Book review for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

The author begins the book by describing atomic habits, introduces us to systems, goals and behaviors, the fact that we can’t produce any meaningful results if we don’t change the system, and that if indeed we have difficulty changing our habits, then it’s a result of the system not the goals. The change we desire comes at our identity level which emerges out of habits. Outcomes, process, and identity are the three levels of behavior change. “Repeated beingness” in our identity is the result as well as freedom.

So how do habits work? Cues trigger our brain with cravings, which are the motivational force behind our habits the responses, thus leading to a reward where we learn that craving results in reward.

The author goes into the laws of behavior change:

the cue that we need to make obvious in our lifethe craving that we need to make attractivethe response we need to make easy for ourselfthe reqard that needs to be as satisfying as possible

Thus, he notes that reversal of the above allows us to break a bad habit:

invert the cue to make it invisibleinvert the craving to make it unattractiveinvert the response to make it difficult to achieveinvert the reward to make it highly unsatisfying

Next he suggest we keep a habit scorecard to keep us accountable and to stay on track.

There are so many examples in this book to solidify the plan like compelling our brains to pick up cues and predicting outcomes thereby picking up lessons from experiences and the reason why the actions under the authority of our unconscious and automatic mind. The book teaches us that it’s a myth that we lack motivation when in reality it’s clarity we’re short on and that we need to subscribe to the habit stacking formula as well as create a motivation designed environment to help us eliminate previous habits through the use of visual cues. This optimizing the environment is the key to self-control making the cues of our good habits obvious and the bad habits invisible. It becomes a commitment device.

Habit stacking (place one habit atop another) is the way to go as is temptation bundling (attaching habits to more productive ones). The author delves into the dopamine feedback loop and how our habits are the driver. Then he points out that it’s the people we surround ourselves with that shape our behavior by our imitation of peers and the seductive pull of social norms. Again, he proffers many examples in this book that help strengthen our resolve.

Habits are more about associations than anything else. One example is our browsing on Google allows us to reduce the uncertainty in life. Likewise posting on Instagram gets us the approval of other people. That teaches us that life is predictive not reactive. Reprogramming our brain to enjoy hard habits is done by associating the habit with a positive experience. And those habits are dependent on frequency as opposed to time and not based on planning alone. It’s necessary to aim for actions and never on motion alone.

We need to make our good habits seem more automatic and repetitive with time by repeating so many times that our mind no longer has to think in order to execute the task we are thereby wiring our brain to maintain the good habit allowing us more freedom. This can only be done in an environment of least resistance, making it attractive and primed for us to complete tasks easily. In order to master the art of refining our skills we must decisively complete new habits in less than two minutes and preferably stack the little choices throughout the day to make it more successful.

So, creating good habits is about making it obvious, attractive, easy, and ultimately being accountable to someone else. The author also goes into how personality traits shape our behavior; therefore, we must tailor our habits so they sync with our personality. Do work that is fun and where you experience flow, which is a focused feeling where you lose track of time and all else seems to fade away. It is where we get greater returns than the average person by doing what comes naturally to us. But we need to remember that no matter how aligned our genes are to whatever we wish to do, we still need to add a significant amount of hard work. The goldilocks rule is where we experience the highest level of motivation when we are doing tasks that challenge ourselves but stay withing the range of our current abilities. And the only way to excel at something is if we can fall in love with the boredom that sometimes will come our way. Lack of desire is actually happiness because it is a state where we are actually content.

Mastery, while being important, doesn’t permit us to rest on our laurels. We need to continuously review our performance and strive to improve accordingly. Think habit stacking. Finally, the author concludes with reference to ‘Sorites Paradox’ which emphasizes the importance of smaller actions, when repeated create a huge impact. Being curious is better than being smart for emotions drive behavior. We can only be rational and logical after we’ve been emotional. Desire initiates; pleasure sustains.

All a result of the author’s personal experience, the blueprint of habit-forming benefits explained are drawn from the fields of psychology, philosophy, neuroscience and biology so rest assured none of the strategies presented are grounded aimlessly. This book deserves to be read in its entirety to achieve maximum benefit. Get it here.

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