INTRODUCTION OF THE BOOK “Atomic Habits“

People say when you want to change your life, you need to set big goals. But they’re wrong. WHY ?
Here the answer World-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered a simpler system for transforming your life. He knows that lasting change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions – doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call. He calls them Atomic Habits.

In this book Atomic Habits, Clear reveals how these tiny changes will help you get 1 percent better every day. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, the unexpected power of the Two Minute Rule, or the trick to entering the Goldilocks Zone) and delves into cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience to explain why they matter. These small changes (“Atomic Habits“) will have a revolutionary effect on your career, your relationships and your life.

What is a·tom·ic ?

1. an extremely small amount of a thing; the single irreducible unit of a larger system. 2. the source of immense energy or power.

What is hab·it ?

1. a routine or practice performed regularly; an automatic response to a specific situation.

“Atomic Habits“ Chapter Summaries By James Clear

Chapter 1  Atomic Habits : The Surprising Power of Atomic Habits

“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”

If you find yourself struggling to build a good habit or break a bad one, it is not because you have lost your ability to improve. It is often because you have not yet crossed what James calls, “Plateau of Latent Potential.”

THE PLATEAU OF LATENT POTENTIAL

All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.

Chapter Summary key point

1 . Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Getting 1 percent better every day counts for a lot in the long-run.

2 . Habits are a double-edged sword. They can work for you or against you, which is why understanding the details is essential.

3 . Small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. You need to be patient.

4. An atomic habit is a little habit that is part of a larger system. Just as atoms are the building blocks of molecules, atomic habits are

the building blocks of remarkable results.

5 . If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.

6 .You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

Chapter 2 Atomic Habits How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)

WHY IS IT so easy to repeat bad habits and so hard to form good ones? Few things can have a more powerful impact on your life than improving your daily habits. And yet it is likely that this time next year you’ll be doing the same thing rather than something better.

It often feels difficult to keep good habits going for more than a few days, even with sincere effort and the occasional burst of motivation. Habits like exercise, meditation, journaling, and cooking are reasonable for a day or two and then become a hassle.

However, once your habits are established, they seem to stick around forever—especially the unwanted ones. Despite our best intentions, unhealthy habits like eating junk food, watching too much television, procrastinating, and smoking can feel impossible to break. Changing our habits is challenging for two reasons: (1) we try to change the wrong thing and (2) we try to change our habits in the wrong way. In this chapter, I’ll address the first point. In the chapters that follow, I’ll answer the second. Our first mistake is that we try to change the wrong thing. To understand what I mean, consider that there are three levels at which change can occur. You can imagine them like the layers of an onion.

THREE LAYERS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

The first layer is changing your outcomes. This level is concerned with changing your 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 your process. This level is concerned with changing your habits and systems: implementing a new routine at the gym, decluttering your desk for better workflow, developing a meditation practice. Most of the habits you build are associated with this level.

The third and deepest layer is changing your identity. This level is concerned with changing your beliefs: your worldview, your self-image, your judgments about yourself and others. Most of the beliefs, assumptions, and biases you hold are associated with this level.

THE TWO-STEP PROCESS TO CHANGING YOUR IDENTITY

1. Decide the type of person you want to be.

2. Prove it to yourself with small wins.

The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do.

Each time you write a page, you are a writer.

Each time you practice the violin, you are a musician.

Each time you start a workout, you are an athlete.

Each time you encourage your employees, you are a leader.

Chapter Summary key point

1 There are three levels of change: outcome change, process change, and identity change.

2 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.

3 Your identity emerges out of your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

4 Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity.

5 The real reason habits matter is not because they can get you better results (although they can do that), but because they can change your beliefs about yourself.

Chapter 3 Atomic Habits How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps

THE FOUR LAWS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

The Four Laws of Behaviour Change, and it provides a simple set of rules for creating good habits and breaking bad ones. You can think of each law as a lever that influences human behaviour. When the levers are in the right positions, creating good habits is effortless. When they are in the wrong positions, it is nearly impossible.

We can invert these laws to learn how to break a bad habit.

The Four Laws of Behaviour Change apply to nearly every field, from sports to politics, art to medicine, comedy to management. These laws can be used no matter what challenge you are facing. There is no need for completely different strategies for each habit.

Whenever you want to change your behavior, you can simply ask yourself:

1. How can I make it obvious?

2. How can I make it attractive?

3. How can I make it easy?

4. How can I make it satisfying?

Chapter 4 Atomic Habits The Man Who Didn’t Look Right

THE HABITS SCORECARD

1. With enough practice, your brain will pick up on the cues that predict certain outcomes without consciously thinking about it.

