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Atomic Habits

Note: This entire summary was blatanltly copied from: https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries/self-help/atomic-habits/ and: https://www.grahammann.net/book-notes/atomic-habits-james-clear

Chapter 1 - The Surprising Power of Atomic Habits​

  • You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.
  • Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits.
  • Breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change.
  • If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system.
  • You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
  • If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.

Chapter 2 - How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)​

  • True behaviour change is identity change.
  • The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
  • Your identity emerges out of your habits.
  • Each time you read a page, you are a reader.
  • Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
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In the book, a good example was someone in the process of quitting smoking. When offered a cigarette, there are two responses:

  1. "No thanks, I'm trying to quit."
  2. "No thanks, I'm not a smoker."

Obviously, the second one is better because it reinforces a change in their identity.

My identities​

Meta:

  • I create good habits
  • I stick to good habits even when it is tough
  • I enjoy the process of consistent improvement

Health:

  • I exercise regularly
  • I eat healthy food
  • I have a consistent sleep schedule
  • I meditate every day
  • I don't waste time on social media

Finance:

  • I automatically invest a percentage my income
  • I eat out 1 lunch each week

Learning:

  • I read books and listen to educational podcasts
  • I work on projects that are important to me
  • I take notes when I learn something useful

Social:

  • I have gratitude for my friends and family
  • I have meaningful conversations with friends and family

Chapter 3 - How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps​

  • Habits do not restrict freedom. They create it.
    • They allow you to naturally automate things that are important
  • The process of building a habit can be divided into four simple steps: cue, craving, response, and reward.
  • How to Create a Good Habit
  • The 1st law (Cue): Make it obvious.
  • The 2nd law (Craving): Make it attractive.
  • The 3rd law (Response): Make it easy.
  • The 4th law (Reward): Make it satisfying.
  • We can invert these laws to learn how to break a bad habit.
  • How to Break a Bad Habit
  • Inversion of the 1st law (Cue): Make it invisible.
  • Inversion of the 2nd law (Craving): Make it unattractive.
  • Inversion of the 3rd law (Response): Make it difficult.
  • Inversion of the 4th law (Reward): Make it unsatisfying.

Chapter 4 - The Man Who Didn’t Look Right​

  • “If you’re having trouble determining how to rate a particular habit, ask yourself: ‘Does this behavior help me become the type of person I wish to be? Does this habit cast a vote for or against my desired identity?’”
  • “Once our habits become automatic, we stop paying attention to what we are doing.”
  • “The process of behavior change always starts with awareness. You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them.”
  • “Pointing-and-Calling raises your level of awareness from a nonconscious habit to a more conscious level by verbalizing your actions.”
  • “The Habits Scorecard is a simple exercise you can use to become more aware of your behavior.”

Chapter 5 - The Best Way to Start a New Habit​

  • Broadly speaking, the format for creating an implementation intention is:
  • When situation X arises, I will perform response Y.
  • Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.
  • The habit stacking formula is:
  • After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

My implementation intentions​

Meta:

  • I create good habits: "When I come across a potential new good habit, I implement it for 3 weeks to see if it benefits me."
  • I stick to good habits even when it is tough: "When a habit is tough to perform, I do a mini version of that habit to keep the routine."
  • I enjoy the process of consistent improvement. "Before I put my phone away for the night, I track my habits using the 'Habits' app."

Health:

  • I exercise regularly: "When I finish playing drums, I begin my workout, unless it is a rest day"
  • I eat healthy food: "When I go grocery shopping, 80% of the items I buy must be unprocessed, whole foods."
  • I have a consistent sleep schedule: "At 11PM, I lie down in bed to go to sleep." "At 7 AM, I get out of bed."
  • I meditate every day: "After I wake up, I will sit in my living room and meditate for 10-15 minutes."
  • I don't waste time on social media: "When I

Finance:

  • I automatically invest a percentage my income: "I will automatically invest 25% of my income using recurring bi-weekly deposits."
  • I eat out 1 lunch each week: "When Wednesday occurs, I will go out for lunch. Otherwise, I will pack my own food from home."

Learning:

  • I am a drummer: "When I get home from work, I will practice drumming for at least 30 minutes."
  • I am a guitar player: "When I have spare time on Friday nights, I will practice guitar for at least 30 minutes."
  • I read books and listen to educational podcasts: "When I'm cooking, cleaning, driving, or walking, I will listen to educational books and podcasts."
  • I work on projects that are important to me: "Every day after breakfast, I will have a focused work session before going to my job."
  • I take notes when I learn something useful: "When I finish an educational book, I will take a summary and write down important lessons I learn in this documentation site."

