The Real Timeline for Breaking a Habit—and 8 Steps to Successfully Do It

How much time does it actually take to break a bad habit? We all have them. Tom Cruise tends to bite his nails. Marilyn Monroe was known for her chronic lateness. Barack Obama often doesn’t manage to get a full eight hours of sleep every night. Even those who seem to be flawless have their own bad habits. It’s simply part of being human.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t aspire to change those habits we’d rather not keep. Self-improvement is a key part of being human. So why do we engage in these habits, even when we know they aren’t beneficial for us?

The Root Causes of Bad Habits

It all boils down to the brain. "The brain detects these habits and turns them into automatic behaviors," says Kiana Shelton, LCSW. “In a way, the brain is trying to help, but unfortunately, it doesn’t distinguish between good and bad—it just notices how often a pattern is repeated. This makes it harder to break or alter undesirable habits.”

Coping Strategies

Whether it’s negative self-talk, excessive spending, or insufficient sleep, it’s important to offer yourself some compassion, as many of these habits are formed unconsciously and can even serve as coping mechanisms to deal with stress or avoid unpleasant situations.

“When we trace the origin of our behavioral responses, we begin to realize that many of our habits—whether positive or negative—are the result of coping,” Shelton explains. “At times, these strategies may not be ideal for long-term solutions.”

She illustrates stress eating as an example. Your brain might associate a stressful situation with the instant relief you felt after eating ice cream. The next time stress hits, your brain could signal you to reach for that Ben & Jerry’s again. Over time, even at the slightest sign of stress, you might find yourself craving ice cream.

There’s No Such Thing as "Bad" Habits

Jacinta M. Jiménez, PsyD, BCC, prefers to avoid labeling habits as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Instead, she believes all habits, even those you wish to change, serve a purpose. “The key question is whether the habit is helpful, neutral, or unwanted,” she notes, adding that “habit loops” can form when our brain gets caught in a cycle that keeps reinforcing the habit.

We acquire habits through a rewards-based learning process, where a trigger (like stress), a behavior (such as eating ice cream), and a reward (the pleasure of ice cream, signaling dopamine in the brain) occur. “This cycle is reinforcing because the brain resists change,” Jiménez explains. “We’re not naturally good at handling uncertainty, so altering our routine can feel like a major disruption.”

How Much Time Does It Take to Break a Habit?

Since the brain doesn’t differentiate between good and bad habits, and unlearning them is challenging, it typically takes between 30 and 60 days to break a habit, as explained by Shelton. Some studies suggest it takes an average of 66 days to develop a new habit, with timeframes varying greatly—from 18 to 254 days—based on factors like the behavior's complexity.

Keep in mind that your brain reinforced the habit you want to change over an extended period (often years!), so reprogramming the neural pathways tied to that habit will also require time. Whether you aim to quit biting your nails or stop overspending, these eight expert tips can guide you toward breaking the cycle.

Strategies for Breaking a Habit

1. Establish Clear Goals

Begin by setting a goal. When you're attempting to change a long-standing habit, the hardest part can be getting started. Goal-setting helps you adopt the right mindset and gives you something concrete to aim for. Consistency is essential when working toward achieving your goal .

“Fear of failure is a common barrier that prevents many from taking the first step in breaking a bad habit. This fear often leads to self-sabotage, creating a cycle that’s hard to escape,” Jiménez explains. “Becoming self-aware is the initial step in crafting a realistic plan that suits you, which can be instrumental in preventing the habit from spiraling further.”

2. Identify the Trigger of the Habit

According to Shelton, while people often know the habit they wish to change, identifying what sparks the habit can be elusive. As a starting point, she suggests focusing on recognizing the specific trigger that sets the habit in motion.

Once you identify the trigger, use it as a signal to introduce a new, positive habit. Pay close attention to cause-and-effect relationships in your daily life. For example, if an argument with your partner leads you to immediately start mindless online shopping, you can pinpoint that as your trigger for overspending.

3. Understand the Reason Behind Your Desire to Change

To break a habit, it's crucial to approach it with the right mindset, says Jiménez. She advises taking the time to reflect on why you want to make a change before taking any action. This self-reflection might take some time but will ultimately serve as a powerful source of motivation.

