Heather says:
My band instructor, yes I was am a geek, once told us that it takes twenty-one days to build a habit. He wanted us to test this theory by using a quirk passed on from one of his instructors. He suggested whenever we were in the shower to only to turn to the right for twenty-one days, then on day twenty-two to try turning to the left. He was right, day twenty-two rolled around and turning to the left felt mildly disorienting.
With this in mind, good habits are not too difficult to establish. Use your computer’s calendar program to remind you for at least 21 days of a habit you would like to establish. Whether this is adding some personal time to your day, taking your vitamins, doing a 10 minute pick-up, or remembering to start the dishwasher, you have a powerful tool at your fingertips. If you don’t have a calendar or reminder program, you can send an email to the future you.
I have better luck inserting habits into either the beginning or the end of my day. The middles are so full of “life” that interruptions feel more like a hassle and less like the building blocks of a routine.
Good luck! I wonder how many of my band instructor’s proteges are still neurotic about turning to the right while showering.
