Atomic Habits: Major takeaways

 

 I had read this book in the month of January, and this book slightly changed my perspective on how our lives change by doing small things, which may even look unmeaningful while starting, but the author gives us several examples of how his life had changed by doing simple things. I am going to mention the key things that I learned from this book.

1. While doing some things, we may feel that our energy and the work we did were wasted, but actually it was not wasted; it was just being sorted. We are just being improved rather than being in the same state.

2. The purpose of setting goals is to win the game, but the purpose of setting systems is to play the game. i.e., enjoying the process of playing rather than focusing on winning. If I need to get good marks in my public exam, I should not just think about it like I should. But to create a system like studying 5 hours every single day, by doing that I will automatically get good grades, but how do I get myself into that?

3. Here comes the problem, and the author uses four elements to change the behaviour of a person: the cue, the craving, the response, and the reward. In order to study for 5 hours. I need to make my environment more obvious. So make your environment one that makes you crave (i.e., make yourself want to do that task).

4. He also discusses habit stacking, which means that after I finish my current task, I will do the thing I want to do (current habit plus new habit).

5. When we see something, we create thoughts with it, like seeing the WhatsApp icon, which we usually open to see what messages I have gotten. The author says that it is very easy to create new habits in a new environment, which can be a good or bad habit.

6. The best point is here: we need to get into a community where our desired behaviour is a normal behavior, and James tells us that if we join a group of five millionaires, we will be the sixth millionaire, and if a behaviour gets us approval or a sense of praise, we are more likely to repeat it. He says that human beings are social beings, and we need to fit in with a certain community.

7. A mindset shift changes everything just by changing the phrase I need to do this to change the phrase. I had an opportunity to get this stuff done. I think it's very powerful that just by changing a word, the whole perspective of doing something is changed.

8. To make a habit automatic, we must reduce the friction. Friction is nothing but the number of things to do to actually perform a habit. If I need to play video games, I just touch the game icon and directly play the game. The friction is so low that the habit will form automatically.

9. Don't miss an habit for two days; one day is ok, but missing another day leads to the formation of another habit, procrastination. Except for the days when I feel ill because I lack the energy to do the task.

10. As habits become automatic, we get bored with them. The biggest threat to a habit is not failure, but boredom. The author's best lines are these: "Professionals stick to the schedule, but amateur life gets in the way". 

Quotes from this book

1. The last mile is always the least crowded.

 

2. The best way is to always stop when you are going well.

 

3. The best is the enemy of the good.

 

4. The customs and beliefs of the society sweep us along.

 

5. In the long history of humankind, those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.