Atomic Habits Book Takeaways

Atomic Habits by James Clear was our second book club read of 2023. I loved the book and this time was my 3rd time reading it. I am always inspired to keep making improvements in my life and this book affirms everything I believe in about change. Enjoy my key takeaways!

Introduction

Minor life improvements can give you a sense of control over your life. The quality of our lives depends on the quality of our habits.

1 - The Surprising Power of Atomic Habits

It doesn’t matter how successful you are, what matters is whether your daily habits are on the path to success. You get what you repeat. Focus more on systems rather than goals.

2 - How Your Habits Shape Your Identity

You want your habits to become part of your identity. The more proud you are of your identity the more committed you will be to the habit that maintain it. What do I want to become? The process of building habits is actually the process of becoming yourself!

3 - How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps

As habits are created, the level of activity in the brain decreases. Habits are mental shortcuts, they create freedom and give our brains more “airtime” to focus on other things.

4 - The Man Who Didn’t Look Right

Name & Shame! I love the idea of pointing and calling out your actions. I tried it and I was shocked at how many times I pick my phone when I’m on a red traffic light or how many times I open Instagram when I touch my phone in the middle of a work task!

5 - The Best Way to Start a New Habit

Be specific about how you will start your new habit. We think we lack motivation when what we really lack is clarity. MAKE IT OBVIOUS. State specific location and time. Pair your new habit with a current habit.

6 - Motivation Is Overrated; Environment Often Matters More

Be the architect of your environment. Be the designer of your world. Create a relationship with your environment that makes your good habits obvious.

For me:

• I will stock my office fridge with muffins each Sunday to help me eat better
• I will always sleep with my bible, pen and gratitude journal by my bedside
• I will make sure my yoga mat is ready in my room before I sleep

7 - The Secret to Self-Control

Don’t stress your self control - avoid the temptation all together!! Whatever habit you want to break, make it invisible. For us at home we don’t have Wi-Fi in the house. It forces us to stay away from our phones and to talk with each other as a family (except I actually leave the fam and focus on reading my books! )

My application: I have a bad habit of using my phone during staff meetings, so moving forward I will leave my phone in my office and attend the meeting with my pen and diary only

8 - How to Make a Habit Irresistible

Anticipation of desire makes habits more attractive and temptation bundling helps you get there! Link an action you want to do with an action you need to do.

For me: only after I empty my inbox at the end of the week, I will buy myself pizza Friday

9 - The Role of Family and Friends in Shaping Your Habits

We imitate the habits of 3 groups:

• the close
• The many
• The powerful

How has this been true for me and/or how can I make it true

• The close my mummy is a reader. All my life she’s always reading a book and she taught to always walk with a book
• The many my colleagues have a habit of showing up to work significantly early and that’s something I want to imitate
• The powerful I want to also join the successful group of people who exercise daily hence I’m putting it as something I want to embody

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

Habits are attractive when we associate them with positive feelings.

Let me try apply:

• If I wake up early I GET TO stretch my body which makes me feel fresh and ready for the day. My positive feeling is the freshness and my habit to build is rise early and do yoga.
• Speaking another language gives the feeling of prestige especially French. Hope this attractiveness will push me to get into the habit of practicing my French.

Create a motivation ritual by doing something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit - for me I love burning my scented candles. So I’m thinking to burn the candles before I start yoga so hoping that whenever I burn a candle I’m motivated to start stretching.

11 - Walk Slowly, but Never Backward

The best is the enemy of good. If I want to master a habit, I must start with repetition, not perfection. Habits form based on frequency. I just need to start eating, French and yoga NOW.

12 - The Law of Least Effort

We are motivated to do what is easy. Habits are easier to build when they fit in to the flow of your life. Take advantage of your laziness and make your habits easy. For me I have a chosen a form of exercise that doesn’t require a change of clothes because I’m so lazy I hate taking off my clothes

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

I love the decisive moments analogy. Choosing to touch my phone or not in the morning is a decisive moment. I should probably have it far from my bed while I sleep. Page 162 yay to taking out the yoga mat!! SHOW UP!! Standardize before you optimize. Make it easy to start and the rest will follow.

For me:

• I will start with 5 mins yoga exercises only
• I will do 2 phrases of French daily
• I will find a small biscuit to munch

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

Make your bad habits difficult. Create a commitment device: a choice you make in the present that controls your actions in the future. It’s a way to lock in future behavior, bind you to good habits, and restrict you from bad ones.

For me to help me break the snooze habit, I will leave my phone on the other side of the room so that when my alarm goes off I’m forced to get up and out of bed to switch it off!

15 - The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change

Pleasure teaches your brain that a behavior is worth remembering and repeating. What is immediately rewarded is repeated.

For me I love wafer sticks & I always have a tin in stock. I will reward myself with a wafer stick after each yoga practice session a better one, reading is an absolute luxury and therapy for me. I will only read after I have practiced at least 5 minutes of French.

16 - How to Stick with Good Habits Every Day

Track your habits. Never miss a habit twice. Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit. For me I want to create my own tracker of eating before I start working. The muffin or just a slice of bread. I will track starting today and please keep me accountable.

17 - How an Accountability Partner Can Change Everything

Get an accountability partner who will create an immediate cost to inaction. For me if I don’t eat something by 10 am I will have my office buddy confiscate my phones.

18 - The Truth About Talent (When Genes Matter and When They Don’t)

Not all “good” habits are for everyone. Direct your effort towards areas that both excite you and match your natural skills. Align your ambition with your ability. I used to feel “wack” for struggling with keeping up with my gym membership until I accepted that that kind of workout was not for me, hence why I’m trying a low intensity workout (yoga & stretching).

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

Successful people find a way to show up despite the feelings of boredom. Mastery requires practice. You have to fall in love with boredom and consistency. Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way. I want to always show up and live a life of no excuses. Even when French gets boring, I shall continue practicing!

20 - The Downside of Creating Good Habits

I love the idea of scheduling some reflection time in your life especially on an annual basis. For me I would track:

• which books did I read
• Which and how many wellness activities did I partake in
• which new places did I visit this year

Alongside other aspects of my personal and professional life. I like how Clear also says that life is constantly changing so you need to check in to see if your habits and beliefs are still serving you! Love this! Don’t be afraid to change.

Conclusion

The secret to getting results is to never stop making improvements. Success is not a goal to reach or a finish line to cross, it is an endless process to refine. Make your habits obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying!

Inspired and ready to practice! Thank you James Clear! Your actions reveal how badly you want something!