66 days can Change the World
Did you know it takes on average 66 days to form a new habit? I wonder what would happen if we formed lots of good habits. Ones that were good for the planet.
What are habits?
Human behaviour is built on habits. Our everyday actions, the small things we do day in day out, make up our lives and our behaviours. Habits are automatic - things we do without thinking, often triggered by something. For example, when I put my coffee on in the morning I jump in the shower while it brews. Putting on the coffee triggers me to the next action, without really thinking about it. I’m on autopilot.
We all rely on habits to enable us to get all of the small things done, without having to stop and concentrate on what we are doing - thus saving us time and energy.
In a study published by the European Journal of Social Psychology in 2009, they discovered that on average it takes 66 days for us to form a new habit.
66 days to Good Habits: Making it Easy
This got me thinking. How do we make it easy for us to form good habits: ones that are having a positive impact on our planet and our fellow travelers?
When we want to try something new, it often takes a bit of a nudge for us to get started. That can come in the form of a gift from a friend. I know if someone buys me tickets to a show - I am much more likely to go and see it, than if I have to find and organise something myself. So - a gift. That is an easy way to give someone a fresh start.
And then - how do we keep it going for 66 days? How about if we just receive a small nudge once a month - for three months. The good things that we have started just arrive at our door - simple.
What are these Good Habits?
So what do we mean by good habits? For me, this means behaviors in our daily lives that are good for people and good for the planet. It means using products in our daily lives that do no harm and move us towards a better tomorrow for the planet and the people we share it with.
Good for people means that our supply chain ensures people are paid fairly, there is no forced labour and no child labour.
Good for the planet means we minimise waste. We buy quality, practical items that we can love and cherish. We use natural sustainably sourced materials wherever possible, that ca easily bio-degrade a the end of their life. We avoid plastic. We upcycle and recycle.
Even better than doing no harm - we can have a positive impact by supporting fair trade producers and artisans in disadvantaged communities. By bringing their products to market, providing employment and fair income, we empower and support their communities to alleviate poverty and build positive change.
So how do we do it?
How about this: gift packs that set you up with all of the good things you need to get you on the right path. A kitchen setup pack, or laundry setup - or maybe a pampering pack to throw some self-care in there too.
Let’s add a 3 month subscription, so that the refills and renewals for consumables keep arriving each month. We can make it fun with different designs and fragrances each month - or just keep it simple with the one you like.
And if you want to start your own good habits, you can choose your own great products. You can add a subscription so that all of the good things are coming from one place, arriving on your door each month.
Let’s do this.
It turns out - it’s easier than we think. Imagine if we all just made one small change and created one good habit. If we swapped out our roll-on deodorant for a natural one that comes in a glass jar; or we swapped our handwash for one with plastic-free refills.
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