, ATOMIC HABITS
SUMMARY AND KEY
POINTS
Full detailed summary of one of the
best books in the self-improvement
topic
The most important key points in each
chapter, without missing a single one!
|-----------------
CONTENT-----------------|
Fundamentals
Chapter 1: The Surprising Power of Atomic
Habits
Chapter 2: How you Habits Shape your
Identity (and vice versa)
Chapter 3: How to build better habits in 4
simple steps
The 1st Law: Make it Obvious
Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn’t Look Right
Chapter 5: The Best way to start a new
Habit
, Chapter 6: Motivation is overrated,
Environment matters more
Chapter 7: The Secret to Self-Control
The 2nd Law: Make it attractive
Chapter 8: How to make a habit irresistible
Chapter 9: The Role of Family and Friends
in Shaping Your Habits
Chapter 10: How to Find and Fix the Causes
of Your Bad Habits
The 3rd Law: Make it Easy
Chapter 11: Walk Slowly, but Never
Backward
Chapter 12: The Law of Least Effort
Chapter 13: How to Stop Procrastinating by
Using the Two-Minute Rule
Chapter 14: How to Make Good Habits
Inevitable and Bad Habits Impossible
The 4th Law: Make it Satisfying
Chapter 15: The Cardinal Rule of Behaviour
Change
Chapter 16: How to Stick with Good Habits
Every Day
Chapter 17: How an Accountability Partner
Can Change Everything
, Advanced Tactics: How to Go from
Being Merely Good to Being Truly Great
Chapter 18: The Truth About Talent (When
Genes Matter and When They Don’t)
Chapter 19: The Goldilocks Rule: How to
Stay Motivated in Life and Work
Chapter 20: The Downside of Creating Good
Habits
Conclusion: The Secret to Results That
Last
What Should You Read Next
Little Lessons from the Four Laws
How to Apply These Ideas to Business
How to Apply These Ideas to Parenting
,Fundamentals
Chapter 1: The Surprising Power of Atomic
Habits
The improvement consists of little steps done each
time
Improvement is not linear, it is exponential
Results only come after we pass the Valley of
Disappointment
The Valley of Disappointment is the place where
our tiny actions do not have any results, but in
reality, they are accumulating themselves, ready
to explode once you pass the valley
There are tiny changes during long periods that
make the change, not incredible changes during a
small period of time
When you want to give up because you are not
seeing any results, remember how the little drop of
water breaks the rock
,Goal mindset problems
You need to focus on the system rather than the
goals
Everyone has goals, and what makes it possible to
reach them is the system we use to improve
Achieving a goal is only a momentary change:
once we reach it, our improvement ends
Goals restrict your happiness, as you are putting it
off until you reach them
Chapter 2: How your habits shape your identity
(and vice versa)
The are two main reasons we can't change our
habits:
o We try to change the wrong thing
o We try to change things in the wrong way
We try to change the wrong thing - Behaviour
change
The behaviour change has three layers:
o Outcomes, which reflect our goals
o Processes, which reflect our plans and actions
o Identity, which reflects what we think we are,
our world-view and self-image
There are two habits: Outcome Based Habits and
Identity Based Habits
Outcome Based Habits
Most people put their good habits on the first type,
they only change outcomes and processes without
changing their identity:
, o That's an unsustainable way of changing our
behaviours as we do not identify ourselves
behind the actions and as a result, we will find
those actions too much annoying and tiring
Identity-Based Habits
Good habits must follow the second type: the
sustainable way of changing behaviour is the one
who changes the identity first, then the rest
o True behaviour change is identity change
o Be proud about your changes: once your pride
gets involved, you’ll work tooth and nail to
maintain your habits
o The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to
become a reader
Good habits can make rational sense, but if they
conflict with your identity, you will fail to put them
into action
o the process of building habits is actually the
process of becoming yourself
o The most practical way to change who you are
is to change what you do
You don't even need to be perfect and only
embrace good habits: the important thing is that
they are the majority of your habits
Behaviour Shift Progress
The process to change your identity (and habits)
has two steps:
1. Decide the type of person you want to be.
Who is the type of person who could do
that?
