Atomic Habits Notes

Introduction

With the same habits, you’ll end up with the same results. But with better habits, anything is possible. (pg. 7)
It was a gradual evolution, a long series of small wins and tiny breakthroughs. (pg.7)
Four step model of habit - cue, craving, response, reward (pg. 9)
Realize that if you offer the right reward you can get people to act in a certain way. (pg. 9)
this book is about what doesn’t change. It’s about the fundamentals of human behavior. (pg. 10)

Chapter One - THE SURPRISING POWER OF HABITS

Dave Brailsford - believed in the “Aggregation of Marginal Gains - the philosophy of searching for tiny margin of improvement in everything you do.” (pg. 13)
too often we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action, meanwhile improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable - but it can be far more meaningful in the long run. (pg. 15)
habits form the compound interest of self improvement. the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them. (pg 16)
It is only when looking back two or five years that the value of good habits or the cost of bad habits become strikingly apparent. (pg 16)
Unfortunately the slow pace of transformation also makes it easy to let a bad habit slide. (pg 16)
When we repeat 1% errors, day after day, by replicating poor decisions, duplicating tiny mistakes , and rationalizing little excuses, our small choices compound into toxic results.
You should be more concerned with current trajectory than with current results. your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. (pg. 18)
If you want to predict where you’ll end up in the future, all you have to do is follow the curve of tiny gains or tiny losses and see how your daily choices will compound ten or twenty years down the line. (pg. 18)
accomplish one extra task, learn one new idea, help one person. stress compounds, negative thoughts compound, outrage compounds. (pg. 19)
sidebar: habits often appear to make no difference until a threshold is hit. Similar to any compounding process. (pg 20)
“people make a few small changes, fail to see a tangible result and then decide to stop. But in order to make a meaningful difference, habits need to persist long enough to break through what we call - the plateau of latent potential.” (pg 21)
realize your work is not wasted it is stored although you may not see results if you have not crossed the plateau of latent potential.
Forget about goals focus on systems instead. (pg. 23)
Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes you use to get to your results. (pg. 23)
EX. your goal is to win a game. Your system is the way you recruit players, manage assistant coaches, conduct practice, etc.
if you ignore your goals and focus on your systems, you will still succeed. (pg. 24)

Problems with Goals

a. Winners and losers have the same goals ex. we focus on people who end up winning but assume that goals led to their success while overlooking people who had the same objective. Goals are the same everywhere. Its only when you conduct a system of continuous small improvements that you will achieve a diff outcome. (pg. 24)

b. Achieving a goal is only a momentary change ex. set a goal to clean your room and then accomplish the goal but never change the habits that led to the mess, you’ll end up again with the same messy room. (when you solve problems at the results level, you only solve them temporarily.) (pg. 25)

c. Goals restrict your Happiness ex. the issue with this is that you will be putting off happiness until you reach your Next milestone. It also creates an either or scenario.either you succeed and be happy or you fail and become miserable. (pg 25) The antidote to this is to fall in love with the process or your system for your result.

d. Goals are at odds with long term progress ex. you train in running for months and win/loss the marathon and then you stop training. when all of your hard work is focused on a particular goal, what is left to push you forward after you achieve it. (pg 27)

“true long term thinking is goal less thinking” (pg 27)
“ultimately your commitment to the process is what will determine your progress.” (pg 27)
If you are having trouble changing, the problem is not you, it is your system. You may have the wrong system for change. (pg. 27)
atomic habit refers to a tiny change, a marginal gain, a 1 percent improvement. these small changes are both small and mighty. (pg. 27)

Chapter Two - How your habits shape your identity (and Vice Versa)

Once your habits are established they seem to stick around forever - especially unwanted ones. (pg. 29)
Changing our habits is challenging for two reasons: We try to change the wrong thing, and we try to change our habits in the wrong way. (pg. 29)

Three layers of Behavior Change

a. Changing your Outcomes this layer is concerned with changing your results. This Most goals are associated with this level. b. Changing your Process this layer is concerned with changing your habits and systems. Most of your habits you build are associated with this level. c. Changing your Identity this layer is concerned with changing your beliefs. Your beliefs, worldviews, your self image, your judgements about yourself. (pg. 30)

