Throughout my health and fitness journey, I’ve become really interested in educating myself on the latest research on how to create healthier habits. As a result, I’ve come across a lot of great books and want to use my Blog to highlight some of these texts and the “lessons learned.”
In today’s installment of “Neeks Notes,” I’ll share some of the major takeaways from James Clear’s awesome book, Atomic Habits.
Atomic Habits Neeks Notes:
“The effects of small habits compound over time. For example, if you can get just 1 percent better each day, you’ll end up with results that are nearly 37 times better after one year.”
-James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
“Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.”
-Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert
“We often expect progress to be linear. At the very least, we hope it will come quickly. In reality, the results of our efforts are often delayed. It is not until months or years later that we realize the true value of the previous work we have done. This can result in a ‘valley of disappointment’ where people feel discouraged after putting in weeks or months of hard work without experiencing any results. However, this work was not wasted. It was simply being stored. It is not until much later that the full value of previous efforts is revealed.”
– James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
MAJOR TAKEAWAYS;
How to Create a Good Habit
HOW TO BREAK A BAD HABIT
- Make it obvious.
- Make it attractive.
- Make it easy.
- Make it satisfying.
- Make it invisible.
- Make it unattractive.
- Make it difficult
- Make it unsatisfying
“Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.” – James Clear
#Neeks Tip
I'm not more disciplined than you are. I simply choose to structure my life in a way that lets me spend less time in tempting situations. And if something isn't clear, I'll always search for more clarity.
Remember…
“Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one.”- James Clear
“The normal behavior of the tribe often overpowers the desired behavior of the individual.”
Thats why I always recommend surrounding yourself with people who will encourage and support your new goals while making sure to prime your overall environment at home too!
There was a study preformed in a cafeteria analyzing water sales were they simply placed water in more places which in return increased the selection of water without any additional motivation or words of encouragement to do so. This just shows that if you set up your environment with more tools or opportunities that line up with your new lifestyle change chances are you are more likely to succeed.
STUDY: Anne N. Thorndike et al., “A 2-Phase Labeling and Choice Architecture Intervention to Improve Healthy Food and Beverage Choices,” American Journal of Public Health 102, no. 3 (2012), doi:10.2105/ajph.2011.300391.
Image Source: American Journal of Public Health, April 2012.
“Here is a representation of what the cafeteria looked like before the environment design changes were made (left) and after (right). The shaded boxes indicate areas where bottled water was available in each instance. Because the amount of water in the environment was increased, behavior shifted naturally and without additional motivation.”- James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
I highly encourage you all to read more from James Clear on his blog JamesClear.com. And picking up a copy of Atomic Habits on Amazon today!