This book was an easy and resourceful read! It does a better job of easily explaining how to start or break habits compared to The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Atomic Habits was easy to follow with clear and concise examples from start to finish. While I do not remember exact details, but my impression of the Duhigg's book was that it was good to a certain point, but then towards the end of the book, I felt that the message was not useful. I highly recommend Atomic Habits! I took notes, as I do all the books that I enjoy reading, with impactful quotes and activities, which I outlined in my own personal "cliff notes."
-What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path to success
-All big things come from small beginnings
-Seed of every habit is a single tiny decision
-It doesn’t matter how successful or unsuccessful you are right now. **What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path to succeed
-The quality of our lives depends on the quality of our habits
-Want better results, forget about goal setting- Focus on your systems (methods) instead
-Habits are the compound interest of self improvement. Getting 1% better everyday counts for a lot in the long run (37x better in a year than when you started!)
-Build Identity based habits
-Focus on who you wish to become
-More pride you have in a particular aspect of your ID, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it
-Decide the type of person you want to be
-Prove it to yourself with small wins
What do you stand for?
What are your principles and values?
Who do you wish to become?
*habits are not about having something. They are becoming someone
4 laws of behavior change
First law: make it obvious. Process of behavior change is awareness
-Pointing and Calling your habits: every detail is identified, pointed at and named aloud
Example: every time you bend to pick something up off of ground, you say aloud: “Bend at my hips, keep my back straight and keep my core tight”
-implementation method: When situation X arises, I will perform response Y.
People who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through.
Example. I will perform [behavior] at [time] in [location].
-Habit stacking: After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].
One of the best ways to to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behaviour on top.
Example: After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute
-Habit scoreboard
-Make a list of daily habits
Decide whether each behavior is a good habit, bad habit or neutral
The goal is to simply notice what is actually going on. Observe your thoughts and actions without judgment or internal criticism.
The process of behavior change always starts with awareness. Strategies like Pointing-and-Calling and the Habits Scorecard are focused on getting you to recognize your habits and acknowledge the cues that trigger them, which makes it easier to discover which habits you should change and respond in a way that benefits you.
Second law: make it attractive
-Habit stacking (from first law: make it obvious) + Temptation bundling works by linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do.
After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED].
After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT].
Example: After I prepare my morning coffee but before I switch it on, I will do at least one set of exercise (push-ups, pull-ups, pistol squats or yoga).
After at least one set of exercise, I will finish making my coffee and sit down to enjoy it.
-Imitating the close: you can build better habits by joining a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior
Learn to associate habits with a positive experience
Instead of “I HAVE to” reframe “I GET to”
Transition from seeing these behaviors as burdens and turn into opportunities
Example: Saving money associated with sacrifice, but associate it with freedom instead
3rd law: make it easy
Just need to get your reps in
Habits form based on frequency not time
It doesn’t really matter how long it takes for a habit to become automatic. What matters is that you take the actions you need to take to make progress
When you start a new habit, it should take less than 1 minute to do
Idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start
The point is not to do one thing. The point is to master the habit of showing up
You have to standardize before you can optimize
-habit shaping master the first 2 minutes of the smallest version of the behavior. Then advance to an intermediate step and repeat the process
4th law: make it satisfying
We are more likely to repeat a behavior when the experience is more satisfying
Train yourself to delay gratification
Immediate reinforcement helps maintain motivation in the short term while you are waiting for the long term rewards arrive
Vital thing to getting a habit to stick is to feel successful- even if its in a small way
In the beginning, immediate rewards are essential
-Visual measurements: provide clear measure of progress
Example: food journals/work out logs
Habit tracker: “don’t break the chain” by marking an “X” on a calendar each day you workout or perform an activity: idea is to “never miss twice”