We all know the benefits of waking up early, eating healthy, staying hydrated, and exercising regularly but many of us struggle to stay consistent. Why is that?
I believe it’s not just about building good habits but it’s also equally important to identify and omit bad habits that silently hold us back. Things like procrastination, more screen time, or negative self-talk can easily undo our progress.
This made me curious let’s discuss
How long does it actually take to form a new habit?
Many are struggling to follow new habit in consistency so what steps can we follow to maintain consistency?
And how do healthcare students/professionals like us stay on track busy routines
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!
To make a good habit we generally need 21 days and to follow it for long time we need to be consistent . it is difficult but we will get benfit of Good habit that is sure
We struggle to follow good habits even when we know they’re beneficial because our brains often prioritize immediate rewards over long-term benefits. Good habits usually require effort, patience, and sometimes discomfort upfront, while bad habits or shortcuts offer quick satisfaction. Additionally, existing routines, emotional triggers, and lack of clear cues or motivation make it hard to consistently choose what’s best, despite knowing it’s good for us.
Mostly people say that, it takes 21 days for a habit to form, once we start doing certain activities continuously. But there’s not much scientific proof to this. It generally takes around 2 months, when we can say a perpetual activity becomes a habit, but this is subjected to variability too from person-to-person and their personality or behaviour. Maintaining consistency is highly crucial so that a good habit can be formed.
Few smart strategies that can be applied towards maintaining consistency in building a new habit despite a busy schedule:
Divide the big habit to small chunks and work on each of them little by little; in a week, work on different aspects on different day (as that allows mind to stay retained on tasks because of it’s variability and it doesn’t get bored or goes into a procrastination zone)
Keep reminders for certain activities that can be easily done in any ambience
Journaling helps in evaluating your feelings after the tasks are done (can be done at night one hour before sleeping, as that lets us know how to keep moving ahead)
Pair the habit with a task that you love doing much (as this can pull the other one too)
Keep some visuals around you related to your new habit as by seeing them our minds get reminder for the action to be done
Most importantly, tying these new habits to “personal meaning” can help much, like by doing this habit how you feel and what changes you are able to witness as these create mental/emotional anchors that can help in sustaining these new habits during the times when we feel like giving up.
Yes, true! I feel many of us fail to be consistent not because we don’t want to build good habits—but because we’ve already adopted other habits that interfere with them. Things like late-night scrolling, irregular sleep, or procrastination become part of our routine without us realizing it. So, breaking those and replacing them definitely takes time, effort, and most importantly—consistency.It’s not just about starting something new, it’s about slowly unlearning the things that hold us back. For healthcare students or professionals, with our busy schedules, it gets even tougher—but having a structured routine, planning ahead, and being kind to ourselves when we slip can really help.