Introduction - The Fundamentals:

Multiple small changes accumulate into MASSIVE results

1% better every day VS 1% worse every day

1.01^365 = 37.78
0.99^365 = 0.03

Compounding Efforts
Good Habits compound positively, and over time build you up.
Bad Habits compound negatively, and over time break you down.
Yet both good and bad habits feel insignificant today.

The Plateau of Latent Potential

Before you see any tangible results, you will go through The Valley of
Disappointment.
This is where most people quit, before they break the Plateau, and start
seeing results.

Goals vs Systems
A goal is a destination, and a system is the means you use to get there
Goals are not useless, they are very useful - but they are nothing without a
system.
To drive the distance, focus on the road - the system.
Also, when you reach your goals, you may fall in the trap of complacency
Which the system-centered approach avoids

Meaning of Atomic Habits

Atomic habits, however small, are the building blocks of remarkable results.
Atomic habits are the building blocks of a large system that forges success.

Three Layers of Behaviour Change

People act as who they believe they are
Get you identity, pride, and feelings involved.
The wrong way for change is Outcomes-->Processes-->Identity
The right way for change is Identity-->Processes-->Outcomes

And just like that, there is a massive difference between

"No thanks i am trying to stop smoking"
"No thanks i am not a smoker"

Two-Step Process to Changing your Identity:

Every time you perform an action, you cast a vote for the identity that does
that action.
And to change the identity, you need to cast a lot of votes - to stick to the
habit.
Meaning habits are the way to make real change.

Step 1: Decide what type of person could achieve your desired goal
Step 2: Prove to yourself that you are this person with small wins, small
votes.

What is a Habit and Why Do They Form

A habit is simply a reliable, proven solution to a reocurring problem.
They form so that you need less brainpower to solve repeated issues.

The Four Steps of Any Habit

Cue -> Craving -> Response -> Reward
To make a habit stick, reinforce the steps, make the process seamless.
 To break a habit, interrupt the chain.

The Four Laws of Forming a Habit

The 1st law (Cue): Make it obvious.
The 2nd law (Craving): Make it attractive.
The 3rd law (Response): Make it easy.
The 4th law (Reward): Make it satisfying.

The Four Laws of Breaking a Habit

Inversion of the 1st law (Cue): Make it invisible.
Inversion of the 2nd law (Craving): Make it unattractive.
Inversion of the 3rd law (Response): Make it difficult.
Inversion of the 4th law (Reward): Make it unsatisfying.

Law #1 - Make it Obvious

Pointing-and-Calling
Say what you are doing out loud to shift the task from unconscious to
conscious.
This will unautomate the action, and can prevent a bad habit this time.

The Habit Scorecard

1) Make a list of your daily habits as you go through your day
2) Evaluate with "+", "=", "-" how this habit long-term impacts your life
3) Make conclusions on what you want to break and what to reinforce.

All Habits Serve a Purpose

Every habit helps solve some problem.
ex. Smoking calms you down, which is good, but produces an array of long-term
issues.
To calculate is a habit good or bad, calculate NET PROFIT.

Habits need implementaiton

It is much easier to follow a plan than to improvise.
The two most common cues are time and location
Therefore, to form a habit, write this sentence beforehand:
I will [BEHAVIOUR] at [TIME] in [PLACE]

Habit Stacking
If you have a habit already established, you can tie a new one to it.
That way, the firm old habit becomes a cue to a weak new habit
And that way, the new habit is more likely to be repeated.
After [CURRENT HABIT] i will [NEW HABIT]

What makes a Good Cue

A good cue is unambiguous - You can pinpoint the moment at which it happened
A good cue is on time - it happens exactly when you need it to happen
A good cue is reliable - It never fails to come

Willpower vs Environment
Willpower is a temporary solution.
Environment is a permanent solution.
To change a habit, make it a product of your environment, rather than rely on
discipline.

