Atomic habits
Atomic habit is a practical book to help you create good habits and break down bad habits. As a reader, you can expect an in-depth explanation of his practical framework of habit loops. Furthermore, James Clear gives many theories, practical techniques, and methods for each stage of the habit loops that you can use in your daily life. He emphasizes the importance of setting specific, measurable, and actionable goals and using implementation intentions to make those goals a reality.
However, there are many topics that James Clear mentioned in his book which can be highly valuable to you. So, I highly recommend you to buy this book if you want to build positive habits. Not sure if this book is meant for you? Well, say no more, read further as I will give you a detailed summary of the book, a list of theories that weren’t mentioned in the summary and the way how I implemented the theories in my personal life.
“If you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.
Table of Contents
What can you expect?
The book starts with a personal story about James Clear, how he learned about habits, the reason why he wrote the book atomic habits and how the book benefits you.
To understand the value of building habits, James Clear divided the chapters into five parts, starting from the fundamentals. He introduced the concept of atomic habits, which are small habits that build up over time to create significant change.
“A slight change in your daily habits can guide your life to a very different destination”
Chapter 1: The fundamentals
Small habits make a big difference.
An improvement of 1% every day isn’t noticeable at first, but can be far more meaningful in the long run.
When you get better every day with 1% for one year, you will be 37 times better than when you started. It’s all because of the compound effect. Every improvement adds up to your previous improvements, it accumulates throughout the year.
However, the same applies to bad habits. When you get worse every day, you will eventually create a problem.
A student who doesn’t work on his assignment every day will eventually create a problem of rushing before the deadlines ends.
“You get what you repeat”
Goals vs. Systems
“goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results”
A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems. These problems include;
- Problem #1: Winners and losers have the same goals but different outcomes.
When you focus on the results, you will lose sight of what is important. The system that creates the outcome.
- Problem #2: Achieving a goal is only a momentary change
We tend to think that the problems we see on the surface are the problems that we have to solve. However, a surface problem is an accumulation of smaller problems. You have to solve the core problems that exist at the system level.
“Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves.”
- Problem #3: Goals restrict your happiness.
When you achieve a goal, you become happy, but when you fail, you become disappointed. Your happiness depends on the results that you get when you are goal-oriented. However, a system-oriented person will fall in love with the process, not the results.
- Problem #4: Goals are at odds with long-term progress.
A goal is like a finish line at a marathon. When you cross the line, you achieve your goal. And many stops after they achieved their goal.
“Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results”
Three layers of habit change:
There are three layers of changing your habits;
Changing your outcome is the first layer of habit changing, as it only addresses the visible results of your habits.
Changing your processes means focusing on the habits themselves. By changing the specific actions that lead to the desired outcome, you can create better habits and achieve better results.
Changing your identity focuses on who you believe you are. If you change your identity, you change the habits that are consistent with that identity.
Many start with an outcome-based habit strategy where they are focusing on what they want to achieve rather than focusing on who they wish to become. An identity-based habit is the highest form of motivation, as it becomes part of you.
You become that person instead of wanting to be that person.
“Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity”
The habit loop
“Habits are, simple, reliable solutions to recurring problems in our environment”
To build a habit, you first have to understand what a habit is, how it works, and how to improve it. You have to understand the fundamental process of building a habit, which consists of 4 stages/steps:
- The cues
- The cravings
- The response
- The reward
James Clear refers to this framework as the four laws of behavior change.
Chapter 2: Make it Obvious
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate”
A problem only occurs when you see the problem. When you don’t see a problem, you might think that everything is going well. However, the problem will slowly creep up on you until it’s too late.
Same with habits. Habits or activities get triggered when you see a clear signal waving at you. If it’s not clear insight, then you will likely not remember that habit, making it harder for you to start and commit to a good habit.
So, how do we make the habit obvious? How can we raise our awareness from unconscious to conscious?
For starters, you can create a habit scorecard of your daily routine.
A habit scorecard is a list of your daily routine which includes good, neutral and bad habits. This exercise makes you aware of what you do every day, and by categorizing your habits, you become more aware of how your daily habits will benefit you in the long run.
Once you become aware of your habits, you can change them and even add new habits to your daily life.
This process is also called pointing and calling. It is designed to reduce mistakes and raise our awareness from unconscious to conscious level.
