Atomic Habits is a book in which international author and speaker at major companies and events, James Clear had spent 6 years researching, thinking and writing about habits. This culmination resulted in the book which was released in the year 2018 and has over 7 million copies sold worldwide, has been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 1 year and has been translated into over 50 languages.
The book which is a self-improvement book illustrates that if we improve our daily habits continuously, we will surmount reaching the intended goal result we desired. This, James defines is a result of working on our habits daily. These habits are a compound interest of self-interest, and on a microscopic magnification amount to nothing, but a compound interest over the months and years their effects can accumulate to an enormous degree.
The simple foundation of this book, Clear tries to illustrate through detailed examples from real life is that good habits are the foundation of health and productivity. The more a person does automatically, the more he is subsequently free to do; which compounds the effect.
Suppose a person wants to lose weight, it could be as simple as making time to walk 15k steps per day. It may not seem like anything 'on that particular day' but the same habit when repeated continuously every single day results over perhaps a week or month in gradual and slow weight loss. Results do not occur overnight and it is a succession of a repetition of daily habits which will result in weight loss. It could also be reading 10-15 pages a day. For one month this would result in a person developing the habit of reading and slowly inculcating healthy habits which he would otherwise not have.
The entire book focuses on the fact that if you want better results you need to focus more on the system and forget about setting goals. While goals are certainly good for setting the direction of your results, they are not the endpoint. What is truly important is understanding that you need a systems-first mentality which will help you commit yourself to the process that will help you determine your progress.
It is essential that to reach our goal we need to create good habits which become a part of our identity. Throughout the book, James highlights how we must remember that we are not in a cognitive slumber, walking through life following different norms attached to our identity or culture. It becomes extremely easy to fall into mental grooves and accept them after we constantly repeat stories to ourselves (which are not necessarily true).
Real progress requires unlearning certain rules and overcoming sometimes the poor self-image that we have of ourselves. Our identity emerges out of our current habits and we need to remember that we are not born with preset beliefs. At any given time, we can change our daily habits and become the person that we desire to be. Habits are our behaviours that are repeated enough times to become automatic.
When we go to the gym every day, we embody the habit of a healthy person; when we make our bed every day, we embody the identity of an organized person; when we write every day, we embody the image of a creative person; and when we eat healthy food, we are training our mind to demonstrate self-love towards our body.
These daily habits when repeated over and over for years give you evidence of being a certain type of person, because of course you have the demonstrated evidence. This is gradual evolution and cannot happen just by a snap of the fingers. All of us change bit by bit, day by day and habit by habit. This results in the microevolution of the self which is indeed transformational!
The book which has been divided into 20 chapters beautifully tells us the importance of habits in our lives and how to build better habits in four simple steps. These simple steps include making the habit obvious, making it attractive, making it easy and making it satisfying; in other words; cue, craving, response and reward. These are the four laws of behaviour change and influence everything that we do in our lives. Our brain runs through the same steps in the same order each time. However, the cues, cravings, responses and rewards will differ from person to person.
The cue triggers our mind to initiate a behaviour, which predicts a reward. Our minds are constantly analysing the internal and external environment to predict where rewards are located. Cravings are the second step behind habit formation and are the motivational force behind every habit. The craving is not the habit but the result, i.e., the change in state that it delivers. For instance, a person is not motivated to brush but. Is motivated by the feeling of a clean mouth after brushing.
The third step is the response which is the actual habit that a person performs. This can either be in the form of a thought or action. Finally, the last step is the response which is the end goal of every habit. The response is about obtaining the reward.
Besides this, there is an enormous play of talent and genes when it comes to habit formation. These natural predispositions, which make people better in certain activities are make people fortunate as they are being born with exceptional genes such as American former competitive swimmer, Michael Phelps or even famous athlete Hicham El Guerrouj. However, they were well trained in their fields as well. With inspiring stories to learn from leading CEOs, distinguished scientists and Olympic gold medalists this book is a sure shot success route towards productivity and happiness.
James points out that while we all certainly believe that luck plays an enormous amount in our lives, it is the surmounting daily habits that essentially lead to the luck that we get. These habits help to determine the outcomes of our lives and this is the one factor over which we are essentially in control.
Does this book address any questions a reader may have regarding questions about how to lead a productive life by building better habits? Yes – there are numerous examples, techniques and tools throughout the book. These four rules can be used in our businesses and in parenting as well. Is it a yardstick for success? It did for James Clear and now you as the reader will find out soon!
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