How to Design your Environment

Habits become ties to cues, which are locations, sights, and items.
 To force a good habit, add an easy-to-see item related to the habit.
To break a bad habit, remove items and cues related to the habit.

Law #2 - Make It Attractive

The Dopamine Spike

Dopamine, the "feel good" hormone, is released right BEFORE you get the item
you crave.
You feel motivation when you EXPECT a reward.
Therefore, you should make the good habit more attractive, to increase the
craving.
Or for bad habits, make the habit less attractive to reduce the craving.

Temptation Bundling
Pair an action you NEED to do with an action you WANT to do.
After [ACTION I NEED] i will [ACTION I WANT]
This will make you crave the hard behaviour.

Affect of Social Norms on Your Habits

We are herd animals, and have a primal desire to fit in with the tribe.
People you see regularly affect your habits.
You tend to mimic other people's behaviour.

To develop a good habit, make your social circle approve it.

To break a bad habit, make your social circle disapprove it.
Tell your family you are/ you aren't going to have this habit from this very
moment.

Three Groups of People We Copy

1) The Close - We copy family, friends, relatives, pals
2) The Many - We copy what the majority is doing
3) The Powerful - We copy people who we see have high social status

Underlying Motives
Your habits are modern-age solutions to ancient problems
e.g. Gaming gives primal feelings of status and achievement,
social media gives a feeling of connectedness.

Figure out the motive, and find a good habit which satisfies the same desire.

Mindset's Effect on Habits

To enforce a good habit, associate the good habit with its benefits and
rewards
To break a bad habit, associate the bad habit with its drawbacks and
consequences.

Motivation Ritual
Do an enjoyable thing right before the hard habit
In this way, the hard task will be associated with the enjoynment,
And it is more likely to get repeated.

Law #3 - Make It Easy

How long does it take to form a habit?

Time does not matter much when it comes to building habits.
 What matter is amount of times the habit was performed.
The learning curve only grows to sheer repetition.

Due to this, repeating the habit, even if imperfect, makes results.

Planning, however much is done, does not form habits.

The Law of Least Effort

People tend to act in a way that requires the least effort.
To force a good habit, make it the easiest option to do.
To impede a bad habit, make it the hardest option to do.

Walk slowly, but never backward.

Give yourself the right momentum.

Scale down a habit to a under two minutes version of it
Simply continue doing the right thing after that

MASTER THE HABIT OF SHOWING UP

One-time decisions that change the toughness of a behaviour are powerful

4th Law: Make it Satisfying

Making it satisfying once can be enough to form a habit that sticks even when not
satisfying anymore

Reward yourself right after a good habit to reinforce it

Habit tracking is at the same time, satisfying, obvious, and attractive. It is very
overpowered.

Its better to have a bad workout than to have no workout

One of the most satisfying feelings is the feeling of making progress.

Just because you can measure something, doesnt mean its the most important

Accountability partners can change the world for you.

You should add an immediate pain to a bad habit

Make a bad habit cost your social face

You need to find what suits you and not the majority.

You were made for the task if this work is fun and not painful
You were made for the task if you lose track of time
You were made for the task if you get better results than others
You were made for the task if you feel truly alive

When you cant win by being better, win by being different

Pick your Battles

People are most invested when the task is at the peak of their ability.
Bored when too easy,
Fail when too hard.

Getting bored is the worst thing for self-improvement

The difference between mediocre and outstanding is the ability to work even when
not motivated

Once your habits are automatic, you start to perform them worse and worse over time
You may need to make a way to track your performance.

Shape your identity so that it isnt fragile

dont let yourself to lose yourself after losing one thing

Don't get trapped in the past by your habits.

Check if your habits serve you now and in the future, rather than if they used to
help you.

To master something you need to constantly improve your habits

To master something you need to do the hard work when you dont feel like it
To master something you need to improve always

Success is not a finish line

Success is a winning system

The power of Atomic Habits is the sheer quantity of tiny changes

Eventually you will have to say that the tiny habits made the big victory.

Never stop.