Atomic Habits –– James Clear

#book  #habits  

  • Note: These are just notes on other people's notes of the book. Most people have been able to condense the book into it's most valuable information - I'm just experimenting and trying to see if there is something to gain by reading their notes instead of the entire book.
  • Something I don't think is mentioned in the book but are helpful for [[habit-building]] in general:
    • Practice like you already have it - learn like you already know the skill, and you're just working on bettering it. Workout like you already have the healthy body and are trying to maintain it, rather than trying to from one physique to another.
  • Your outcomes are a lagging mea of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a measure of your eating and exercising habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. Your clutter is a lagging measure of your cleaning habits. You You get what you repeat.

  • Goals vs Systems

    • Goals are about the results you want to achieve and systems are the processes that lead to those results.
    • Winners and losers have the same goals.
    • The purpose of setting goals is to win the game, while the purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game.
    • Goals are at odds with long-term progress.
    • You do not rise to the level of your goals, but you fall to the levels of your systems.
  • Changing our habits is challenging because we try to change the wrong thing and/or we try to change our habits the wrong way.
  • There's three layers of behaviour change.
    • The first is changing your outcomes. It's about changing the results: losing weight, publishing a book, winning a championship. Most of the goals you set are associated with this level of change.
    • The second layer is changing the process. This level is concerned with changing your habits and systems: implementing a new routine at the gym, decluttering your desk for better workflow. Most of the habits you build are associated with this level.
    • The third layer (and deepest) layer is changing your identity. This level is concerned with changing your beliefs worldview, self-image and judgements about yourself and others. Beliefs, biases and assumptions are associated with this level.
  • By building identity based habits, we can start by focusing on who we wish to become.
  • Behaviour that is incongruent with the self will not last. You may want more money, but if your identity is someone who consumes rather than creates, you will continue to be pulled toward spending rather than earning.
  • Nail biting: “I asked my wife to schedule my first-ever manicure,” he said. “My thought was that if I started paying to maintain my nails, I wouldn’t chew them. And it worked, but not for the monetary reason. What happened was the manicure made my fingers look really nice for the first time. The manicurist even said that—other than the chewing—I had really healthy, attractive nails. Suddenly, I was proud of my fingernails."
  • The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It's one thing to say I'm the type of person who wants this, it's a very different thing to say I'm the type of person who is this.
  • New identities require new evidence. If nothing changes, nothing is going to change.
    • It's a simple two step process: Decide the type of person you want to be, prove it to yourself with small wins.
  • The formation of all habits is a [[feedback loop]] - but it is important to let your values, principles, and identity drive the loop rather than your results. The focus should be on becoming that type of person, not getting a particular outcome.
    1. Craving
    2. Cue
    3. Response
    4. Reward
  • Every craving is linked to a desire to change your internal state. The thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the observer are what transform a cue into a craving.
    • You do not crave smoking a cigarette, but the feeling that it provides. You are not motivated by brushing your teeth, but by the feeling of a clean mouth. You do not wan to turn on the television, you want to be entertained.
  • The response is the actual habit you perform, which can take the form of a thought or an action. Whether a response occurs depends on how motivated you are and how much friction is associated with the behaviour.
  • Rewards are the end goal of every habit. The cue is about noticing the reward. The craving is about wanting the reward. The response is about obtaining the reward.
  • The first purpose of the reward is to satisfy your craving. And second, rewards teach us which actions are worth remembering in the future.
  • If a behavior is insufficient in any of the four stages, it will not become a habit.
    1. Eliminate the cue and your habit will never start.
    2. Reduce the craving and you won’t experience enough motivation to act.
    3. Make the behavior difficult and you won’t be able to do it.
    4. And if the reward fails to satisfy your desire, then you’ll have no reason to do it again in the future.
  • The problem phase includes the cue and the craving, and it is when you realize that something needs to change. The solution phase includes the response and the reward, and it is when you take action and achieve the change you desire.
  • You don't need to be aware of the cue for a habit to begin, you can notice an opportunity and take action without dedicating conscious attention to it.
  • The first step to changing bad habits is to be on the lookout for them. If you feel like you need extra help, try pointing-and-calling in our own life. Say out loud the action you are thinking of taking and what the outcome will be.
  • An implementation intention is a plan you make beforehand about when and where to act. That is, how you intend to implement a particular habit.
    • Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity. It is not always obvious when and where to take action. Some people spend their entire lives waiting for the time to be right to make an improvement.
    • The simple way to apply this strategy to your habits is to fill out this sentence: I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].
    • The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption that leads to additional purchases.
      • ^^I was making note of this earlier, too: I realized that to get a new monitor, I will then need to get a new keyboard, and then a mouse, then a desk for these to go on, an ergonomic chair, a suitable room, a house.. Every purchase I make is not about the single purchase but about all the ones that follow too, consuming one thing means falling into a trap of linked consumption.^^

