Atomic Habits by James Clear

atomic  habits book summary

what is habit?

A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough time to become automatic.

The ultimate purpose of habits is to solve problems of life with as little energy and effort as possible

Any habits can be broken down into a feedback loop that involves four steps: cue, craving, responses, and reward.

Build Better Habits in Four Simple Step

• Make it obvious

• Make it attractive
• Make it easy
• Make it satisfying

The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve , but on who you wish to become .

Once our habits become automatic , we stop paying attention to what we are doing

1.Make it obvious

The two most cues are time and location. Creating an implementation intention is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a specific time and location. I will [BEHVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCTION]

Motivation is overrated environment that matters more

• If you want to remember to take a pill each night put your pills bottle directly next to the faucet on the bathroom center.
• If you want to practice guitar more frequently put your guitar stand middle of the living room
• If you want to drink more water fill the water bottle each morning in keep that in a commonplace .

The secret of self-control

You can break a habit, but you are unlikely to forget it . Once mental grooves of habit have been carved into your brain, they are nearly impossible to remove entirely even if they go unused for a quite while, and that means simply resisting temptation is an effective strategy

2.Make it attractive

Dopamine is the only chemical that influences our habits. Every action involves multiple regions and neurochemicals, and anyone who claims that "Habits are all about dopamine " is skipping the major portions and process.

One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior (2) you already have something common in the group

2.1 Make it unattractive

Habits are attractive when we associate them with positive feelings and unattractive when we associate them with negative feelings. Create a motivation ritual by doing something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.

3.Make it easy

The most effective of learning is a practice not planning. Focus on taking action not being action

Habit formation is the process by which a behavior becomes progressively more automatic through repetition. create an environment where doing the right things is as easy as possible. Reduce the friction associated with good habits when friction is reduced it is easy.

3.1 Make it difficult

Increase the friction with our bad habits which will make it impossible and invisible.

4.Make it satisfying

With our bad habits , the immediate outcome usually feels good , the ultimate outcome feels bad with bad habits it is reversed

We are more likely to repeat our habits if it is satisfying our brain to prioritize immediate rewards over delayed rewards. To get a habit stick you need to feel immediately successful even it is small.