5 Life-Changing Lessons from Atomic Habits by James Clear
You know that feeling when you are so engrossed in a good book that you are practically glued to it and nothing else seems to matter in the world? Every minute seems to fly by faster than you can flip each page. That’s me with the book I’m currently reading.
As a productivity and self-improvement junkie, I’m always searching for the latest and best ways to get more done in less time and become the person I want to be. After seeing and hearing countless recommendations online for Atomic Habits, a self-help book by James Clear, I decided to give it a try over my winter break. Knowing that this book is a #1 New York Times bestseller, I had high hopes, but Atomic Habits blew me out of the water.
James Clear is an American journalist and speaker focused on habits, decision making, and continuous improvement. In Atomic Habits, Clear distills the most essential information about habit formation into bite-sized lessons complete with real-life examples to help you become the person you dream of becoming. Not only is Clear’s advice simple and easy to read, but it is also highly practical, and most importantly, it is actionable. Since picking up the book a few weeks ago, I have already witnessed a dramatic shift in my habits. In just three short weeks, I have started reading daily, writing more often, and praying before every meal (one of the habits I’ve been trying to implement in my life). While I recommend reading the book cover-to-cover to understand all the science-backed details of Clear’s expert advice, I felt obligated to share the most important lessons I have learned from the book thus far, with real examples from my own life.
Before we dive into my key takeaways, let me explain what the heck an “atomic habit” actually is. Clear defines an atomic habit as “a little habit that is part of a larger system.”* Like atoms, atomic habits are also building blocks, but instead of molecules, they produce remarkable results. Clear also writes that behind any habit is a feedback loop involving four steps: cue, craving, response, and reward. Ok, now that you have a basic understanding of this key concept, we can move onto the life-changing, “remarkable results” stuff.
1. Focus on who you wish to become, not what you want to achieve. (Identity vs. Outcome)
As you can probably guess, I love writing. Even though I’m right-handed, I remember constantly having pencil lead smudges from writing too much too quickly during English class when I was younger. However, as you probably know, some writing days are better than others. Over winter break, I made a commitment to write more, whether that be journaling in my notebook, writing fun little articles for Her Campus (an online magazine for college women), or blogging for my personal website like I’m doing now.
After hitting a roadblock during my first writing attempt, I kept thinking to myself, I need to write better. I’m so rusty. But then, something magical happened. Putting Clear’s advice into action, I made a tiny switch in my way of thinking. Instead of mourning my seemingly absent writing abilities, I focused on shifting my identity. “I’m a writer,” I would tell myself. (Easy, right?) This simple shift did wonders for my motivation, confidence, and progress. Now, I write almost everyday on some kind of platform. It doesn’t matter if no one ends up seeing my work; what matters is that I write.
Another personal example that I only noticed after reading this chapter of the book is when I thought of myself as a “straight-A student” during this past semester. Instead of thinking, what should I be doing right now?, I would think, what would a straight-A student be doing right now? Fast-forward to the end of the semester, and I finished with almost all As! No matter what your goal–writing a novel, running a marathon, going to the gym regularly–focus less on the outcome itself and more on the person who you would imagine would achieve that outcome. Make sense? Eventually, you will find yourself becoming that person. I’m serious. Give this one a try.
2. Design your environment for success
When trying to build a new habit, environment is often more important than motivation. I learned the hard way that your environment can either work for you or against you. Halfway through the fall semester, I moved to a new apartment on my campus at Bentley University. When I stepped foot in the kitchen, the first thing I noticed was the number of cereal boxes sitting on top of the refrigerator. There must have been at least six, and at least two of them were Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I think you know where this is going. Within a week, I found myself indulging in Cinnamon Toast Crunch every morning for breakfast. Prior to moving in, I had never eaten Cinnamon Toast Crunch in my life. I had never even seen a box of it on the grocery store shelf.
The good news is, we don’t have to fall victim to our environments. As Clear assures us, we can choose to be the architects of them. Here’s another example. Last December, I noticed that the early sunset time was impacting my mood as I was absorbing less Vitamin D (the “sunshine vitamin”). I decided to start taking a Vitamin D supplement to lift my spirits over the frigid winter, but I kept forgetting to take it because the container was tucked away in the kitchen cabinet. I had no external cue reminding me to take my vitamins every morning. One morning, I moved the container directly in front of where I usually sit for family meals because I knew I would see it when I sat down to eat breakfast. Like magic, I never forgot to take my vitamins again. They were in a safe place now. Most importantly, though, they were–and this is key–out in the open and visible.
Similarly, I made a goal this past semester to drink more water. Instead of waiting until I stumbled across an unoccupied water fountain in the hallways, I bought my own water bottle, filled it up to the brim every morning, and tucked it into the side pocket of my backpack before leaving my apartment for the day. Every time I pulled out my laptop and notebooks from my backpack to do homework at the library, I would see my water bottle and be reminded to drink more water. I would also place it right next to my laptop on the table so that it’s easily accessible. I did the same thing during classes with my desk, and back at my apartment desk, too. Unsurprisingly, I drank a ton more water this past semester than I did in past semesters.
I noticed my dad using this technique, too. One of his hobbies is practicing the guitar, so he placed his guitar and its stand right next to his bed. Since he probably notices it every time he wakes up, he is a thousand times more likely to actually practice than if it were, say, hidden away in our attic. Forgot your mask again? Next time, place an open box of disposable masks by your front door so you always see it before you head out. I like to think of these intentional placements of items as “natural reminders”–small markers you come across as you go about your day without having to disrupt your daily routine or take up precious space in your mind. I could share tons of other ways that I have applied this bit of Clear’s wisdom, but we’d be here all day.
