Atomic Habits - By James Clear

Chapter - 1 - Introduction to Atomic Habits

• Compounding habit results. 1% improvement
• setting goals is not the most important thing but the framework or the system to achieve them is more important.
• The problem is that when you only work for your goal then it feels momentarily well. So work on the process to become more happiness-yielding. Which will help you improve your life and not just until the specific goal is achieved. [This was/is the trap I was stuck in for more than 3 years of my life].

Chapter - 2 - How does your Habit shape your identity or vice versa

• First, decide what goal you want to achieve
• second what kind of habit/steps will lead to that or what kind of person has those abilities.
• Then work on steps and forget about the goal. Improve and it will shape the habit and it accumulates the DOs that will make you identity achieving your goal.
• You don’t need to be perfect. You just have to be right the majority of the time. means there will be failures but the majority defines you not the (specific) failure
• there are 3 levels of change - 1) Outcome change 2) Process Change** 3) Identity Change***

Chapter - 3 - How to build better habits in 4 simple steps

• cue, craving, response, reward
• Work good and Bad both types of habit

Chapter - 4 - The man who didn’t look right

• Once the habit is formed then it will be auto in the behavior. Which is bad either it’s a good one or a bad one. We should be doing things consciously always.
• Unconsciously formed habits are most of the time out of control so do it with consciousness.

Chapter - 5 - The best way to start a new habit

• Make it obvious
• Common cues for it is “TIME” & “LOCATION”
• Apply specificity: Write down “I WILL DO (TASK) AT (TIME) IN (LOCATION).
• This is providing overall planning rather than just dreaming of happening about basic WHEN AND WHERE.
• Stacking habit: Link a new habit with the existing one in the specificity. Like if you want the new habit to be done every day then stack it with a regular one. Like after doing this, I will do in <Location/Place>

Chapter - 6 -Motivation is Overrated: Environment Often Matters More

• Avoid mixing different habits Cues as if you are using a study table for study and enjoyment(watching movies or video games. You will fail to implement desired behavior for study as always easy one wins because of temptation. The environment works against you in this context. Separate places and different times will make it easy for your brain to associate. (P89)
• That’s how mobile and laptops become critical. Because it serves both purposes and eases one always tempting.
• Every habit should have a separate home/part of a home. [P90]

Chapter - 7 - The Secret to self-control

• Avoid “cue-induced-wanting” backward spiral. A phenomenon that triggers and craves bad habits.
• Self-control is a short-term strategy.
• For Good habits: Make it obvious. For bad ones: Make them invisible. (Because bad habits are carved in the brain so changing the environment by making them invisible will provide you the self-control you need to go on with the good ones) [P95]
• Make choices minimalistic, less time spent on temptations will work for you.

Chapter - 8 - How to make a habit irresistible

• A habit only develops when you want, in other words, when you see great rewards by nature. So new habits with not-so-visible rewards do not form in a habit.
• So to spike the dopamine for a new habit. We will associate it with a habit that is already spiking domain with the law of association (Habit Stacking: I will do this after I do that)
• • After I do [THE HABIT WHICH IS DOPEMINE], I will do [NEW HABIT WHICH I NEED TO BUILD].
• Example: After I watch Anime, I will study for 2 hours straight. Reverting this will have to crave for Reward.
• • After I study for straight 2 hours, I will watch a 20 mins Anime.
  • That’s how we can trick incentive/reward-driven minds into forming a new habit.

Chapter - 9 - The role of Family and Friends in Shaping your Habit

• A human way of doing things to fit in is because of the rewards like gaining admiration, status and power. We first try to fit in and then try to get to status within the group irrespective of the things done by a group.
• We tend to follow the close one (Family), The many (Society/Tribe) & The Pride Ones (Goals of our own). We imitate the behavior to fit in their shoes and form ourselves like them. (Partially due to the envy of the rewards they have and you want)
• Working in a group of people with the same goal will make a single common attribute to look up to with tribe so human behavior of sticking to tribe indirectly helps us achieve the common goal (Mostly depends on the group as the influence will drive the goals.)
• Work with the people who are having the desired behavior you want.

Chapter - 10 - How to find and fix the causes of your bad habits

• Make a happening routing from small action to condition the outcome.

Chapter - 11 - Walk slowly but never backward

• Photography student example, quantity & quality
• GOLD: Most of us are experts at avoiding criticism. It doesn’t feel good to be judged publicly, so we tend to avoid a situation where that might happen.
• AND THAT’S THE BIGGEST REASON WHY YOU SLIP INTO MOTION(PLANNING & strategizing) INSTEAD TAKING ACTION: YOU WANT TO DELAY FAILURE.
• Habit formation is not about the number of days but it is about the HOW MANY repetitions are needed to form one. So within 21 days, you can do it every day and might not form a habit but you can do it by doing the same thing 5 times every day for 10 days and form a habit. Which simply says that forming a habit is not a matter of time, it’s a matter of Successful repetition over a while until your subconscious mind takes over.
• Make it easy. Like do it by 0.1% percent improvement every time and over time it will be compounded.
• Focus on taking action and not being in motion.

