Introduction

Since May of this year, I have been making a conscious effort to read books on a consistent basis. Like many others, I was eager to expand my knowledge and improve my reading habits. I often felt guilty when I heard people talk about the numerous benefits of reading, but I never made a firm commitment to the task. At the beginning of the year, I wrote down my resolutions, and one of them was to read more books. However, upon reflection, I realize that this goal was not specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, or time-bound (SMART). In order to achieve my goal, I needed to create concrete plans and take action.

I started reading fictional books online to save money on physical books. However, I fell back into my old habit of abandoning books halfway through. Fortunately, during my internship, I met a girl who motivated me to read. She brought a book from home and read it during her commute, continuing whenever she had free time in the office. This inspired me to realize my potential and become the person I've always wanted to be. Thus, I embarked on my own journey of reading.

I discovered Emotional Agility by Susan David as my first book, which transformed my outlook on emotions and how to handle them. I decided to keep up with my reading habit because I found it enjoyable. I shared my aspirations with those around me, and they were supportive. The second book I read was a gift from a special person, and it was Atomic Habits by James Clear, which I started right after Emotional Agility.

I cannot find the words to express how much this book has impacted my life. It was as if a light bulb turned on in my mind. I acquired tools and techniques that I still use today to enhance my quality of life. It allowed me to comprehend the power of discipline and how the mind operates to either elevate or deteriorate our endeavors for improvement.

Book Summary

In his writing, James Clear offers a clear explanation of the habit loop. It starts with a cue, which is a trigger in the environment that prompts an action. For instance, feeling hungry is a cue that you need to eat. Then comes the craving, which is the satisfaction we seek from acting upon our cues. For example, when you feel hungry, you crave the taste of food or the energy you gain to perform daily activities, or you simply want to eliminate the uncomfortable feeling of hunger. The next step is the response, which is taking action to satisfy the craving. So, your response to hunger is to find something to eat. Finally, the reward is the fulfillment you get from satisfying the craving. For instance, the reward for exercising is improved mood, better health, increased energy, and a pleasant physique.

It's true that forming good habits can be challenging, as many factors can stand in our way. One of the most significant obstacles we face is boredom, which can lead us to abandon our goals and seek out more exciting activities, even if they don't support our aspirations. However, we must remember that boredom is often the biggest hurdle to success, not failure. Those who achieve their goals, no matter how they define success, are skilled at overcoming boredom and staying focused on their objectives. With the right mindset and tools, we too can conquer boredom and make progress towards our dreams.

To steer clear from the clouds of boredom and create good habits or break bad ones, Clear suggests adopting four principles that function at each stage of the habit loop.

• Cues- make it obvious
• Cravings-make it attractive
• Response-make it easy
• Reward-make it satisfying

Clear provides a detailed account of individuals who successfully applied each principle to gain control. He also acknowledges the impact of the environment on habit formation.

Make it obvious

Habit formation requires individuals to understand the cues that lead them to action. For example, to become more athletic, you must shape your environment to work for your good. Clear calls this "casting votes for the person you want to become." Whenever you establish your environment to work for you, you cast one vote for your desired self. For example, you can set a standing order in your bank so that every time your salary enters, the bank remits it to your life insurance, money market fund, retirement pool, vacation fund, or Sacco. This action makes it easy for you to avoid the temptation of using your funds. Other instances would be paying for a gym membership, stocking your fridge with healthy meals, having a workout plan, working out with an accountability partner, and reducing the times you eat out. These actions make the cue apparent and easy to achieve.

Cast votes for the person you want to become
James Clear

Make it attractive

Good habits can be hard to maintain in the long run. The idea that Clear presents is to make the craving attractive. The mind produces dopamine when it experiences pleasure. Consequently, it will crave the actions that produce dopamine more. That is why bad habits are easier to create and hard to break. For instance, when you start watching movies, you enjoy the entertainment and the out-of-reality experience. The next time, the mind will crave the same experience, and before you know it, you are spending hours on end on Netflix or any of your movie streaming platforms. On the contrary, when trying to create a good habit, such as working out, the first experience will be muscle soreness and fatigue. To avoid experiencing this event, the brain will paint the action in an unfavorable light. That is why it is vital to adopt a principle Clear calls "habit stacking."

HABIT - STACKING\(HABIT - STACKING\)

Habit stacking involves pairing an unpleasant activity with a pleasant one. For instance, booking a relaxing massage and spa session after exercising. Engaging in a more comfortable activity, like a massage, will motivate you to complete your workout routine. Another example is treating yourself to a meal out on weekends after cooking at home throughout the week.

Make it easy

The third principle of habit formation that Clear talks about is response, which works better when it is easy. Human history provides sufficient evidence of ways man has strived to make life easy. From the invention of machines to reduce the strain of manual labor to the advancement of Artificial Intelligence to mimic the human brain, all these are efforts at making things easy. Habit formation can take the same form by ensuring we make the response as easy as possible. Instead of hitting the gym five times a week as a newbie, it is wise to start small and never despise those baby steps. Start by going for a walk around the block. Then, when that becomes comfortable, look for the next mountain to climb or battle to win. Before you know it, you will have mounted a thousand hills and won hundreds of battles that bring you closer to your goal.

Make it Satisfying

The final step is to make your habit satisfying. A fundamental thing in habit formation is avoiding the destination fallacy that deceives you into thinking happiness will come when you weigh a certain amount or have that much money. Enjoy each step of the way and be encouraged by the development of children. Forming a new habit or breaking an old one is never easy. No one should lie that it took them a few weeks to stop smoking or start exercising. There is more to the story than meets the eye. Therefore, look at your journey and appreciate the turns and twists you are undergoing. If you fail to work out a couple of days, dust yourself and get up again. Trust me, you're not starting from scratch. You now know the pitfalls to avoid. Maybe you binge eat when you are sad, and that’s okay. So the next time you choose a better path for yourself, you will notice the patterns and pivot towards actions that root for the goal you want to achieve.

Talking of goals, I am currently doing a program by McKinsey called Forward Program. I will talk about it in detail in a later blog. However, it is important to mention something I bumped it. It is called the learning intention. The course highlighted that when we do something new, we need to exercise a lot of compassion because we are bound to encounter roadblocks. And when we do, we should rewind and reset. Reflect on the paths that led you there and retrace back home. Learning intention is not a matter of proving competence but of acquiring a new skill. When you start a new habit, you are blank to the nuances of everything. Therefore, you should appreciate the learning as it is rather than seeking to prove competence.

Critique

I may have gone off-topic a bit, but I hope my review inspires you to read the book. In Atomic Habits, Clear highlights numerous valuable insights. Each chapter starts with a story that illustrates the principles he discusses, providing a more profound understanding of how to apply them. This book changed my outlook on life and helped me organize my habits while showing kindness to myself. I hope it proves helpful to you as well.

References

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. Penguin Random House LLC

McKinsey (2023). Adaptability and Resilience. Forward Program.

By Maureen Naini. Also, on Substack