Atomic Habits

Dear Blurbarians,

Welcome to issue #2 - Today’s book summary is on one of the most popular self-development books over the last decade.

This book has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, and has been translated into more than 60 languages.

So it’s safe to say it’s struck a chord with more than a handful of people, including myself!

“Atomic Habits” by James Clear.

1. Small Changes = Big Results
   Tiny improvements done consistently lead to massive results. Getting 1% better every day compounds into massive transformation over time.

2. The Habit Loop
   Every habit (good or bad), follows this four-step cycle.

   • Cue: The trigger that tells your brain to begin the behavior (phone buzzes).

   • Craving: The desire or motivation it creates (curiosity about a new message).

   • Response: The actual behavior or action (picking up the phone).

   • Reward: The payoff that satisfies your craving (dopamine hit from a reply).

3. The Four Laws of Behavior Change

   • Make it Obvious - Design clear cues. If you want to read more, leave a book on your pillow. Want to drink more water? Put a bottle on your desk.

   • Make it Attractive - Bundle your habit with something you already enjoy. For example, clean your room, whilst listening to your favorite podcast.

   • Make it Easy - Start really small. If your goal is to write daily, start with one sentence. Remove as much friction as possible.

   • Make it Satisfying - Instant rewards reinforce behavior. Cross it off a list, create a habit tracker, or treat yourself.

4. The Two Day Rule

   Missing a day is okay, missing twice in a row starts to form a new habit of not doing the habit. Aim for progress, not perfection.

5. Identity drives Behavior

   True habit change is about becoming, not just doing. For example, instead of saying “I want to run,” say “I’m a runner.”

Idea Of The Week 

• Ask yourself - what would this look like if it was easy?

• This forces your brain to make the task or habit as simple as possible, increasing your chances of getting started.

• For example, I often use the 2 minute rule where I tell myself, I’ll do this for just 2 minutes, and I usually end up doing it for much longer.

• This hack along with tracking my progress, led me to hit the gym 234 days (64%) in 2024. Check out my YouTube video on how I did this.

• Now of course, you can’t go gym for just 2 minutes, so instead I told myself I’ll just do a few sets today, which almost always turns into a full session.

• I don’t use any fancy apps, instead I track my habits by pen and paper, and later transfer to a simple Google Sheets Habit Tracker, for archive purposes.

• Stick to 1-3 habits at a time - less is more when it comes to habit building.

• To access the habit tracker [file > make a copy > save to your drive].