You Want to Create a New Habit or Break Old Ones?
Read the Book Atomic Habits!
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Earlier this year I kept seeing the book Atomic Habits everywhere. People kept posting that they were reading it and I thought, maybe it’s a new release. But actually, this book was released back in 2018 - for some reason it kept following me.
One of the networking groups I’m a part of decided to start a book club and people threw in suggestions on different books and then we voted on the one we were to read. Atomic Habits won and I couldn’t believe it, this book was really following me!
The book was already available for me on my husband’s audible account so I decided to listen to it during my morning walks and would take notes on my phone.
Right at the beginning of the book he talks about the habits he got during college and how they transferred into his daily life and helped him. That reminded me of how I stopped procrastinating in college. I remember everyone would party or do something fun on Fridays and Saturdays and then on Sunday evenings would be stressed out trying to cram all their homework before class on Monday. On Friday afternoons I would be done with class and would take advantage and finish all my homework then so if there were plans for that night or Saturday, I wouldn’t have to worry about homework, since it was all done. This habit helped me stop procrastinating.
“The quality of our habits determines the quality of our life.” - James Clear
In chapter one he sets the stage for what is an atomic habit. His definition is - “An atomic habit is a small habit that’s part of a larger system. Atomic habits are the building blocks of remarkable results.” He goes deep into explaining how habits are formed and what we need to do to create new healthy habits.
James says that a habit needs to become part of your identity because what you say and tell yourself is powerful. And your behavior is usually a reflection of your identity. However, this can be a negative aspect too.
My example for this is that I’ve always told myself I’m a horrible speller, instead of trying to improve my spelling, I’ve just settled for the fact that I’m a person who doesn’t know how to spell. And I used to say that I wasn’t good with names. It wasn’t until my husband pointed out to me that I was in fact good at remembering names that I didn’t realize what I was telling myself was untrue. I stopped saying that I was bad with names and didn’t believe it anymore and noticed I do remember people’s names easily.
In Chapter 3, James introduces the 4 things needed to create a new habit:
Make it obvious
Make it attractive
Make it easy
Make it satisfying
But before you can change a habit or create a new one you need to be aware of your habits.
He goes into detail about creating a plan to create a new habit and why and how your environment impacts how your habits are formed.
And lastly having an accountability partner will help you keep yourself on track. This is why hiring a coach is impactful, whether it’s a life coach, a business coach, or a podcast coach because they will keep you accountable for what you want to reach in your life.
James does a yearly review and so do I! I like to see everything I’ve done throughout the year and reflect on what I’ve accomplished. Do you do any reflection?
This book is great for understanding human behavior and how we pick up, break, or create habits. If you want to create new and healthy habits, I highly recommend this book.
With Love, Heidy
P.S. If you need a copywriter for writing services or looking to launch a podcast – let’s get in touch; I want to create with you!