Atomic Habits - James Clear

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”

Small Habits
- it’s not what you do once or twice that changes your life
- habits - things you do everyday
- small habits → more efficient
- their immediate impact is negligible
  - if you are out of shape today and you jog for 20mins
  - you will still be out of shape tomorrow
- these actions repeated day after day → compound into larger results
- Do you want a change in your life?
  - requires patience + confidence
  - carefully select your habits
  - all small repeated actions matter
  - believe in your current trajectory - not in your results
    - Results - you won’t become smarter in a day or week.
    - Trajectory - read 20 pages every day having the confidence that this will make you smarter
    “You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.”
    How it started -
    
    Month1
    
    Month2
    
    What it turned into -
    
    Month3
    
    Month4
    
    “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement”
Habits
- automated behaviors
  - behaviors that give satisfying results → tend to be remembered by our brain
  - once your mind realizes this thing is a good enough solution
  - you tend to repeat it until it becomes automatic
  - we learn them from experience
  - this is exactly why as soon as you walk into a dark room → your hands goes to the wall to look for switch
- Habit =
  - Trigger
    - begins with a cue or trigger
    - example
      - walking into a dark room is a trigger
      - or bored sitting on the bed
  - Craving
    - step 2 is a craving in the change of state
    - it’s a feeling to change something that would help you out of current position
    - example
      - being in the dark → you want to turn on the light
      - being bored → you open a social media app
  - Response
    - step 3 is your response or action to satisfy that craving
    - these are your actions that you perform with little or no thought
    - example
      - this is your hand moving towards the wall looking for the switch
      - you unconsciously pickup up the phone
  - Reward
    - final step
    - this is the end goal of every habit
    - mild relief or comfort you feel → from the action you took previously
    - example
      - the light is turned on → you can see your surrounding
      - you get a dopamine hit on to social media app
- Every habit goes through this same process
  - Do you drink coffee every morning?
    - Cue → waking up
    - Craving → feeling sleepy and wanting to feel alert
    - Response → so you walk towards the cup and make one
    - Reward → feel alert for a short span
    “Problem #1: Winners and losers have the same goals.”
Building New Habits
- Plan One
  - hard to miss cue + plan of action
    - Healthy habits
      - There is one vending machine for every 23 people in Japan
      - Still Japanese people drink less soft-drinks than USA and are more healthy
      - Japanese vending machines service 60% green tea and water while only 40% are sugary drinks
      - This is because while the craving can’t be controlled efficiently
      - you can surround yourself with healthy options
      - people are making healthy choices because it’s easier to make those
    - So, what did you learn -
      - Want to practice guitar?
        leave the guitar in the center of the room
      - Want to eat healthier food?
        leave healthy snacks on the counter
        put unhealthy snacks in drawers (or don’t buy them 😉)
      - Want to reduce binge watching?
        remove the movie apps from your phone and tablet
        use the web browser (it’s slow and tedious)
    - Make your Cues as obvious as possible
      - you will be more likely to respond to them
      “Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”
- Plan Two
  - Use Implementation intentions
    - don’t be too vague about your intentions
      - ❌ “I am going to eat healthier” - and simply hope to follow through
    - set a clear plan of action
      - when and where you will carry out that action/habit
      - Research in USA
        group1
        people were asked if you will vote?
        
        group2
        people were asked
        what time will you vote?
        how will you go there to vote?
        
        More people from group2 actually turned out at the voting centers
  - ❌ Don’t say → “I will run more often”
  - ✔️ Say → “On Wednesday, Friday & Sunday when the alarm goes off I will run 2 KMs”
    - and then leave your running shoes near your bed on the nights before
    - give yourself a clear path + an obvious cue
- Plan Three
  - We are more motivated by the anticipation of reward than the reward itself
  - So, make your Habits attractive
    - our brain releases dopamine when it sees a reward coming
    - this is why we are so happy the week before new year or our birthdays
    - this is why day dreaming about something is pleasurable
  - If your habit brings a reward that you look forward to → you are more likely to form that habit quickly
    - This can be done by STACKING habits together
      - Old habit1 - something you already do that you like
      - New habit2 - the habit you want to cultivate
    - Bundle them together
      - Example
        already have the habit to take phone in the washroom to do social media
        switch that with 5 mins of audiobook in there
      - Example2
        already have the habit to watch movie on the large tv
        remove the sofa from front of that and keep your exercise kit instead
“Professionals stick to the schedule;
amateurs let life get in the way.”
- Plan Four
  - Make the Habit as easy to adopt as possible
    - Our brains picks the easy options all day long
    - Example
      - scrolling through social media → takes zero effort
      - so this is more likely to turn into habit quickly
  - Reduce Friction
    - Want to reduce your TV watching habit?
      - un-plug it and remove batteries from the remote every time you turn it off
      - the extra effort to turn it the next time will reduce this habit
    - Want to read more?
      - Don’t commit to read 1 book
      - Decide to read 2 pages every day
        and keep the book on your pillow
    - The goal is to get started
    - Once you have started something → the friction reduces over time
- Plan Five
  - Make your habits satisfying
  - Research
    - in 1990s Health Researcher Stephen Luby was able to reduce diarrhea by 52%, pneumonia by 48% and skin infections by 35% in Pakistan
    - his secret → Nice Soap
    - He realized people knew hand washing is necessary, but the current soap available to general public was dirty and bad smelling
    - He distributed premium soaps to people
      - nicer smell and good lather → satisfying Reward
      - became habit quickly
  - Today we live in a → Delayed Return Environment
    - we get return on things with delay
    - our brain however is still tuned to the Immediate Return environment of our ancestors
    - Example
      - smoking helps your craving and alertness immediately
      - but long term affects are bad
  - So when you are working on Habits that have a long return
    - attach some immediate gratification to them
    - Example
      - I want to eat out less and eat healthy at home
      - so i opened an account “Trip to Paris”
      - every time I avoid a meal out → i transfer 2000Rs to this account
    - The short term gratification of that amount collecting helps me keep on track
“Some people spend their entire lives waiting for the time to be right to make an improvement.”
Stick to your Habits
- Use trackers
  - keep a habit tracker
  - note your success every night
  - track all your habits in there..
  - Use Habit tracker Diary
    - Check off every day when you meet your goals
    - this in itself is satisfying to do and to look at
    - this also keeps you motivated
- Use Contracts
  - Humans are social animals
  - We care about the opinions of those around us
  - So commit your goals publicly or to someone close
    - Having to accept failure in front of them will keep you from giving up
  - Simply knowing someone is watching you or tracking you
    - can be a powerful motivator for success