Want to learn how to get 1% better every day?
Try these small habits that make big life changes.
“Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.”
- James Clear
We all have goals, but achieving them often requires forming new habits.
Forming a new habit can be challenging. It requires both work and motivation. So, how can we create new habits that we can actually stick to?
One of my favourite books on the topic is "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. In this book, James presents a formula for creating new habits in a simple and intuitive way.
Atomic Habits is a #1 New York Times bestseller and the highest-rated habits book on Amazon, with over 100,000 reviews and a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
This week, I’ll summarize this amazing book, share the most important bits, and provide you with four actionable steps to get started.
There are three key lessons in Atomic Habits
Small habits make a big change
The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. What starts as a small win accumulates into something much more. Focus on getting 1% better each day.
Focus on systems
If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
Build identity-based habits
The key to building lasting habits is focusing on creating a new identity first. To change your behaviour for good, you need to start believing new things about yourself. You need to build identity-based habits. Decide the type of person you want to be. Prove it to yourself with small wins.
How to create a good habit:
Make it obvious
Building new habits requires hard-to-miss cues and a plan of action.
Use implementation intentions: “I will [BEHAVIOUR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]”.
Use habit stacking: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]”.
Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.
Make it attractive
Humans are motivated by the anticipation of reward, so making habits attractive will help you stick to them.
Use temptation bundling. Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.
Join a culture were your desired behaviour is the normal behaviour.
Create a motivational ritual. Do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.
Make it easy
If you want to build a new habit, make that habit as easy to adopt as possible.
Reduce friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits.
Prime the environment. Prepare your environment to make future actions easier.
Use the two-minute rule. Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less. After you’ve mastered this, add more minutes.
Make it satisfying
Making your habit immediately satisfying is essential to effective behaviour change.
Use reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit.
Use a habit tracker. Keep track of your habit streak “don’t break the chain”.
Never miss twice. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately.
“The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.”
Atomic Habits - page 27
TL;DR
Focus on making small improvements every day.
Create systems that will make it easy for you to make small changes.
To change your behaviour for good, you need to believe new things about yourself.
Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.
Create a motivational ritual. Do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.
Reduce friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits.
Use the two-minute rule. Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less.
Use reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit.
To create new habits that help us achieve our goals, we simply need to focus on making small changes each day. By focusing on small changes, these changes will compound over days, weeks, months, and years.
Challenge for this week
Write down a goal you’ve been thinking about but haven’t yet committed to.
Define a small habit you can start today using the two-minute rule that will move you towards this goal.
Commit to doing this for the next 7 days.
I would love to know what your goal is. Add your goal in the comments below to help you stay accountable. If you don’t feel comfortable with this, feel free to reply to this email and let me know what your goal is.
Habit tracking apps
Habit tracking apps can be a helpful way to stay accountable. I've included a list of apps below that I recommend checking out.
Streaks
The to-do list that helps you form good habits. Every day you complete a task, your streak is extended.
Productive
Build good habits that will change your life.
Way of Life
Changing habits is hard work. Having the right tool is half the battle.
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