Atomic Habits Flashcards
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Systems vs Goal
You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.
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Geometric Growth
Habits are the “compound interest” of self-improvement.
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Melting Ice & Earthquakes
Habits seem to make little to no difference until a “critical threshold” of time and focus is reached.
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Origin of Better Results
Focusing on systems, rather than goals
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Layers of Behavior Change
Outcomes, Processes, Identity
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How to Change Your Identity
- Decide the type of person you want to be.
- Prove it to yourself with repeated small wins
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Origin of Identity
Identity emerges out of your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
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Becoming Your Best Self
(Beliefs and Identity)
- Continuously edit your beliefs
- Upgrade and expand your identity.
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The Reason Habits Matter
Habits can change your beliefs about yourself.
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Steps to Build a Habit
Cue—>Craving—>
Response—>Reward
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1st Law of Behavior Change
Cue
Make It Obvious (OR Invisible)
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2nd Law of Behavior Change
Craving
Make It Attractive (OR Unattractive)
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3rd Law of Behavior Change
Response
Make It Easy (OR Difficult)
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4th Law of Behavior Change
Reward
Make It Satisfying (OR Unsatisfying)
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Habits (Ultimate Purpose)
To solve the problems of life with as little energy and effort as possible
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Implementation Intention
I will <behavior> at <time> in <location>
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Habit Stacking
After I <current habit> I will <new habit>
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2 Most Common Cues
Time and Location
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Cues & Environment
Design your environment to make cues stand out (good habits) or become invisible (bad habits)
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Cue-Induced Wanting
A compulsive craving to repeat a bad habit caused by an external trigger.
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Self-Control
A short-term strategy, not a long-term one. People with high self-control actually just spend less time in tempting situations.
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Temptation Bundling
- After I <current habit>…
- I will <needed habit>…
- Then I will <wanted habit>
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Dopamine Feedback Loop
- Dopamine spike when pleasant activity occurs
- Subsequently, dopamine spike occurs with the cue, not the activity.
Dopamine teaches you to want
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Groups We Imitate
- the close
- the many
- the powerful
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Craving & Motive
Every behavior has a surface-level craving and a deeper underlying motive
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Ancient Desires
Habits are modern-day solutions to ancient desires.
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Habits (Cause)
The prediction that precedes the habit. The prediction leads to a feeling.
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Most Effective Form of Learning
Practice, not Planning
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Habit Formation (Depends on…)
More dependent on repetition (frequency) than on the length of time spent performing the action.
10 min/day > 70 min once a week
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How Environment Affects Motivation
- Design environment to make cues obvious
- Reduce friction in the environment
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Addition by Subtraction
By removing friction, waste, obstacles, you are able to make more consistent progress
Building Better Habits (The Battle)
Much of it comes down to finding ways to reduce the friction associated with out good habits and increase the friction associated with our bad habits.
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Law of Least Effort
We tend to gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work
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Prime the Environment
Be proactively lazy — set up the environment ahead of time to make doing what you need to do as easy as possible.
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Decisive Moments
Moments that have an outsized impact on your day
