Atomic Habits
An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones By James Clear
Summary
James Clear’s book acts as an unofficial sequel to Charles Duhigg’s Power of Habits. It provides a more practical way to apply science to improving our behaviors. Atomic Habits offers an actionable system for changing habits by focusing on small, strategic shifts. It’s a valuable guide for anyone looking to create lasting improvements in their life.
“Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”- James Clear.
Book Breakdown
The Fundamentals
Marginal Gains: You can make 1% improvements to the little things in your life, and those cumulative gains over time add up to substantial successes.
A good example is the British cycling team, which focused on small details like keeping bikes clean and ensuring cyclists had comfortable beds. These small changes helped them go from being a mediocre team to one of the best in the world in the 2000s.
Results are a lagging measure of your habits. Our choices lead to results.
Our bank statements, fitness, and cleanliness are all slow indicators of how we live each day.
Change is slow and then happens all at once. Like a stone cutter hammering a rock, the split occurs after hundreds of blows. The last hammer strike is not the only one that did it, but often, it takes many repetitions for the impact to be seen.
Focus on systems over goals. Bill Walsh always said that if you do the right things, the score will take care of itself.
When people hit goals, they often revert to old behaviors.
Hitting the goal weight on the scale may mark the end of a diet, but if you have a system of healthier eating habits, you will continue with that lifestyle.
First Law: Make it Obvious
Identity
Change happens when you view yourself through the lens of "this is who I am" rather than trying to attain a goal.
Thinking I am someone who prioritizes my health and chooses to drink less rather than saying I have to quit drinking.
Each choice is a vote for who you want to be.
When eliminating a habit, make it invisible. “It is easier to avoid temptation than resist it.”-Clear.
Second Law: Make it Attractive
Surround yourself with people who support your identity, making it easier to follow. Your identity becomes linked to who “we” are as a group.
Cycling groups continue to support each other's exercise lifestyle.
Habit Loop and 4 Laws of Behavior Change
You can use this framework to rewire your habits.
Third Law: Make it Easy
Start with the smallest steps. To establish something easy to do, just read one page before bed. You can then build on that habit base.
The two-minute rule is to break down each habit into something that only takes two minutes, so it's easy to start.
The more we repeat habits, the easier they get. With frequency, the habit becomes automatic.
Fourth Law: Make it Satisfying
Give yourself incentives to start a habit. Have a reward or take a deep breath before taking on something new.
It is ok to miss one day, but never two in a row.
Habit Tracking is a great tool to reinforce that you are hitting the behaviors you want to improve.
You can set up punishments for yourself for missing a habit.
One person set up his trainer to remove money from his bank account if he missed workouts.
Three Big Lessons
Habits Compound Over Time: Small, incremental changes lead to significant results when consistently repeated.
Identity-Based Habits: Shaping habits based on desired identity leads to more profound, lasting change.
Use habit tracking to reinforce your choices.
Brad’s Review
Atomic Habits is one of the few books that changed my life. I spent more than a decade as an afternoon and evening runner. Exercise before dawn felt like torture. Once my son was born, I spent that time with my son and could not meet my fitness goals once my son was born. I used the steps in this book to transform into someone who gets up to work almost daily. His science-backed, straight-to-the-point delivery pairs well with sharp examples from the world. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
