Ready To Make Small Changes? Read ‘Atomic Habits’

One of my new year’s intentions is to read at least one book a month and review it here, since I might be queen of delving into several books at once and finishing … maybe one.

Seriously, I’ve slid into the bad habit of reading on my phone, while neatish stacks of books tower like skyscrapers of various heights along the bookshelf and beside my bed, all beckoning to be read.

So this month, mission accomplished!

James Clear’s Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones is not only appropriate reading for the start of a new year, his guide to creating good habits and breaking bad ones is actually helping me re-frame the way I look at habits so that the ones I’m starting feel more do-able and less daunting.

I’ve already made some small changes and among them is actually reading this book!

So I would definitely recommend Atomic Habits if you’re looking to make, improve or change your daily habits.

I’ve slid into the bad habit of reading on my phone, while neatish stacks of books tower like skyscrapers of various heights along the bookshelf and beside my bed, all beckoning to be read. So this month, mission accomplished!

You’ll learn the Four Laws of Behavior Change: Make it obvious; make it attractive; make it easy; and make it satisfying.

You’ll also pick up some practical strategies for practicing good habits and losing the ones that don’t help you.

Little Changes, Great Results

Clear points out that tiny changes in daily behavior add up to huge results over time.

Even little changes, say just a 1 percent daily improvement, adds up. On the other hand, a 1 percent decline takes its toll the other way.

“The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding … if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done,” he says. “Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’’ll decline nearly down to zero.”

And if you drop a good habit or behavior for one day, get back on track the next day, he advises.

Focus on Systems, Not Goals

Clear advocates designing systems in our lives that get us to where we want to go. Don’t focus on setting goals without implementing the systems needed to achieve these goals.

Two people can have the same goals but have different outcomes because of the systems they use to achieve the goal.

Say the goal is to tidy up a messy room.  However, the habits that led to the untidy space in the first place, remain the same. That messy room will return in no time, he points out.

“Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress,” he says.

And bad habits reoccur because we have the wrong system for change, not because we don’t want to change, according to Clear.

Use The Two-Minute Rule

If you want to cultivate a new habit, say meditating, exercising, reading or eating better, Clear recommends starting small and using the two-minute rule.

It’s where you do something for less than two minutes, as opposed to the self-defeating behavior of starting too big and then giving up.

This strategy, one of many in the book, indicates that “when you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”

This means that a goal of reading before bed becomes “read one page,” so that the habit is easy to start.

Try ‘Habit Stacking’ To Form Habits

Habit stacking is adding a new behavior or habit on to an existing habit.

The book provides the example that if you drink coffee every morning and you’d like to add meditation to your day, try saying to yourself: “After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute.”

“The key is to tie your desired behavior into something you already do each day,” Clear says. “Once you have mastered this basic structure, you can begin to create larger stacks by chaining small habits together.”

Don’t Give Up Too Soon

We often give up because we don’t see results, however, that doesn’t mean we’re not getting someplace, Clear says.

I really liked his example of what progress looks like, since many a good habit of mine has fallen by the wayside. Why? All because I quit before the results kicked in.

He says to imagine there’s an ice cube sitting in front of you on a table. The room is cold, maybe 25 degrees. Then very slowly the room starts to heat up. Nothing seems to be happening to the ice cube.

However, when the heat goes up to 32-degrees, the ice begins to melt. That one-degree increase brings a significant change.

“Breakthrough moments are often the results of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash major change,” Clear explains.

“Similarly, habits often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold and unlock a new level of performance.”

Compelling Life Story

The author starts Atomic Habits by recounting a pivotal incident from his teens.

He was was accidentally hit in the face with a baseball bat on the last day of his sophomore year of high school.

The blow sent the avid baseball player to the hospital with multiple skull fractures, a broken nose and two shattered eye sockets.

The swelling in his brain was so severe that it resulted in several seizures. Clear was put into a medically induced coma.

His road to recovery took a long time, but he never gave up on his dream of playing baseball.

He later went on to college, where he formed a series of small daily habits that would ultimately pay off.

“While my peers stayed up late and played video games, I built good sleep habits and went to bed early each night,” he writes. “In the messy world of a college dorm, I made a point to keep my room neat and tidy. These improvements were minor, but they gave me a sense of control over my life. I started to feel confident again.”

He was named the top male athlete at his university, among many other awards. He attributes these wins to “a long series of small wins and tiny breakthroughs.”

“We all deal with setbacks but in the long run, the quality of our lives often depends on the quality of our habits,” Clear says. “With the same habits, you’ll end up with the same results. But with better habits, anything is possible.

Read the first chapter of Atomic Habits here.

Look for another book review by the end of next month, as I put some more atomic habits into action.

In the meantime, happy habits, Y’all!