Chapter - 12 - The Law of least efforts

• In sense, every habit is just an obstacle to getting what you want. You just don’t want that habit because it is an obstacle and you’ll need to spend the ENERGY that you are conserving (In other words, being lazy)
• Examples:
• • • Dieting → getting fit
    • Meditation → Feeling calm
    • Journaling → Thinking Clearly
• Cleanup/ Prep for the next time event will make it easy for the next revision. Do it collectively to get ease for the next time. It is easier than you think it’s hard and time-consuming.

Chapter - 13 - How to stop procrastinating by Using the Two Minute Rule

• You can’t improve a habit that does not exist so you need to make a start of the habit your ritual. Like do it for just 2 mins (The easy ones/which can be done in 2 mins) then cast your vote for a few days for just a few days to acclimatize with this action.
• Habit choices are the way and not the destination.
• Take a small step. Repeat…Improve…Repeat… Improve…Repeat… master

Chapter - 14 - How to make good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible

• Make it difficult to fall off the good habit path. You know you did it. It can lead to a life-changing decision.
• A commitment device is a choice to make in the present that locks in better behavior in the future.
• Use technology that will smooth the good habit and block/clear out the ones which will make the bad habits easier (Its a lot harder than this single sentence. Obviously)
• Increase the steps between you and your bad habits.
• Decrease the steps between you and your good habits.

Make it Satisfying

Chapter - 15 - The cardinal rule of the Behaviour change

• The human brain is believing in IMMEDIATE rewards rather than long-term rewards.
• Make a habit with instant gratification with a small reward factor to curate the good habit.
• Make it satisfying to do it again. Brain signals that it feels good doing it. Do it again.

Chapter - 16 - How to stick to good habits every day.

• Use the Habit tracker like Calander Cross marking
• For the visual effect of progress for a given day, remember “the 2 Jar Safety pin experiment”
• • Snapchat is using the same fundamental. It keeps them giving a positive view by snap streak to stick to daily check-ins. And human is a social animals so they will create a feeling of connection or being part of society.
  • Small approach to creating a HOOK effect… excellent…!!
• “Don’t break the chain/streak” is a powerful buildup to keep one motivated.
• Habit tracking makes the habit Obvious, Attractive & Satisfying…!
• Never miss it twice…!!

Chapter - 17 - How an Accountability Partner can change everything.

• Make is immensely dissatisfying.
• The consequences are severe and people learn quickly. Associate the bad habit with some form of punishment to make it dissatisfying.
• Having a contract of Accountability helps us be on point. Like if we are serious but we miss the daily activity, our inner self will argue with us that it is okay (Like our Devil & Angel). And by default he(Devil) is lazy. So keeping another partner to keep accountability.
• If you lose the battle with your inner devil, the outer Accountability partner won’t change his/her point of you because of your Lame excuse.
• Example: Having a Gym buddy will correct your mistakes as well as you will have someone to compete with and get validation on progress made.

Habits+Cheat+Sheet.pdf

Chapter - 18 - The truth about talent (When it works and when it doesn’t)

• Genes do not make you successful if you do not understand and put the work in the direction it is pointing.
• Habits align with your genes means your existing traits make a separate environment from others.
• Play the games that favor your strengths. If you can’t find one then create one.

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

• You need to have 4% (On Average) more difficulty than your current levels. It will make an effort meaningful in your mind and satisfying as well.
• Otherwise, the boredom will kill the whole cycle.
• The greatest threat to success is not FAILURE however, it is BOREDOM.
• The great people have consistent showing up at this routine.
• The PROFESSIONALS sticks to the schedule, AMATEURS let their life get in the way

Chapter - 20 - The downside of creating a good habit

• Habits + Deliberate Practice = Mastery
• Redefining yourself with a particular habit is not a great idea. Because when your habits are faded or become boring, you will lose yourself and the generalization of your identity will help you bloom.nd
• • • • • Men are born soft and supple
        • Dead, they are stiff and hard
        • Plants are born tender and pliant
        • dead, they are brittle and dry
        • Thus, whoever is stiff and inflexible
        • is a disciple of the death
        • Whoever is soft and yielding
        • is the disciple of the Life
        • The Hard and stiff will be broken
        • The soft and supple will prevail
• The lack of self-awareness is poison and Reflection & Review are the Antidotes.

Note: All rights are reserved by Author. This is my opinion of important pointers that I wanted to remind myself and help others if they find them helpful.

https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits

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