Atomic Habits: Book Review With Chapter Summaries

Dwayne Graves

Atomic Habits, written by James Clear, provides a straightforward strategy for sticking to your commitments and accomplishing your objectives, helping you avoid the disappointment that comes with abandoning your new habits.

My main takeaway from reading this book was the book’s emphasis on the idea that habits are closely tied to identity. The book explains the kind of person you want to take precedence over your accomplishments, actions, and what you can do in this framework.

Discover an easy-to-follow, step-by-step approach that is based on the most effective methods from the field of behavioural research for forming positive routines and discarding negative ones.

The Fundamentals: Why Tiny Changes Make a Big Difference

When envisioning our future selves, we tend to think in grand terms while establishing new routines. We set lofty goals for ourselves like running a marathon or learning French or keeping a daily diary, only to be disappointed when we inevitably fall short.

James Clear discusses the ‘compounding effect,’ which is the premise that little improvements each day add up to significant improvements over time even if you do not immediately see them.

As I indicated in the opening of this piece, James also lays out his central principle in Atomic Habits, which is that the most effective method to alter behaviours is to concentrate on who you want to become rather than what you want to do.

The question he has you pose is, “Who is the kind of person who could obtain the result I want?”, and then mould your routines and activities according to the answer to this question, allowing your sense of self rather than any preconceived notions of success to guide your every move.

The first section of this book concludes with a chapter that provides an overview of the process of habit formation. His explanation of a habit is that it is “a behaviour that must be done so many times, it becomes automatic.”

The following are the four measures you must repeat to guarantee that you continuously engage in the behaviour to solidify it as a habit:

Make it Obvious
Make it Attractive
Make it Easy
Make it Satisfying

The 1st Law: Make It Obvious

According to James Clear, noticing your current behaviour is the first step in creating a new habit. Make a detailed record of your typical day, including all the things you do and the times and places where they occur. Assign positive, negative, or neutral evaluations to each of these practices. This will help you zero in on the behaviours you wish to change and the openings in your schedule that new habits may fill. A Habit Scorecard, as he calls it, is what tracks your progress toward your goals. A ‘cue,’ such as a certain time or place, might help your brain establish a new habit and make it automatic.

This section also discusses the significance of the surrounding environment in habit formation. One way to help that new cue stick is to make it more obvious. You should either say to yourself, “I will [new behaviour] at [time] at [location],” or write it down somewhere it’s clearly visible, to remind yourself to follow through on your plan.

You might also attempt habit stacking, in which you combine a new behaviour with one that is already second nature to you, using the phrase “After [current habit] I will [new behaviour].”

What about overcoming cravings and bad routines? Create an opposite effect by rendering it invisible. It is simpler to avoid temptation than to fight it, therefore you may consider concealing your video gaming controller in a cabinet or hiding snacking deep inside your cupboard.

The 2nd Law: Make It Attractive

When something appeals to us, we tend to want to engage in it more often. Making a positive attachment to a new routine increases the likelihood that you will stick with it.

One strategy for doing so is called “temptation bundling,” in which you link the development of one desirable behaviour with the adoption of another: “After [routine I need] I will do [routine I want].”

Realizing that people are social creatures that prefer to emulate the activities of others around them that are deemed favourable is an important part of making it appealing. This might refer to our immediate circle of friends and family, the larger group or culture with which we identify, or influential figures in our lives.

That is why it could help to associate with others who share your goals and values since doing so might serve as an additional motivation for you to act in the manner you would want to. We are social creatures who need and want to be accepted by our peers; use these needs and desires to your advantage when you form your new routine.

The 3rd Law: Make It Easy

We, humans, are basic animals, and we prefer to follow the “rule of least effort” by selecting the simplest or least labour-intensive alternative. Therefore, you should minimize the effort required to carry out a behaviour if you want it to become habitual.

James Clear outlines the two-minute rule here, which states that every action taken to initiate a new habit must take less than two minutes.

Creating a plan for forming a habit is simple, but in the end, you have to take action. If you want to build a new habit, it is a good idea to divide it down into manageable chunks, such as the two-minute initial action.

If you wish to run a marathon, begin running just 2 minutes every day. The next step is to do the same thing for two minutes until it becomes second nature. Adding to it once it has become habitual can help cement the habit. That can be increasing the length of time you conduct the activity, or the pace you do it.

The 4th Law: Make It Satisfying

The focus of the preceding paragraphs has been on laying the groundwork to guarantee the occurrence of a behaviour. Making anything enjoyable is doing it each time after that; in other words, turning it into a habit instead of an isolated event.

When we experience positive emotions as a result of our actions, we are more inclined to repeat those actions. The human brain has naturally favoured instant gratification over future payoffs. The more likely it is that you will repeat your desired behaviour, the more you should enjoy the fruits of your labour immediately thereafter, no matter how minor.

Making headway is a powerful motivator because it gives us a sense of accomplishment. Keeping a log of your habits is an easy way to implement this change. The golden guideline of habit formation is “never miss twice.” Even if you skip your routine once, you should make it a top priority to get back on track as soon as possible.

Advanced Tactics: How to Go from Being Merely Good to Being Truly Great

There are certain things at which you have a natural advantage. In these respects, routines prove more rewarding. While height helps in basketball, it is a disadvantage in gymnastics. Genes are very difficult to alter. However, they do determine the paths that open up for you.

The goal is to focus your efforts on areas that both interest you and match your inherent abilities so that your goal matches your ability.

However, how can we be sure that the path we choose will lead us to the proper routine? According to Clear, there is a set of questions you may ask yourself to determine the specific areas and routines that will bring you the greatest happiness:

What is enjoyable to me but unpleasant to others?
Because of what, do I tend to lose track of my time?
What do I find most instinctive?
When was the last time I felt lively?

Optimize your genetic potential. Keep in mind the Goldilocks Principle, which states that you will be at your most motivated when you are working on challenges which are neither too simple nor too difficult. To maintain your motivation, seek out obstacles but also achieve progress.

Clear also discusses the drawbacks of developing routines in the end section. The good thing about habits, he explains, is that we do not have to put much thought into them. Unfortunately, this also means that we cease noticing little flaws. Adherence + Focused Effort Equals Proficient Performance. By periodically looking back on your progress, you may keep track of your progress throughout time via the process of reflection and evaluation. The more we insist on maintaining a certain persona, the more difficult it is to evolve beyond that persona.

Conclusion

Key takeaways:

Give importance to systems over consequences
Establishing routines via identity is powerful
Focus on the environment, motivation and self-control will follow
Mastery comes from repetition, never perfection

Incredibly useful, a must-read for anybody who wants to improve their behaviour and become the greatest possible version of themselves.

In my opinion, Atomic Habits is an excellent book for quitting bad habits and establishing new, positive ones. I would highly recommend that you get a copy and study the full book for yourself. If you’re battling with your existing habits, this is the book for you. I believe it’s a text that may in fact improve your life.