66-day habit alarm
The average time a new behaviour takes to become automatic in the University College London habit study. Use it for the habits you want to keep for life.
Other plans
Everything about the habit alarm, including how streaks and the calendar work, is on the habit alarm page.
Questions
Will the alarm ring if I close the tab or the laptop?
No. No website can ring after the browser is closed or the computer sleeps. Keep this tab open, plug in, and the clock keeps the screen awake for you. The Ready-to-ring check under the clock shows what is set up correctly.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes on Android while the tab is open (behind other tabs is fine). On iPhone the page must stay in the foreground because Safari does not let web pages play sound from the background. Add it to the Home Screen for a full-screen bedside clock.
Is it loud enough for heavy sleepers?
Pick Loud buzzer or Siren, set the volume slider to full, and switch on the sums-to-stop option in Settings so the alarm cannot be dismissed half asleep. The sunrise light brightens the screen before the alarm too.
Can I use my own sound?
Yes. In Settings, choose an MP3, WAV or OGG file. It is stored in this browser only and never uploaded. There are also 60 built-in sounds, from a twin-bell alarm clock and a rooster to an air horn and a music box, on the sounds page.
What do the sleep sounds do?
Rain, brown noise, white noise, fan and ocean are generated in the browser and play until the alarm, then fade out as it rings. They keep the tab active through the night.
Does it need an internet connection?
Only to load the page the first time. Alarms, sounds, the sleep calculator and the sunrise math all run on your device, and the page works offline once it has been opened.
Is anything stored or sent?
Alarms and settings are saved in your browser's local storage. Nothing is sent to a server, and there is no account.
What is a habit alarm?
An alarm that follows a plan instead of a single time. You say what the habit is, how often (every day, every other day, weekdays, specific days, or every N days), for how long (21 days, 30, 66, 90, until a date, or ongoing), and when to ring. It rings at each reminder time on scheduled days only, you tick it off when done, and the card shows day X of Y, your streak and a calendar of hits and misses.
Why 21 days, and is that real?
The '21 days' figure comes from a 1960s plastic surgeon's observation, not a study. The best research (Lally et al., University College London, 2009) found new habits took 18 to 254 days to become automatic, with an average of 66. Twenty-one days is still a useful first milestone; the 66-day plan is the one to use for habits you want to keep.
Does it ring if the tab is closed?
The full alarm rings while this page is open, like every alarm on this site. With the backup notification switched on, the server also sends a notification at each reminder time even if the browser is closed, as a single notification with your phone's own sound.