Atomic Habits

1. Small habits build up to incredible results

If you get 1 percent better every day, in a year you will be thirty-seven times better than you would be if you haven't started making the change.

Compounding effect. Habits, like compound interest, compound on each other over time. A 1% daily improvement doesn't seem like much at the time, but after a year it amounts to a stunning 37x improvement. Positive and negative habits both work like this.

Consistency is key. The power of habits lies in their consistency, not in their overall impact. Small, simple changes and sticking to them are preferable to attempting large, unworkable changes. For example:

1.Reading one page a day instead of attempting to read an entire book in one go

2.Performing one push-up a day instead of attempting an hour-long workout

3.Saving regularly a small amount as opposed to saving lots from time to time

Long-term approach. The actual impact of habits tends to be overlooked in the short term. The melting ice cube, whose increment was imperceptible until one reached a point of no return. Patience and consistency are key to relishing the benefits of good habits.

2. Habit formations grounded in identity are more likely to be maintained

All that you do is a vote for what sort of person you wish to be.

Identity controls behavior. Rather than focusing on outcomes, focus on being the sort of person who can achieve outcomes. For example, rather than having the goal to be skinny, focus on being a healthy person who exercises and eats nutritionally.

Process of developing a habit:

1.Make a choice about the sort of person you would like to be

2.Prove it to yourself through small wins

3.Reinforce the identity through repeated behavior

Examples of identity-based habits:

1."I'm a reader" instead of "I want to read more books"

2."I'm an athlete" instead of "I want to lose weight"

3."I'm a writer" instead of "I want to write a book"

By connecting habits to desired identities, we establish a robust feedback loop that reinforces good behavior and makes it more likely to last.

3. Make habits visible, attractive, easy, and satisfying

The most effective approach to changing your habits is to work not on what you are doing, but who you are being.

Four Laws of Behavior Change:

1.Make it obvious: Raise visibility of cues that trigger desired habits

2.Make it attractive: Make habits pair with positive emotions or rewards

3.Make it easy: Minimize friction and reduce the activation energy needed

4.Make it satisfying: Provide instant rewards for behavior reinforcement

Application strategies:

1.Obvious: Use visible signals, like placing a book on your pillow to read at night

2.Attractive: Pair a pleasure activity with one that is required (e.g., listening to podcasts while working out)

Easy: Reduce steps needed for starting a habit (e.g., sleeping in workout clothes)

Satisfying: Reward small wins and track progress visually

By modifying these four variables, we can actually increase the likelihood of forming good habits and breaking bad ones.

4. Environments must be designed for behavior change

You don't become great in order to achieve your goals. You achieve your goals by being great at what you do consistently.

Environment trumps willpower. The environment around us is very powerful when it comes to how we behave. By designing our world such that good is easier to do and bad is harder to do, we can make gigantic gains in becoming successful.

Environmental design strategies:

1.Eliminate temptation: Don't stock junk food in the home

2.Make good habits conspicuous: Leave fruit out on the kitchen counter

3.Add friction for bad habits: Unplug the TV every time you are done watching

4.Minimize drag on good habits: Set out gym clothes the night before

Context-dependent behavior. Habits are linked with specific contexts or locations. It is possible to break bad habits and form good ones by varying your environment. For example, if you have trouble writing from home, try it at a library or cafe.

By building our environment on purpose, we can make good habits inescapable and bad habits inconceivable and reduce our reliance on willpower and motivation.

5. The Two-Minute Rule constructs new habits

When it comes to initiating a new habit, it has to take under two minutes to do.

Start small. The Two-Minute Rule states that any new habit should be scaled down to an action that takes less than two minutes to complete. This approach makes habits feel less daunting and increases the likelihood of getting started.

Examples of applying the Two-Minute Rule:

1."Read before bed each night" becomes "Read one page"

2."Do thirty minutes of yoga" becomes "Take out my yoga mat"

3."Study for class" becomes "Open my notes"

4."Tie my running shoes" is how "Run three miles" is translated

Gateway habits. These small things are "gateway habits" that lead you to the large behavior you want to instill. Once you've started, less effort is required to continue. The key is to make habits as easy as possible to start with, so momentum will carry you forward.

By focusing on the first two minutes of a desired habit, we lower the barrier to entry and increase the chances of long-term success. Remember, the aim is not to do one thing, but to become a master of being present and making habits automatic.

6. Habit stacking leverages existing behaviors

One of the most effective ways to build a new habit is to identify a habit you already do daily and layer your new habit on top.

