Loreta O'Hanlon
Atomic Habits by James Clear is one of the best books we’ve read on how to take practical and actionable steps to form good habits and break bad ones. In this Atomic Habits summary, we’ll set out the takeaways from the book that we felt were most important.
Table of Contents
Atomic Habits Takeaway Number 1: Habits are the compound interest of self improvement
Everyday of our lives we make small decisions. Whether to buy the frozen pizza from the supermarket or to buy ingredients to cook a week’s worth meals from scratch. Whether to put on our gym clothes and go for a run or crack open a tub of Ben & Jerrys with the latest mindless Netflix series.
These small decisions do not seem to make much difference in the moment, but over time they DO. The habits you form every day shape your entire life. 1% improvement or disprovement is not necessarily noticeable day to day, but becomes VERY NOTICEABLE over a year or several years!
Atomic Habits Takeaway Number 2: Change habits with focus on WHO you want to become NOT what you want to achieve
In order to truly and effectively change your habits for the long term, you need to change your identity. The identity you give yourself or perhaps others have given you is very powerful.
When growing up, my mother had impossible standards of tidiness. Our house had to look like a showhouse ALL THE TIME. I was not a particularly messy child, but because of my mother’s standards she would constantly label me “untidy” for leaving a crease in my bedclothes, or leaving a book on my nightstand. Over time I adopted a “messy” identity and through most of my teenage years unconsciously and by default was not organised. My school bag and locker were always messy – because that is what I expected of myself. I had taken on that identity.
After college I made a conscious decision that I would become tidier than my mother. I decided to say “I am a very tidy and organised person”. Eventually I began to believe this and it came true. Recently, my mother even said that I was more organised than her!
Atomic Habits Takeaway Number 3: Behaviour change starts with awareness
In order to change our habits, we must first be aware of them. I know that this seems incredibly obvious, and you might think that you are already aware of your good or bad habits. However, most of us are living our daily lives unconsciously. Habits themselves are automatic.
Write down a list of your habits and create a habit scorecard. Note whether they are negative, positive or neutral habits. This way you will become more aware and know exactly which areas of your life you need to work on to form better habits.
Atomic Habits Takeaway Number 4: In order to form a new habit, you need to pair it with a specific time and location
This is the method that Clear lays out in the book, which he calls “habit stacking”. If you know you need to form new habits, you are clearly not lacking motivation – more than likely you are lacking clarity.
In order to gain this clarity in respect of the new habits you want to form, you need to set out a clear plan.
You need to say things like:
“Straight after my morning coffee, I will put on my running shoes and leave the house for a run” or
“Before I go to bed, I will set my gym clothes out neatly at the bottom of my bed, ready for the morning”. Or
“Before my morning shower, I will drink one big glass of water”.
In this way you will begin to change your environment and the cues.
Atomic Habits Takeaway Number 5: Change your environment to make what you want easy and what you don’t hard
For example, if you tend to go on social media first thing in the morning, put your phone out of reach before going to bed. Alternatively you could just delete any social media apps you have on your phone. If you have a sweet tooth, replace the chocolate bar with a healthier snack and have that ready in case you are tempted.
The less energy a habit takes the more likely you’ll do it. It is not a matter of motivation. You can do 10 press ups but 100 press ups a day is exhausting!
Atomic Habits Takeaway Number 6: Track your habits in a way that is simple, easy and visual
You need to keep track of your habits. However, if your habit tracker is difficult to use or access, you more than likely will not stick to tracking them. Sometimes the simplest method is best. For example, place a daily calendar on your wall or desk and keep a pen or marker beside it. Then you can easily mark off the days when you’ve been successful in sticking with your goals.
Atomic Habits Takeaway Number 7: The social power of accountability is a very powerful motivator
A great way to increase the chances that you will stick implementing good habits is to make a “habit contract”. Pick a trusted friend or spouse, or join a group to keep you accountable. For instance, if it is your goal to run a marathon, join a running group that trains 4 times a week after work. For most people knowing they are being judged by others serves as effective and powerful motivation.
Atomic Habits Takeaway Number 8: The greatest threat to success is NOT failure; instead it is boredom
Ultimately you must fall in love with the boredom required to be great at something. Professionals execute on the plan regardless of their motivation and the situation; amateurs let things get in the way. Passion is not enough in and of itself to guarantee success. You must first get very good at something before you can be passionate about it. To get very good at something requires the grit to do it even when you don’t want to do it.
In order to succeed in the long term you need to be very, very clear on what is important to you so that you can work on it even when you don’t want to!
Atomic Habits Takeaway Number 9: Success is not a finish line – it’s a commitment to tiny, sustainable, unrelenting improvements
The final takeaway in the Atomic Habits summary is to remember that just because you achieve your goals DOES NOT mean you should stop trying. You should always be in a position to consciously review your identity and ask yourself in what ways you need to improve. In Atomic Habits Clear emphasises that good habits are just a stepping stone to great habits. Keep improving every day and you will eventually be on the road to mastery.
If you liked this Atomic Habits summary, check out some of our other summaries of our favourite personal development, motivational and business books here.