Most people begin the process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve. This leads to outcome based habits. By focusing on identity first, we start focusing on who we wish to become. (pg. 31)
Observe the difference: “No, thanks I’m trying to quit smoking.” VS. “No, thanks I’m not a smoker”
People never shift the way look at themselves, and they don’t realize that their old identity can sabotage their new plans for change. (pg. 32)
Behind every system of actions are a system of beliefs. (pg. 32)
There are a set of beliefs and assumptions that shape the system, an identity behind the habits. (pg. 32)
It’s hard to change your habits if you never change the underlying beliefs that led to your past behavior. (PG. 33)
the ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. (pg. 33)
the more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity , the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it. (pg. 33)
true behavior change is identity change. You may start as part of motivation, but you will stick with it, only if it becomes part of your identity.
the goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner. (pg. 34)
when your behavior and your identity are fully aligned, you are no longer pursuing behavior change. (pg. 34)
the more deeply a thought or action is tied to your identity, the more difficult it is to change it. (pg. 35)
becoming the best version of yourself, requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and upgrade and expand your identity. (pg. 36)
every belief, including those about yourself, is learned and conditioned through experience. (pg. 36)
the more you repeat a behavior, the more you reinforce the identity associated with that behavior. (pg. 36)
Identity in Latin translates to “essentitas identem” or “repeated beingness”.
the more evidence you have for a belief, the more strongly you will believe it. EX. if you go to church every sunday for twenty years, you have evidence that you are religious. (pg. 37)
The effect of one off experiences tends to fade away while the effect of habits get reinforced with time. (pg. 37)
the process of building habits is actually the process of becoming yourself. (pg. 37)
each habit not only gets results but also teaches you something far more important: TO TRUST YOURSELF.
every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
You do not need a unanimous vote to win an election; you just need a majority.
New identities require new evidence. a. Decide the type of person you want to be. b. Prove it to yourself with small wins. (pg. 39)
Ask yourself, Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want. (pg. 39)
Your habits shape your identity, and your identity shapes your habits. (pg. 40)
“You have the power to change your beliefs about yourself. Your identity is not set in stone. You have a choice in every moment.”
You become your habits.

Chapter Three - How to Build Better Habits in a 4 Simple Steps

behaviors followed by satisfying consequences tend to be repeated and those that produce unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated.
A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic. (pg. 44)
This is the feedback loop behind all human behavior: try, fail, learn, try differently. (pg. 45)
Jason Hreha, writes “Habits are, simply, reliable, solutions to recurring problems in our environment.” (pg. 45)
People without their habits under control are often the ones with the least amount of freedom. ex: without good financial habits, you will always be struggling for the next dollar. (pg. 46)
It’s only by making fundamentals of life easier that you can create the mental space needed for free thinking and creativity. (pg. 47)
The process of activating/performing a habit: Cue, Crave, Response, Reward (pg. 47)
your brain runs through these steps in the same order every time. (pg. 47)
the cue is the first indication that we are close to a reward. (pg. 48)
Cravings are the second step, they are the motivational force behind every habit. (pg. 48)
what you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state that it delivers. ex: you do not want to turn on the tv, you want to be entertained. (pg. 48)
the third step is the response. the response is the actual habit you perform. the response occurs depending on how motivated you are and how much friction is associated.
rewards are the end goal of every habit. (pg. 49)

“If a behavior is insufficient in any of the four stages, it will not become a habit. Eliminate the cue and your habit will never start. Reduce the craving and you won’t experience enough motivation to act. Make the behavior difficult and you won’t be able to do it. If the reward fails to satisfy you’re desire then you’ll have no reason to do it again” (pg 49)

these four steps form a neurological feedback loop. an endless loop that runs every moment you are alive. (pg. 51)
Sometimes the problem is that you notice something good and you want to obtain it. Sometimes the problem is that you are experiencing pain and you want to reduce it.
After decades of mental programming, we automatically slip into these patterns of thinking and acting.

Chapter 4 - The Man Who didn’t Look Right

We underestimate how much our brains and bodies can do without thinking (pg. 61)
Cues are so deeply encoded to our unconscious the best way to change them is to become aware of them.
Carl Jung said, until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. (pg. 62)
One Powerful way to make the unconscious conscious is by using a technique called: “The Point and Call” technique. ex. call outloud next time you leave your door, everything you have that is important before you leave your house. I have my keys. I have my wallet. I have my kids. I have my jacket.
Many of our failures in performance, can be attributed to our lack of self awareness. (You can hedge the mindless behavior by using the point and call technique.)
This woke me up big time: The habits scorecard. Remember that habits create identities. Welp if you list out some of your habits. ex: woke up, drunk coffee, wrote in a journal, answered an email etc. And then for each habit you give it a score. either, a plus a minus or a equals. You can see almost in real time, if your habits are pushing you towards what you want, or not pushing you or if they are even setting you back. It’s a super powerful report card you can give for your self. Try it out.
The first step to changing bad habits is to be on the lookout for them. If you are not aware of your bad habits or if you have any at all, definitely use the point and call method. Hearing it will stop you or at least motivate you to not do absurd shit. ex: I am putting my fingers in my mouth. I am scratching my butt. I am robbing a store. People do these things, but imagine to yourself, would you do it if you knew how silly you looked doing it? (pg. 66)
Once our habits become unconscious we stop thinking about what we are doing.
The process of behavior change always start with awareness.
Point and Calling raises your level of awareness from unconscious to conscious.
The habits scorecard is a simple exercise you can use to become aware of your behavior.