The more automatic a behaviour becomes, the less likely we are to consciously think about it. And when we’ve done something a thousand times before, we begin to overlook things. We assume that the next time will be just like the last. We’re so used to doing what we’ve always done that we don’t stop to question whether it’s the right thing to do at all. Many of our failures in performance are largely attributable to a lack of self-awareness.

One of our greatest challenges in changing habits is maintaining awareness of what we are actually doing. This helps explain why the consequences of bad habits can sneak up on us. We need a “point-and- call” system for our personal lives. That’s the origin of the Habits Scorecard, which is a simple exercise you can use to become more aware of your behaviour.

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

3.The process of behaviour change always starts with awareness. You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them.

4.Pointing-and-Calling raises your level of awareness from a nonconscious habit to a more conscious level by verbalizing your actions.

5.The Habits Scorecard is a simple exercise you can use to become more aware of your behaviour.

Chapter 5 Atomic Habits : The Best Way to Start a New Habit

HABIT STACKING: A SIMPLE PLAN TO OVERHAUL YOUR HABITS

The habit stacking formula is: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”

For example: 1. Meditation. After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute.

2.Exercise. After I take off my work shoes, I will immediately change into my workout clothes.

3.Gratitude. After I sit down to dinner, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened today.

4.Marriage. After I get into bed at night, I will give my partner a kiss.

5.Safety. After I put on my running shoes, I will text a friend or family member where I am running and how long it will take.

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1. The 1st Law of Behaviour Change is make it obvious.

2. The two most common cues are time and location.

3. Creating an implementation intention is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a specific time and location.

4.The implementation intention formula is: I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]. Habit stacking is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a current habit.

5.The habit stacking formula is: After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

Chapter 6 Atomic Habits : Motivation is Overrated; Environment Often Matters More

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR ENVIRONMENT FOR SUCCESS

Environment design is powerful not only because it influences how we engage with the world but also because we rarely do it. Most people live in a world others have created for them. But you can alter the spaces where you live and work to increase your exposure to positive cues and reduce your exposure to negative ones. Environment design allows you to take back control and become the architect of your life. Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it.

THE CONTEXT IS THE CUE

The cues that trigger a habit can start out very specific, but over time your habits become associated not with a single trigger but with the entire context surrounding the behaviour.

For example, many people drink more in social situations than they would ever drink alone. The trigger is rarely a single cue, but rather the whole situation: watching your friends order drinks, hearing the music at the bar, seeing the beers on tap.

A stable environment where everything has a place and a purpose is an environment where habits can easily form.

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1. Small changes in context can lead to large changes in behaviour over time.

2.Every habit is initiated by a cue. We are more likely to notice cues that stand out.

3.Make the cues of good habits obvious in your environment.

4.Gradually, your habits become associated not with a single trigger but with the entire context surrounding the behavior. The context becomes the cue.

5.It is easier to build new habits in a new environment because you are not fighting against old cues.

Chapter 7 Atomic Habits : The Secret to Self-Control

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

When scientists analyse people who appear to have tremendous self-control, it turns out those individuals aren’t all that 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. In other words, they spend less time in tempting situations.

The people with the best self-control are typically the ones who need to use it the least. It’s easier to practice self-restraint when you don’t have to use it very often. So, yes, perseverance, grit, and willpower are essential to success, but the way to improve these qualities is not by wishing you were a more disciplined person, but by creating a more disciplined environment.

1. The inversion of the 1st Law of Behaviour Change is make it invisible

2. Once a habit is formed, it is unlikely to be forgotten.

3. People with high self-control tend to spend less time in tempting situations. It’s easier to avoid temptation than resist it.

4. One of the most practical ways to eliminate a bad habit is to reduce exposure to the cue that causes it.

5. Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one.

Chapter 8 Atomic Habits : How to Make a Habit Irresistible

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

HOW TO USE TEMPTATION BUNDLING TO MAKE YOUR HABITS MORE ATTRACTIVE

The habit stacking + temptation bundling formula is:

1. After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED]. 2. After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT].

1. The 2nd Law of Behaviour Change is make it attractive.

2. The more attractive an opportunity is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming.

3.Habits are a dopamine-driven feedback loop. When dopamine rises, so does our motivation to act.

4. It is the anticipation of a reward—not the fulfilment of it—that gets us to take action. The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike.

5. Temptation bundling is one way to make your habits more attractive. The strategy is to pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.

Chapter 9 Atomic Habits : The Role of Family and Friends in Shaping Your Habits

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1. The culture we live in determines which behaviours are attractive to us.

2. We tend to adopt habits that are praised and approved of by our culture because we have a strong desire to fit in and belong to the tribe.

