Book Thoughts - Atomic Habits

Referenced in my previous post was the book, Atomic Habits by James Clear. The book walks the reader through the Four Laws of building better habits.

• The 1st Law - Make it Easy
• The 2nd Law - Make it Attractive
• The 3rd Law - Make it Easy
• The 4th Law - Make it Satisfying

The book is extremely approachable and practical. The suggestions can be put into place right away. One of my favorites is "habit stacking". Say you want to create a new habit, then add it on to the habits you are already doing on a daily basis. For example, if I want to start meditating add it to your morning routine - get up, brush teeth, make coffee, meditate.  

Other tips include strategies for building habits by starting small and building a routine. If you want to start a workout habit - begin by working out for only two minutes - then do that again the next day, gradually creating a new habit.

Additionally, each law has an inverse to help you break habits that are holding you back. So instead of making watching tv easy to do after work - you will want to make watching tv difficult. Tips include hiding the remote / removing remote batteries or unplugging the tv from the wall. You will find that the effort to plug in the tv is not worth it and go on to something easier like putting on the running shoes you've left out prompting a healthy replacement.

In addition to the book, James Clear also has an excellent weekly newsletter (3-2-1) filled with excellent tips and motivation for keeping you moving. You can sign up for the newsletter on his website. It's one of the things I look forward to in my inbox every Thursday morning.

Also, as someone who journals, I plan on checking out his Clear Habit Journal - and will keep you posted as to my success with it.

If you are looking to add some new habits or break some old ones, I'd recommend you check out Atomic Habits.