When your reason is deeply personal and tied to your values or identity—such as valuing health, seeing yourself as a healthy person, and wanting to set a healthy example for your children, for instance—you create a foundation for intrinsic motivation, Jiménez explains. Additionally, having a clear, personal 'why' helps you push through setbacks along the way. Remember, setbacks are inevitable and completely normal—just keep moving forward.

Write down your 'why' on a piece of paper and place it where you can see it often. Journal about it. Even create a vision board around it. Keep that 'why' at the forefront as you begin your journey of habit change.

4. Start Small

Jiménez points out that many people try to make drastic changes when trying to modify their behavior. This is why New Year’s resolutions often fail—they are too overwhelming, too soon.

Pressuring yourself to dive in completely or aim for drastic change with a new habit can lead to unrealistic expectations, says Jiménez. She points out that many people attempt to overhaul their entire lifestyle at once, taking on too many habits to change simultaneously. This often leads to pressure, frustration, and ultimately, failure.

Instead, Jiménez suggests starting small, as she believes it's the key to lasting success. This may involve adjusting your approach to your goal, making it more achievable by focusing on what’s realistic in terms of effort and challenge. Breaking things down into manageable steps can make the process feel more rewarding, which helps keep the momentum going. From there, you can gradually increase the challenge and effort as you make progress toward your new behavior.

5. Make It Easy

Along with simplifying certain steps to fit your abilities and lifestyle, Jiménez recommends reducing the level of effort required overall. She suggests considering the effort and challenge involved in changing your behavior. On a scale of zero to ten, where zero means no effort and challenge, and ten means extreme difficulty, she advises finding a way to make the change that feels more like a three or four. Making it easy increases your chances of successfully building a new habit.

For instance, if you spend three hours a day on social media and want to reduce it to just 30 minutes a day, a reasonable approach would be to start by cutting back to 2 hours and 45 minutes. Then, after a week, reduce it further to 2 hours and 30 minutes, and so on, gradually decreasing the time. This method ensures you achieve small, consistent victories without overwhelming your system.

6. Engage in Mindfulness Practices

In her work with clients, Shelton has discovered that effectively changing habits requires cultivating greater mindfulness. She shares her favorite definition of mindfulness by Jon Kabat-Zinn: 'Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.'

This suggests that to break free from a negative habit, you can enhance your mindfulness, or your ability to stay aware in the present—without being self-critical. Focus on grounding yourself in the here and now, observing your experience. Consider using a meditation app or enrolling in a mindfulness course to master these principles and practice them in everyday life.

However, you don’t necessarily need a new app or structured program to heighten your awareness of when, how, and why you’re engaging in certain automatic behaviors you'd like to change. In fact, identifying the trigger from step one is an excellent starting point.

7. Release Perfectionism

“Don’t strive for perfection—strive for consistency,” Shelton advises. “Success isn’t linear. Some days will feel easier than others, and that’s perfectly fine. It’s not about achieving perfection each time. What truly matters is staying consistent in your daily efforts to change your habits. Falling into the all-or-nothing mindset, which is common since we tend to be our harshest critics, only sets you up for frustration and a drop in motivation.”

Cut yourself some slack and don’t criticize yourself when you give in to an undesirable habit or feel like you've taken a step backward. Just try again tomorrow and focus on that consistency.

8. Keep Track of Your Progress and Celebrate Small Wins

Jiménez emphasizes the importance of recognizing even the smallest wins and the progress you’ve made in breaking your habits. In fact, acknowledging these small successes can be what separates failure from success.

“The key to success is understanding that our goals won’t be achieved overnight, and that’s perfectly fine,” Jiménez explains. “While it’s tempting to focus solely on the big final goal, it’s crucial to celebrate the ‘small’ wins along the way as they provide motivational boosts. Little victories can accumulate and lead to significant progress.”

This means jotting down your accomplishments on sticky notes and sticking them on your bathroom mirror; sharing your pride with a friend or family member; keeping a journal or using an app to monitor your progress. Giving yourself a pat on the back multiple times a day. The very act of taking on the challenge of breaking or changing a habit is something to be proud of, and that recognition should primarily come from yourself.