More than 50% of your actions on any given day are automatic actions, or habits. These habits have been formed through repeated actions over the course of your life, and some serve you and some work against you. Because of their significant role in your life, understanding what habits are, how to change them, and how they shape who you are is important. In Atomic Habits, James Clear provides every aspect involved in forming new habits, breaking bad ones, and transforming your life for long-term success.
Behavior does not happen in a vacuum. Each action creates a path that leads to other actions. Which actions or behaviors you perform dictate which actions or behaviors will follow. This is why forming good habits is so important. When you start with good behaviors, more good behaviors will follow.
This idea is grounded in the concept of compounding behaviors and is the essence of Atomic Habits. Atomic habits are small 1% improvements in behavior that, over time, compound into full-blown behavior change and positive habits.
To make the most of small increases, you need to adjust how you think about behavior change. There are three directions by which you approach behavior change: outcome-driven, process-driven, and identity-driven changes.
Outcomes are synonymous with goals. They represent the end result you wish to achieve through your behaviors. When you focus on the end goal of your behaviors, you tend to do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal. But those behaviors may not be the most beneficial or capable of being repeated long-term. Further, once the goal is achieved, there is no reason to continue those specific behaviors. If you adapt your actions to serve one finite purpose, your actions also become finite.
Processes are synonymous with systems. Within every long-term goal is a system of behaviors that link up to reach the desired outcome. Focusing on a systemic level pushes you to form habits that continually lead to successful results, thereby becoming more inherent, continual, and positive in the long-term.
When you focus on systemic level changes, you’ll make small positive adjustments in your actions, rather than performing one big action.
Identity is synonymous with who you are and how you live. Within your identity lies characteristics. When you approach habit change through this lens, you focus on forming behaviors that match the characteristics of the type of person you want to be. This direction is closely aligned with systems, in that the systems required to reach your chosen identity are informed by the characteristics of that identity.
When you work through the processes of your chosen identity, you stop being someone waiting to achieve a certain goal and start living as someone capable of achieving that goal over and over again.
Outcome-driven habits help you win the game. Process-driven habits teach you how to play the game and keep playing. Identity-driven habits help you decide which game to play. So work in reverse—start with your desired identity to find the right habits that lead to the right results.
The reason you continue to repeat certain behaviors relates to the way the brain takes in the associated information. Your brain understands behaviors as four separate stages that, when added together, lead to habits.
These stages are the cue, the craving, the response, and the reward. Every habit you have is linked to these four stages.
The cue is the element that triggers the brain to notice an opportunity for a reward, or pleasure. A cue can be a smell, a sound, an event, an interaction, or anything else that triggers a desire. This desire is known as the craving.
The craving is the emotional relevance attached to a certain cue. When you notice the cue, the brain anticipates an opportunity for a change in your physical or emotional state. You crave the satisfaction that change will elicit, and this craving is what prompts you to act.
The response is the actual behavior, or habit, performed to elicit the change you desire. Your brain prompts you to take a certain action it believes will create the feeling of satisfaction you want.
The reward is the satisfaction gained from the action taken. You have successfully satisfied your craving and changed your physical or emotional state. The brain builds a pathway from the cue to this state of pleasure. Every time you experience the same cue, the brain will be triggered to desire that pleasure again. You will be prompted to perform the same action, thereby creating a habit.
The process works like this: Cue: You walk past a coffee shop on the way to work and smell fresh roasted coffee. Craving: Coffee gives you energy, and you want to feel energized. Response: You buy a cup of coffee. Reward: By the time you reach work, you are raring to go. Buying a cup of coffee becomes associated with your walk to work.
If one of these stages fails, the habit will not be formed.
You can use this information to form or break habits by altering the various stages to your advantage. Each stage encompasses a law that guides you in that endeavor.
Think of these laws as a framework for designing each stage for optimal habit formation.
Because habits are automatic behaviors, you likely don’t notice every cue triggering you to act. Therefore, the first step in creating cues that lead to good behaviors is to become aware of them.
Make a habit scorecard to list all your current habits performed daily. Because behaviors influence each other, the end of one habit often serves as a cue for another. When you list your habits, you’re able to see which actions precede them and which follow. By listing your cues and rewards in this way, you will see what current behaviors may be suitable to cue new desired behaviors.
You can exploit the habit scorecard in two ways to form better habits.
The first is implementation intention, wherein you make an advanced plan for a new behavior by assigning a specific time and place for it. Research suggests that activities set for specific times are more likely to be followed through.
This strategy makes the cue obvious by attributing a specific time and place to the behavior.
The second is habit stacking. This technique links a new behavior to a current one by allowing the reward to become the new cue.
This strategy makes the cue obvious by attaching a desired habit to a fully formed habit.
The most important elements involved in making a cue obvious are 1) to be as specific as possible in the behavior that will follow and 2) ensure that the cue is realistic.
For your cravings to lead to action, the possible reward must be attractive. Cravings involve the sensations of wanting—the anticipation of pleasure—and liking—the experience of pleasure. Both sensations trigger the production of dopamine in the brain, or the chemical involved in desire, but 90% of dopamine production is dedicated to wanting. The anticipation of something outweighs the pleasure of receiving that thing.
If anticipation is the greatest craving, you must create more promise for the rewards your actions lead to. There are two ways that rewards can be heightened to create stronger desires.
Temptation bundling is one way to make any behavior more attractive. Like habit stacking, use the end of a new behavior as a cue for something that excites you. This helps make the new behavior more enticing.
