Hello Reader,
Thank you for the wonderful comments, questions, and recommendations you have shared throughout this 4-week series.
This is the last installment of our back-to-school book breakdown.
Next week, we begin another free email course. The topic is gratitude.
First, let's dive into this week's book.
ATOMIC HABITS: AN EASY & PROVEN WAY TO BUILD GOOD HABITS & BREAK BAD ONES
Author: James Clear
Expertise: James Clear writes about self-image, self-improvement, and designing habits that change self.
BOOK SUMMARY: OVERARCHING PRINCIPLES
- We change daily, even if we do not seek positive change.
- Goals will not change you. Your system will transform you.
- If the new habits you desire are not working, you're not the problem. Your system is the problem.
AUTHOR'S RESEARCH-BACKED TOOLS FOR CHANGING WHO YOU ARE
4 LAWS OF CREATING GOOD HABITS
1st Law (Cue): Make it obvious.
ā2nd Law (Craving): Make it attractive.
ā3rd Law (Response): Make it easy.
ā4th Law (Reward): Make it satisfying.
Invert the 4 laws when you want to break a bad habit.
HOW TO SUPPORT SOMEONE STRUGGLING TO BUILD GOOD HABITS
In your frustration with someone else, use Clear's 4 laws of creating good habits.
Let's use "taking out the trash" as our example.
Help the other person:
1. Define an obvious cue to perform the habit
My cue is an Alexa reminder every Monday @7pm)
Make it attractive:
āChecking that item off my list without being reminded is oddly satisfying.
Make it easy:
ā1. Bags are already in the bin.
2. Cars are parked far enough apart to roll the bin outside, down the driveway, and to the street.
Make it satisfying
āWhen I leave the trash bin at the curb, I have a small bowl of ice cream.
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK:
I hope this overview of Atomic Habits will help you and someone else, whether or not you read the book.
However, it's well worth your time to read because:
- Atomic Habits is designed as a handbook for easy reference.
- Clear dives deeper into the relationship between our identities and behaviors.
- You will learn a much more effective method of measuring self-improvement than goal-setting.
A PARADOX:
(James Clear, Atomic Habits)
When your deepest beliefs about yourself keep you from taking even the tiniest action, you won't shift the way you see yourself unless you set up a system for a tiny win.
Ask someone to help you do three things:
- Design each law of the 4 Laws of Creating Good Habits.
- Point out and celebrate atomic victories.
- Make adjustments to your system.
- Decide when you're ready to begin another new habit.
NEW SERIES NEXT WEEK: GRATITUDE
Gratitude is one of my favorite topics.
A gratitude challenge 9 or 10 years ago changed how I see myself, my relationships, and the universe.
The email series runs through October.
By November, you will be prepared for a gratitude challenge with a friend or in the cohort we are organizing.
-Tracy
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Back-to-School Book Club Series
Week 1 Link: Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It, Ethan Krossā
Week 2 Link: Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking, Jon Acuffā
Week 3: Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, BJ Foggā
š Week 4: Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results, James Clear