3. We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerful (those with status and prestige).

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

5. The normal behaviour of the tribe often overpowers the desired behaviour of the individual. Most days, we’d rather be wrong with the crowd than be right by ourselves.

6. If a behavior can get us approval, respect, and praise, we find it attractive.

Chapter 10 Atomic Habits : How to Find and Fix The Cause of Your Bad Habits

WHERE CRAVINGS COME FROM

Every behaviour has a surface level craving and a deeper, underlying motive. I often have a craving that goes something like this: “I want to eat tacos.” If you were to ask me why I want to eat tacos, I wouldn’t say, “Because I need food to survive.” But the truth is, somewhere deep down, I am motivated to eat tacos because I have to eat to survive. The underlying motive is to obtain food and water even if my specific craving is for a taco.

HOW TO REPROGRAM YOUR BRAIN TO ENJOY HARD HABITS

You can make hard habits more attractive if you can learn to associate them with a positive experience. Sometimes, all you need is a slight mind-set shift. For instance, we often talk about everything we have to do in a given day. You have to wake up early for work. You have to make another sales call for your business. You have to cook dinner for your family.

Now, imagine changing just one word: You don’t “have” to. You “get” to.

The key to finding and fixing the causes of your bad habits is to reframe the associations you have about them. It’s not easy, but if you can reprogram your predictions, you can transform a hard habit into an attractive one.

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1. The inversion of the 2nd Law of Behaviour Change is make it unattractive.

2. Every behaviour has a surface level craving and a deeper underlying motive.

3. Your habits are modern-day solutions to ancient desires.

4. The cause of your habits is actually the prediction that precedes them. The prediction leads to a feeling.

5. Highlight the benefits of avoiding a bad habit to make it seem unattractive.

6. 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.

Chapter 11 Atomic Habits : Walk Slowly, But Never Backward

To build a habit, you need to practice it. And the most effective way to make practice happen is to adhere to the 3rd Law of Behavior Change: make it easy.

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1. The 3rd Law of Behaviour Change is make it easy.

2. The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning.

3. Focus on taking action, not being in motion.

4. Habit formation is the process by which a behaviour becomes progressively more automatic through repetition.

5.The amount of time you have been performing a habit is not as important as the number of times you have performed it.

Chapter 12 Atomic Habits : The Law of Least Effort

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1. Human behaviour follows the Law of Least Effort. We will naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work

2. Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.

3. Reduce the friction associated with good behaviours. When friction is low, habits are easy.

4. Increase the friction associated with bad behaviours . When friction is high, habits are difficult.

5. Prime your environment to make future actions easier.

There are many ways to prime your environment so it’s ready for immediate use. If you want to cook a healthy breakfast, place the skillet on the stove, set the cooking spray on the counter, and lay out any plates and utensils you’ll need the night before. When you wake up, making breakfast will be easy.

1. Want to draw more? Put your pencils, pens, notebooks, and drawing tools on top of your desk, within easy reach.
2. Want to exercise? Set out your workout clothes, shoes, gym bag, and water bottle ahead of time.
3. Want to improve your diet? Chop up a ton of fruits and vegetables on weekends and pack them in containers, so you have easy access to healthy, ready-to-eat options during the week.

Chapter 13 Atomic Habits : How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the Two-Minute Rule

THE TWO-MINUTE RULE

Even when you know you should start small, it’s easy to start too big. When you dream about making a change, excitement inevitably takes over and you end up trying to do too much too soon. The most effective way I know to counteract this tendency is to use the Two-Minute Rule, which states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”

You’ll find that nearly any habit can be scaled down into a two- minute version:

“Read before bed each night” becomes “Read one page.”

“Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.”

“Study for class” becomes “Open my notes.”

“Fold the laundry” becomes “Fold one pair of socks.”

“Run three miles” becomes “Tie my running shoes.”

The idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start. Anyone can meditate for one minute, read one page, or put one item of clothing away. And, as we have just discussed, this is a powerful strategy because once you’ve started doing the right thing, it is much easier to continue doing it. 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 more productive path.

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1 . Habits can be completed in a few seconds but continue to impact your behaviour for minutes or hours afterward.

2. Many habits occur at decisive moments—choices that are like a fork in the road—and either send you in the direction of aproductive day or an unproductive one.

3. The Two-Minute Rule states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”

4. The more you ritualize the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things.

5. Standardize before you optimize. You can’t improve a habit that doesn’t exist.

Chapter 14 Atomic Habits : How to Make Good Habits Inevitable and Bad Habits Impossible

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1 The inversion of the 3rd Law of Behaviour Change is make it difficult.

