Atomic Habits

Habits are small actions repeated many times - enough to become automatic. It is the compound interest of our behavior. They can be good or bad.

The main purpose of habits is to solve problems we have with the least energy or effort.

To use the power of habits, focus on your systems rather than your goals. Build your environment(system) that enables good habits and discourages bad ones.

Levels of Change

  • Outcome Change - focus on what you want
  • Process Change - focus on how to do the work
  • Identity Change - focus on who you want to be. This is the best option.

Your identity will change based on your actions. Every time you do a habit its a vote towards a new identity - be it good or bad.

Habit Loop

Habits has four components(this is known as the habit loop)...

  • Cue
  • Craving
  • Response
  • Reward

Four Laws of Behavior Change

  1. Make it Obvious
  2. Make it Attractive
  3. Make it Easy
  4. Make it Satisfying

You can invert these laws to Break Bad Habits

Other Ideas

Links to this note

Behaviour Change - Make Cues Obvious

Law 1 of Behavior Change in Atomic Habits. To change a behavior, you must know it well. Know the cues, rewards, reason for the behavior/habit. One way of doing this is to call it out every time it happens. The most common cues for ha

Behaviour Change - Make the Action Easy

Law 3 of Behavior Change in Atomic Habits. The number of time you do the behavior you want to build is MORE important than the total time you spent doing that for habit building. Focus on the starting point of the behavior. Make sure

Behaviour Change - Make the Reward Satisfying

Law 4 of Behavior Change in Atomic Habits. The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided. Timing is important - we prioritize immediate over delayed. The other

Behaviour Change - Make the craving attractive

Law 2 of Behavior Change in Atomic Habits. Habits are a dopamine based feedback loop. When dopamine levels rise our motivation to act also rises. We act because of the anticipation of the reward. Use this to make your habit as attrac

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Published on: Apr 16, 2022

Source: Book: Atomic Habits

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