Summary on Atomic Habits by James Clear
I started reading Atomic Habits by James Clear as part of an assignment, but it turned out to be so much more and “life changing.” The book inspired and motivated me to make changes in my daily life. The opening chapter’s account of James Clear kept me reading the novel. I am easily sidetracked, and the book targeted exactly what I was doing wrong in my daily life.
I learned how to form healthy habits and break bad ones using a straightforward, step-by-step framework built on the most effective behavioral science methods. It’s a really useful book that inspires me to change my behaviour and become the greatest version of myself.
“This is a gradual evolution. We do not change by snapping our fingers and deciding to be someone entirely new. We change bit by bit, day by day, habit by habit. We are continually undergoing microevolution of the self.”
Realistically speaking, it takes time to develop new habits and eliminate old ones. We don’t change overnight. It’s a lengthy game that requires patience. James Clear discusses the “compounding effect” and the notion that even if you don’t see the improvement day to day, improving by just 1% per day over time results in significant changes.
According to him, a habit is “a behavior which is done so many times it becomes automatic” The following four stages will help maintain repeating the behavior until it becomes a habit:
- Make it obvious
- Make it attractive
- Make it easy
- Make it satisfactory
James Clear asserts that observing your current behavior is the first step in creating a new habit. This will make it easier for you to spot regular gaps where new habits could fit in and behaviors you wish to quit. This is what he refers to as a Habit Scorecard. Your brain may more easily develop these automatic behaviors if you give them a “cue,” and the two most frequent cues are time and place. Making a bad habit invisible is the opposite of how to break it. Avoiding temptation is simpler than fighting it. To get fixated on place and time, you must make assertions such as, “I will [new behavior] at [time] at [location],” and “After [current habit] I will [new habit].”
We are more inclined to wish to repeat a behavior frequently the more appealing it appears to be to us. Therefore, you are more likely to stick with a new habit if you can make it appear appealing. One method to achieve this more easily is temptation bundling, in which you link your desired behavior to an action you want to take: ‘After [habit I need] I will do [habit I want]’.
People often choose the option that is the simplest or needs the least amount of labor, adhering to the “law of least effort”. Making a behavior as simple as feasible to accomplish will help it stay. By easing the resistance to the habits you wish to acquire, you can achieve this. With habits you don’t want to continue, the opposite is true: make them more challenging and create friction. James Clear also outlines the two-minute rule, which states that when you start a new habit, it should only take you that long.
We are more inclined to repeat an activity if it makes us feel good. Due to evolution, our brains prefer immediate rewards over those that will come later. To improve the probability that you will repeat your desirable action, you should experience some sort of immediate success when you carry it out, even if it is in a very little way. The majority of us are typically motivated by the sensation of progress. Tracking your habit will make it easy to implement this. Never miss twice is the golden guideline for effectively creating habits. It’s acceptable to skip your habit once, but if you do, be sure to make it a top priority to avoid skipping it again.
Integrate in your planning
James also outlines his main point, which is that changing behaviors is easiest when you concentrate on who you want to become rather than what you want to achieve.
He suggests asking the question ‘Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?’ And then shape my habits and actions around this question, letting my identity drive my actions rather than the results or outcomes.
Key takeaways
- Focusing on who you want to become rather than what you want to accomplish can help you modify your behaviors the most.
- Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.
- Forget about making objectives if you want better outcomes. Instead, concentrate on your system.
- We may create healthier habits by following the four simple laws of behavior change. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying.
