Atomic Habits - James Clear
I enjoy reading and recommending business books that help me think and grow. Since I am reading these books, I felt this newsletter would be a great way to share a summary of my learnings. Here are the key takeaways from my latest read. Actually, a re-read, as this book is so good!
The Book: Atomic Habits
The Author: James Clear
The Subject: Continuous improvement
My favourite quotable line: “Trying to pump up your motivation to stick with a hard habit, is like trying to force water through a bent hose”
About the Author:
James Clear is a continuous improvement expert and speaker who focuses on habits and decision-making. I've enjoyed his email newsletter "3-2-1" for years. It goes out each week to more than 2 million subscribers. He is a well-rounded habit crusher, an avid weightlifter, and a photographer.
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My top 5 applicable takeaways from this book:
1. 1% Better Each Day
“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” 1% better each day is the concept that ….. small changes over time make a massive difference in the end. For example, it’s sometimes difficult to envision accomplishing a long-term goal because it can seem so far away. Say your goal is to lose 50 lbs. You must lose those pounds one at a time, through your daily habits. As Clear states, the strategy of “the aggregation of marginal gains” can make a massive difference in your success. If you get 1% better every day for one year, you’ll end up nearly 37 times better after one year. Just one percent a day! That seems achievable. It’s exciting that you can be a 37% better flosser by the end of the year if you start today.
2. True Behaviour Change is Identity Change
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I Interpret this takeaway as you become the change you want to be. James Clear has some great examples of this on page 38. From a leadership standpoint “Each time you encourage your employees, you are a leader” What you do is who you become. Your habits define who you are. I also love what he says in Chapter 20, which is to be careful not to let a single belief define you as it can lead to an identity crisis when you aren’t that anymore. I have dealt with this before. Being so hyper-focused on one thing. Affirming to myself that “I am an athlete” and identifying as such. Then my university basketball career ends. What am I now? Not an athlete I guess. Clear says you can modify this athletic identity to “I’m the type of person who is mentally tough and loves a physical challenge” That broader identity change can last a lifetime.
3. Make it Obvious
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This rule of habit adoption is so good. Make it obvious. It’s like when you ask clarifying questions to your team, friends, your family, and yourself. Does this sound familiar? Someone says something like…. “I’m going to work out 3 times this week.”
Is that obvious? Not really. What if you ask them, “What, when and where are you going to work out this week?”. They make it more obvious and say “I will do a HIIT workout on M, W and F at 8 am for an hour in my basement gym” How likely are they to complete that activity? Clear’s strategy makes it easy.
I will (BEHAVIOUR), at (TIME) in (LOCATION). Clarity makes it obvious.
4. Habit Tracking is Satisfying
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Peter Drucker says “You can’t improve what you don't measure”. It’s easier to keep a streak of a habit going when you see a visual representation of it occurring. It serves as motivation to continue that activity. That’s why Apps have streak counters. How many of you have an App to help you meditate, or use Duolingo to learn a new language? You get that hit of satisfaction when you keep the streak alive right? You’ll do anything in your power not to miss a day. As the great Will Ferrell says “We’re going streaking!”. Yes, we are. We’re tracking our habit streak, especially if we want to make the habit stick!
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5. The Goldilocks Rule
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I get asked this so many times. “How do I stay motivated, or how do I motivate others” The Goldilocks Rule is the magic behind this. The analogy is from the story The Three Bears. Goldilocks tries 3 different bowls of porridge and she prefers the bowl one that isn’t too hot or too cold, but the one that is JUST RIGHT. Clear says “Maximum motivation occurs when facing a challenge of just manageable difficulty.” In essence, we DO and are motivated by what we are good at, and enjoy the most. “We experience peak motivation when working on tasks right on the edge of our current abilities”. Not too hard and not too easy. Your job is to find that zone, activity, things you love to do, things that matter the most to you, and the motivation will be JUST RIGHT.
There are many other great concepts and thoughts in this book. Notably the Habit Loop and the lessons of his Four Laws. Which is the framework for all the learnings above and more.
This book has sold more than 10 million copies. If you aren’t one of those millions, grab a copy for yourself. Or if you have it on your bookshelf, read it again.
Great book, Thank you James Clear.
