Summary and Review of "Atomic Habits".

 Book Review: Atomic Habits.

Author: James Clear.

Subject: Self-help book (Creating good habits and breaking bad ones).

Introduction

To begin with, A habit is a routine or behavior that is performed regularly- and, in many cases, automatically. "Atomic Habits" is a self-development book which focuses on transforming your habits into positive ones that serves your favor. It composes 20 short chapters that provide a guide towards both building good habits and also breaking bad Ones.

As Naval Ravikant has said " To write a great book, you must first become the book". The author learned about the ideas mentioned in the book because he had lived with them after getting injured during final day of his sophomore year of high school in the face with a baseball bat. So, James (the author) used small habits to rebound from injury. 

Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement and multiply as you repeat them. They seem to make little difference on any given day and yet the impact they can deliver over the months and years can be enormous. Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. it will multiply whatever you feed it. Good habits make time your ally. Bad habits make time your enemy. 

The secret to getting results that last is to never stop making improvements. it's remarkable what you can build if you just don't stop. That's the power of atomic habits. Tiny changes, remarkable results.

Summary

* How to build better habits in 4 simple steps?

1. Make it obvious (Cue)

The cue triggers your brain to initiate a behavior. it is a bit of information that predicts a reward. Your mind is continuously analyzing your internal and external environment for hints of where rewards are located. Because the cue is the first indication that we're close to a reward, it naturally leads to a craving. 

2. Make it attractive (Craving)

Cravings are the second step, and they are the motivational force behind every habit. without some level of motivation or desire (without craving a change) we have no reason to act. what you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state it delivers. 

3. Make it Easy (Response)

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 three factors: How motivated you are, how much friction is associated with the behavior, and your ability. If a particular action requires more physical or mental effort than you are willing to expend, then you won't do it.

4. Make it satisfy (Reward)

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. If a behavior is insufficient in any of the four stages, it will not become a habit. Eliminate the cue and your habit will never start. 

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

        ✔How can I make it obvious?

        ✔How can I make it attractive?

       ✔How can I make it easy?

      ✔How can I make it satisfying?

♦ How to Break a bad Habit? (Inverting laws of making a habit)

1. Inversion of the 1st law (cue): Make it invisible.

2. Inversion of the 2nd law (craving): Make it Unattractive.

3. Inversion of the 3rd law (Response): Make it difficult.

4.  Inversion of the 4th law (Reward): Make it unsatisfying

♦There are Three levels of change:

1. Identity change

2. Process change

3. Outcome change

✅Strategies to use creating a good habit:

1.The 1st law: Make it obvious.

* 1.1 - fill out the habit's scorecard. write down your current habits to become aware of them.

*1.2- Use Implementation intentions: "I will [Behavior] at [Time] in [Location]'

*1.3- Use habit stacking: " After [current habit], I will [New habit]".

*1.4- Design your Environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.

2. The 2nd Law: Make it Attractive.

*2.1- Use temptation bundling. pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.

*2.2- Join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.

*2.3- Create a motivation ritual. Do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.

3. The 3rd Law: Make it easy.

*3.1- Reduce friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habit. 

*3.2- Prime the Environment. Prepare your environment to make future actions easier.

*3.3- Master the decisive moment. Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact.

*3.4- Use the Two-Minute Rule. Downscale your Habits until they can be done in two minutes or less.

*3.5- Automate your habits. Invest in technology and onetime purchases that lock in future behavior.

4. Make it Satisfying.

*4.1- Use reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit.

*4.2- Make "doing nothing" enjoyable. when avoiding a bad habit, design a way to see the benefits.

*4.3- Use a habit tracker. keep track of your habit streak and "don't break the chain."

*4.4- Never miss twice. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately.

✅Strategies to use Breaking a bad habit:

1. Inversion of the 1st law (cue): Make it invisible.

*1.5- Reduce exposure. Remove the cues of your bad habits from your environment.

2. Inversion of the 2nd law (craving): Make it Unattractive.

*2.4- Reframe your mind-set. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.

3. Inversion of the 3rd law (Response): Make it difficult.

*3.6- Increase friction. increase the number of steps between you and your bad habits.

*3.7- Use a commitment device. Restrict your future choices to the ones that benefit you.

4.  Inversion of the 4th law (Reward): Make it unsatisfying.

*4.5- Get an accountability partner. Ask someone to watch your behavior.

*4.6- Create a habit Contract. Make the costs of your bad habits public and painful.

Highlighted Notes

* A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic and are a reliable solution to recurring problems in our environment.

*Your identity is your repeated beingness.

*Forget about goals, focus on systems instead.

*You get what you repeat.

* If you only do the work when it's convenient or exciting, then you'll never be consistent enough to achieve remarkable results.

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

*Behind every system of actions are a system of beliefs. 

*We imitate the habits of three groups:

1. The close        2. The clear         3. The powerful

* The closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to imitate some of their habits.

*Laszlo Polgar "A genies is not born but is educated and trained."

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

* If you want to make a habit a big part of your life, make the cue a big part of your environment.

* Some experts estimate that half of the brain's resources are used on vision. Given that we are more dependent on vision than on any other sense. So, the visual cues are the greatest catalyst of our behavior.

*Environment is invisible hand that shapes human behavior.

* The two most common cues are Time and Location.

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

The End