How Long It Takes To Change Your Life？ ｜ Nwal Hadaki ｜ TEDxSafirSchool
Have you ever wondered how long would it take you to change a habit or create a habit? There is a myth and a truth about the researched reality of changing or acquiring a habit. Nwal Hadaki is a fourth-year medical student who is passionate about public speaking and spreading life coach advice to people of all ages. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at
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00:00Translator 1 – Have you ever thought to yourself before going to sleep, tomorrow is
00:19the day I'll change.
00:22Tomorrow is the day I'll get up early in the morning, have a healthy breakfast, go
00:28for a morning jog, breathe fresh air.
00:32Tomorrow is the day I want to change to who I really want to be, the best version of myself.
00:41While change doesn't come easy, you have to incorporate certain habits in your life that
00:48will eventually lead to you becoming the best version of yourself.
00:55You'll also have to eliminate certain habits that are hindering your path.
01:02Well how long will it take you to form a new habit or get rid of an old one?
01:10Most people will tell you it takes exactly 21 days for a person to form a habit or get
01:19rid of an old one.
01:21I remember once in high school one of my teachers told me it takes exactly 21 days for me to
01:29form a new habit and I thought this is my chance to become a bed maker.
01:37I thought that for the next 21 days instead of getting up every day and yelling, mom please
01:44don't forget to make my bed today, I thought I'd do it myself.
01:50Day by day, early in the morning, 6am, even on days I was running late, I got up every
02:01morning and I made my bed and I hated every second of it.
02:10And by day 22, I opened my eyes and the first thing I did was say mom, please don't forget
02:19to make my bed today.
02:21I quit.
02:22And of course, that was expected and I thought, okay, maybe I'm just going to be a little
02:30bit worse at life than bed makers, whatever.
02:35I do not exaggerate if I say that this 21 day theory is the most famous myth in the
02:46world of self-development.
02:51Let's dive a little into our theory to understand where the number 21 came from and the reasons
02:57for its spread in self-developmental books and courses.
03:02Dr. Maxwell Maltz was a plastic surgeon in the 1950s when he began noticing a strange
03:11pattern among his patients.
03:14For example, in a nose job, he saw that the patient took exactly 21 days to get used to
03:22start seeing his or her new nose.
03:27He also noticed that if a patient had an arm or leg amputated, the patient would acknowledge
03:34the feeling of their new limb for exactly 21 days before starting to get used to their
03:42new condition.
03:44Dr. Maltz published his theory in a book that went very famous in that era and sold over
03:5330 million copies.
03:56And here, the conflict started brewing and it made sense why people were starting to
04:04believe his theory.
04:06Why?
04:07Number one, the number 21 is considered a short period of time and that's also considered
04:16a source of temptation, which means something you can do.
04:23Number two, the number 21 is also long enough to be believable, a difficult challenge, but
04:32not impossible.
04:34I mean, who wouldn't love to change their whole life within just 21 days?
04:41Wouldn't you love to start waking up early in the morning every day?
04:45Wouldn't you love to start cooking healthy recipes?
04:49Wouldn't you love to start drinking weird smoothies?
04:53And all within less than one month, we'd go for it in a heartbeat.
05:00So is it true?
05:02Can we really change our lives within 21 days?
05:05I know that sounds very exciting, but there are actually a few factors you'd have to consider
05:12to be able to estimate the time it'll take you to form a new habit or get rid of an old
05:19toxic one.
05:21Number one is the complexity of your goal.
05:25If I decide to start eating fruit daily, which is considered a simple habit, I'd probably
05:32take less time than if I want to acquire a complex athletic skill, like a tennis serve.
05:40Number two, behavior consistency affects the speed of acquisition.
05:47Me repeating a certain behavior for three minutes a day is different than my friend
05:53repeating the same behavior for 30 minutes a day.
06:01So we want to clear things up.
06:03How long will it take us to form a new habit or get rid of an old one?
06:11And is there a reliable study that we can depend on?
06:15Answer is yes.
06:17There is a famous study by the psychologist Philip Lally titled How Are Habits Formed?
06:25The study followed 96 people over a period of 12 weeks.
06:31Each person chose a new 12-week habit to work on, such as drinking three cups of water before
06:37lunch or running for 15 minutes after dinner.
06:42After 12 weeks, the data was analyzed to determine the time needed to move from the
06:48old habit to start subconsciously carrying out the new one.
06:55And after 12 weeks, we found that it took approximately two to eight months in order
07:03for the task to become a habit, and 66 days to be exact.
07:12The difference in time it took to form a habit was largely due to the task itself, the person,
07:20and their circumstances, as some were able to form the habit within 18 days, while others
07:27took 254 days.
07:31So according to psychologist Lally, if you want to know the time required to form a new
07:37habit or get rid of an old one, the truth is that you may need two to eight months and
07:44not just 21 days.
07:48Guys, whether it's two months, three months, a year, two years, it doesn't actually matter
07:56how long it takes as much as it matters that you have to begin with today.
08:03And once you begin, make sure to maintain your new habit.
08:08Make it part of your schedule, set reminders, create a supportive environment.
08:15And most importantly, you don't have to be perfect.
08:21Making a mistake once or twice has no lasting effects on your behavior.
08:28Actually, that'll give you time not to rush yourself into things.
08:33You have to give yourself time and not just rush yourself into becoming a better virgin.
08:40If I want to become a better person, I'll have to commit to the system and embrace the process.
08:48That way, I'll commit to making tiny improvements rather than rushing myself too hard into things.
08:56Change is not always easy and it's not always simple.
09:02But with enough dedication, any habit can be reshaped.
09:07So if you really want it, becoming the best version of yourself, get up today and start
09:14working on it.
09:16I promise you'll get there.