I'm the proud owner of one of 15 million copies of Atomic Habits by James Clear that has been sold since being published in 2018. I re-read the book in an effort to get 2024 off to a good start, and wanted to share three quick takeaways:
Four Laws of Habits
To increase the adoption of good habits, you can make them obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. In contrast, to decrease bad habits, make them invisible, unattractive, difficult and unsatisfying. After re-reading, I got the idea of "habit stacking" (adding a new habit after an existing one) to start adding teeth brushing to my habit of flossing and using mouth wash while bathing my kids. This has allowed me to stop snacking after supper, as even the most delicious snack tastes less appealing post-brushing.
Don't Let Habits Become Too Much of Your Identity
My simple brain has tried to classify myself according to past habits that grew too large (ultimate frisbee, running, reading, dividend growth investing, etc.). James Clear makes the case for keeping our identify fluid, and not letting any one habit become too much of a part of ourselves. In that spirit, I thought I'd write about this book I love in my dividend blog.
Aim for a Majority, Not a Sweep
Like everyone, I have bad habits I'm trying to vanish. James Clear uses the metaphor early in the book that every time you perform a good habit, or skip a bad one, you could see it as a vote for the type of person you want to become. He goes onto explain that instead of aiming for perfection, we should be happy with a majority, cause it's impossible to earn everyone's vote in an election. This is a lovely metaphor that I posted on my laptop so that I take it easier on myself going forward.
Since you've read this far, the last tidbit I'm being contemplating lately is how to make more desirable habits into a two minute version. Knowing that doing something easy is better than doing nothing, and taking a step in the right direction will cause some momentum, I'm aiming to try two minute versions of various habits this year.
