Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits | James Clear 04.01.2023 Focus on changing your systems instead of your goals. In a game, the goal is to finish with the best score, but focusing on the score is absurd. The only way to win is to get better every day . If you want to get resu...

Atomic Habits | James Clear 04.01.2023 Focus on changing your systems instead of your goals. In a game, the goal is to finish with the best score, but focusing on the score is absurd. The only way to win is to get better every day . If you want to get results, focus on how you plan to get there (systems) and less on where you want to be in three years (goals). Problem #1: Losers and Winners have the same goal We mistakenly assume that people who made it in life got where they are because of their ambitious goals while overlooking the people who had the same objective but didn't make it. Every Olympian wants to win a gold medal, and every business person wants a million-dollar business. The goal was always there. The only difference is when implementing a system of continuous small improvements, only then can we achieve a dif ferent outcome. Problem #2: Achieving a goal is only a momentary change Imagine that you have a dirty room, and one day you decide to pick yourself up and clean your room. After that, you go back to your sloppy and pack-rat habits that led to your room being dirty . Y ou are left chasing the same outcome because you failed to implement a change in your system. Achieving goals is only a change in your life for the moment. W e feel like we need to change the results, but the results are not the problem. What we really need to change is the system that causes those results to become a problem. Fix the input, and the outputs will fix themselves. 04.03.2023 Problem #3: Goals restrict your happiness The implicit assumption behind any goal is: "Once I reach my goal, I'll finally be happy ." The problem with a goal-first mentality is that you limit your happiness until the next milestone. Goals also create an "either-or" situation wherein you either achieve your goals and be successful or you fail and are disappointed. It narrows your mind and happiness by making you believe that the only path you've thought of in life is the only one that will match your journey when you set out. Using a systems-first mentality , you fall in love with the process, not the product. A system can succeed in any way , not just the one you envisioned. Problem #4: Goals are at odds with long-term progress Many runners train hard for their match, but they stop training once they cross the finish line. When all of your hard work is focused on achieving a goal, what will be left to push you forward after you accomplish it? The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of setting systems is to keep you playing. Ultimately, your commitment to the process will determine your progress. How your habits shape your identity (vice versa) Habits are hard to change for two reasons: (1) we try to change the wrong thing and (2) we have a wrong process of changing our habits. Three layers of behavioral Change The first layer is changing your outcome. This focuses on changing the outcome: publishing a new book, losing weight, and getting more sales. The second layer is changing your processes. This generally focuses on the processes required to achieve an outcome: implementing a healthy diet plan, cleaning your table to reduce clutter and increase productivity , and researching on the newest trends. The third layer is changing your identity . Here, it encompasses your views, beliefs, and how you see things and assess the situation. Outcomes are your goals and what you get. Processes are the steps you make to get the desired outcome, and Identity is what you believe. Behavior that is congruent to the self will not last. You may want more money , but you will never achieve what you want if you are a lavish spender . The most natural form of motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity . Being someone who likes to do this is different from someone who is this. If you want to be like someone, you must act like someone.