Atomic Habits
By Clara Farres
Atomic Habits written by James Clear is one of those books that will likely change your life. If anything, it will make you rethink the way you live your life. The book makes you question the power of atomic habits. An atomic habit is defined as a small, repetitive action that amounts to large changes in our lives. These actions often require little effort and seem insignificant but create significant change in the long run.
Oftentimes humans perceive one defining moment or action as the catalyst for change, which underestimates the value of making small improvements daily. Clear states that improving by 1% every day for a year yields great success, as habits are the “compound interest of self-improvement.” In being more concerned with one’s trajectory than one’s current results, one will see over time that outcomes are just a lagging measure of one’s habits. This means that your habits shape your future, and time amplifies the line between success and failure.
Clear emphasizes the importance of patience through a very interesting metaphor: Ice Cubes. An ice cube on a table will melt at 32 degrees. Not at 30 degrees, not at 31. Not even at 31.5. The ice cube will not melt as soon as it’s set on the table. It might not even melt 5 minutes later. As time goes on and the temperature increases, one degree at a time, the transformational change will be seen only at 32 degrees. This is despite the fact that there were other prior factors working to reach that change at 32 degrees. Clear’s message is that those breakthrough moments are the result of previous actions. These actions build up the potential required to create change, whatever it may be.
Below is a figure pulled from James Clear’s book, portraying a habit’s typical journey.
Clear also emphasizes that one should forget about goals and focus on systems instead. You should define goals as the results you wish to achieve, and systems as the processes that lead to those results. Systems are what allow you to make progress, whereas your goals just give you direction. It’s so important to enjoy the process, and not just focus on the end result. Clear states that you do not rise to the level of your goals but rather you fall to the level of your systems. Your habits essentially shape your identity. This is why changing them is so hard! We often try to change the wrong thing or try to change our habits in the wrong way.
Think of a person attempting to quit smoking. He’s offered a cigarette and responds with “no thanks, I’m trying to quit smoking.” This gives off the message, not only to other people but the individual himself, that he is a smoker who is trying to be something else hoping the behavior will change while still carrying the same beliefs. Now picture that he responds with “no thanks, I’m not a smoker” or “no thanks, I don’t smoke.” The message given now shifts and this individual can acknowledge to himself that even though smoking was a part of his past, it’s not a part of his present.
Clear stresses the fact that an old identity can sabotage your behavior-change plans. Behavior that does not sit in line with the self is not likely to last, whatever the behavior may be. Improvement is temporary until it becomes a part of who you are—from there you’re just living your life as you know it. Does your behavior help you become the type of person you wish to be? If the answer is no, you might find some inspiration in Clear’s book. Recognize your habits, acknowledge the cues that trigger them, and respond in a way that best benefits you.
