Atomic Habits: Summary and Analysis

Atomic Habits: Summary and Analysis

James Clear is the writer of his best-selling self-help book Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. We are incomplete without our habits. Atomic Habits by James Clear is undoubtedly one of the best self-help books written about habit-forming.

Today, we are going to discuss the very brief summary of the Atomic Habits book. Then, we will be acquainted with some of the Atomic Habits quotes. 

Atomic Habits Summary: In Atomic Habits, the author James Clear has given some very useful as well as practical principles to create any good habit or break your bad ones. So, here we are going to discuss his point of view on how to build any good habit in your life. And, it can be built with these four steps. Here are the steps. 

1. Make it obvious:- So, the first thing is regarding its obviousness which means you have to take it as an obvious task. And, it can be possible through linking with one of your regular task's. Suppose, you do brush your teeth daily, so it is an obvious task for you. Now, if you want to add an exercise routine then it will be better after your brushing complete. As a result, with brushing teeth, it would be also an obvious task for you. And, by the practice, you don't have to create any kind of force within you. It will happen automatically. So, it is the first magical step for creating a good habit. 
2. Make it Attractive:- Now, the second step is to make your task attractive. Generally speaking, we, human beings do those kinds of works which we feel attractive. It is a very difficult step if you try to build any kind of good habit. But, the author has given us the solution also. So, if you are a student and want to study for long hours without getting distracted then, here is a solution for you. Do your study for one or two hours than listen to your favorite songs or watch your favorite t.v show. By the process, you will not be bored of studying long hours and find a reason to study. So, don't waste your time and go for your studies to watch your favorite movie.
3. Make it Easy:- Now, coming to the third one, which is to make your task as easy as possible. In this chapter, we come to know The 2 Minute Rule given by the author himself. And, the rule is nothing but to start your new habit as small as possible. For example, if you want to add meditation as your habit, then try to meditate for just one minute for the very first day. If you want to be a good writer then start with just one paragraph on the initial days. So, now you should understand the psychology behind this technique. It is generally known whenever we try to do something now, we get more challenges to face, more obstacles towards our path, and have limited motivation. So, in the initial phase of creating a habit, we should do it as simple and easy to do the work very effectively. That's why the author has given this mind-blowing formula to build one's habits.
4. Make it Satisfying:- It is the last but very crucial step to complete the process of building any good habit. Here the word 'satisfying' directly related to the secretion of dopamine and other brain chemicals when we feel pleasure after doing any kind of activity. Describing this chapter in his book, the author surprisingly takes the reference of our Paleolithic Ancestors. As per his doctrine, our thinking process somehow matches with them. In that time, they used to live in forests and had to make their livelihood by hunting. And, in those days they were bound with the instant rewarding or satisfying tasks. Again, they had no such patience for delayed results and used to chase after instant gratification. And, we have this similarity also within our minds. We also run after instant results and need success quickly. But, it is not the perfect thinking in today's time. That means if you are going to the gym then, you will not see any kind of big change in the first or second day. But, if you continue to do exercise with patience, then you might see some extraordinary results after one year. So, this is the thing of which the author beautifully gave the importance of perseverance and patience as the keys to success. 

For this reason, he further adds, "At some point, success in nearly every field requires you to ignore an immediate reward in favor of a delayed reward."