Atomic Habits
On one occasion (this year) I subjected myself to a kind of “test.” And that was not eating refined sugar, i.e., sweets, for a month. My motive was to prove to some people (i.e., clients) that it’s absolutely doable… and it was… and it wasn’t torture at all. Before some of you wave your hand with the comment “you don’t know me and sweets,” I’ll just REMIND YOU TO LOOK AT MY INSTAGRAM/FACEBOOK PAGE AND KEEP IN MIND THAT WHAT’S IN THE PICTURES IS ONLY PART OF THE SWEETS AND THAT THERE’S A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT YOU’RE SMALL CHILDREN COMPARED TO ME WHEN IT COMES TO SWEETS! ^^
Ahem… anyway, where did I stop… oh yes… although I knew I could “tolerate” the visible presence of sweets, whether under the influence of so much psychology or subconscious or something third, I took advantage of the moment that I didn’t have much sweets with me at that time (so then there was no need to buy them), and what little I had, I just put away so they wouldn’t be in my sight. Also, I put on paper what those additional motives/facts were (besides the above) that would allow this period without sugar to pass as “painlessly” as possible (I put it in quotes because, let’s be honest, it’s not like my task is to walk barefoot on hot rocks).
In a way, partly consciously, partly unconsciously, I created a spatial and mental environment without sweets, which, combined with my characteristic that, after some time, I “forget” about things I don’t see for a long time, allowed me to think very little about sweets. And the very idea of breaking a promise given to myself, especially for something as trivial as not eating sweets, would make me feel quite pathetic and miserable and I would only show that something as “undead” as sugar is the master of my destiny (I underlined this “trivial” for a simple reason – I could work with you/coach you on the topic of abstaining from sweets, but if you still broke your word to yourself after applying various methods and conversations, then I would have to refer you to seek professional medical help, because then it’s a serious degree of addiction).
This is roughly something similar to what James Clear talks about in his book “Atomic Habits,” about the inversion of the first (make it invisible) and second law (make it unattractive).
Of course, this period wasn’t without challenges, but the rewards and some discoveries about myself were worth it. For example, one trivial discovery… I realized that I actually really enjoy cappuccino (without sugar), although before this I always considered it lame and tasteless and would always choose instant coffee… and more serious discoveries are something that would have to be a separate story.
But, so I don’t tell you my life story here, you have here (in Serbian) and here (in English) in three posts a shortened version (but I still recommend you read it… and you also have it on Facebook pages of the same titles, for whoever finds it easier to read).
As for James Clear… I believe that when he put a period on the last sentence in the book “Atomic Habits,” he simply raised his hands in the air and said: “That’s it… it can’t be simpler than this… I’ve covered everything so that complex material is presented in a simplified way. I’ve nicely explained four laws in 250 pages… and it’s not even a tiny font or cramped text. I told my life story, gave historical examples, statistics, graphs, practical examples, suggestions, methods, tables, arguments for and against… and then I nicely ‘broke down’ each law into practical examples, literally everything can fit in large letters on A5 paper format. I don’t know if anything more can be done…”
Roughly, this would be an accurate review of the book and I could stop writing here.
I’m not joking, this is a book you must read if you want to deal with building good habits (and eliminating bad ones). And you’ll see why…
After an excellent introductory part (about the power of atomic habits, how habits shape your identity for better or worse, as well as how to build habits in four very logical steps), “Atomic Habits” focuses on breaking down, cutting up and chewing for you the four basic laws for building habits.
Four laws for creating good habits:
- Make it obvious
- Make it attractive
- Make it easy
- Make it satisfying
Four laws (i.e., inversions of the previously mentioned) for breaking a bad habit:
- Make it invisible
- Make it unattractive
- Make it difficult
- Make it unsatisfying
And then you get these laws even more “broken down” (into sub-laws 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc…) and nicely explained, accompanied by ideas, suggestions and examples.
“Atomic Habits,” although everything seems simple at first glance, is a serious book.
Have a pencil with you, don’t feel sorry for the book because it’s quality made. Underline important sentences (there are many), add comments, mark tables… all of this will be useful when you finish the book, and then decide to flip through it again to summarize your approach to building habits (surely you wouldn’t read “Atomic Habits” just for the sake of it or to brag on LinkedIn about reading good business literature?), because it will speed up the process.
The book is full of sentences that will often make you pause for a moment from reading and think about them:
“The impact created by a change in your habits is similar to the effect of shifting the route of an airplane by just a few degrees.”
“The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game.”
“Many people begin the process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve. This leads us to outcome-based habits. The alternative is building identity-based habits. With this approach we start by focusing on who we wish to become.”
“Habits do not restrict freedom. They create it. In fact, the people who don’t have their habits in order are often the ones with the least amount of freedom.”
And I pulled these sentences just from the first 40 pages of the book. Did it intrigue you at least a little? 🙂
“Atomic Habits” will make you reexamine yourself and your approach a bit, not only regarding habits, but also your outlook on life. Do you want to simply lose weight for a month or build a healthy lifestyle? Write one book or become a writer? Do you really know how habits work and what “drives” them? Do you even know what causes your bad habits (maybe you’re “looking” at the wrong things all along)? Does a habit have to be thoroughly planned and complex, or sometimes does it also mean “better something than nothing” (if I can’t do 10 push-ups today, does that mean I skip the whole day or does it mean even if I do just one push-up)? Do you really know how to measure the reward for your effort? Do you really know how immediate and delayed gratification work? Where is the “Goldilocks zone” hiding (also known as flow)? Are you in the “valley of disappointment” while developing a habit, without even being aware of it?
As you can see, quite a few questions and answers are hidden in the book “Atomic Habits.”
What is also a positive aspect of the book is that James Clear doesn’t force his methods as “absolute solutions” at all (as many authors boast in their books), but the very explanations of the laws are such that they give you freedom to adapt them in a way that will bring you the most benefit.
James Clear also touched on the story of talent, genes and personality and how they (can) influence our habits, as well as how we should know ourselves well and what our flaws and strengths are, as well as how to use them in the best way (and you’ll get an interesting example through comparing Michael Phelps and Hicham El Guerrouj).
As you can see, there’s everything useful in this book.
Perhaps the biggest plus of the book “Atomic Habits” is (besides being incredibly easy to read) that it’s very practical and immediately applicable. You can, as soon as you finish the first law, take a piece of paper and write a plan/mantra for the first law and immediately start applying it, and then just build on it.
All in all, “Atomic Habits” is a great book and James Clear did an excellent job, and really deserves praise. It can’t be simpler than this when it comes to building habits. But you have to get off your a** and work on yourself. It can’t be done without effort. They haven’t yet invented a USB that you stick… um, somewhere… and suddenly you have good habits. Patience is needed. The author himself says so. Nowhere did he say “when you finish this book, you have built habits.”
“Atomic Habits” is a book that people really should read, to think about their approach to habits. Both for personal development, and especially if you work with people (whether as a coach, psychologist, nutritionist, fitness trainer, entrepreneur, director or something seventh), this book can help you expand and improve your approach to solving challenges.
And you also have an excellent website by the book’s author, which a really large number of people follow.
And to summarize at the end regarding the book “Atomic Habits”… absolute… pardon, atomic recommendation. 🙂
And you, dear reader, what are your habits like?
James Clear’s website
Book price: Finesa | Dereta | Vulkan | Delfi | iLearn
Ratings (and purchase) on foreign sites: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookdepository | Audible | Waterstones | Penguin Random House