Redefining your behaviors can also make them more appealing. Rather than thinking about having to walk 20 minutes a day, change the perspective to getting to walk 20 minutes a day. This small change in perspective highlights the positive elements of walking. You begin to see how fortunate you are to have the ability to walk and the time in your day to do so. When you feel gratitude for the activities you’re able to participate in, you’ll be more driven to keep participating.
You will only follow through on behaviors that are easy to perform and require little effort. That is simply human nature. Therefore, to stay motivated, make behavior as effortless as possible.
But making behaviors easy doesn’t mean only doing easy things. The idea is to make it easy for you to keep showing up for the behavior you want to perform. By simply showing up, you maintain your desired identity, which gives you pride and confidence to keep making progress.
Reducing the effort of an action means removing the friction existing between you and the behavior. The more friction there is, the less likely you are to act.
The two-minute rule is also effective in making behaviors easier. Often, you jump into the biggest changes required when trying to build new habits or start new behaviors. But big changes in behavior are hard to maintain over time. You will make more progress if you break the behavior down into tiny two-minute increments. These increments will build into massive achievements.
Small successes motivate you to achieve others. Commit to two-minute actions at a time, and it will be easier to perform each required step until you have achieved the full habit.
If the end result of your efforts is unenjoyable, why would you want to do them again? You wouldn’t, which is why rewards need to be satisfying for habits to form.
Many rewards you receive are delayed. You only receive a paycheck after weeks of work. You only get a final grade after months of studying. But human nature is wired to want instant gratification, and most good behaviors need time before the positive results accumulate. You sacrifice now to benefit later. To stay motivated to continue good habits, find ways to create rewards that are instantly satisfying.
Reinforcements are good motivators for continued action. You remember the end of behavior more than any other part. Therefore, make the end of your behavior rewarding with a reinforcement to motivate continued action.
Habit tracking can also make behaviors more rewarding. Create visual representations of your progress by marking a day on a calendar, transferring pebbles from one jar to another, or keeping a journal log of your completed actions. When you can visually see your accomplishments, you’ll be motivated to continue acting.
The act of tracking can feel rewarding in and of itself. It is satisfying to mark each successful completion of an action in some way. The pleasure experienced through that act becomes a cue to want to feel that satisfaction again.
Only track one major habit at a time to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the act.
You likely have habits you wish you didn’t. To break bad habits, invert the laws from positive to negative in the following way:
The habits you gravitate toward and are able to maintain are influenced by your genetic make-up, predispositions, and natural talents. Choose behaviors that highlight your strengths and interests—they’ll be more enjoyable and easier to stick with.
To figure out which behaviors are optimal for you, learn which personality traits you possess.
There are 5 personality traits, each with a spectrum of behavior that highlights who you are. All five are rooted in biology and typically remain unchanged throughout your life.
Your personality doesn’t dictate which behaviors you’re capable of performing. However, your personality does suggest which behaviors you will most likely be successful with.
There is a version of each habit and behavior that falls along your spectrum of personality. Choose the version that fits your natural personality, not the ones that friends, family, or society deem best.
Stick to what works for you to experience the greatest success.
Boredom is inevitable with any repeated activity; therefore, there will be a point in which your excitement and motivation for a new behavior wanes. When this happens, it is easy to abandon good behaviors that are still working to find behaviors that are novel and exciting. To curb this harmful instinct, keep behaviors exciting by following the Goldilocks Rule, building on momentum, and crafting a flexible identity.
The brain loves a challenge, but only when that challenge is within your capabilities. If the challenge is too easy, you lose interest. If it’s too hard, you become frustrated or disheartened. A challenge that is just right keeps you engaged and motivated to improve. This is the essence of the Goldilocks Rule, also referred to as just manageable difficulty.
There is a balance required between increasing the difficulty of a task just enough to stay interesting and keeping the level of difficulty at a point where success can still be attained. The just manageable difficulty meter sits at the edge of your current abilities. When each attempt to act includes a 50/50 chance of success, you will continue to work hard because you crave the satisfaction of succeeding.
Another reason you lose motivation is that you’ve reached the habit line of your current behavior, or the point where the action becomes automated. If you stop there, you will stop growing and lose motivation. You may think you’re making progress because you’re putting in the reps, but all you’re doing is reinforcing the same behavior. If your actions don’t change, your results won’t change.
Reaching a goal requires momentum within your system. Once a habit becomes automated, build on it with 1% improvements to keep behaviors novel and progress continuous.
Your identity is made up of various characteristics. Your identity is not simply the general label given to those characteristics, such as “CEO” or “vegan.” When identity hinges on one label, it becomes brittle. When you lose it, you lose yourself and motivation.
The solution is to think of yourself in terms of the associated characteristics to avoid losing your identity if that label changes. When you identify with positive characteristics, rather than one positive label, your identity is flexible.
With a flexible identity, you continue casting votes for who you are regardless of the circumstances. A flexible identity goes with the flow of life. A brittle identity fights against it.
Habit formation is not a one-time occurrence. Your brain is constantly scanning your environment for cues and ways to automate behavior. Therefore, you need to continually check in with your identity and behaviors to ensure they’re still working for you.
Reflect on your habits and progress, and look for areas that promote growth and areas that require refinement. The more small adjustments in behavior you make, the more likely you will end up on the path of your choosing. You can become anyone you want and reach any goal you want to reach if you work hard and remain aware of the life you’re leading.