Atomic Habits

I decided to read this book because, like most people, my life is full of so many habits I would like to change to improve as a person to have more serenity. The title attracted me: An atom is a very small particle, but if atoms concentrate and come together, they become matter, an organism and even form galaxies. The same thing happens with habits. We are all "made of" habits, so this book is inherently about our behaviours and what we all do every day. Who should read this book? - Those who want to achieve their goals - Those who want to deliberately change their habits - Those who want to find out how habits are formed - And those who want to know how to build systems that will help achieve their goals Why is it hard to do what we continually say we want to do? Why do we fail to lose weight? why do we start smoking again? why do we lose hours glued to a smartphone? Why don't we actually build healthier relationships, more fulfilling careers? James Clear explains that we are simply missing the mark. Obsessing about goals, instead of helping us improve, risks becom-ing an additional source of stress, and even causing us to fail. We are not our goals: we are the sum of our habits. That is why, according to Clear, it is from the habits of every day-and pre-cisely from the smallest, the "atomic" habits, invisible but as powerful as an atom-that we must start to give our lives a new direction. Real change comes not from a single big break-through, but from the combination of many almost imperceptible improvements: one small step at a time, one percent daily progress. This is all very good and sounds like the book that will really change your life. I will start right away by saying that I am surprised that the book has sold over 4 million copies. I'm con-vinced it's not because of the content of the book but because our author can count on a huge number of desperate people who are trapped in toxic habits and don't know where to start from and who bought the book, precisely because they hoped they had found a new guru who will lead them the way. I must be honest, I struggled to finish it. The author goes on and on about how to change our habit through a whole series of laws about what to do, how to go about it, and how to get to success. Huge stress. Each chapter is like reading the instructions for building a complicated machine--Law 1, Law 2, Law 3, 4, etc. For example, when he suggests how to start creating a new atomic habit Cue: Make it obvious. Craving: Make it attractive. Response: Make it easy. Reward: Make it satisfying. Then he goes on to tell you all the countless ways on how to actually make the creation of the new habit obvious, attractive, easy, satisfying.... And to make matters worse he inserts statistics, more rules and codes which makes changing habits seem more complicated than writing a doctorate. There are YouTube videos where he explains things to you like a heart surgeon explains heart malfunction.... But where has common sense gone? Do we really need instructions for everything? This book is good for an American audience that likes to be guided and told how and what to do about every aspect of life. American bookstores are overflowing with self-help books that always seem to know how to help you and what you need to do. What I missed in this book is just a more genuine and practical approach, simple and direct. After all, our bad habits can't be changed unless there's a willingness to want to change. It all starts there...the rest comes on its own. Our bodies and our heads know what needs to be done to cut certain toxic habits. Honestly, the idea of following Mr. Clear's ideas step by step and reminding myself of all the laws and counter-laws, strategies and plans...would stress me out so much that I'd rather keep the harmful habits as long as I didn't have to feel so much scruti-ny. Because that's the feeling I got: That I must pass an exam. So I felt double pressure: of changing habits and the pressure of following the complicated and many steps to get there correctly, otherwise failure is assured. The only chapter I would save is the second one, but not because it helped me change my harmful habits but because I found it interesting from a psychological and philosophical point of view. Clear explains that when choosing which habits to cultivate, people often focus only on the goals they want to achieve. Clear argues that this is problematic: To create habits that last, you must focus on who you want to become because behind every system of action is a belief sys-tem. As a result, any behaviour that does not match your basic self will not last. You cannot change your habits unless you first change your basic beliefs. Therefore, changing your habits means changing your identity. This made me think a lot about who we really are because it's true that we are who we think we are, that we carry around an identity that we've spent years constructing. But actually these identity masks are perfectly replaceable with other masks. We are the ones who unconsciously became a certain person because of the constant repetition of certain thoughts and unconscious habits we formed. Clear suggests that we CONSCIOUSLY sew a new identity onto ourselves. Only in this way can new habits grow and take root, based on the new person we have decided to become. All this is extremely fascinating and frightening because if I look around, I realize I see not people but characters with masks. And still sooner or later we get stuck even in the new identity we decided to assume because life is always changing and what seemed like a great habit ends up being toxic and deleterious later on. So, I suggest always being alert and using that wonderful thing called common sense. ...weiterlesen

This book explores in great detail the influence that seemingly little habits can have on our lives. It provides readers with useful techniques and illuminating examples to help them comprehend how to form and break habits successfully. James Clear discusses cutting-edge subjects in human behavioral psychology and neurology with ease, elucidating how human behavior functions. In her book, Clear explores in detail how and why we develop particular routines and habits in our own lives. This book is structured into five main sections that each explain how habits are formed and offer a very useful framework for making little adjustments to your current routine in order to develop it for increased productivity and expansion. An important aspect of this book is the author's emphasis on the idea that change does not happen overnight, but rather through the accumulation of small, consistent actions. He outlines a simple yet powerful framework, the Four Laws of Behavior Change, which includes making habits obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. If used correctly, these rules can help readers develop good habits and eliminate bad ones. Atomic Habits is filled with actionable advice and strategies. Provides readers with a clear roadmap for identifying, implementing, and sustaining habits that align with their goals. The book also provides insights into how to deal with setbacks and periods of plateauing in your personal progress. I really appreciate the fact that the author uses scientific research to back up his claims and recommendations. By illuminating the psychology and neuroscience behind habit formation, he provides solid foundation and credibility for his advice. This evidence-based approach places greater emphasis on the ideas presented, making them more convincing and credible. What sets Atomic Habits apart from other self-help books is its practicality. The author doesn't just discuss theory and concepts, but goes a step further and provides readers with actionable steps to implement his strategies. He breaks down the habit formation process into easy-to-understand steps so readers are more likely to take action and see real progress. Additionally, he provides a variety of techniques to overcome common obstacles along the way, such as habit stacking and habit tracking, making it easier for readers to stay on track. The author's writing style is engaging and easy to understand. He used relatable anecdotes and compelling examples to illustrate his points, which had me hooked from start to finish. The book is organized in a clear and coherent way so you can easily refer to specific chapters or sections when needed. All in all, Atomic Habits is an excellent self-help book that empowers readers to take control of their habits, and therefore their lives. Whether you want to increase productivity, improve health, or improve other aspects of your life, this book provides a valuable framework for change. A must-read for anyone seeking ongoing self-improvement and personal growth, this book provides the motivation and practical tools to achieve this goal. James Clear's emphasis on the power of small, sustained changes is groundbreaking for anyone who wants to improve their lives. K.R.N ...weiterlesen