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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
James Clear
Read between
July 11, 2020 - January 23, 2021
You can make hard habits more attractive if you can learn to associate them with a positive experience.
The inversion of the 2nd Law of Behavior Change is make it unattractive.
Every behavior has a surface level craving and a deeper underlying motive.
Your habits are modern-day solutions to a...
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Highlight the benefits of avoiding a bad habit to make it seem unattractive.
Habits are attractive when we associate them with positive feelings and unattractive when we associate them with negative feelings. Create a motivation ritual by doing something you enjoy immediately before a difficult 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 [TI...
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1.3: Use habit stacking: “After I [CURRENT HABIT], I ...
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1.4: Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits o...
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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.
2.2: Join a culture where your desired behavior is th...
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2.3: Create a motivation ritual. Do something you enjoy immediately bef...
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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.
Inversion of the 2nd Law: Make It Unattractive
2.4: Reframe your mind-set. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.
HOW LONG DOES IT ACTUALLY TAKE TO FORM A NEW HABIT?
Habit formation is the process by which a behavior becomes progressively more automatic through repetition.
habits form based on frequency, not time.
One of the most common questions I hear is, “How long does it take to build a new habit?” But what people really should be asking is, “How many does it take to form a new habit?” That is, how many repetitions are required to make a habit automatic?
There is nothing magical about time passing with regard to habit formation. It doesn’t matter if it’s been twenty-one days or thirty days or three hundred days. What matters is the rate at which you perform the behavior.
The 3rd Law of Behavior Change is make it easy.
The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning.
Focus on taking action, not bein...
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The amount of time you have been performing a habit is not as important as the number of times you have performed it.
Want to draw more? Put your pencils, pens, notebooks, and drawing tools on top of your desk, within easy reach.
Want to exercise? Set out your workout clothes, shoes, gym bag, and water bottle ahead of time.
Want to improve your diet? Chop up a ton of fruits and vegetables on weekends and pack them in containers, so you have easy access to healthy...
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Human behavior follows the Law of Least Effort. We will naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work.
Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.
Reduce the friction associated with good behaviors. When friction is ...
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Increase the friction associated with bad behaviors. When friction is high...
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Prime your environment to make future a...
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How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the Two-Minute Rule
THE TWO-MINUTE RULE
Even when you know you should start small, it’s easy to start too big. When you dream about making a change, excitement inevitably takes over and you end up trying to do too much too soon.
The most effective way I know to counteract this tendency is to use the Two-Minute Rule, which states, “When you start a new habit, it sh...
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“Read before bed each night” becomes “Read one page.”
“Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.”
“Fold the laundry” becomes “Fold one p...
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“Run three miles” becomes “Tie my ru...
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A new habit should not feel like a challenge.
The actions that follow can be challenging, but the first two minutes should be easy.
The secret is to always stay below the point where it feels like work.
We rarely think about change this way because everyone is consumed by the end goal. But one push-up is better than not exercising. One minute of guitar practice is better than none at all. One minute of reading is better than never picking up a book. It’s better to do less than you hoped than to do nothing at all.
The Two-Minute Rule states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”