Chapter 5 - The Best Way to start a New Habit

Say this to yourself: I will partake in at least 20 mins of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [Time] in [Place] (pg. 68)
This is called Implementation Intentions (pg. 70) - It is how you intend to implement a habit.
People who make a specific plan for when and where they plan to perform a habit are more likely to follow through. (Also don’t forget to Point and Call)
Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.
Implementation Intentions remove the need for your to think about the details of when/where you will perform an action. It’s like caching for the mind.

ex: Meditation: I will meditate for one minute at 7a in my kitchen. Studying: I will study for twenty minutes at pm in my bedroom. etc.

Being specific about what you want and how you will achieve it helps you say no to things that derails progress. (pg. 72)
No Behavior happens in isolation. Diderot Effect.
[Favorite] One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. This is called Habit Stacking. (pg. 74)
Habit stacking is a special form of an implementation intention except time and location is baked into the habit itself.
Habit Stacking Formula: “After [Current Habit], I will [New Habit]” (pg. 74)
This allows you to take advantage, of the natural momentum that comes from one behavior leading into the next. (pg. 74)
Overall, habit stacking allows you to create a set of simple rules that guide your future behavior.
One way to find the right trigger for your habit stack is brainstorming a list of your current habits. (Use the Habit Scorecard)
Or you can make a list of habits you do each day in one column and then a second column of things that happen to you each day without fail.
[Important] to habit stack, the rule has to be specific. will not work: “do push ups at lunch” better trigger: “when I close my laptop, i will do ten push ups.”

Chapter 6 - Motivation is Over Rated Environment Often Matters More

People often choose products, not because of what they are, but where they are. (pg. 82)
Your habits change depending on the room you are in and the cues in front of you. (pg. 82)
Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior. (pg. 82)
According to Kurt Lewin: Behavior is a function of the person in their environment = b = f(P,E) —> b is similar to F, and PE is similar to MA or F=MA the force equation in physics. Which is used to break down vectors into Force components to figure out trajectories and their impact. Keyword being Impact.
[Marketing Money] - Suggestion Impulse buying - is triggered when a shopper sees a product for the first time and visualizes a need for it. People buy things not necessarily because they need them, but because of how they are presented to them. $$$ (pg. 83)
A small change in what you see can lead to a big change in what you do. As a result you can imagine how important it is live and work in environments that are filled with positive or productive cues and devoid of unproductive ones. (pg. 84)
Every Habit is initiated by a cue, and we are more likely to notice cues that stand out. Unfortunately environments where we live and work sometimes make it not easy for us to do certain actions.

ex: It’s not easy to take your vitamins when they are out of sight. It’s not easy to drink water, when all you have is juice. etc. (pg. 85)
by sprinkling triggers throughout your environment it is likely that you will increase the odds that you will think about your habit throughout the day. (pg. 86)
Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it.
You can alter the spaces where you live and work to increase your exposure to positive cues and reduce your exposure to negative ones.

a. Context is the Cue

Over time your habits become associated not with a single trigger but with the entire context surrounding the behavior.
Each location develops a connection to certain habits and routines. (pg. 87)
Our behavior is not defined by the objects in the environment but by our relationship to them. (pg. 87)
[Important] Stop thinking about your environment as filled with objects. Start thinking about it as filled with relationships. (pg. 87)
Habits can be easier to change in a new environment. (pg. 88)
It is easier to associate a new habit with a new context than to build a new habit in the face of competing cues. (pg. 88) ex: want to go to bed, but cant stop watching tv in bed. Move the tv from the bedroom
[Freebie] environment can also expand your mind. Want to think more creatively, move to a bigger room or sit in a park. (pg. 89)
Every habit should have a home. (pg. 90)

Chapter 7 - The Secret to Self Control

Robins reveals that addictions can be spontaneously dissolved if there was a radical change in environment. (Current Context - Covid Pandemic is changing everything everybody knew) (pg. 92)
Disciplined people structure their lives in ways that do not require heroic willpower and self control. They spend less time in tempting situations. (pg. 93)
Once a habit has been encoded, the urge to act follows whenever the environmental cues reappear. ex: man swears off drinking, then goes to a bar with friends, the urge to drink is led by merely being in the bar.
You can break a habit but you are unlikely to forget it. (pg. 94)
“In the long run, we become a product of the environment that we live in. I’ve never seen someone consistently stick to positive habits in a negative environment. (pg. 94)
Self control is a short term strategy, not a long term one. (pg. 95)
Secret to self control, make the cues of your good habits obvious and the cues of your bad habits invisible.

[Important] check out page 96 and 97

Chapter 8 - How to make a habit irresistable

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