Atomic Habits: Introduction

Introduction

• This is an applied book focused on distilling habit science into easily understood and usable concepts.

My Story

• A baseball accident during sophomore year of high school resulted in facial fractures, lacerations, and seizures.
• Recovery involved starting with small steps in the training room.
• Focused on improving GPA during junior year.
• Habit formation is likened to compound interest in self-improvement.
• Bad habits are just as capable of causing harm as good habits are of building you up.
• Small changes compound significantly over time.
• Money compounds through interest, relationships through generosity, and habits through repetition.
• Current trajectory is more important than current results.
• Success is achieved through daily habits, not radical transformations.

Forget About Goals, Focus on Systems Instead

• A goal signifies a desired outcome. A system represents the collection of daily habits to achieve the goal.
• Systems are essential for progress, while goals help set direction.
• Focusing solely on the system is better than focusing on the goal.
• The ultimate goal is to transform one's identity.
• Don't focus on reading a book, focus on becoming a reader.

The Surprisingly Powerful Way to Change Your Beliefs

• To effectively change habits, focus on who you want to become, not just what you want to achieve.
• Identity arises out of habits.
• Each action reinforces the type of person you want to be.
• Continual editing of beliefs is required to become the best version of yourself.
• True behavior change means identity change.

The Four Laws of Behavior Change

• The four laws are used to build good habits and break bad ones.
• Good habits: make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying.
• Bad habits: make it invisible, unattractive, hard, and unsatisfying.

The 1st Law: Make it Obvious

• Time and location are the most common cues.
• Apply implementation intention: "I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]."

Habit Stacking

• Structure: "After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]."
• Example: "After getting out of bed, I will meditate for one minute."

Motivation is Overrated; Environment Often Matters More

• Each habit is initiated by a cue and we are more likely to notice those cues that stand out.
• Habits become associated with the context surrounding the behavior.
• New environments facilitate new habits since you don't have to fight against old cues.

The 2nd Law: Make it Attractive

• Temptation bundling: pair a habit you want to do with a habit you need to do.
• Structure: "After [HABIT I NEED TO DO], I will [HABIT I WANT TO DO]."

Join a Culture Where Your Desired Behavior Is the Normal Behavior

• Humans are herd animals and want acceptance from their peers.
• Motivation is improved just by being part of a tribe.
• Culture impacts which behaviors are attractive.
• Surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have.

How to Find and Fix the Causes of Your Bad Habits

• A habit scorecard should be written to bring awareness to habits preformed daily.
• You should highlight each habit as positive, negative, or neutral.
• Behavior change starts with awareness.

The 3rd Law: Make it Easy

• Practice is more effective than planning.
• Focus on action over motion.
• Motion is planning, strategizing, and learning.
• Action is the behavior that delivers an outcome.

The Law of Least Effort

• Humans choose the option with the least amount of work.
• Reduce friction for good behaviors and increase friction for bad behaviors.
• Create space between you and your bad habits.

How to Master the Habit of Showing Up

• Two-Minute Rule: When starting a new habit, it should take no more than two minutes.
• Standardize before optimizing, you cannot improve upon a habit that doesn't exist.

The 4th Law: Make it Satisfying

• We're more likely to repeat a behavior when it's satisfying.
• What is immediately rewarded is repeated, and what is immediately punished is avoided.
• The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: What is immediately rewarded is repeated, what is immediately punished is avoided.

Use Habit Trackers to Make Your Habits Satisfying

• Habit tracking measures whether you did a habit.
• A calendar can be used to mark off each day you stuck to your routine
• Habit tracking provides visual proof of progress.
• Missing two days is the beginnings of a new habit, don't break the chain.

Never Miss Twice

• When mistakes are made, never miss twice in a row.
• Get back on track quickly.

How to Use Punishment to Break Your Bad Habits

• An accountability partner creates an immediate cost to inaction.
• Create a habit contract: a verbal or written agreement stating commitment to a habit and the punishment if it's not followed.

Advanced Tactics

• The secret to maximizing success is to choose the right field of competition.
• Pick the habit that's right for you.

The Goldilocks Rule

• Peak motivation occurs when working on tasks at the edge of current abilities.
• The greatest threat to success: boredom.

The Downside of Good Habits

• Habits + Deliberate Practice
• Reflection and review ensures time is well spent.
• Repeating mistakes occurs when you stop reflecting on progress.

Conclusion

• Excellence requires fascination with repetition.
• You have to love boredom.

Biology

• Animal and plant organelle functions differ.
• Plasma membrane separates the cell from its environment and regulates material movement in and out of the cell.
• Mitochondria generate energy in the form of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) through aerobic respiration.
• Rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) facilitates protein synthesis.
• Smooth endoplasmic reticulum facilitates the synthesis of lipids and drug metabolism.
• Nucleolus facilitates the synthesis of ribosomal RNA.
• Nucleus, the control center, contains DNA and directs activities in eukaryotic cells.
• Cell wall provides support, protection, and shape, consisting mainly of cellulose.

Mitosis and Meiosis

• Mitosis is a type of cell division used for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction.
• Mitosis produces exact copies of the cell.
• Meiosis is a type of cell division used to produce gametes (sperm and egg cells) for sexual reproduction.

Mitosis Cycle

• Prophase: Chromosomes condense and become visible, the nuclear envelope breaks down.
• Metaphase: Chromosomes align at the cell's equatorial plane.
• Anaphase: Sister chromatids are pulled apart to opposite poles of the cell.
• Telophase: Nuclear envelopes reform around two sets of chromosomes, which begin to decondense.
• Cytokinesis: Cytoplasm divides, resulting in two different cells.
• Mitosis is essential for growth, development, and asexual reproduction in organisms.

Meiosis Cycle

• Meiosis consists of Meiosis I and Meiosis II.

Meiosis I

• Prophase I: Chromosomes align and homologous chromosome pairs allowing for crossover.
• Metaphase I: Bivalents align at the equatorial plate.
• Anaphase I: Homologous chromosomes are pulled apart to opposite ends of the cell.