Atomic Habits
The good habits allow us to improve our live. This amazing book brings ideas based on proven cientific investigations to transform our daily basis by applying small but significant changes.
The self-improvement will come once we apply some basic laws described below. These laws shape our behavour and build the system that triggers a snow ball in our growth.
Personally, this is one of the best books I've ever read. It is very straightforward to follow and motivates you to reach the best version of yourself.
James Clear
The book's author is James Clear, an american writer and speaker focused on habits, decision making, and continuous improvement. He founded Habits Academy, a set of online courses that explains the best way to build better habits in clear an easy-to-follow way.
James Clear has been Speaker for major companies and events worldwide (Cisco, General Electric, Honda, Intel, LinkedIn, Lululemon, McKinsey & Company, Merrill Lynch beyond others) 🎙, Athlete ⚾️, Writer 📝 and Consultant for the NFL, NBA and MLB.
Four Laws for Habit Formation
The habits are the personal growth compound interest.
Adopting those changes in our life could not be as easy as it seems. You will need to break the bad habits along with changing your identity.
By decomposing how you spend your life you will get what your habits are: the things you do, how often you do them, your beliefs, the people you spend the time with, among others.
The following 4 laws work as stages that definitive will guide you to adopt good habits.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| cue 🧏🏻 | craving 🌫 | response 👷🏼 | reward 🏅 |
The four stages of habit.
1. Make it obvious
Don’t hide your vegetables in your fridge, put them in sight.
Become aware of the things you need and don't need to do. You can write your routine and check what of those habits is missing or leftover. Set your goals.
Create an intention for the habit implementation:
- I'll [ conduct ] at [ time ] in [ place ].
- I'll do exercise at 7:00am in the GYM 🏋🏻♂️.
Organize and design yout environment. Clean your desk, write your TODOs and check them once you complete them.
For breaking the bad habits, make it invisible. For example, hiding your phone for 1 hour. By reducing exposure to the signal that triggers the bad habit you will make it more difficult to do so. People with more self-control tend to avoid tempting situations.
In conclusion, the cue triggers your brain to do something.
2. Make it attractive
The more attractive the opportunity, the more likely the habit will be formed. This phase is linked to feelings and emotions, because you will anticipate the reward, and that puts us into action.
For example, reading the book first, then checking your phone. Not the other way around.
You will have the desire to act. But nothing will happen til you act.
The environment where you live determines which behaviors are attractive to you. If your family encourages you to practice a sport or to play an instrument your conduct will be approved and praised by them. By joining environments where the desired behavior is a normal behavior your identity will be strengthened.
For example, I like to be part of a book club 📚.
On the other hand, if you are working on leaving a bad habit you should make it less attractive. You should link those bad habits to negative thoughts.
In conclusion, the craving motivates you to do something and it is tied to your environment.
3. Make it easy
Don't create frictions. Act. Get started.
The most effective way to learn is by practicing, not by planning. It is more important to repeat the habit than the time you've been doing it.
Reduce the obstacles, we want to do the less work as possible. For example, getting your clothes ready the day before doing exercise 🏃🏻♂️.
The less time you need to get started, the more chances to complete it.
If you are trying lo remove a bad habit, you have to add more obstacles. Hide your phone. Break your cigarrettes. Buy just healthy food.
In conclusion, the response is the actual habit you perform, reduce the effort before doing so.
4. Make it satisfying
We tend to repeat an experience when it is satisfying. What is immediately rewarded is repeated, what is immediately punished is avoided.
By doing the habit obvious, attractive and easy you will increase the changes to perform it. By doing it satisfying you increase the changes to repeat it.
Track your progress 🗓. You will be satisfied with the results you achieve.
Don't break the routine.
Make it unsatisfactory when working on quitting bad habits. Make it painful, with an immediately cost. For example, sharing your progress publicly or having a partner that is a witness of the penalties.
In conclusion, rewards are the end goal of every habit.
Final thoughts
The key to a more productive and healthy life is habits. This book helped me gain motivation and discipline to achieve the goals I set for myself.
Additional insights:
- Choose your path according to your skills/passions.
- Keep going when it's not exciting. That is the real challenge.
- Set your goals and track your progress.
- Reflect and review for the long-term improvement.
const mastery = habits + deliberatePractice;
Preview Photo taken from Samantha Gades.