“Atomic Habits” by James Clear — everything you need to know
Key lessons from the book:
1. Small habits make a big difference
We humans want instant rewards for our work but the problem is, it doesn’t work that way. We have to contribute to our goals every day for a long time. These tiny improvements then build up and lead to amazing results.
Imagine that you get 1% better each day for one year, at the end of it you will end up 37 times better. It doesn’t matter how close you are to your goals right now, what matters is your habits, whether they are putting you on the path to success.
2. Forget about setting goals. Focus on systems instead
Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.
You have to create the right environment for your habits to thrive. For example, you want to eat healthier but you do grocery shopping only when you run out of food and usually end up eating takeout. You are not the problem, the fault in your system. In this case, you have to create a list of things that should always be in your fridge, but the right kitchen utensils or even invest in a dishwasher if you don’t like washing the dishes. You have to make eating healthy easier.
3. Build identity-based habits
To change your behavior for good, you need to rebrand your identity instead of forcing new behaviors on your old one.
There are two steps to changing identity-based beliefs:
- decide the type of person you want to be
- prove to yourself that you are that person with small wins
Your identity emerges from your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
“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. This is one reason why meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it is actually big. That’s the paradox of making small improvements.”
Atomic Habits, page 38
The science behind habits
Any habit can be explained with the habit loop that consists of four simple steps:
1. Cue
This is a trigger that tells your brain to initiate a behavior. It’s a bit like a signal that prompts you to start the habit. Cues can be anything from a time of day, to an emotional state, or seeing a particular item or place.
2. Craving
The craving is the motivational force behind every habit. It’s not just about wanting the end reward; it’s the desire to change your internal state. For example, craving a cup of coffee in the morning isn’t just about wanting coffee but also about wanting the feeling of alertness and warmth it provides.
3. Response
This is the actual habit you perform, which can be an action or a thought. The response is the behavior that results from your craving. It’s what you do to get the reward.
4. Reward
Rewards are the end goal of every habit. They satisfy your cravings and teach your brain to associate the habit with pleasure, reinforcing the habit loop. Rewards can be anything that makes you feel good, like the taste of coffee, the endorphin rush after exercise, or the relief of stress from biting your nails.
Note: the habit loop comes from the feedback loop in cybernetics.
Example (binge eating):
1.Cue:
It could be an emotional trigger like stress or sadness, environmental cues like seeing a favorite snack, or habitual cues like eating while watching TV.
2.Craving:
In the case of binge eating, it might be the craving for comfort, the pleasure of taste, or an emotional release. The craving is what transforms the cue into a desire for a specific behavior.
3.Response:
The response is the actual behavior or habit, which in this case is binge eating. This is the action taken to satisfy the craving. It involves eating large amounts of food, often quickly and to the point of discomfort.
4.Reward:
In binge eating, the reward might be temporary emotional relief, satisfaction from the taste of the food, or a feeling of escape from stress. However, this reward is often followed by feelings of guilt or physical discomfort, which can ironically become a new cue in a harmful cycle.
How to build new habits:
1.Make It Obvious
- Write down your current habits to become aware of them.
- Use implementation intentions: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at
[TIME] in [LOCATION].”
- Use habit stacking: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”
- Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.
2.Make It Attractive
- Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.
- Join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.
- Create a motivation ritual.
- Do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.
3.Make It Easy
- Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits.
- Prepare your environment to make future actions easier.
- Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact.
- Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less.
- Invest in technology and onetime purchases that lock in future behavior.
4.Make It Satisfying
- Use reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit.
- 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.” - Never miss twice. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately.
How to break old habits:
1.Make It Invisible
- Remove the cues of your bad habits rom your environment.
2.Make It Unattractive
- Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.
3.Make It Difficult
- Increase the number of steps between you and your bad habits.
- Restrict your future choices to the ones that benefit you.
4.Make It Unsatisfying
- Get an accountability partner. Ask someone to watch your behavior
- Create a habit contract. Make the costs of your bad habits public and painful.
