Atomic Habits: Book Notes

My personal notes on Atomic Habits, one of the best books I’ve read on habits. It is a must read! If for some reason you can’t read it I’ve outlined examples and key ideas from the book, but I really recommend buying it.

Chapter 1: The Surprising Power of Atomic Habits

Success is the product of daily habits-not once in a lifetime transformations
You don’t become a millionaire in one day
Habits are the compound interest of self improvement which means getting 1% better every day counts for a lot in the long run
If I accomplish one extra task each day, it doesn’t seem like much now, but over several years this simple things accounts for a lot
If I run 0.1 miles more every day for a year, I will end up running 36 more miles than I would originally have
Focus on your system, not on setting goals
Goals are the results you want
Systems are the processes that lead to those results
My goal is to run a 10K: My system is the way I train, how much I sleep, how often I train, what I eat, how I receive feedback, how I use running techniques.
Atoms are the building blocks of matter, Atomic Habits (a tiny change, the 1% improvement) are the building blocks of desired results

Chapter 2: How Your Habits Shape Your Identity

There are three levels of change, identity change (what you believe), process change (how you achieve your results) and outcome change (the actual results)
The most effective way to change your habits is to focus NOT on what you want to achieve but who you want to become
I want to become skinny (outcome) and if I stick to this diet (process), I’ll become skinny.
This must include the Identity change
My goal is not to read the book, the goal is to become a reader
My goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner
To change your identity 1. Decide who you want to be (runner, healthy person) and 2. Reinforce your desired identity

I want to be a healthy person. 2. To reinforce I ask myself the question “what would a healthy person do?”

Habits matter because they can get you better results, but also change your beliefs (identity) about yourself.

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

A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic
Brushing your teeth, taking a shower, making your bed
Habits can be broken down into four simple steps (cue, craving, routine, reward)
Cue: Phone buzzes with a new message
Craving: You want to know the contents of the message
Routine: You grab your phone and read the text
Reward: You satisfy the craving to read the message. Now this becomes a habit because looking at your phone becomes associated with your phone buzzing
Cue: I smell chocolate while in the kitchen
Craving: I begin to crave the chocolate
Routine: I take the chocolate from the kitchen and eat it
Reward: I satisfy my craving to eat chocolate . Now, eating a chocolate becomes associated with being in the kitchen

How To Create Good Habits

The 1st Law Make It Obvious

1.1 Fill out the Habits Scorecard. Write down your current habits to become aware of them.
Label all you habits positive, negative, or neutral (ex. brushing +, phone — ) lets you know where to work on
1.2 Use implementation intentions: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].”
I will journal at 6:15 AM on my desk for at least to minutes
1.3 Use habit stacking: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”
When I [ACTION], I will [HABIT] is another formula that also works
After taking a shower, I will brush my teeth
1.4 Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.
“Set yourself up for success”

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.
After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED]. After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT]
After I pull out my phone, I will do ten pushups (need). After I do ten pushups, I will check my email (want)
2.2 Join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.
SFHS Snails Running is motivating me to nike and run more than I normally would
2.3 Create a motivation ritual. Do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.
I should do it before sports games; even if it doesn’t get me motivated, it puts me in game mode.

The 3rd Law Make It Easy

3.1 Reduce friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits.
This way you will perform these habits more often
Habits stay ingrained to you based on the number of times you perform them
3.2 Prime the environment. Prepare your environment to make future actions easier.
Lay out several signs of water around the house, or several water bottles
3.3 Master the decisive moment. Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact.
Kind of like a fork in the road which send you down a productive day or unproductive day
3.4 Use the Two-Minute Rule. Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes
Run a marathon (though have identity based goals) → Run a 5K → Walk 10,000 steps → Walk 10 minutes → Put on your running shoes
3.5 Automate your habits. Invest in technology and one time purchases that lock in future behavior.

The 4th Law Make It Satisfying

4.1 Use reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit.
This way we are more likely to repeat the action
“What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately pushed is avoided.”
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.

How to Break a Bad Habit

Inversion of the 1st Law Make It Invisible

1.5 Reduce exposure. Remove the cues of your bad habits from your environment.
Easier to avoid temptation altogether than resist it
Put video games out of your sight

Inversion of the 2nd Law Make it Unattractive

2.4 Reframe your mindset. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.
Chess.com blitz is ruining my chess skills

Inversion of the 3rd Law Make It Difficult

3.6 Increase friction. Increase the number of steps between you and your bad habits.
Make it hard to access, change the password if it is a website, unplug your video game console
3.7 Use a commitment device. Restrict your future choices to the ones that benefit you
Apps that block you from the internet during work hours.

Inversion of the 4th Law Make it Unsatisfying

4.5 Get an accountability partner. Ask someone to watch your behavior.
Have your friend change your password to a website, have your parents hide your phone
4.6 Create a habit contract. Make the costs of your bad habits public and painful.

The first three laws of behavior change increase the odds that a behavior will be performed the first time. The fourth law of behavior change increases the odds that behavior will be repeated next time

Advanced Tactics

The secret to maximizing your odds of success is choosing the right field of competition
What feels like fun to me but work to others?
What comes naturally to me?
What makes me lose track of time?
Where do I get greater returns than the average person?
Genes provide a powerful advantage in favorable circumstances and a serious disadvantages in unfavorable circumstances
Okay a game that faces your strengths
If you can’t find a game that favors you create one
Genes do not eliminate the need for hard work, they clarify it
The Goldilocks Rule states that human experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge on current abilities, essentially when you are in a flow channel or flow state
Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated. It’s the ability to keep going when the work isn’t exciting that makes the difference
Professionals stick to the schedule, amateurs let life get in the way
Habits + Deliberate Practice = Mastery
Reflection and review is a process that allows you to remain conscious of your performance overtime