Atomic Habits — Book Review
Introduction:
Just recently, I finished reading Atomic Habits, a simple yet impactful book by James Clear. The purpose of the book is to explain why building small daily habits are essential, and how to create such habits. The strategies Clear suggests throughout the book were concise and meaningful, causing me to implement a few of his strategies into my daily routine. In this blog, I will summarize the essence of Atomic Habits, and detail how I am applying the book’s concepts in my day-to-day life.
What is Atomic Habits about?
Atomic habits explains the importance of focusing on the short-term systems rather than long-term goals. Clear emphasizes how small changes in the system in which an individual operates will ultimately lead to long-term success. Clear also illustrates four different components of making good habits. The first component is establishing a strong signal, or a cue. Establishing a cue associated with the habit will make it more obvious and harder for an individual to ignore. For example, if I decide to make a habit of reading ten pages every day, putting the book near my bed is a strong cue which tells me to read every night. The second component of creating strong habits is making the habits attractive. No one wants to have a boring tiresome habit in their daily routine, so making the habits a desire rather than a need is essential. Clear suggests using temptation bundling, a practice where one pairs an action he needs to do with the habit he wishes to inculcate. The third component is making the habits as easy as possible. Components two and three go hand in hand, but Clear suggests some additional strategies in the third component. Strategies such as the two-minute rule (downscaling habits until they can be done in two minutes) and priming the environment (changing surroundings to fit a certain habit) makes creating new habits both attractive and easy. The final component Clear details is making the habit satisfying. Using a habit tracker (keeping track of how long a habit can continue) or reinforcement (rewarding oneself after habit is completed) gives the individual full satisfaction after completing the habit. According to Clear, these four components are the back-bone of making strong habits.
How am I applying Clear’s thinking?
I have had a difficult time creating meaningful habits in the past so Atomic Habits helped guide me through establishing strong habits in my routine. The main habits I wanted to practice were reading a book/news article every day, completing thirty minutes of a LinkedIn learning course every day, and limiting my phone screen time to 3 hours and 30 minutes each day. I do not enjoy reading (for fun) or completing courses during Christmas break, and I do enjoy spending time on my phone, so I used strategies in Atomic Habits to overcome these difficulties. I established a strong cue for my habits by putting the Economist magazine on my bed and leaving the LinkedIn Learning tab open on my computer so that whenever I am going to bed or opening my computer, I can complete my habits right away. I make my habits attractive and easy by using the temptation bundling strategy, and completing my desired habits right after a necessary daily activity. The final strategy I employ is using a habit tracker. I attempt to complete all my habits during the course of the day and at the end of the day, I mark my success on the tracker. I am trying to lengthen the streak of my habits each day to keep me satisfied of what I am doing and motivated to continue.
Conclusion:
Habit formation is important, but not easy. James Clear’s Atomic Habits is a great guide for anyone who wishes to cultivate habits into their daily lives. As a college student, I am greatly benefitting from Clear’s strategies and I hope my writing on this subject proves useful to anyone wishing to maintain strong habits.