Atomic Habits by James Clear is the best book ever written on Habit forming. If you’ve read it, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. But if you haven’t, here’s why:
Reason #1: Small actions can have a significant effect on your future.
The first time I stopped writing, I just stopped for 30 mins to have lunch, the next time I thought let me catch up with that old friend of mine, the next time I told myself let me just watch this youtube video, slowly and gradually I had distanced myself from writing completely.
Reason #2: To stick to your habits, you must make them attractive.
I love my morning coffee, so I make sure that I write first and have a coffee second. The temptation of the morning coffee is so high that I waste no time, I don’t check Instagram nor do I check messages. This has worked well till now.
Reason #3: Make creating that new habit as simple as possible.
By making our desired behaviours as easy as possible, we stand the best chance of turning them into a habit. The two-minute rule is a way to build easily achievable habits. The principle is that any behaviour can be distilled into a habit that is doable within two minutes. I am not writing I am just taking out a paper and a pencil, I am not writing, I am just writing the headline and on, in no time you have a finished article.
Reason #4: Establish a habit framework to keep track of and sign contracts to keep up with your habits.
How we can stick to our good intentions. One simple trick for making new habits stick is called habit tracking. Habit tracking could be as simple as having a chart and crossing every day that you were successful, trust me this is one of the most favourite parts for me. The next thing I recommend you do is to develop a habit contract that imposes negative consequences if you fail to stay on track. In a contract, I asked my friend to change the passwords on my food app for a week if I fail to deliver.
I can’t recommend this book enough.
