If you have any habits that you’re trying to develop, then this is the perfect book for you. Atomic Habits is a practical guide written by international bestselling author James Clear.
In his book, the author discusses simple ways to build better habits to improve your life. He also discusses how you can break bad habits that work against you.
Atomic Habits shows you how making small decisions can lead to a massive transformation in your life.
The author argues that the reason why we have trouble changing our habits is because of the system we use. He states that “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
If we focus on the overall system, instead of a single goal, by making tiny changes we will begin to see remarkable results. So instead of focusing on setting goals, we should be more focused on the system to get better results. The system is the action you will take to achieve your goals.
To form healthy habits, you need to follow the four laws of behavior change:
- Make it obvious.
- Make it attractive.
- Make it easy.
- Make it satisfying.
For example, if your goal is to go to the gym, the first thing you need to do is make it obvious. Set the alarm on your phone, mark it on your calendar, and leave your workout clothes where you can see them.
Next, you need to make going to the gym attractive. For example, you can listen to your favorite music while you exercise or you can drink your favorite fruit smoothie after your workout.
To make it easy, you need to remove all obstacles out of your way. For example, if driving your car and trying to find a parking space at the gym is difficult, try taking a taxi or catching the bus instead. That eliminates the time wasted in driving through traffic and finding a parking spot.
You can also make it easy to start exercising at the gym by using the two-minute rule in which you exercise for only two minutes instead of 30 minutes. It may sound silly at first, but it takes a lot of the pressure off to exercise.
Record your progress by marking the days you went to the gym on a calendar or writing down your progress in a fitness journal to make the reward satisfying. This will motivate you to continue the habit of going to the gym.
You can also use habit stacking to build your new habit of exercising. Habit stacking means building a new habit by identifying a current habit you already do each day and then stacking your new behavior on top. For example, “As soon as I come home from work I will immediately change into my workout clothes.”
What I liked about this book is that the author showed us how to develop good habits in a practical way by giving examples of Olympic gold medallists, business leaders, and distinguished scientists. This book provides the actual steps we need to improve our habits and break bad ones.
I would recommend Atomic Habits to anyone who wants to build better habits to be more productive and to people who are trying to break bad ones. This book is also perfect for those who want to make changes to improve their career, their relationships, and their lives.
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