By bringing the awareness, you give signals to yourself, reminding you that your newly formed habit exists too. It is the cue that triggers you to start an activity (The Cue)
Other practical theories that you can use to make it obvious can be found in the list of theories on atomic habits.
Chapter 3: Make it Attractive
The more attractive it becomes, the more likely it is to become a habit.
Have you ever tried out something new and unexpectedly noticed that it’s actually fun to do? If so, would you do it again?
Like most of us, we would do it again. That’s because activities that are fun releases dopamine. It’s the pleasure that you experience from the activity.
Dopamine also rises when you anticipate a reward. It motivates us to act. The anticipation, however, is the one that gets us to act.
If you are keen to know more about how to make it attractive. Check out the practical theories of chapter 3 in the list of theories on atomic habits.
If you want to know more about how to make it attractive. Check out the practical theories of chapter 3 in the list of theories on atomic habits.
Chapter 4: Make it Easy
A habit is only formed when you actively practice the habit. The more you repeat the habits, the more it becomes natural.
So, repetition is the key to mastering a habit.
And by repetition, I mean, the number of times you have performed the habit. Not the amount of time you have invested in the habit.
“A habit is more likely to be formed if you work 1 minute every day for a whole month than 1 hour a week for a month.”
However, it seems easier said than done, and that’s because we are lazy. Every action requires a certain amount of energy.
The more effort it takes, the less likely you will act.
Fortunately, we can reduce friction and efforts to make it more appealing. Read more about this in the list of theories on atomic habits.
There is one thing that you have to keep in mind. Making it easy doesn’t mean doing only the easy stuff. It’s about making it easy at the moment, so it will pay off in the long run.
Chapter 5: Make it Satisfying
As spoken in chapter 3, a habit is more likely to be repeated if it’s satisfying. Pleasure teaches your brain that a behavior is worth remembering and repeating. It gives us reasons to repeat the habit.
In the first three steps, you learned how to build up the odds to perform the habits and in this step you will learn to increase the odds to repeat the process.
A Cardinal rule of behavior: what is rewarded is repeated. What is punished is avoided.
However, there are different kinds of rewards: immediate rewards and delayed rewards.
Our brain prioritizes immediate rewards over delayed rewards.
So, to increase the odds of repeating the habit loop, you have to feel some immediate rewards.
If not, you will likely question the habit.
Check out the practical theories of chapter 5 in the list of theories on atomic habits. To understand tactics that help you make it satisfying.
Chapter 6: Advanced Tactics
How to go from being merely good to being truly great
Now you understand the four laws of behavior changes and how you can create a habit. In the advanced tactics, you will learn powerful strategies and theories that take your habit journey to the next level.
The chapter provides us a way to optimize your habits based on choosing the right field of competition. It also lets you know how you can stay motivated in life and work and the downside of creating good habits.
However, there are different kinds of rewards: immediate rewards and delayed rewards.
Our brain prioritizes immediate rewards over delayed rewards.
So, to increase the odds of repeating the habit loop, you have to feel some immediate rewards.
If not, you will likely question the habit.
Check out the practical theories of chapter 5 in the list of theories on atomic habits. To understand tactics that help you make it satisfying.
List of remarkable theories in atomic habits
Not all point’s are discussed in this summary. So here is a list of theories that haven’t been mentioned in the summary.
Chapter 1: Fundamentals
Chapter 2: Cue
Chapter 3: Cravings
Chapter 4: Response
- Motion vs Action
- Law of Least Effort
- Two Minute Rule
- Commitment Device
Chapter 5: Reward
- Immediate vs Delayed Reward
- Paper Clip Strategy
- Habits Tracking
- Habit Contract
Chapter 6: Advanced tactics
- Choose the right field of competition
- Goldilocks Rule
- The downside of creating good habits
Conclusion
Overall, Atomic Habits provides a practical, step-by-step guide to creating good habits and breaking bad ones. By focusing on small, consistent actions and building momentum over time, Clear shows how anyone can achieve lasting change in their lives. Whether you’re looking to improve your health, productivity, or personal relationships, Atomic Habits provides a valuable framework for creating lasting change in your life.
I highly recommend you to read this book if you want to change your habits and become productive. By applying these ideas, you can develop new habits that stick and achieve your goals over the long term.