ATOMIC HABITS
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
WHAT
Atomic Habits is a book about building new habits and breaking old habits.
As the author explains, the “Atomic” in the name was chosen to denote how habits can be small and powerful.
In his book, James Clear describes an array of tools and insights that already helped me personally establish new habits, some of them on a daily basis.
In this short article, I want to give you a taste of how small but consistent habits can make a real difference, and why you shouldn’t fall for the all or nothing trap.
The Atomic Habits book
WHY
Personally, I used to think that it’s “all or nothing”.
If I can’t get that big task done all the way, I’m just wasting my time and should drop it entirely.
I couldn’t be more wrong.
The truth is exactly the opposite.
The most important thing you can do, if you want to become something, is to never ever lose sight of it.
Never let yourself fall off the wagon completely.
Do whatever it takes, to do something (however tiny) about that goal, every day.
That’s the secret.
And that’s why I think it’s important to write this article (at 3:00am with one eye already closing on it’s own).
HOW
Let’s talk about concrete examples and tools.
CHAINING HABITS
One great tool from the Atomic Habits book, that was very helpful for me, was to connect new/desired habits to pre-existing habits.
For example, I used to skip the evening tooth brushing.
But I did have a habit of putting on deodorant after showering (classic!).
So, I conditioned the deodorant habit on completing a 10 sec teeth brushing session.
And just like that, after a few weeks, I am now hooked on brushing my teeth before bed.
I guess the fear of not smelling good was enough to overcome the temptation to jump into bed without “wasting” time on tooth brushing…
Note that I started with a 10 seconds tooth brushing session.
Which sounds a bit short, right?
Well, that’s another trick from the Atomic Habits book!
Let’s go into it next…
Chain, generated on Midjourney AI
ATOMIC
Rememeber?
Atomic == small and powerful.
Another technique from the book is to start with a tiny version of your desired habit.
Find a version small enough for you to not lose motivation.
It doesn’t matter if it’s ridiculusly small.
For example, in the book they talk about establishing a habit of going to the Gym.
The very first, smallest, version of this habit, is to put on your training shoes for 5 minutes, and then taking them off (yep, without actually training).
The next step could be going to the Gym, hanging there for 5 minutes, and then going back home (yep, without training).
This way you can slowly “hack away” at this daunting habit you are trying to establish.
Atomic, generated on Midjourney AI
NEVER GIVE UP
This and that technique can be very interesting and useful.
But the most important thing I carry with me every day, is to make sure I do something that supports the habit I am building, every day.
Don’t fall for the “all or nothing” trap.
Are you trying to get in shape?
Do some physical activity every day, for 10 minutes.
Or find a shorter time that you can commit to doing daily.
TAKEAWAYS
Chain new habits to existing habits, to make it easier to cement the new habit
Start with tiny versions of your desired habit
Never give up - do something about your desired habit, every day
