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They say it takes 66 days for a new behaviour to become a habit. That’s just over 2 months, which seems like a long time, but also not that long if we’re talking about genuinely impactful—e±¹±ð²ÔÌýlife-changing—h²¹²ú¾±³Ù²õ.

The wonderful thing about practicing a regular behaviour is that it does get easier after a few weeks,Ìýeven before youÌýreachÌýthat 66-day mark. At some point toward the end of 2020, I challengedÌýmyself to get up earlierÌýin the hopeÌýof getting some exercise in before work. At first, it felt impossibly difficult,Ìý6am may as well have beenÌý2am. But soon enough,Ìýit became easier;Ìýmy body stopped resisting. If anything, my sleepÌýimprovedÌýbecause I was going to bed earlier knowing I’d need to get up earlier. It made me value sleep more, and really reflect on the effect of getting enough restÌýversus not. Now, in 2021, I find I’m able to get up at 5:30 with relative ease, though it’s admittedlyÌývery, veryÌýrare that my alarm goes off and I’m bouncing out of bed. And of course, there are days where I hit 'snooze' on myÌýalarm and inÌýfavour of another hour of sleep.ÌýStill, it’s all a work in progress, right?Ìý

I think it’s important to note that notÌýall good habits need to align with traditionally-valued health and wellbeing practices. There’s a common trend on social media that encourages people to get up at 5:30Ìý(or earlier) to journal, meditate, andÌýrecite positive affirmations. It’s true, these things have provenÌýbenefits in regard toÌýimproving mindset and a sense of personal satisfaction. However, a habit is more than that; it’s centred onÌýthe pursuit of something deeply personal, something which feels good on an instinctive level.ÌýIt can beÌýas simple as making your bed every morning, developing a good skincare routine, making time to prepare food to take to work or uni instead of buying it, going for a walk every day or a few times a week, calling your friends more to check-in, or a myriad of other things. There’sÌýno one-size-fits all approach. The important thing is to be kind to yourself, and to align your daily practices with what makes youÌýfeel good.