Why Atomic Habits Was My Book Of The Year

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“Atomic Habits,” by James Clear, is one of the most influential self-improvement books I’ve had the pleasure of reading in 2020. The mix of complex psychology about human behavior mixed with real-life examples and simplistic thinking is the perfect concoction for analysis and implementation in my own life. After all, James makes the powerful point that “habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” It’s worth investing in this knowledge when navigating your journey of becoming the best version of yourself. Sometimes you need to think about things a little differently to connect the dots, break bad habits, implement the good, and become 1% better each day.

Throughout these pages, James consistently demonstrates his expertise in how the human mind works. I found chapter 7 to be particularly helpful in my own life. This chapter focused on the idea that in order to build a new habit you need to “identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. This is called habit stacking. Formula: ‘After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].” For example, I’ve already formed a good habit of working out and eating a healthy lunch almost every day; however, I struggle to consistently drink enough water throughout the day. So, after working out and eating healthy, I will drink at least three glasses of water. The idea is that when you pair a new habit with one that you’ve already mastered, you’re more likely to stay consistent with the habit you’re trying to form. Psychologically, you’re setting yourself up for success, which makes it easier to accomplish on a consistent basis. This takes me to my next point, which is a focal point throughout “Atomic Habits,” which is the Four Laws of Behavior Change.

“The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying.” Making a habit obvious is all about location; if you want to take your vitamins every day make sure the bottles are visible when you brush your teeth in the morning; if you want to eat healthier only purchase good foods at the grocery store so you aren’t tempted when you look for a snack. To make the habit attractive, add something you enjoy to your habit, like music or a podcast on a walk, or tennis or soccer to a workout plan. To make it easy you can use strategies like habit stacking to keep consistency and motivation alive daily. Also, make your habit is easy to accomplish, like writing for at least one minute every day or practicing positive affirmations for two minutes in the morning. Here’s an example from my own life: I want to begin forming a positive habit of reading every day. To implement this daily habit, I want to follow these four laws of behavior change stated above. To make it “(1) obvious,” I will put a book on my pillow at night. When I do that, I already know what I’m reading and that I need to read before I go to sleep at night. To make reading every night “(2) attractive” I will make a list of books I want to read and buy them. That way, I’ll have them ready to go whenever I finish my current book. To make it “(3) easy”, I’ll try to read at least one page every day. This may not sound like a lot, but it’s a trick; I know that on most days, I’ll likely read much more than one page a day; however, when I’m swamped with work and don’t feel like reading, it’s an easy goal to accomplish even if it’s minimal (it’s still reading something!) Lastly, I’ll “(4) make it satisfying” with a reward of a nice warm shower or one small piece of dark chocolate when I complete the task. By following these laws of behavior change, it should make it easier for me to implement this habit in my daily life.

What I love about “Atomic Habits” is it also addresses negative habits and how to eliminate them from your daily life. “The way to make bad habits harder to implement is to make them invisible, unattractive, difficult, and unsatisfying.”

1. “Make it invisible. Reduce exposure. Remove the cues of your bad habits from your environment.” Suppose your habit is spending too much time on your cell phone during work hours. You can make this habit invisible by silencing your phone and putting it in a desk drawer while you are working.” My example: Make video games invisible. I’ll move my console into my closet after using it. That way, I won’t see it when I’m sitting on my couch in the living room.

2. “Make it unattractive. Reframe your mindset. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.” Maybe you want to stop reading a specific website or learning about a particular term. You can make it unattractive by setting a keyword trigger to notify your accountability partner.” My Example: Do 10 pushups every time I pick up the Xbox controller. Pretty soon, the controller will be associated with 10 pushups.

3. “Make it difficult. Increase friction. Increase the number of steps between you and your bad habits. Restrict your future choices to the ones that benefit you.” What if you want to spend less time on social media? You could log out of social media apps or even uninstall the apps from your phone.” My Example: Now I need to set the Xbox up every time I want to play. This creates a barrier of entry.

4. “Make it unsatisfying. Get an accountability partner. Ask someone to watch your behavior. Make the costs of your bad habits public and painful.” If your bad habit is looking at objectionable content online, you can authorize your accountability partner to enforce a predetermined consequence.” My Example: Text my brother “I played too many video games today” every time I play for more than two hours a day.

I could go on and on about what I learned from “Atomic Habits.” I’m looking forward to the implementation process in my life and can’t wait to see if I can execute. Updates to come.

Favorite Quotes:

• Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Getting 1 percent better every day counts for a lot in the long-run.

• Your identity emerges out of your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

• People with high self-control tend to spend less time in tempting situations. It’s easier to avoid temptation than to resist it.

• Reduce the friction associated with good behaviors. When friction is low, habits are easy.

• Standardize before you optimize. You can’t improve a habit that doesn’t exist.

• Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your belief, and to upgrade and expand your identity.

• The Two-Minute Rule states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do so.”

• The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.

• An atomic habit is a little habit that is part of a larger system. Just as atoms are building blocks of molecules, atomic habits are the building blocks of remarkable results.

• Focus on taking action, not being in motion.