HOW TO STICK TO HABITS – ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear

(great book I read, anyone who wants to learn more about building habits THIS IS A MUST!
This is my little summary of notes on the essentials to build habits)

I’ll use me wanting to eventually run a half marathon as the example.

Why this has to be changed a bit in order to make it into a habit:

 Wanting to run a half marathon is the goal! Not the habit, this is where we screw up
most often.
 We need to learn to implement systems rather than goals! Goals are about the
results you want, systems are about the process.
 Before we tackle the system however, we need to focus on identity.
o Your identity is your belief system and this is what we need to change.
o I want to run a half marathon because I want to become a runner. I want to
become disciplined. I want to become the kind of person that wakes up in the
morning and goes for a jog and doesn’t dread it.
o It’s hard to stick to a new habit when you haven’t changed your belief
system, aka. Who you are.

What does that mean?

 It means that you have to decide the type of person you want to be.
 And then reinforce that new identity with small, achievable wins.
 SMALL AND ACHIEVABLE PEOPLE

Questions to ask yourself:

 I want to become a runner
o What would a runner do?
o What would a runner do if it was raining?
 I want to become healthier
o What would a healthy person do in this situation?
 I want to become a writer
o What would a writer do right now?
o How would a writer prioritize time?

How to stick to it:

1. Make it obvious
a. Make the thing visible.
b. I want to become a runner? I leave my running clothes next to my bedside
table ready to go.
2. Make it attractive
a. You need to make your habit attractive so that you really want to do it!
b. A clever method is the habit stacking method
i. After (current habit) I will (habit I need)
ii. After (habit I need), I will (habit I want)
c. Example:
 i. After I turn off my alarm (current daily habit), I will go for a one mile
run (habit I need). After I go for a one mile run (need) I will have my
coffee and read my book (habit I want).
3. Make it easy
a. THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT.
b. Make it small, make it achievable, make it realistic.
c. We forget that many times we’ve spent a lifetime not doing these habits for a
reason so wanting to go full force into running 6 miles, meditating for 15
minutes, eating only purple carbohydrates is a recipe for disaster.
d. There’s a reason we are where we are, and rather than be in denial about it
we should embrace our trajectory and current self and start teeny tiny.
e. I’m starting with a mile a day, that is all! Sometimes I do more and
sometimes I do just the mile, but the fact that I’m out there every morning (1
mile or 5) reinforces my belief system. I’m a runner.
f. You want to meditate? Try 2 minutes a day! That’s it! And then progress as
you get comfortable.
4. Make it satisfying
i. What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately
punished is avoided.
ii. This might mean you post on social media every time you go for a run
because it gives you this sense of immediate satisfaction.
iii. It might mean that you start tracking habits because crossing it off the
list is immediately satisfying.
iv. There is also a fine line between being obsessive and this being
detrimental, so be aware of where your thoughts are when
implementing whatever sort of tracking method.
v. It might mean that every time you go for a run you reward yourself
with a yum smoothie or you put $5 into your savings account.
vi. This might go hand in hand with make it easy! If you’ve never run and
then suddenly try and run 3km, you’ll hate it! And you won’t want to
do it again.

It’s all about reinforcing the belief system you want to adopt, daily with small, achievable
and enjoyable actions.

Writing for ten minutes after I have my morning tea daily, reinforces that I am a writer.
Meditating after my run for 3 minutes, reinforces that I am a person who meditates.
Going for a one mile run as soon as I wake up reinforces that I am a runner.

So,
Who do you want to become?
What system do you want to put in place?
What will the result be from this system?