Atomic Habits - Summary

> Summary: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character. – Stephen Covey

We are the product of our habits - heard it!

But how? This question leads me to read this book as I want to understand the science behind our habits. How this habits work, what is it that needed to build a new habit or what to do to break the one I found irrelevant.

The book is divided into 6 parts following the fundamentals, 4 laws of atomic habits and tactics to use covered within 20 chapters.

Let’s explore the science behind our day to day habits.

The Fundamentals: Why is it matters?

• Do not underestimate the importance of making the small improvement on daily basis, even if that 1% is not noticeable but it will be more meaningful in long run.

• Build the systems: The process that leads you to result - a continuous small improvement over the time

• Three layers of behaviour change:

  • Change the outcome: changing your result

  • Change the process: Changing your habits and system

  • Change the identity: changing your beliefs

Science of How habits work

1. Cue: triggers the brain to initiate the behaviour

2. Craving: desire related to our internal state varies from people to people

3. Response: the actual habit we perform by taking the action

4. Reward: end goal of habit

The first Law: Make it Obvious

• Habits does not need our conscious attention

• Pointing & Calling : Raises the awareness from non conscious habit to more conscious level

• Tie the desired behaviour with intention to do so with your current habit will help you build new habit

• Environment matters more than motivation: Behavior is a function of a person in their environment

• Put your cues right in front of you

• “One space, One use” - A stable environment for particular habit : kitchen for cooking, bedroom for sleeping, chair for reading & table for working

• Make cues of your good habit obvious and it invisible for bad one

The second Law: Make it Unattractive

• The anticipation of reward is what gets us into action not the fulfilment of it

• Desire is the engine that drives the behavior

• Temptation building: Link the action you want to do with the action you need to do

• We often imitate the behavior of people (friends, family, co-workers) around us unconsciously

• A craving: Specific manifestation of deeper motive

• Highlight the benefit of avoiding bad habit

The third Law: Make it Difficult

• Hebb’s law: “Neurons that fire together wire together” - Repeating a habit leads to physical change in brain

• Focus on taking actin, not being in motion

• Law of least effort: we choose the work which requires least amount of energy and effort

• Start small: Two minute rule - when you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do

• Commitment Device: A choice you make to control your future action

• One time choices: single action that automate future habits

The four Law: Make it Unsatisfying

• What is rewarded is repeated & what is punished is avoided

• Human brain evolved to prioritise immediate reward over delayed one

• Track your habit: do not break it unnecessarily

• Pain is more effective teacher

• Create a habit contract with accountability partner

The Truth about Talent: When genes matters and when they do not

• Personality has influence on your habits

• When you can’t win by being better, you can win by being different

• Specialisation is a powerful way to overcome the “accident” of bad genes

• Genes does not make you successful but it can tells us what to work hard on for us

How to stay motivated

• We stay motivated when task is not too difficult nor too easy: within your current abilities

• Fall in love with boredom

• Ability to keep going when work is not exciting

• Stick to schedule

• Take actions

“Keep your identity small” - When you attached to on identity, you become brittle - Lose that one & you lose yourself

My thoughts on reading this book:

This book was backed by neuroscientific facts with our human brain about how habits forms, why is it needed, what are the causes and triggers, how to build new habit and break bad one with steps and procedure to follow accordingly which helps anyone to understand and implement habit one wants to build and break. I also learn the importance of taking it easy and small, over the period of time which leads to increased and improved result in future for things we are trying to achieve or wants to achieve. Forming and maintaining a habit is a continuous process.

Things I learned:

• Habits does not requires our brain’s conscious attention

• Result are efforts of small 1% improvement over the period of time

• To build a new habit: deliberate practice is needed

• To break bad one: find the trigger

• Remove unnecessary stuff that distracts you

• Habits + deliberate practice = Mastery

• Your habits builds your Character