ATOMIC HABITS QUOTES
“…the aggregation of marginal gains”
If you are looking for a book on habit change then Atomic Habits by James Clear is the one for you. You will get to learn ways to create good habits and break bad ones from this book. It contains a step-by-step simple framework that is based on the best techniques from behavioral science. This highly practical book is a must-read for those looking to upgrade their behavior to create the best version of themselves.
THE BOOK IN 3 POINTS
* An atomic habit is a regular routine or practice that is not only easy and small to grab but it happens to be a source of implausible power. It can be described as a component of the system of compound growth.
* If you are willing to stick with the knowledge imparted in this book for years then the unimportant and small changes will compound into remarkable results.
* You will learn that you repeat your bad habits not because you are incapable of change but because you have the wrong system for change.
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5 BIG IDEAS IMPARTED IN THIS BOOK
* Environment happens to be the silent hand that shapes human behavior.
* The compound interest of self-improvement happens to be your habits.
* The best way to change your habits is by wishing who you want to become and not what you want to achieve.
* The simple set of rules that can be used to build better habits is the 4 laws of behavior change. They are: make it attractive, make it obvious, make it satisfying and make it easy.
* For a better result, you need to focus on your system instead of setting goals.
SUMMARY OF THE BOOK
LESSON 1: GET BETTER EVERY DAY BY 1%
Everyone tends to change their habits overnight. However, according to the author, just 1% change every day will be enough to get dramatic results. This theory is backed up by mathematics. With just 1% change you can experience 37 x improvements by the end of the year.
You will learn that setting big goals happen to be counterproductive. Thus, you will be taught how to focus on the process instead of goals. The system is the key. The book talks about in a few of the chapters how important it is to have the right vision to yield ambiguous results.
You will come across the word “vision” in a few pages of the book. Here, visions are defined as what you see and not foresight.
LESSON 2: TO CHANGE HABITS YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR IDENTITY
What many of us do not understand is that there will be a simple shift in identity when you change your mindset from “I want to” to am”. The truth is everyone has the potential to become a better version of themselves. All you need to do is learn how to apply your 
habits that will help you to achieve what you desire. This book talks about and explains this in detail.
The author in this book has talked about 3 layers of behavior change. They are outcome, process, and identity. So, in order to achieve something (outcome), you need to work to achieve it (process) and you will get what you wanted by changing your habits and implementing new ones (identity).
According to James, you need to focus on who you want to become instead of focusing on what you want to achieve to change your habits for your betterment. This book is about building your identity first and then being concerned with the process which will help you to achieve the outcome easily.
Another way to go about this is the “Be => Do => Have” model.
LESSON 3: THE 4 LAWS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE
The book talks about a step-by-step framework that will not only help you to change human behavior but also understand it. The 4 steps which the author describes as laws are Cue, Cravings, Response, and Reward.
This completes a “habit loop” so you will be able to continue the new habit over and over again. James has a section dedicated to each law in the book.
Here you will learn in detail that the cue and the craving are the “problem” whereas the response and reward happen to be the “solution”.
LESSON 4: HOW TO WORK ON TO BUILD THE GOOD HABITS
The 4 laws are there to imbed good habits in you which will help you to become better than what you are currently. The author has discussed simple yet powerful tips to create habits that will become a part of you. But how can this model be used to create a good habit? Well:
Cue – make it obvious (Keep a sign of the goal visible to you).
Cravings – Make it attractive (Make the process fun and suitable that does not disrupt your daily routine or your mood).
Response – make it easy (Make the steps easy to follow as per your convenience).
Reward – make it satisfying (You should reward yourself every step of the way to stay focused and motivated).
LESSON 5: AVOIDING DISTRACTION AND BAD HABITS
In this book, James has also explained how the 4 laws can be used to be free from bad habits as well. So:
Cue – Make it invisible (Get rid of all kinds of distractions and temptations that can ruin your progress).
Cravings – Make it unattractive (Learn how to see the bigger picture so that you can realize how the bad habit is ruining you).
Response – Make it difficult (Purposely find ways to avoid falling back to bad habits).
Reward – Make it unsatisfying (Acknowledge that bad habits will not improve your condition and environment).
The book talks about a lot of new concepts and definitions like automaticity, temptation bundling, habit shaping, and habit stacking. There are many other things explained in this book that will help you to become what you want to be.
The book happens to be a reference to habit changing. You will learn in detail in simple language how the step model works. You will also get many lessons and insights that can be drawn from the model mentioned by James.
WHO SHOULD READ IT?
The best thing about Atomic Habits is that it is for everyone. That being said, you will really enjoy this book if:
* You want to achieve your goals.
* You are looking for ways to change your habits.
* You want to learn how habits are formed.
* You are looking for a system that will support your goals.
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SUPPLEMENTAL READING
ABOUT THE AUTHOR