Atomic Habits

Atomic Habits by …

Introduction

A habit is a routine or behavior that is performed regularly - and in many cases, automatically
Changes that seem small and unimportant at first, will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.

Habits are the compound interest of self improvement. Every day counts for a lot in the long run
- Getting 1% better each day will make you ~38% better after one year.
- Getting 1% worse each day, will decrease your performance to ~0% after one year.
Habits are a double-edged sword. They can work for you or against you.
Small changes appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. Patience is key. Example of critical threshold:
- raising the temperature 1 degree at a time unti an ice cube starts melting
- tectonic plates that have been coliding from years until one day they produce an earthquake.
Atomic habits are little habits that are part of a larger system. They build the blocks of remarkable results.
For better results, forget about setting goals and focus on building a system instead.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your sytems.

The 3 levels of change:
1. Outcome eg. stop procrastinating
2. Process eg. define a schedule
3. Identity eg. “I am a productive person”
The most effective way is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become. Eg. instead of saying “No thanks, I’m trying to quit smoking”, say “No thanks, I’m not a smoker”; focus on the identity.
Your identity emerges out of your habits, every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. Everytime you perform a good or bad habit, it’s a vote that reinforces your identity. If you procrastinate, you are voting for “I am a procrastinator”, if you do your tasks it is a vote for “I am productive”. In the end, the goal is that the majority of votes define you as the person that you want to be.
Becoming the best version of yourself requires to continiously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity.
The real reason many habits matter is not because they can get you better results (although the can do that), but because they can change your beliefs about yourself. Going from Identity to Outcome instead of the other way around, is the best way of creating good habits and removing bad ones.