Atomic Habits An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

In the biggest part of our daily lives, we don’t really think about what we are doing at the moment and just automatically follow our routines. This is a good thing, because as I learned in psychology, this “automation” saves a lot of energy. Once we have established a routine that is good for us, its way easier to to it. We don’t have to convince and force ourselves to do it with self-discipline every time. However, changing routines and getting rid of bad ones can be tricky and that is where is book is super helpful. It explains how habits work: first, a cue triggers us and we notice a possible reward, we feel a craving, act on it, and then feel the reward. For each of those stages, the book shows you how you can intervene. For a good habit, the cue/habit should be obvious (for example by planning it, habit stacking, etc.), appealing (for example by changing your mindset about it, rewarding yourself, combining it with things you enjoy, etc.), easy to execute, and rewarding. The book gives many tips and I liked them. However, I am not completely convinced about rewarding yourself after a task (for example working). I'm not convinced that this really makes working itself more appealing. And if the reward is good for you (in alignment with your goales, for example saving money for a vacation, taking a short break, petting your cat, etc.), I think maybe you should do it even if you didn’t manage to do the task. Making yourself enjoy doing the task itself more, for example by being proud of the progress your making and positive self-talk, seems like the better option for me. Also, I thought that the distinction between goal-driven habits, system-driven habits, and identity-driven habits was very interesting. According to the book, we should aim for the latter, because this will change our habits in the long run. For example, someone sees themselves as a fit person, so they exercise. This makes sense to me, but system-driven habits are also very valuable. They are similar to process-oriented goals, and those have been proven to be very beneficial and I think they are easier to implement (the author would probably argue against that saying that my mindset is too fixed) than changing how you identify. For example, someone sets regular exercise as a goal (instead of having a fit body, which would be a result-oriented goal, similar to a goal-driven habit). Because habits are such a huge part of our lives, and this book focuses on the long term (some habits you may want to have for the rest of your life), implementing the advice from this book could really change the course of your whole life, from your financial security, to the quality of your relationships, to your physical health. I would recommend this book for everyone who struggles with implementing routines that stick, or who has failed when trying to get rid of bad habits. Also, it can be useful for you if you get bored by your habits or feel like you're stagnating. ...weiterlesen

“Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” written by James Clear is about the effect of making small changes in everyday life on success in the long-run. I read the book for a course at my university but besides that I chose to read this book because it has often been recommended to me. No wonder many claim it is one of the best books on habit formation and self-improvement I experienced the book as very refreshing because it has an optimistic and encouraging tone. One thing I really liked about the book is the tone and the choice of words. The conversational tone and approachable style of the book makes it easy to understand and therefore accessible for many. James Clear uses a writing style which is straightforward and encouraging. By using a lot of illustrating and vivid examples from different fields, the author makes it very tangible and convinces the readership that it is possible for everyone to change their habits. In addition, it enhances the credibility of “Atomic Habits”. Moreover, in many parts of the book the author simplifies his ideas which is very encouraging for the reader because concepts that seem complicated are simplified in this way. This makes the reader feel encouraged to take action. In addition, the author draws from psychology and neuroscience by explaining, for example, the Two Minute Rule. This adds professionalism to the book. What I really like about the book is that it is almost a step-to-step guide which teaches you how to build your own atomic habits. Each chapter begins with the strategy of how to develop a good habit and secondly illustrates how to incorporate it into your lifestyle by referring to first-hand examples. James Clear summarizes his main points at the end of each chapter. The structure of the book therefore provides the reader with a tool to habit-building. While reading the “Atomic Habits”, I recognized that some content is repetitive. Key concepts and ideas are stressed repeatedly which might help to emphasize certain topics and to convey the importance to constantly optimize and adjust small habits. However, it also seemed a little annoying at times. The structure of the book is logically divided into the “4 laws for good habit making”. 1) Make it obvious, 2) Make it attractive, 3) Make it easy, 4) Make it satisfying, but because the book is very informative and sometimes challenging to process, I would have wished for more depth to let my thoughts sink in. Forming habits and the resulting success is described as very simple by Clear, but I can imagine that it is not easy to apply to everyone. The diverse environmental influences or psychological states of individuals are not taken into account enough. This implies that if you feel inspired and want to try to change your habits, you might find yourself in the reality where you can´t change them easily. All in all, Atomic habits is undoubtedly worth to read and I can recommend it very much, but readers should be mindful about the complexities of individual growth and success. ...weiterlesen