Summary of Atomic Habits...

Atomic Habits is still a No 1. best selling title for good reason.  The book is very practical, impactful and totally relatable.  As a coach it is the book I recommend to clients, so here is my summary and key highlights:-

Creating new habits can seem daunting but the book uses a very simple formula to entice and lead you:-

• Cue - make it obvious
• Craving - make it attractive
• Response - make it easy
• Reward - make it satisfying

The atomic principle of marginal gains means that we are not diving into habit and ultimately failing as we were too ambitious.  By looking at each step we can think of it as what will be that 1% everyday that will make a difference.  To eat healthily might be having fruit on your desk.  By making the fruit accessible is making it obvious, buy a new fruit bowl to make it attractive, or think in the future as to what the healthier you will look like?  The bowl being on the desk is very easy, no going to the kitchen.  To make it satisfying think of the healthier you, but an interim reward might be a meal out or the cinema, for every piece of fruit have a habit tracker, and when you reach 20 marks, celebrate.  Achievement underpins motivation and we all like to acknowledge progress and accomplishment.

We can stop habits by reversing the bullet points above:-

• Cue - make it invisible
• Craving - make it unattractive
• Response - make it hard
• Reward - make it unsatisfying

If you want to stop looking at your phone so much, put it in another room and then in order to use it you have to ask some-one for it.   Take off the apps you are drawn to, and reward this change in behaviour with a treat with the time you saved not being on your phone.

Identity based habits is a key part of the book.  If we adopt the identity of the habit we are wishing to become second nature it will more than likely become intrinsic.  The example if I want to start running and adopt the identity of a runner, what processes would a runner adopt and what outcomes would they be looking to achieve.  The processes might be to run twice week with the outcome of three Park Runs a month. 

• Create rituals that lead you into a habit, for example listening to a podcast whilst ironing. 

• Start with repetition not perfection.

• Apply the two minute rule the gateway into a habit.

• Commit to a process not a goal

• Focus on the practice instead of the performance

• Release the need for immediate results

Please do get in touch for one to one coaching and exploring the key learnings of Atomic Habits bev@nuggetsoflearning.co.uk