Let’s say it’s 2 am, you’re watching a movie on your bed and you’re really hungry. You simply feel the urge to go downstairs and grab ten bags of chips because that’s what you were used to doing in a movie theatre, associating a movie with snacking.
So…you decide to satisfy your brain’s cravings, you eat one bag and leave the rest of the bags on the nightstand. Next thing you know, the next few days, you are also on your bed enjoying the moment by eating chips that are even easier to reach, right next to your bed.
You knew that late-night snacking could not only increase susceptibility to weight gain, but also raise blood sugar levels and even negatively affect sleep quality; you told yourself you would only eat chips today. But….little did you know, the action of eating one chip turns into an entire habit in your night routine.
If that sounded like you, perhaps consider reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is not a joke; it provides evidence-based strategies that are proven to work (if you stick to it, of course). Throughout the books, he gives you practical examples and techniques with a framework to help you improve every day. James Clear presents executable actions that can help you build new habits AND destroy bad ones (such as late-night snacking 😔).
Before we start…it’s essential to understand the meaning of the title—Atomic Habits. Here is the definition given by James Clear:
Atomic
- an extremely small amount of a thing; the single irreducible unit of a larger system
- the source of immense energy or power
Habit
- a routine or practice performed regularly; an automatic response to a specific situation
Therefore, an atomic habit is essentially a little routine that is performed regularly. You’ll see how powerful these atomic habits are as you gradually improve—known as the compounding effect (explained in takeaway #1).
❗️Without further ado, here are my top 6 takeaways that can help you shape the best version of yourself:
Takeaway #1: Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement
In Atomic Habits, the central idea, or theme is that getting 1% better every day counts for A LOT in the long run. Developing habits is really just like how money multiplies through compound interest. If you get 1% better every day for only a year, you will become 37 times better in the end.
In the beginning, it might seem like absolutely nothing is happening, but as you look back in five, or ten years, the value of good habits and the cost of bad ones becomes strikingly apparent. Of course, a 1% improvement isn’t really noticeable, BUT it’s important to understand that small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. And that is what James Clear calls The Plateau of Latent Potential.
We often expect progress to be linear and hope that it will come overnight, but in reality, the most powerful outcomes are delayed. Breakthrough moments are often the result of repetition and persistence which build up the potential required to unleash a major change until our habits become automated and even unconscious.
“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.” — James Clear
But it is important to keep in mind that compounding could be positive or negative—they might be forming in favour or against you.
- Positive Compounding: productivity, knowledge, relationship, etc…
- Negative Compounding: stress, negative thoughts, outrage
It’s the accumulation of many missteps—a 1 percent decline here and there—that eventually leads to a problem. To avoid negative compounding, you need to learn to break these habits using the reverse of James Clear’s 4 laws (as I will discuss in Takeaway #4).
Takeaway #2: Systems > Goals
You might have been taught to dream big and set goals in order to achieve something you desire, but it’s about time to scratch that thinking….
- Goals are about the results you want to achieve.
- Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.
There are a few problems with goals…
- Winners and losers have the same goal. Everyone wants to win the competition, every applicant wants to get into the university, and every Olympian wants to win a gold medal, but the reality is…not everyone gets what they want. That’s because goals don’t help you achieve anything.
- Achieving a goal is only a momentary change. Goals will only change your life for the moment, and you won’t get anything out of it aside from momentary happiness.
- Goals restrict your happiness. Reaching a goal is often associated with happiness, but if you don’t reach it you will be unsatisfied.
- Goals are at odds with long-term progress. If you focus on goals, once you’ve reached a goal, you will stop the training or the habit, making it very unsustainable.
Of course, goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.
Everyone has the same objectives, but the only way to get a different result is to put in place a system of ongoing, minor improvements. It’s crucial to fall in love with the process rather than the end product. An atomic habit is an atomic habit that is part of a larger system. Just as atoms are the building blocks of molecules, atomic habits are the building blocks of remarkable results.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” — James Clear
For example, if your goal is to build a multi-million business, your system, or process, might consist of learning marketing strategy, executing strategies, recruiting experienced employees, testing product feasibility, etc. Thinking that you want a successful business won’t move you forward. Instead, planning out your system can guide you to a successful future because that’s the how behind everything. You might recruit X amount of employees on X day and train them using a curriculum you built; you might distribute your product to gather feedback; no matter what, build a system that works for you.
