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Atomic Habits is a book I enjoyed reading during the holidays. And the following is the summary if you have no time to read.
The author begins the book with the story of the British Cycling team, which climbed to the top of world competition through atomic habit-building after a long time decline.
He argues that atomic habits are the fundamental building blocks of big achievements as atoms are the main components of nature. The secret behind this is the power of compounding. Given time, you will make big progress even if you progress 1% daily. So, the key to success is to focus on the process system instead of your goal.
But, to shape your habits is not an easy thing as you may think. According to the author, changes have three levels, which include outcome change, process change, and identity change. To make habits really work, you have to change the belief of yourself, which is your identity. If you think you are a writer, you will write every day. If you think you are a sportsman, you will go to fitness every day. Your identity changes your habits. Your habits change your identity.
As mentioned in the book “the power of habit”, every habit can be broken down into four phases in a loop: cue, craving, response, reward. In summary, the cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and ultimately becomes associated with the cue. The first two are the problem phase, and the latter two are the solution phase.
Based on the theory, it is natural to suggest how to create a good habit or break a bad habit. Taking good habit building as an example, the author builds a framework with four laws: make the cue obvious, make the craving attractive, make the response easy, and make the reward satisfying.
The skills of making it obvious: 1) use habit scorecard to make you aware of the habits you want to have 2）use time and location as two most common cues 3) use context and environment as a cue. One space, one use. 4) Inversely, to eliminate a habit, the key is to reduce the exposure. Sefl-control is a short-term strategy.
The skills of making it attractive: 1) habits are dopamine-driven feedback loops, associate your habit with dopamine 2)temptation bundling, pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do 3) use the influence of the close(family or friends), the many (tribe), the powerful( those with status and prestige) and finally a culture. 4) reframe a drawback as a benefit.
The skills of making it easy: 1) take action, frequency and repetition are more important than duration 2)find ways to reduce the friction associated with good habits, save energy. 3) a new habit should take less than two minutes to do. Read every night -> read one page; Run three miles -> tie my running shoes. 4) use technology to automate.
The skills of making it satisfying: 1)immediately reward 2)habit tracking 3) don’t break the chain, never break twice 4) make a habit contract and hold your accountability
In the final three chapters of advanced tactics, the author talks about the truth about talents, the Goldilocks Rule and the downside of habits.
Although habits are very powerful, the secrete to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition. When habits are in alignment with your natural abilities, they are easier. Play a game that favors your strengths. If you can’t find a game that favors you, create one.
The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. The biggest threat to habits is boredom. But that is what makes the difference. Professionals stick to schedule and amateurs can’t.
Finally, the upside of habits is that we can do things without thinking, and it brings the compounding effects into our life. But the downside is also huge. It will make us stop paying attention to little errors and new things. Reflection and review are needed to make you alert.
In a word, it is the identity that makes you, which may also kill you.
