Book review: Atomic Habits — key takeaways from the book
Atomic habits: tiny changes, a remarkable result is a book by James Clear that has been on my reading list for a long time. In 2023, I begin this project where I read 12 books about career and self-development and then write reviews.
Who should read Atomic Habits?
The book is for everyone, who wants to create good habits. It’s a self-help book; if you’ve read many books already, I think you can skip this one. By the way, Sean Kernan wrote an article about Atomic habits, which is hilarious and I recommend reading it.
Atomic habits offer a habit-oriented approach rather than a goal-oriented one. Book promises that you'll achieve your goals if you follow your healthy habits. It’s just that simple. The author explains the process of success, transformation, creation of habits, and breaking bad ones.
Why should you read this book?
Because it will help you see the different picture. If you want to change your habits, and your life overall, this book is worth reading. If you want to read a comprehensive guide for habit forming and changing your approaches, this book is for you.
An atomic habit is a little 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.
James Clear
Also, Medium sent me an email where I found this article by Kurtis Pykes and it reminded me of the atomic habit. They both share some insights. The article is very useful, btw.
Key takeaways from Atomic Habits
“A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic.”
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
James Clear
The process of building the habit consists of 4 simple steps: cue, craving, response and reward. These four steps are the backbone of every habit formation.
James Clear
1. Shift the focus from the goal to the process.
The book offers this approach —without thinking much about the goal, focus on the system. The idea is not new, but it’s quite detailed in the book.
Small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. You need to be patient.
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
James Clear
It equally applies to learning a new language, eating healthy, career transitioning, working out, writing a book, and managing a household. When you are focused on the goal, improvements are temporary. If you want to maintain this improvement, it should become part of who you are.
Success is the product of daily habits — not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.
2. Don’t mix up motion and action
One of the best piece of advice I’ve seen in this book was how to distinguish motion and action. It’s a brain trap, when you think and plan to do something, it feels like an action. In reality, it’s not.
Instead of planning, and trying to do something very good or perfect, book offers to do a little. Be a little bit better at something.
“ We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action”
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
James Clear
For instance, one technique is two minute rule. You can do something for just two minutes, which is easy. You can read one page in two minutes, and if you read one page daily, it’s better then not to read at all. Small change is still a change 🤩
3. Make it obvious
The process of behavior change starts with awareness. If you are not aware of your habits, you cannot change them. So, first, you need to somehow notice your habits.
To raise your awareness, one technique from the book is pointing and calling. It raises your level of awareness from a nonconscious habit to a more conscious level by verbalizing your actions.
After being aware of what your current habits are, you’ll want to add new habits. The technique the author offers is habit stacking:
“Habit stacking is a special form of an implementation intention. Rather than pairing your new habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit.”
4. Make it attractive
Dopamine plays a huge part of habit formation. If the opportunity is more attractive, the chance to became a habit is high.
“Interestingly, the reward system that is activated in the brain when you receive a reward is the same system that is activated when you anticipate a reward. This is one reason the anticipation of an experience can often feel better than the attainment of it.”
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
James Clear
In this chapter the author stresses the importance of our surroundings. Since childhood, we are prone to imitate the habits of our surrounding social groups: family and friends, the tribe and of people who have the status and prestige.
“One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group.”
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
James Clear
5. Make it easy
And make it difficult for habits you want to ditch. In this chapter, there are several methods and examples of how to make your habits easy to do, and bad habits difficult.
In this chapter, author suggests automatization as a solution.
“Onetime choices — like buying a better mattress or enrolling in an automatic savings plan — are single actions that automate your future habits and deliver increasing returns over time.”
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
James Clear
6. Make it satisfying
We are more likely to repeat the behaviour that satisfies us. This part of the book is focused on how to make habits satisfying.
“The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
James Clear
If you give immediate reward to yourself when you complete habit, slowly the habit itself will became associate with satisfaction.
Conclusion
Overall, Atomic habit is a good book about self improvement and self development. It is practical, full of cases and examples, and I recommend reading it.
If you like this article, don’t forget to 👏👏👏👏👏 and follow me on Medium.