2 A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that locks in better behaviour in the future.

3 The ultimate way to lock in future behaviour is to automate your habits.

4. Onetime choices—like buying a better mattress or enrolling in an automatic savings plan—are single actions that automate your future habits and deliver increasing returns over time.

5. Using technology to automate your habits is the most reliable and effective way to guarantee the right behaviour.

When working in your favour, automation can make your good habits inevitable and your bad habits impossible. It is the ultimate way to lock in future behaviour rather than relying on willpower in the moment. By utilizing commitment devices, strategic onetime decisions, and technology, you can create an environment of inevitability—a space where good habits are not just an outcome you hope for but an outcome that is virtually guaranteed.

Chapter 15 Atomic Habits : The Cardinal Rule of Behaviour Change

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

The 4th Law of Behavior Change is make it satisfying.

1.We are more likely to repeat a behaviour when the experience is satisfying.

2.The human brain evolved to prioritize immediate rewards over delayed rewards.

3. The Cardinal Rule of Behaviour Change: What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.

4.To get a habit to stick you need to feel immediately successful— even if it’s in a small way.

5.The first three laws of behaviour change—make it obvious, make it attractive, and make it easy—increase the odds that a behavior will be performed this time. The fourth law of behaviour change —make it satisfying—increases the odds that a behavior will be repeated next time.

Chapter 16 Atomic Habits : How to Stick with Good Habits Every Day

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1. One of the most satisfying feelings is the feeling of making progress.

2.A habit tracker is a simple way to measure whether you did a habit—like marking an X on a calendar.

3.Habit trackers and other visual forms of measurement can make your habits satisfying by providing clear evidence of your progress.

4.Don’t break the chain. Try to keep your habit streak alive.

5.Never miss twice. If you miss one day, try to get back on track as quickly as possible.

6. Just because you can measure something doesn’t mean it’s the most important thing.

Chapter 17 Atomic Habits : How an Accountability Partner Changes Everything

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1.The inversion of the 4th Law of Behaviour Change is make it unsatisfying.

2.We are less likely to repeat a bad habit if it is painful or unsatisfying.

3.An accountability partner can create an immediate cost to inaction. We care deeply about what others think of us, and we do not want others to have a lesser opinion of us.

4.A habit contract can be used to add a social cost to any behaviour. It makes the costs of violating your promises public and painful.

5.Knowing that someone else is watching you can be a powerful motivator.

Chapter 18 Atomic Habits : The Truth About Talent (When Genes Matter and When They Don’t)

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1.The secret to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition.

The secret to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition. This is just as true with habit change as it is with sports and business. Habits are easier to perform, and more satisfying to stick with, when they align with your natural inclinations and abilities. Like Michael Phelps in the pool or Hicham El Guerrouj on the track, you want to play a game where the odds are in your favour.

2.Pick the right habit and progress is easy. Pick the wrong habit and life is a struggle.

3.Genes cannot be easily changed, which means they provide a powerful advantage in favourable circumstances and a serious disadvantage in unfavourable circumstances.

4.Habits are easier when they align with your natural abilities. Choose the habits that best suit you.

5.Play a game that favors your strengths. If you can’t find a game that favors you, create one.

6.Genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it. They tell us what to work hard on.

one of the best ways to ensure your habits remain satisfying over the long-run is to pick behaviours that align with your personality and skills. Work hard on the things that come easy.

Chapter 19Atomic Habits : The Goldilocks Rule—How to Stay Motivated in Life and Work  

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

1.The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities.

2.The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom.

3.As habits become routine, they become less interesting and less satisfying. We get bored.

4.Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated. It’s the ability to keep going when work isn’t exciting that makes the difference.

5.Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.

The only way to become excellent is to be endlessly fascinated by doing the same thing over and over. You have to fall in love with boredom.

Chapter 20 :Atomic Habits The Downside of Creating Good Habits

Chapter Summary KEY POINTS

Habits deliver numerous benefits, but the downside is that they can lock us into our previous patterns of thinking and acting—even when the world is shifting around us. Everything is impermanent. Life is constantly changing, so you need to periodically check in to see if your old habits and beliefs are still serving you. A lack of self-awareness is poison. Reflection and review is the antidote.

1.The upside of habits is that we can do things without thinking. The downside is that we stop paying attention to little errors.

2.Habits + Deliberate Practice = Mastery

3.Reflection and review is a process that allows you to remain conscious of your performance over time.

4.The tighter we cling to an identity, the harder it becomes to grow beyond it.

Success is not a goal to reach or a finish line to cross. It is a system to improve, an endless process to refine. In Chapter 1, I said, “If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change.”