Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

by James Clear

New identities require new evidence. If you keep casting the same votes you’ve always cast, you’re going to get the same results you’ve always had.

Habits can help you achieve all of these things, but fundamentally they are not about having something. They are about becoming someone.

The punch line is clear: people who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through.

The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption that leads to additional purchases.

The habit stacking formula is: After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

Make the cues of your good habits obvious and the cues of your bad habits invisible.

The inversion of the 1st Law of Behavior Change is make it invisible.

Once a habit is formed, it is unlikely to be forgotten.

People with high self-control tend to spend less time in tempting situations. It’s easier to avoi...

One of the most practical ways to eliminate a bad habit is to reduce exposure to...

HOW TO CREATE A GOOD HABIT The 1st Law: Make It Obvious 1.1: Fill out the Habits Scorecard. Write down your current habits to become aware of them. 1.2: Use implementation intentions: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].” 1.3: Use habit stacking: “After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].” 1.4: Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.

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.

download a printable version of this habits cheat sheet at: atomichabits.com/cheatsheet

THE 2ND LAW Make It Attractive

The fact that the brain allocates so much precious space to the regions responsible for craving and desire provides further evidence of the crucial role these processes play.

Desire is the engine that drives behavior.

Every action is taken because of the anticipation ...

We need to make our habits attractive because it is the expectation of a rewarding experience that motivates us to act in the first place.

HOW TO USE TEMPTATION BUNDLING TO MAKE YOUR HABITS MORE ATTRACTIVE

Temptation bundling works by linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do.

You’re more likely to find a behavior attractive if you get to do one of your favorite things at the same time.

You can even combine temptation bundling with BJ Fogg’s habit stacking strategy we discussed in Chapter 5 to create a set of rules to guide your behavior.

The habit stacking + temptation bundling formula is: After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED]. After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT].

Chapter Summary The 2nd Law of Behavior Change is make it attractive.

The more attractive an opportunity is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming.

Temptation bundling is one way to make your habits more attractive. The strategy is to pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.

We imitate the habits of three groups in particular: The close. The many. The powerful.

1. Imitating the Close

We pick up habits from the people around us.

I find that I often imitate the behavior of those around me without realizing it. In conversation, I’ll automatically assume the body posture of the other person. In college, I began to talk like my roommates. When traveling to other countries, I unconsciously imitate the local accent despite reminding myself to stop.

As a general rule, the closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to imitate some of their habits.

One groundbreaking study tracked twelve thousand people for thirty-two years and found that “a person’s chances of becoming obese increased by 57 percent i...

One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.

New habits seem achievable when you see others doing them every day.

If you are surrounded by fit people, you’re more likely to consider working o...

Your culture sets your expectation for what is “normal.” Surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have yourself. You’ll rise together.

Join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group.

Imitating the Many

When changing your habits means challenging the tribe, change is unattractive. When changing your habits means fitting in with the tribe, change is very attractive.

Imitating the Powerful

The culture we live in determines which behaviors are attractive to us.

tend to adopt habits that are praised and approved of by our culture because we have a strong desire to fit in and belong to the tribe.

We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerfu...

One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a cultu...

behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in ...

The normal behavior of the tribe often overpowers the desired behavior of the individual. Most days, we’d rather be wrong with t...

What was truly fascinating was that half of the people in the room had managed to quit smoking. Mike had been smoke-free for a few years at that point, and he swore up and down that he broke the habit because of a book called Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking. “It frees you from the mental burden of smoking,” he said. “It tells you: ‘Stop lying to yourself. You know you don’t actually want to smoke. You know you don’t really enjoy this.’ It helps you feel like you’re not the victim anymore.

You start to realize that you don’t need to smoke.”

I had never tried a cigarette, but I took a look at the book afterw...

HOW TO REPROGRAM YOUR BRAIN TO ENJOY HARD HABITS