How Long Does It Take to Create a New Habit?

Mark Virkler's picture

In this study published by the European Journal of Social Psychology, group members chose one of three behaviors which they personally desired to create new habits around:1) drinking, 2) eating and 3) exercising.

  • Half of the group did not perform the desired behavior consistently enough to achieve habit status
  • Sixty-six days was the medium time required to develop a new habit
  • Consistent practice resulted in better mastery in shorter time
  • The most complex activity (which was exercise), took 1.5 times more effort to achieve than did the simpler goals of establishing new eating or drinking habits

Dr. Caroline Leaf teaches that focused effort for seven minutes a day is adequate time to master the habit of a new godly thought process. 

  1. The overall idea of Caroline Leaf's 21 Day Brain Detox™ program is to do the Switch On Your Brain 5-Step Learning Process® each day in 7-10 minutes for 21 days. This will wipe out the toxic thought and build in the healthy new thought.
  2. After 21 days, the new healthy thought is small and needs to grow. Whatever you think about grows. In order to stabilize the new way of thinking and to avoid reverting back to the old way, you need to consciously practice using the new thought you have built for at least 2 more cycles of 21 days. This will total about 63-66 days of conscious practice and will result in the new thought being "automatized". This means the thought moves into your non-conscious mind and drives your conscious thoughts, words and actions without you consciously thinking about it. It becomes implanted (James 1:21).

Personal Application

I have always believed and said that it takes three months of intentional focus to discover and practice a new godly discipline which brings about meaningful changes in your life. That is why we have designed all our manuals, CDs, DVDs, and courses as three-month training experiences. It is nice to see the confirming scientific evidence.

To fully implement God’s truths in your mind, you want to use His process of scriptural meditation to successfully complete the process. So take Scriptures and meditate upon them for two to three months, so that the revelation God is asking you to walk in becomes fully yours!

When you renew your mind, you are removing treelike substances from your brain and  growing new treelike substances in your brain. Watch these two amazing online videos and get excited about the science, simply explained, concerning what takes place within your brain as you renew your mind by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So the question for each of us now is, "Am I prepared to put in daily practice for two to three months to develop a new godly discipline which leads to life?"

Ask the Lord what new habit He wants cultivated in your life or thought process, and then pursue it!


I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live! (Deut. 30:19)


 

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Unique Gifts Make Winning Teams Digital Video Package

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4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice MP3 Audio Package

4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice MP3 Audio Package

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49 Lies MP3 Package – 49 Religious Lies Jesus Told Me to Stop Believing

2 PDF eBooks & 49 MP3 Downloads

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This package is composed of two PDF ebooks, 49 Lies  (100 pages of God's revelation through two-way journaling) and Release from Religion which contains 100 pages of Bible meditation where we search the Scriptures to see if they confirm that these things are so. 

This download package also includes 49 professionally recorded MP3 audio sessions, each 5-12 minutes long, which is my testimony of breaking free from each lie. I discuss what the lie is, its impact on my life, what Jesus spoke, my prayer of repentance and the new freedom I experienced which allows me to step into a new life in Christ.

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Counseled by God MP3 Audio Download Package

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Recently Released – 35th Anniversary Edition

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Fulfill Your Financial Destiny MP3 Download Package

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Hear God Through Your Dreams MP3 Audio Package

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A newer version has just released: Click here for Hearing God Through Your Dreams MP3s by Charity Kayembe and Mark Virkler (featured on Sid Roth in November, 2016).

Do you often wake up feeling there was a significant message in your dream, but you’re just not sure what it is? Like Daniel and Joseph, do you long to be able to help others understand their own dreams and win them to Christ as you explain His night messages to them? Wouldn't it be nice if you could receive mid-course corrections from the Lord while you sleep? Do you wish you could be receiving divine inspiration, creative solutions to problems, and direction from the Lord during that third of your life that you’re “just” sleeping?

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