Reflections on Atomic Habits

I don’t read 25 books in a month like some apps advertise,?but among the few that I read, this one is a Game Changer. Atomic Habits by James Clear, is not just about building good habits; waking up early, working out, meditating and eating healthy. It’s really not the checklist we all aspire to achieve every year, when we sit and sketch our yearly planners. What is it then?

Here are the top 15 quotes / learnings I handpicked from the book:

1- “True behavior change is identity change. You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only reason you’ll stick with one is that it becomes part of your identity”. I particularly like this one because I’ve always blamed it on lack of motivation; when in reality it’s about who I am more than why I want to do it. Take it to the next level, James Clear says “once your pride gets involved, you’ll fight (…) to maintain your habit”.

2- “Habits reduce cognitive load and free up mental capacity, so you can allocate your attention to other tasks”. This is again so obvious but we learned to attribute every delay to Time Management, when in fact, if you use most of your mental capacity to take decisions that could’ve been simply automatic habits, you could avoid “the bottleneck of your brain”; your conscious mind from entering into the equation. Save mental effort on smaller tasks to make space for more complex tasks; we all have 24hrs a a day !

3- People who know me well, knows that I’m an all times favorite planner. But one thing I tend to forget: “The context is in the cue”. I want to quote an excellent example by James, as he invites us to stop thinking about items in our environment as objects, but rather as relationships. For example, the cue for waking up is switching off the A/C, every actions after that happens automatically.

4- Discipline. I come from the school that the author describes by saying “A little bit of discipline would solve all our problems”. At least I used to be. He expresses it even better by referring to Vietnam studies that challenged the conventional association of unhealthy behavior as a moral weakness. He continues, “ people who appear to have tremendous self-control (…) aren’t different from those who are struggling. Instead. “Disciplined” people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control”. This way you look "disciplined" meanwhile really you don't spend much of time in a tempting situation. This is like having the TV in the bedroom, switching it off sort of required heroic will power!.

5- “We have the brains of our ancestors but temptations they never had to face”. Trend of rewards is more concentrated and stimulating. Think of junk food vs natural food, video games vs Board games, social media vs newspapers. Even more challenging, the future will be more attractive and rewarding. It’s a dopamine game, so it is difficult to resist!

6- This is linked to point 5. How can we use temptation in our favor? By temptation bundling. “Temptation bundling works by linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do”. This reminds me, I’ve never been tempted to do actual work on any of those bicycles or treadmills. Not surprised, neither one is a temptation.

7- “We imitate the habits of three groups in particular: 1- The close, 2- The many and 3- The powerful.” Is it peer pressure ? Or an attempt to fit in? Become better? Or worse ? And according to what definition ? Once we fit in, don't we want to stand out!

8- “A craving is just a specific manifestation of a deeper underlying motive”. You’re stressed? Fries become irresistible.?“A craving is the sense that something is missing. It is the desire to change your internal state.”

9- Change the word “have” to “get”. You get to wake up early (and avoid traffic), you get to workout (and get nice abbs), you get to save money (and enjoy Financial freedom), you get to be excited instead of nervous !

10- Law of least effort. This is linked to point 2. “Our real motivation is to be lazy and do what is convenient. Energy is precious, and the brain is wired to conserve it whenever possible”. This is even widely used in business “delivering the same result in an easier fashion”. Never underestimate the power of “easy” in forming a habit.

11- “The most effective form of motivation is progress”. What makes it even more attractive is if someone actually notices it and points it out. Reinforcement goes a long way. What we need to avoid especially in the first stage is, the idea that if we don't do it perfectly, then we shouldn't at all. The idea should be, we practice perfectly, and trust the process.

12- The power of rebound vs the size of a mistake. “The first mistake is never the one that ruins you. It is the spiral of repeated mistakes that follows. Anyone can have a bad performance, a bad workout, or a bad day at work. But when successful people fail, they rebound quickly”.

13- Embrace boredom. This is linked to point 1. You hear people say it’s all about Passion. (…) As a result, many of us get depressed when we lose focus or motivation because we think successful people have some bottomless reserve of passion. (…) Successful people feel the same lack of motivation as everyone else. The difference is they still find a way to show up despite the feeling of boredom”.

14- The sad truth is, even habits have downsides. “As you latch on that new identity, those same beliefs can hold you back from the next level of growth” when working against you, your identity creates a kind of “pride” that encourages you to deny your weak spots and prevents you from truly growing”. Trying to fit in the old you to a new system, new environment and new people means the beliefs you swore by start shaking, and it’s not always right to continue defending them. I’m planning to publish an article on this soon, stay tuned!

15- This is related to point 14. “Keep your identity small. The more you let a single belief define you, the less capable you are of adapting when life challenges you.” An identity can be flexible rather than fragile. Core values will remain and continue to define you without a doubt, but you have to have a self outside merely your role in this world. Your identity has to work with the changing circumstances rather than against them.?He quotes three nice examples:

• “I’m an athlete” becomes “I’m the type of person who is mentally tough and loves a physical challenge"
• “I’m a great solider” transforms into “I’m the type of person who is disciplined, reliable, and great in a team”.
• “I’m the CEO” translates into “I’m the type of person who builds and creates things”