Increase the friction until you don’t even have the option to act.
The best way to break a bad habit is to make it impractical to do.
ATOMIC HABITS BY JAMES CLEAR HOW TO
Master the art of showing up, then refine.Ĭhapter 14 - How to Make Good Habits Inevitable and Bad Habits Impossible.
Ex: “Read before bed each night” becomes “read one page.".
When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.
Conversely, use environment design to make the wrong thing as difficult as possible.Ĭhapter 13 - How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the Two-Minute Rule.
Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.
Aim for action (ex: working out), not motion (ex: reading a book on exercise plans).
The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning.
Habits form based on frequency, not time.
I “get” to exercise today, instead of I “have” to exercise today.Ĭhapter 11 - Walk Slowly, but Never Backward
Change the language and frame of habits to make them positive.
One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group.Ĭhapter 10 - How to Find and Fix the Causes of Your Bad Habits.
We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerful (those with status and prestige).
The habit stacking + temptation bundling formula is:Ĭhapter 9 - The Role of Family & Friends in Shaping Your Habits.
This is the only way to break bad habits.Ĭhapter 8 - How to Make a Habit Irresistible
Avoid temptations that trigger bad habits.
New environments can help eliminate old bad habits, and establish new ones.
Design your environment to motivate you to accomplish the things you want to.
Ĭhapter 6 - Motivation is Overrated Environment Often Matters More
Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.
When situation X arises, I will perform response Y.
Broadly speaking, the format for creating an implementation intention is:.
Inversion of the 4th law (Reward): Make it unsatisfying.Ĭhapter 5 - The Best Way to Start a New Habit.
Inversion of the 3rd law (Response): Make it difficult.
Inversion of the 2nd law (Craving): Make it unattractive.
Inversion of the 1st law (Cue): Make it invisible.
We can invert these laws to learn how to break a bad habit.
The 4th law (Reward): Make it satisfying.
The 2nd law (Craving): Make it attractive.
The process of building a habit can be divided into four simple steps: cue, craving, response, and reward.
Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.Ĭhapter 3 - How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps.
Each time you read a page, you are a reader.
Your identity emerges out of your habits.
The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
True behaviour change is identity change.
Focus on your system instead.Ĭhapter 2 - How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)
If you want better results, then forget about setting goals.
You do not rise to the level of your goals.
If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you.
Breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change.
Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits.
You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.
Notes Chapter 1 - The Surprising Power of Atomic Habits