Book Review: Atomic Habits - Why Habits Matter

The book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear looks at the science of habit formation and offers a fresh perspective on how small, incremental changes can lead to long-term results. It's not just about achieving big goals, but also about understanding and harnessing the power of small habits to achieve lasting success. Whether you want to increase your personal productivity, cultivate a healthier lifestyle or build better relationships, Atomic Habits provides a roadmap to change your lifestyle - one habit at a time.

This book has been on my reading list since it was published in 2018, but I only managed to read it this year. I don't know why, but the universe has its ways, and I believe that I was meant to read it this year.

Given the depth of its content, I decided to divide this book review into several parts to focus on different learnings from the book. Today's post explores the question: Why should we care about habits?

Don't miss ChatGPT's recommendations on fun new habits at the end. :)

Introduction to Habits

A habit is a routine or behaviour that occurs unconsciously, almost automatically or has become second nature. Habits play an important role in our lives, and we engage in a number of habits every day. Some of them allow us to manage our lives on autopilot, making the brain's job easier, such as brushing our teeth when we get up, locking the door when we leave the house and driving the same route to work. Other habits are more intentional, such as going for a run every Tuesday or biting our nails when we're stressed. These are all practices that we repeat so regularly that it can be difficult to change them.

The Impact of Small Habits

People love to categorize everything. Either you're vegan or you're not. You're either an extrovert or an introvert. Either you change your life 180 degrees on January 1 or it's not worth changing it at all.

However, a big change goes hand in hand with many small changes. If you want to write a book, you can write a page a day. If you want to save X amount of money, you can put an amount into your savings account every week. If you want to run a marathon, you start with short runs and slowly increase the distance over time. None of these goals are accomplished over night. It's so easy to overestimate the impact of a single pivotal moment, but also to underestimate the value of small daily progress.

"Improving by 1% isn't particularly notable - sometimes it isn't even noticeable - but it can be far more meaningful. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here's how the math works out: if you can get 1% better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you're done." (Jame Clear, p. 15)

The challenge is that we don't see the results of this 1% daily improvement for a while, so we often fall back into our old habits. With some habits, it can take months or years before we see the results. What we miss is the moment of breakthrough, of crossing that critical threshold and reaching a new level of achievement. Clear calls this the "Plateau of Latent Potential". I can't tell you how many times I've tried to meditate and stopped after a few days.

Why Should We Care About Habits?

There are two shorts answers to this question:

1. Our brain likes habits.

2. Our current situation is a reflection of our habits, whether intentional or not.

Our Brain Likes Habits

Our sensory nervous system is constantly on the lookout for actions that trigger a surge of dopamine, the brain's reward chemical. We are wired to seek pleasure.

When our brain recognizes a pattern, an action that is followed by a reward, it stores this information in an area of the brain called the basal ganglia. This is also where we develop feelings and memories, but no conscious decisions are made here - that's the prefrontal cortex.

This could be the reason why habits are so difficult to break. They are formed in a region of the brain that is beyond our conscious control, so we are barely aware of them, if at all. So we have to consciously work on our habits. However, there are ways in which we can outsmart ourselves, which I will discuss in the next article.

You can find more information about this topic in the article "Science of Habits".

Current Situation Reflects Our Old Habits

The book says "Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits.", emphasizing that your current circumstances, such as your financial situation, creativity or relationships, are a direct result of your past habits. You get what you repeat. Repeating the same habits over and over again leads to the same results. To achieve different results, you must be willing to make changes and adopt new habits.

The success you currently have in your chosen area doesn't matter, what matters is whether your current habits are putting you on a path of success. You should be much more concerned about the direction of your current path than your current results. Here's an example from the book: If you're rich but spend more than you earn, you're not on a good trajectory. If you're currently struggling financially but have found ways to work on your savings, you're on a good trajectory.

Habit Ideas

To wrap up the first habits post, I would like to share some ideas for new habits with you and little tricks on how you can incorporate them into your everyday life.

• You'd like to do more reading, writing, painting or another activity: do it first thing in the morning. I started by writing for 15 minutes every morning. I haven't managed to write every morning yet, but I haven't stopped, I'm slowly building this habit, giving myself some grace.

"Do the most important things immediately in the morning. Give your energy to what matters most, when you have the most of it. It also helps you define what really matters to you." (101 Essays that will change the way you think, p. 104)

• You have a savings goal. Research fun savings challenges and try to incorporate one of them into your daily life. I like the idea of rounding up every purchase and putting the amount into a savings account. Let's say you order something from Amazon and it costs $15.78. Round it up to $20 and put $4.22 in the savings account. This is just a fun idea that popped into my head as I was writing this.

• You watch too much Netflix and want to get more active. Do 10 push-ups before you turn on the TV. Or buy your favourite fruit or vegetable and eat it whenever you watch Netflix.

• I asked ChatGPT for some fun new habits you can incorporate into daily life, and here's the answer (I really like it, haha):

  • Daily Dance Party: Take a few minutes each day to dance like nobody's watching. Whether you’re grooving in the kitchen while cooking or taking a break at work, dancing to your favourite tunes can lift your spirits and provide a quick burst of exercise.

  • Gratitude Journaling with a Twist: Each day, write down something you're grateful for, but add a creative twist. For example, describe it in a poem, sketch a quick doodle, or write a short, humorous story. This makes the practice more engaging and helps reinforce positive thinking.

  • Adventure Walks: Turn your daily walk into an adventure by setting small, fun goals—like finding a new park, spotting five different types of birds, or discovering a new coffee shop. This transforms a routine activity into an exploration, adding excitement to your day.

  • Random Acts of Kindness: Incorporate a habit of performing a random act of kindness each day. It could be as simple as complimenting a stranger, sending a thoughtful message to a friend, or leaving a positive note for a coworker. These small gestures can brighten both your day and someone else's.

  • Creative Cooking Challenges: Spice up your meal prep by setting daily or weekly cooking challenges. Try making a dish with an ingredient you’ve never used before, recreate a recipe from a favorite restaurant, or host a mini cooking competition with family or friends. This adds an element of creativity and fun to your cooking routine.

I hope this article inspires you to think about your own habits. Let me know if you have a habit that brings you joy or success in an area you are currently working on. And stay tuned for the next article on habits. The next article will look at why we should focus on systems and not goals.

See you soon!