  • Creating a habit list for creating new habits

    • Make a list with two columns. In the first column, write down the habits you do each day without fail.
    • In the second column, write down all of the things that happen to you each day without fail.
    • Armed with these two lists, you can begin searching for the best place to layer your new habit into your lifestyle.
  • The specificity of a habit is important - the more tightly bound a habit is to a specific cue, the better the odds are that you will notice when the time comes to act.
  • Habits can be easier changed in a new environment.
  • **"Disciplined" people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control. In other words, they spend less time in tempting situations.
  • Join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group.
    • Whenever we are unsure of how to act, we look to a group/society to guide our behaviour. We are constantly scanning our environment and wondering what everyone else is doing.
    • The normal behavior of the tribe often overpowers the desired behavior of the individual. For example, one study found that when a chimpanzee learns an effective way to crack nuts open as a member of one group and then switches to a new group that uses a less effective strategy, it will avoid using the superior nut cracking method just to blend in with the rest of the chimps.
  • Habits like scrolling on our phones, checking email, and watching television steal so much of our time because they can be performed almost without effort. They are remarkably convenient. Habits are easier to build when they have no friction, and fit into the flow of your life.
  • Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible. ^^Find a path of least resistance to the work that needs to get done - if a piece needs to be read, leave the work on a table where it is accessible^^
    • Your options are constrained by what's available. They are shaped by the first choice.
  • A new habit should not feel like a challenge. The actions that follow can be challenging, but the first two minutes should be easy. What you want is a "gateway habit" that naturally leads you down a productive path.
    • Your goal might be to run a marathon, but your gateway habit is to put on your running shoes. That’s how you follow the Two-Minute Rule.
  • Evidence of the "Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change": What is rewarded is repeated. What is punished is avoided. You learn what to do in the future based on what you were rewarded for doing (or punished for doing) in the past. Positive emotions cultivate habits. Negative emotions destroy them.
    • One solution is to turn the situation on its head. You want to make avoidance visible. Open a savings account and label it for something you want—maybe “Leather Jacket.” Whenever you pass on a purchase, put the same amount of money in the account. Skip your morning latte? Transfer $5. Pass on another month of Netflix? Move $10 over. It’s like creating a loyalty program for yourself.
    • One of my readers and his wife used a similar setup. They wanted to stop eating out so much and start cooking together more. They labeled their savings account “Trip to Europe.” Whenever they skipped going out to eat, they transferred $50 into the account.
  • Never miss twice. The first mistake is never the one that ruins you. It is the spiral of repeated mistakes that follows.
  • As soon as actions incur an immediate consequence, behavior begins to change. Customers pay their bills on time when they are charged a late fee. Students show up to class when their grade is linked to attendance. We’ll jump through a lot of hoops to avoid a little bit of immediate pain.
  • HOW TO CREATE A GOOD HABIT
    • 1. Make It Obvious
      • Fill out the Habits Scorecard. Write down your current habits to become aware of them.
      • Use implementation intentions: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].”
      • Use habit stacking: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”
      • Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.
    • 2. Make It Attractive
      • Use temptation bundling. Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.
      • Join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.
      • Create a motivation ritual. Do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.
    • 3. Make It Easy
      • Reduce friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits.
      • Prime the environment. Prepare your environment to make future actions easier.
      • Master the decisive moment. Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact.
      • Use the Two-Minute Rule. Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less.
      • Automate your habits. Invest in technology and onetime purchases that lock in future behavior.
    • 4. Make It Satisfying
      • Use reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit.
      • Make “doing nothing” enjoyable. When avoiding a bad habit, design a way to see the benefits.
      • Use a habit tracker. Keep track of your habit streak and “don’t break the chain.”
      • Never miss twice. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately.
  • HOW TO BREAK A BAD HABIT
    • 1. Make It Invisible
      • Reduce exposure**. Remove the cues of your bad habits from your environment.
    • 2. Make It Unattractive
      • Reframe your mind-set**. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.
    • 3. Make It Difficult
      • Increase friction**. Increase the number of steps between you and your bad habits.
      • Use a commitment device**. Restrict your future choices to the ones that benefit you.
    • 4. Make It Unsatisfying
      • Get an accountability partner**. Ask someone to watch your behavior.
      • Create a habit contract**. Make the costs of your bad habits public and painful.
  • You need just enough "winning" to experience satisfaction and just enough "wanting" to experience desire. This is one of the benefits of following the [[Goldilocks Rule]]. If you're already interested in a habit, working on challenges of just manageable difficulty is a good way to keep things interesting.
  • I know of executives and investors who keep a “decision journal” in which they record the major decisions they make each week, why they made them, and what they expect the outcome to be. They review their choices at the end of each month or year to see where they were correct and where they went wrong.
  • I reflect on my progress (or lack thereof) by answering three questions:
    • What went well this year?
    • What didn’t go so well this year?
    • What did I learn?
  • My yearly [[Integrity Report]] answers three questions: #TODO
    • What are the core values that drive my life and work?
    • How am I living and working with integrity right now?
    • How can I set a higher standard in the future?

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