of the time (in real life), if you view something as being difficult, odds are you’ll either avoid it entirely or be very inconsistent.

The key is to find a way to make the task feel like less effort.

How can you make it: 

• Easier 🙂 - change the difficulty to better match your current ability level

• More convenient 🏃‍♂️

• More fun - gamify it 🕹

• More important ❗️- change your perspective and understand WHY you need to do it

Try pulling on one or more of the above levers, and you’ll find that any habit you’re trying to make stick INSTANTLY feels a lot easier to perform.

That’s because the problem is never TIME - it’s always how you APPROACH and THINK about a habit.