, 2. Prove it to yourself with small wins
As we improve, we prove to ourselves we
can do it, and that improves our changes
Chapter 3: How to build better habits in 4 simple
steps
Why your brain builds habits
Habits are created when from a trial and error
situation, we find a reward
The repetition caused by the reward erases the
useless actions to reach the reward: by doing that,
we become more proficient at that thing, with less
thinking or no thinking at all
The four steps are: Cue, craving, response and
reward
Cue triggers the brain to initiate a behaviour
Craving is the motivational force behind every
habit: we do something not because we want to do
that, but for what it brings (smokers smoke not for
the cigarette, but for the feeling it provides
Response is the actual habit or activity you do to
satisfy the craving
Reward is the goal, what we aspire to
Cue is noticing the reward, craving is wanting the
reward, and response is acting for the reward
Problem phase and Solution phase.
The problem phase includes the cue and the
craving, and it is when you realize that something
needs to change
, The solution phase includes the response and the
reward, and it is when you take action and achieve
the change you desire
The four laws to create Good Habits
The 1st law (Cue): Make it obvious
The 2nd law (Craving): Make it attractive
The 3rd law (Response): Make it easy
The 4th law (Reward): Make it satisfying
The four laws to eliminate Bad Habits
Inversion of the 1st law (Cue): Make it invisible
Inversion of the 2nd law (Craving): Make it
unattractive
Inversion of the 3rd law (Response): Make it
difficult
Inversion of the 4th law (Reward): Make it
unsatisfying
The 1st Law: Make it Obvious
Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn’t Look Right
The awareness of habits
Habits can be dangerous as we start doing things
without being aware
Pointing and Calling is a method that consists of
pointing out what we are doing or the condition of
something and saying it out loud, that will give
weight to the action and we will be more aware of
what we are doing
o This method is great for adjusting bad habits
, Chapter 5: The Best way to start a new Habit
Implementing intentions
Implementing intentions consists of saying out loud
the time and the place we will do something: this
increases the chances of doing something we want
like a good habit
We need to say when and where the habits are
going to happen, it transforms intentions into
concrete actions to perform
The phrase to fill out to apply this concept: I will
[BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]
Habit stacking: A plan to overhaul habits by
using implemented intentions
The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new
possession often creates a spiral of consumption
that leads to additional purchases
Habit stacking is identifying a current habit you
already do each day and then stacking your new
behaviour on top
The habit stacking formula is: “After [CURRENT
HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]
Basically, each habit acts as the cue for the next
one
Be careful about where you stack the habit: add it
somewhere you'll probably succeed in performing
it
Chapter 6: Motivation is overrated, Environment
matters more
The more obviously available a product or service
is, the more likely you are to try it
SUMMARY AND KEY
POINTS
Full detailed summary of one of the
best books in the self-improvement
topic
The most important key points in each
chapter, without missing a single one!
|-----------------
CONTENT-----------------|
Fundamentals
Chapter 1: The Surprising Power of Atomic
Habits
Chapter 2: How you Habits Shape your
Identity (and vice versa)
Chapter 3: How to build better habits in 4
simple steps
The 1st Law: Make it Obvious
Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn’t Look Right
Chapter 5: The Best way to start a new
Habit
, Chapter 6: Motivation is overrated,
Environment matters more
Chapter 7: The Secret to Self-Control
The 2nd Law: Make it attractive
Chapter 8: How to make a habit irresistible
Chapter 9: The Role of Family and Friends
in Shaping Your Habits
Chapter 10: How to Find and Fix the Causes
of Your Bad Habits
The 3rd Law: Make it Easy
Chapter 11: Walk Slowly, but Never
Backward
Chapter 12: The Law of Least Effort
Chapter 13: How to Stop Procrastinating by
Using the Two-Minute Rule
Chapter 14: How to Make Good Habits
Inevitable and Bad Habits Impossible
The 4th Law: Make it Satisfying
Chapter 15: The Cardinal Rule of Behaviour
Change
Chapter 16: How to Stick with Good Habits
Every Day
Chapter 17: How an Accountability Partner
Can Change Everything
, Advanced Tactics: How to Go from
Being Merely Good to Being Truly Great
Chapter 18: The Truth About Talent (When
Genes Matter and When They Don’t)
Chapter 19: The Goldilocks Rule: How to
Stay Motivated in Life and Work
Chapter 20: The Downside of Creating Good
Habits
Conclusion: The Secret to Results That
Last
What Should You Read Next
Little Lessons from the Four Laws
How to Apply These Ideas to Business
How to Apply These Ideas to Parenting
,Fundamentals
Chapter 1: The Surprising Power of Atomic
Habits
The improvement consists of little steps done each
time
Improvement is not linear, it is exponential
Results only come after we pass the Valley of
Disappointment
The Valley of Disappointment is the place where
our tiny actions do not have any results, but in
reality, they are accumulating themselves, ready
to explode once you pass the valley
There are tiny changes during long periods that
make the change, not incredible changes during a
small period of time