Social:

  • I have gratitude for my friends and family
  • I have meaningful conversations with friends and family

Chapter 6 - Motivation is Overrated; Environment Often Matters More​

  • Design your environment to motivate you to accomplish the things you want to. Visual stimuli help.
  • New environments can help eliminate old bad habits, and establish new ones.

Environmental changes I have made so far:​

  • Increase height of my computer monitors. Eyes straight, or slightly upward helps improve focus and alertness (and is good for ergonomics.) Thanks to Andrew Huberman
  • Added light around my computer monitors to wake me up better and improve focus.
  • Remove clutter in my house. Selling items that are no longer useful. Moving lesser-used items into long-term storage (caching. See Chapter 4 in Algorithms to Live By
  • Buy healthy food and keep them in convenient locations.
  • Keep unhealthy food in inconvenient locations.
  • Put the alcohol in a cupboard.
  • Keep my drums clean and accessible.

Chapter 7 - The Secret to Self-Control​

  • Avoid temptations that trigger bad habits. This is the only way to break bad habits.

Chapter 8 - How to Make a Habit Irresistible​

  • The habit stacking + temptation bundling formula is:
  • After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED].
  • After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT].

Chapter 9 - The Role of Family & Friends in Shaping Your Habits​

  • We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerful (those with status and prestige).
  • One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group.

Chapter 10 - How to Find and Fix the Causes of Your Bad Habits​

  • Change the language and frame of habits to make them positive.
  • Ex. I “get” to exercise today, instead of I “have” to exercise today.

Chapter 11 - Walk Slowly, but Never Backward​

  • Habits form based on frequency, not time.
  • The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning.
  • Aim for action (ex: working out), not motion (ex: reading a book on exercise plans).

Chapter 12 - The Law of Least Effort​

  • Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.
  • Conversely, use environment design to make the wrong thing as difficult as possible.

Chapter 13 - How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the Two-Minute Rule​

  • When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.
  • Ex: “Read before bed each night” becomes “read one page."
  • Master the art of showing up, then refine.

Chapter 14 - How to Make Good Habits Inevitable and Bad Habits Impossible​

  • The best way to break a bad habit is to make it impractical to do. Increase the friction until you don’t even have the option to act.
  • Automate as much of your life as possible.
  • Use commitment devices - a choice you make in the present that locks in future behaviour - to guarantee future actions.

Chapter 15 - The Cardinal Rule of Behaviour Change​

  • What is rewarded is repeated. What is punished is avoided.
  • Add a small, immediate reward to good behaviours.
  • Ex: whenever you pass on a purchase, move that amount of money to a savings account for a future purchase.

Chapter 16 - How to Stick with Good Habits Every Day​

  • Track your behaviour, ideally with something visual like a calendar.
  • Automate this tracking when possible.
  • The habit stacking + habit tracking formula is:
  • After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [TRACK MY HABIT].
  • Whenever you miss a habit, don’t panic, just: never miss twice.

Chapter 17 - How an Accountability Partner Can Change Everything​

  • Create a habit contract with a painful penalty with one or two other people.
  • The social cost (+ whatever penalty) will make violation painful.

Chapter 18 - The Truth About Talent​

  • Align your habits with your natural inclinations and abilities.
  • Experiment with many things at first, and then when you find something you’re good at, exploit it and test variations occasionally.
  • To maximize success, choose the right field of competition.
  • Combine abilities to create a narrow field in which you can dominate.

Chapter 19 - The Goldilocks Rule: How to Stay Motivated in Life and Work​

  • Humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks right on the edge of their current abilities (roughly 4% beyond your current capabilities).
  • Aim for a flow state - the experience of being in the zone and fully immersed in an activity.

Chapter 20 - The Downside of Creating Good Habits​

  • Once a skill is mastered, there can be a decline in performance over time.
  • Habits + Deliberate Practice = Mastery
  • Establish a system of reflection and review to avoid complacency.
  • Make sure to keep your identity flexible.
  • “Keep your identity small” - Paul Graham

Conclusion: The Secret to Results That Last​

  • Success is not a goal to reach or a finish line to cross. It is a system to improve, an endless process to refine.
  • The secret to getting results that last is to never stop making improvements.
  • It’s remarkable what you can build if you just don’t stop.
  • Small habits don’t add up. They compound.