Ride habits. Habit stacking is the technique of pairing a new habit you want to build with an existing habit that you currently do on a daily basis. It is one of the methods that relies on the brain's already established neural pathways.

Habit stacking formula: Then [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

Habit stacking examples:

1.After I pour coffee in the morning, I will meditate for a minute

2.After I remove work shoes, I will immediately change to my exercise shoes

3.After I sit down for dinner, I will say one thing I am thankful for

4.After I get into bed, I will read one page

Stacking habits. After you get one habit stack going, you can stack larger ones by linking tiny habits together. This allows you to surf along the natural momentum of one behavior into the other.

Anchoring new habits to old habits gets us in the habit of doing the new behavior and makes the process of forming habits more automatic and easy.

7. Habit formation is immediately reinforced

What is immediately rewarded is done again. What is immediately punished is avoided.

Immediate vs. delayed gratification. Our brains are wired to seek out immediate reward over long-term benefit. In order to build long-lasting habits, we need to make our target behavior immediately positively reinforced.

How to design immediate rewards:

1.Make positive consequences of good habits more immediate (e.g., by implementing a savings app that will indicate to you how much progress you are making)

2.Make bad habit penalties more prompt (e.g., block a site during work hours)

Examples of implementing prompt rewards:

1.After exercise, reward yourself with a relaxing shower or smoothie

2.After a work task, take a brief time-out to do something enjoyable

3.After saving money, transfer a small amount to a "fun fund"

Switch attention to process. Instead of focusing on long-term results, learn to enjoy the process of executing the habit itself. This might be putting on music while exercising or finding a method of studying that makes class more enjoyable.

By providing instant positive reinforcement, we're able to bridge the difference between our current actions and eventual result, making good habits more attractive and maintainable in the long run.

8. Habit tracking provides visual proof of progress

Don't break the chain. Try to keep your habit streak.

Visual reinforcement. Habit tracking provides explicit proof of your progress and is rewarding in itself. Strategies like marking Xs on a calendar or using an app to log habits provide you with a visual image of your consistency.

Benefits of habit tracking:

1.Serves as a reminder to act

2.Incentivizes you to continue the streak

3.Proves satisfying when documenting progress

4.Gives feedback for self-improvement and tuning

Plans for implementation:

1.Use a physical calendar or planner

2.Use habit-tracking software or apps

3.Create a ceremony around tracking (e.g., review progress every Sunday evening)

Warn against extremes. While tracking can be powerful, one should not get too caught up in it. The goal is to perform the habit, not to become an expert at the act of measurement.

By providing tangible evidence of progress, habit tracking can increase motivation and make the process of habit creation more enjoyable and rewarding.

9. Never miss twice to sustain the momentum

Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.

Prevent habit streaks from breaking. The "never miss twice" rule acknowledges that perfection is impossible, but emphasizes the importance of getting back on track immediately after a slip-up. This prevents temporary setbacks from becoming permanent derailments.

Strategies for implementing "never miss twice":

1.Plan for failure by having a backup strategy ready

2.Focus on getting back on track rather than beating yourself up

3.Use setbacks as opportunities to refine your approach

Examples:

1.If you skip a workout, do a 5-minute routine the following day

2.If you have an unhealthy meal, make sure your next meal is good

3.If you miss a day of writing, write a sentence the next day

Maintain the identity. Even if you can't achieve the habit entirely, do something small that confirms the identity you're creating. This keeps you on track with your goals and prevents the creation of a negative habit streak.

By adopting the "never miss twice" mindset, we can remain in motion and maintain consistency with our habit-building efforts, even when we encounter an occasional setback.

10. Talent is overrated; play to your strengths

Genetics do not eliminate the importance of hard work. They define it. They teach us what to work hard at.

Play to your strengths. While genetics play a role in our talents, they do not determine our destiny. The secret is to discover where your natural abilities intersect with your goals and use your efforts there.

Strength strategies for playing to your strengths

Experiment with different activities to discover what comes most naturally to you

Watch for activities that energize you and do not drain you

Ask for feedback from other people about what they perceive as your strengths

Building your own niche. Instead of competing in terribly saturated markets, find how to marry your unique mix of skills and interests. This is the way to create a personal niche where you possess a natural advantage.

Ongoing improvement. Even where you inherently have a knack, consistent practice and deliberate effort are required to master it. The idea is to leverage your genetic predispositions as a starting point, not as a finishing point.

By working in those domains where we naturally have strengths and interests, we can achieve higher levels of performance and satisfaction in our habitual activities. This approach allows us to work with our biology rather than against it, so success is more likely and more enjoyable.