3. Bundle an action you want to do with an action you need to do (Temptation bundling)
One of the “hidden gem” strategies Clear introduces in this book is a concept called “temptation bundling.” Here’s how it works: We all have a favorite hobby, or at least some activity that we enjoy partaking in–binging a guilty pleasure show, eating our favorite snack, etc. The list goes on. Luckily, we can use this addiction to our advantage. We do this by linking an action we want to do (like watching Netflix) with an action we need to do (like washing the dishes… unless that’s your thing). Essentially, you are “bundling” the two actions together to make the less desirable action “irresistible.”
Here’s a simple example from my own life that I unknowingly implemented before reading Atomic Habits. Anyone who has stepped into my room at home knows that my bed is a magnet for clothes when left neglected. I kept putting off folding my clothes, mostly because I find the task pretty boring. To make this chore less monotonous, I started connecting my phone to my Amazon Echo and listening to my favorite upbeat, “mood booster” songs while folding away. Eventually, I associated folding clothes with listening to upbeat music. I even do this at my apartment on campus. Strangely, now I almost look forward to folding my clothes–like something I get to do rather than have to do–because I know I get to listen to music to pump me up. Why does this work so well? Well, it’s pretty simple. Clear explains that the 2nd Law of Behavior Change is to “make [your chosen habit] attractive.” By bundling two actions like folding clothes and listening to music, you create an association between the two, which makes the former more attractive and motivates you to do it. (Because, let’s be honest, who actually likes folding clothes?)
4. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits (Reduce friction)
One of the most basic study habits is to work in isolation, or at least in a quiet, study-conducive environment like the library. Despite the simplicity and logic of this rule, it always surprises me how many people don’t follow it. I have seen my college friends “write essays” while gossiping and hanging out in the dorm room with the rest of us. A few weeks ago, I went to a Christmas get together with a handful of students from my school and a group from another college. Towards the end of the night, while we were three games into Jackbox 8 and laughing hysterically, the girl sitting next to me pulls out her laptop and starts typing rigorously. I look over and see that she’s scrambling to finish an essay that’s due at midnight. By that time, it was already past 10pm. The lesson is clear: You simply can’t do deep work like writing an essay when all of your friends are sitting next to you playing Jackbox. All this fun and laughter is friction because it makes it harder for the student to concentrate and hear herself think. In contrast, somewhere like the library is relatively frictionless when it comes to studying. It encourages studying instead of distracting you from it. This goes back to the power of designing your environment mentioned earlier. The way I think about it is that every environment has a purpose or suggestion. Your clean, organized office urges you to do work. Your irresistibly comfortable bed begs you to lay in it and sleep. And so on. As Clear explains, the idea is to “create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.”*
This idea is based on the Law of Least Effort, which says that humans naturally gravitate toward the action that requires the least amount of work. I have seen companies and other organizations apply this law. My healthcare organization has an app with a messaging feature, allowing me to directly contact my physician without having to call her office, be put on hold for a half an hour, only to find out that she is busy. My church also has an app which has a link that brings you to a payment processor specifically for tithing. Without the added friction of writing the offering amount, sealing it in an envelope, bringing it to church, and dropping it into the offering box, church-goers are probably more likely to give.
Like automation, changing the amount of friction between you and an action can be used to limit bad habits, too. As I was writing this article on my three-hour flight to Tampa, Florida, I noticed the woman in front of me showing the passenger next to her her new acrylic nails. “I have a bad habit of biting my nails,” she says, “but hopefully with them done, I won’t mess with them.” Since acrylics are much harder than natural nails (and could potentially damage your teeth), they add friction to this bad habit and help remove the urge to bite.
5. Automate your habits so you never have to think about them again
I love automation. My phone and laptop are always lighting up with the same reminders and Google Calendar notifications–”Take medication,” “Read emails,” “Do daily devotional,” etc. In my eyes, if I don’t write it down, set a recurring reminder, or create some sort of external cue, I’m bound to forget it. I like to say, “If it’s not in my calendar, it’s not happening.” We can’t expect ourselves to always remember the right thing at the right time. It’s just not how humans are wired. We already have hundreds of thoughts floating in our heads as it is. The cool thing about automation is that you can leverage this strategy to reduce bad habits, but also to promote good ones. For example, I use an app called SelfControl on my computer to block access to social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook for a definite amount of time (usually a month or so). When it comes to social media, I find that the best way to remove digital dopamine is to cut off its source. In other words, it is much easier to avoid temptation than to resist it.
Another technology-based strategy I use is having my phone set to Do Not Disturb from 11:30pm to 7am, which silences all calls, notifications, and alerts for the selected period of time. This naturally reduces my screen time at night and helps me drift off to sleep much easier. Think about it: It takes some serious self-discipline to resist the urge to open your phone after it buzzes with a notification that your best friend sent you five texts in a row. We want to know the contents of the message, so we immediately unlock our phones. However, if I am unaware that I even received a message in the first place, then I won’t check it. It really is as simple as that.
I hope you have found this advice helpful–I certainly have! Remember: you have the power to change your habits. All you have to do is apply the right strategies, and you will finally see those “remarkable results.” I promise.
*This is an excerpt from: James Clear. “Atomic Habits.” Apple Books. https://books.apple.com/us/book/atomic-habits/id1384286945
Photo from https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits.