Soooo moral of the story: if you want better results, forget about setting goals and focus on having a good system instead.
Takeaway #3: Change your Identity to change your habit
Identity is the basis behind every decision you make and every time you act; your behaviours are usually a reflection of your identity. That being said, to truly change a habit—which is the way you act—you have to change your identity.
To change your identity, there are two steps:
- Decide the type of person you want to be
- Prove it to yourself with small wins. The more things you do in favour of your identity, the more you’re likely to believe that. Each habit not only gets results but also teaches you something more important: to trust yourself. The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do.
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of 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
For example, if you want to become a healthy person, ask yourself “What would a healthy person do?” Perhaps they take a 30 minutes walk after dinner every day, order a salad instead of pizza at a restaurant, or sleep before 11 pm every night. If you act like the healthy person you want to become for long enough, you will eventually become that person.
Or you might want to be the kind of person that stands up for your friends. With that identity in mind, every time you defend your friend, you ARE the active friend who is not a bystander. That’s an extra vote for that particular identity.
In summary, the more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it. Instead of focusing on what results you want, change your beliefs–focus on who you wish to become. Then, you could figure out a process (system) that leads to an outcome (goals) that is in favour of that identity.
Takeaway #4: The Four Laws to Create Good Habits and Break Bad Habits
The four laws follow the four steps of the habit loop:
The 1st Law: Make it obvious (cue)
- By making cues obvious in the environment, the cue triggers your brain to initiate a behaviour. It is a bit of information that predicts a reward.
- Fill out the Habits Scorecard. Write down your current habits and rate them either as +, -, or = according to the identity you want to form. This will help you become aware of them.
- Use implementation intentions: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].” Ex. I will study math for one hour at 7pm in my bedroom.
- Use habit stacking: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].” Ex. After I brush my teeth, I will listen to a podcast.
- Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.
The Inverse of 1st Law: Make it invisible (cue)
- Reduce exposure. Remove the cues of your bad habits from your environment. Ex. Put your phone in another room while you study.
The 2nd Law: Make it attractive (craving)
- Craving is the motivational force behind every habit; when something is attractive, you want it and it creates a dopamine-driven feedback loop.
- Pair habit stacking with the temptation bundling formula (associate an action you want to do with an action you need to do). After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED]. After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT]. Ex. After I close the curtains, I will read for 30 minutes (need). After I read for 30 minutes, I will check my messages (want).
- Join a culture where your desired behaviour is the normal behaviour. Those around you tend to shape who you are.
- Create a motivation ritual. Do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.
The Inverse of 2nd Law: Make it Unattractive (craving)
- Reframe your mindset. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.
- Associate bad habits with negative feelings. Ex. if I eat too many chips, I will become obese and I won’t feel good about myself anymore.
The 3rd Law: Make it easy (response)
- When something is easy, you are more likely to do it. The response is the actual habit you perform, which can take the form of a thought or an action.
- Reduce friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits. Ex. If you want to annotate while you read, put your pencil, pens, and a book on your desk for easy access.
- Prime the environment. Prepare your environment to make future actions easier.
- Master the decisive moment. Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact.
- Use the 2-Minute Rule. Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less. Start small and work your way up to a fully developed habit. The more you ritualized the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things. Ex. “Read before sleeping” becomes “read for two minutes.”
- Automate your habits. Invest in technology and one-time purchases that lock in future behaviour. Ex. If you want better sleep, buy blackout curtains or a better mattress.
- Tailor your habits to your strengths so that it’s easier for you. The secret to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition. Ex. If you are a musician and a dancer, combine those to skills to become the best musician that can dance while playing an instrument.
