Want to kick start your reading routine but don’t know where to start ? You’ve come to the right place. In this post I’m gonna talk about a book that changed my whole perspective of life. I’m sure that it will do the same for you.
To start off, you have to understand that you don’t have to search for the most popular books in the world and read one of them every time. Trust me on this, I made such a mistake recently and I totally regret spending money on that book just because it is popular. Rather than popularity, it’s better to focus on what you need at the moment(remember, I’m talking about non-fiction/self help books).
The reason I mentioned the above point is because the book that I’m goin to suggest is extremely popular itself, but that’s not why I’m asking you to read it. This book has helped me to analyze my life and achieve my goals in a much more efficient way than before. I’ve been able to see improvements with my productivity and I’ve also been able to organize my day a lot better. The book I want to suggest to you is ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear.
Why Atomic Habits ? Here’s why :
- Detailed explanation of all the points
The attention to detail in this book is just unbelievable. The author has backed up every single point with real life instances and has did his research very well. Throughout the book, he tells us about instances where his principles have been found to be successful, which will inspire you to implement these in your life and understand the topics better.
- Easy to understand
Though there are a lot of topics covered, this book is extremely easy to understand. The English isn’t too complicated, and the topics are well explained; thus making it perfect for a beginner.
- Easy to implement in real life
One of the best aspects of this book is that the author has given us easy ways to implement the principles in our lives. Starting a new habit might not be the easiest thing to do. The author has understood that very well and thus has given us the tricks to make them lighter. With every single chapter, he has focused on making the lessons easier to learn and follow.
Before you dive into the magical world of Atomic Habits, let me give you a summary of the book so that you can have an idea of what you can expect.
There are four laws that stand as the fundamentals of this book. These are four simple steps that help us build better habits. Here they are :
- Make It Obvious
- Throughout this book, the author talks about cues and triggers that help initiate our habits. The idea behind the first law is to make these cues as obvious as possible. When we place place the cues in front of our eyes by some way or form(making them obvious), it increases the odds that we actually start the habit.
- One of the key aspects of habit change is awareness. We have to be aware of our habits before we change them. To be more aware of our habits, the author teaches us a method called Habit Scorecard. Take a piece of paper and write down the things that you do throughout the day. Once you’ve made that list, analyze each behavior and ask yourself if that is a good habit or a bad habit or a neutral habit.
- If it’s a good habit, put a + sign near it, and if its a bad or a neutral habit, use – and = signs respectively. It is always better to analyze these habits base on their long term effect.
- Now that you know what your good and bad habits are, here’s a way to trigger a change. Hearing your habits spoken aloud makes the consequences seem more real. For example, sayin ‘Tomorrow, I need to got to the post office after lunch”, increases the odds that you’ll actually do it. You are getting yourself acknowledge the need for action- and that can make all the difference.
- Another great technique you can use is Habit Stacking. The key is to tie your desired behavior with something you already do each day. For example, Exercise. “After I take off my work clothes, I will immediately change into my workout clothes.”
- Habit stacking allows you to create a set of simple rules that guide your future behavior. It’s like having a game plan for which action you should do next.
- The author also talks about the importance of designing our environment according to the habit we’re trying to implement. He believes that in the long run, we become a product of the environment that we live in. It is almost impossible for us to stick to positive habits in a negative environment.
- For example, if you’re wasting too much time watching TV, move it out of the bedroom.
2. Make it Attractive
- We need to make our habits attractive because it is the expectation of a rewarding experience that motivates us to act in the first place. The more attractive an opportunity is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming
- The key is to link an action you want to do with an action you need to do. For example, if you want to check facebook, “After I pull out my phone, I will do 10 burpees(need). After I do ten burpees, I will check facebook(want).”
- Join a culture where your desired behavior is normal and appreciated. When changing your habit means fitting in with the tribe, change is very attractive. Be around people who share the same vibe as you do.
3. Make It Easy
- One of the key aspects of starting a new habit is making it easy. When you can make you good habits more convenient, you’ll be more likely to follow through on them. Habits are easier to build when they fit into the flow of your life.
- The actions that matter the most must be the actions that are easiest to do.
- When we are forming a new habit, repetition is more important than perfection. It is better to do 10 pushups everyday than to do 100 push ups twice a week.
- The key for us is to find the starting point of the new habit journey. Standardize before you optimize. You can’t improve a habit that doesn’t exist.
4. Make It Satisfying
- We are more likely to repeat a behavior when the experience is satisfying.
- Positive emotions cultivate positive habits. You learn what to do in the future based on what you were rewarded for doing in the past.
- With good habits, the immediate outcome might be unenjoyable, it might be hard, but the ultimate outcome feels good.
- Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete a habit.
Overall, I would definitely rate this book a 5/5 ! Make sure you read it too. I only talked about a small portion of the book here. There is a lot more for you to learn ☻
Hope you liked this review. Thanks for reading ! ☻
Wordsbykenaniah 