When you want to give up because you are not
seeing any results, remember how the little drop of
water breaks the rock
,Goal mindset problems
You need to focus on the system rather than the
goals
Everyone has goals, and what makes it possible to
reach them is the system we use to improve
Achieving a goal is only a momentary change:
once we reach it, our improvement ends
Goals restrict your happiness, as you are putting it
off until you reach them
Chapter 2: How your habits shape your identity
(and vice versa)
The are two main reasons we can't change our
habits:
o We try to change the wrong thing
o We try to change things in the wrong way
We try to change the wrong thing - Behaviour
change
The behaviour change has three layers:
o Outcomes, which reflect our goals
o Processes, which reflect our plans and actions
o Identity, which reflects what we think we are,
our world-view and self-image
There are two habits: Outcome Based Habits and
Identity Based Habits
Outcome Based Habits
Most people put their good habits on the first type,
they only change outcomes and processes without
changing their identity:
, o That's an unsustainable way of changing our
behaviours as we do not identify ourselves
behind the actions and as a result, we will find
those actions too much annoying and tiring
Identity-Based Habits
Good habits must follow the second type: the
sustainable way of changing behaviour is the one
who changes the identity first, then the rest
o True behaviour change is identity change
o Be proud about your changes: once your pride
gets involved, you’ll work tooth and nail to
maintain your habits
o The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to
become a reader
Good habits can make rational sense, but if they
conflict with your identity, you will fail to put them
into action
o the process of building habits is actually the
process of becoming yourself
o The most practical way to change who you are
is to change what you do
You don't even need to be perfect and only
embrace good habits: the important thing is that
they are the majority of your habits
Behaviour Shift Progress
The process to change your identity (and habits)
has two steps:
1. Decide the type of person you want to be.
Who is the type of person who could do
that?
, 2. Prove it to yourself with small wins
As we improve, we prove to ourselves we
can do it, and that improves our changes
Chapter 3: How to build better habits in 4 simple
steps
Why your brain builds habits
Habits are created when from a trial and error
situation, we find a reward
The repetition caused by the reward erases the
useless actions to reach the reward: by doing that,
we become more proficient at that thing, with less
thinking or no thinking at all
The four steps are: Cue, craving, response and
reward
Cue triggers the brain to initiate a behaviour
Craving is the motivational force behind every
habit: we do something not because we want to do
that, but for what it brings (smokers smoke not for
the cigarette, but for the feeling it provides
Response is the actual habit or activity you do to
satisfy the craving
Reward is the goal, what we aspire to
Cue is noticing the reward, craving is wanting the
reward, and response is acting for the reward
Problem phase and Solution phase.
The problem phase includes the cue and the
craving, and it is when you realize that something
needs to change
, The solution phase includes the response and the
reward, and it is when you take action and achieve
the change you desire
The four laws to create Good Habits
The 1st law (Cue): Make it obvious
The 2nd law (Craving): Make it attractive
The 3rd law (Response): Make it easy
The 4th law (Reward): Make it satisfying
The four laws to eliminate Bad Habits
Inversion of the 1st law (Cue): Make it invisible
Inversion of the 2nd law (Craving): Make it
unattractive
Inversion of the 3rd law (Response): Make it
difficult
Inversion of the 4th law (Reward): Make it
unsatisfying
The 1st Law: Make it Obvious
Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn’t Look Right
The awareness of habits
Habits can be dangerous as we start doing things
without being aware
Pointing and Calling is a method that consists of
pointing out what we are doing or the condition of
something and saying it out loud, that will give
weight to the action and we will be more aware of
what we are doing
o This method is great for adjusting bad habits
, Chapter 5: The Best way to start a new Habit
Implementing intentions
Implementing intentions consists of saying out loud
the time and the place we will do something: this
increases the chances of doing something we want
like a good habit
We need to say when and where the habits are
going to happen, it transforms intentions into
concrete actions to perform
The phrase to fill out to apply this concept: I will
[BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]
Habit stacking: A plan to overhaul habits by
using implemented intentions
The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new
possession often creates a spiral of consumption
that leads to additional purchases
Habit stacking is identifying a current habit you
already do each day and then stacking your new
behaviour on top
The habit stacking formula is: “After [CURRENT
HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]
Basically, each habit acts as the cue for the next
one
Be careful about where you stack the habit: add it
somewhere you'll probably succeed in performing
it
Chapter 6: Motivation is overrated, Environment
matters more
The more obviously available a product or service
is, the more likely you are to try it