The Inverse of 3rd Law: Make it difficult (response)
- Increase friction. Increase the number of steps between you and your bad habits. Ex. If you watch too much TV, unplug it and put it in a closet after you finish watching it. This way, it takes more effort the next time you want to watch TV and it will prevent mindless viewing.
- Use a commitment device. Restrict your future choices to the ones that benefit you. Ex. Use a website blocker to block off social media browsing.
The 4th Law: Make it satisfying (reward)
- Satisfaction is the reward that satiates your desires and teaches you, making you want to repeat the process and go through the habit loop once again, thus reinforcing the habit.
- Use reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward (that reinforces your identity/works in favour of your identity) when you complete your habit. Ex. Every time you eat a healthy meal, add $50 to your savings account which will be used for a vacation (where you’ll bond with your family).
- Make “doing nothing” enjoyable. When avoiding a bad habit, design a way to see the benefits.
- Use a habit tracker. Keep track of your habit streak and “don’t break the chain.” Ex. Ticking or checking a box every time you do a habit is super satisfying.
- Never miss twice. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately.
The Inverse of 4th Law: Make it unsatisfying (reward):
- Get an accountability partner. Ask someone to watch your behaviour. Ex.
- Create a habit contract. Make the costs of your bad habits public and painful. Ex. If I don’t wake up at 6 am every day, I have to transfer $50 to my sister’s bank account.
Example #1: Building the Habit of Running for 30 Minutes Every Day
Example #2: Breaking the bad habit of Procrasintaing on Youtube
In short, your emotions influence how you act.
Visibility gets you excited and anxious to do something. Attractiveness motivates you to act. Simplicity makes it fun to do. Satisfaction makes you feel successful and helps you repeat a behaviour.
Ultimately, associate good habits with enjoyment and bad habits with displeasure.
Takeaway #5: Motivation is overrated; environment often matters more
Every habit is context-dependent and small changes in context can lead to huge changes in behaviour over time. You can alter the spaces where you live and work to increase your exposure to positive cues and reduce your exposure to negative ones.
“Environment design allows you to take back control and become the architect of your life. Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it” — James Clear
Every habit is initiated by a cue. We are more likely to notice cues that stand out. A simple example is if you want to drink more water every day, you can design your environment by putting a bottle of water in every visible spot in your house that can serve as a reminder every time you walk by.
Gradually, your habits become associated not with a single trigger but with the entire context surrounding the behaviour. The context becomes the cue. You can even take advantage of the environment to associate a particular habit with a context, adhering to the mantra “One space, one use.” For example, you could use your living room for texting and watching television, your bedroom for sleeping, and a table in your room for working and studying. That way, your behaviours associated with the environment become stable and predictable.
Takeaway #6: The Goldilocks Rule
The Goldilocks Rule refers to an optimal zone of difficulty when humans experience peak motivation. It’s when you work on tasks that are right on the edge of your current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right.
When you first start a new habit, keep it easy so that you can stick to it. However, once your habit is gradually established and perhaps boring, bring some novelty and challenge into it. The variance leads to the greatest spike of dopamine, enhances memory recall, and accelerates habit formation. These challenges keep you engaged and help you achieve a flow state, meaning that you are “in the zone” and fully immersed in the activity.
For example, let’s say you want to start exercising. At first, you might start with just 5 minutes each day, until you get into the habit of exercising. Then, 5 minutes would become boring, so you could challenge yourself by lifting heavier weights or training your leg muscles in addition to your arm muscles. If it ever gets too hard, you could lower the level of difficulty to keep your motivation going.
However, keep in mind that, when habits become routine, they become less interesting and less satisfying. That is when you have to fall in love with boredom.
Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated, but it’s the ability to keep going when work isn’t exciting that makes the difference.
Conclusion
These are all amazing strategies for forming or breaking habits. It’s one thing to understand it, but another story to start implementing it. So stop procrastinating and remember to start with something simple, make it enjoyable, and repeat the process. I will personally use these takeaways as well to upgrade into a better version of myself :)
— Happy New Year 🥳
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