# Atomic Habits
Author:: James Clear
## Highlights
> Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. Your clutter is a lagging measure of your cleaning habits. You get what you repeat. ([Location 274](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=274))
> Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results. ([Location 347](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=347))
> Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems. ([Location 359](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=359))
> The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress. ([Location 389](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=389))
> The more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it. ([Location 468](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=468))
> True behavior change is identity change. You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only reason you’ll stick with one is that it becomes part of your identity. ([Location 472](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=472))
> Whatever your identity is right now, you only believe it because you have proof of it. ([Location 510](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=510))
> Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. ([Location 525](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=525))
> Any habit can be broken down into a feedback loop that involves four steps: cue, craving, response, and reward. ([Location 762](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=762))
> The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying. ([Location 763](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=763))
> The two most common cues are time and location. Creating an implementation intention is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a specific time and location. The implementation intention formula is: I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]. Habit stacking is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a current habit. The habit stacking formula is: After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]. ([Location 1012](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1012))
> Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one. You may be able to resist temptation once or twice, but it’s unlikely you can muster the willpower to override your desires every time. ([Location 1206](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1206))
> The habit stacking + temptation bundling formula is: After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED]. After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT]. If you want to read the news, but you need to express more gratitude: After I get my morning coffee, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened yesterday (need). After I say one thing I’m grateful for, I will read the news (want). ([Location 1362](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1362))
> Join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group. ([Location 1449](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1449))
> We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerful (those with status and prestige). ([Location 1512](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1512))
> This is sometimes referred to as Goodhart’s Law. Named after the economist Charles Goodhart, the principle states, “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” Measurement is only useful when it guides you and adds context to a larger picture, not when it consumes you. Each number is simply one piece of feedback in the overall system. ([Location 2399](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2399))
> one of the best ways to ensure your habits remain satisfying over the long-run is to pick behaviors that align with your personality and skills. Work hard on the things that come easy. ([Location 2685](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2685))
> A flow state is the experience of being “in the zone” and fully immersed in an activity. Scientists have tried to quantify this feeling. They found that to achieve a state of flow, a task must be roughly 4 percent beyond your current ability. ([Location 2737](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2737))
> really successful people feel the same lack of motivation as everyone else. The difference is that they still find a way to show up despite the feelings of boredom. ([Location 2753](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2753))
> When it’s time to write, there will be days that you don’t feel like typing. But stepping up when it’s annoying or painful or draining to do so, that’s what makes the difference between a professional and an amateur. ([Location 2782](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2782))
> Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way. Professionals know what is important to them and work toward it with purpose; amateurs get pulled off course by the urgencies of life. ([Location 2783](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2783))
> “Being poor is not having too little, it is wanting more.” ([Location 3055](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=3055))
---
Title: Atomic Habits
Author: James Clear
Tags: readwise, books
date: 2024-01-30
---
# Atomic Habits
Author:: James Clear
## AI-Generated Summary
None
## Highlights
> Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. Your clutter is a lagging measure of your cleaning habits. You get what you repeat. ([Location 274](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=274))
> Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results. ([Location 347](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=347))
> Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems. ([Location 359](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=359))
> The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress. ([Location 389](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=389))
> The more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it. ([Location 468](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=468))
> True behavior change is identity change. You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only reason you’ll stick with one is that it becomes part of your identity. ([Location 472](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=472))
> Whatever your identity is right now, you only believe it because you have proof of it. ([Location 510](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=510))
> Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. ([Location 525](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=525))
> Any habit can be broken down into a feedback loop that involves four steps: cue, craving, response, and reward. ([Location 762](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=762))
> The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying. ([Location 763](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=763))
> The two most common cues are time and location. Creating an implementation intention is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a specific time and location. The implementation intention formula is: I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]. Habit stacking is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a current habit. The habit stacking formula is: After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]. ([Location 1012](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1012))
> Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one. You may be able to resist temptation once or twice, but it’s unlikely you can muster the willpower to override your desires every time. ([Location 1206](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1206))
> The habit stacking + temptation bundling formula is: After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED]. After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT]. If you want to read the news, but you need to express more gratitude: After I get my morning coffee, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened yesterday (need). After I say one thing I’m grateful for, I will read the news (want). ([Location 1362](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1362))
> Join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group. ([Location 1449](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1449))
> We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerful (those with status and prestige). ([Location 1512](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=1512))
> This is sometimes referred to as Goodhart’s Law. Named after the economist Charles Goodhart, the principle states, “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” Measurement is only useful when it guides you and adds context to a larger picture, not when it consumes you. Each number is simply one piece of feedback in the overall system. ([Location 2399](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2399))
> one of the best ways to ensure your habits remain satisfying over the long-run is to pick behaviors that align with your personality and skills. Work hard on the things that come easy. ([Location 2685](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2685))
> A flow state is the experience of being “in the zone” and fully immersed in an activity. Scientists have tried to quantify this feeling. They found that to achieve a state of flow, a task must be roughly 4 percent beyond your current ability. ([Location 2737](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2737))
> really successful people feel the same lack of motivation as everyone else. The difference is that they still find a way to show up despite the feelings of boredom. ([Location 2753](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2753))
> When it’s time to write, there will be days that you don’t feel like typing. But stepping up when it’s annoying or painful or draining to do so, that’s what makes the difference between a professional and an amateur. ([Location 2782](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2782))
> Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way. Professionals know what is important to them and work toward it with purpose; amateurs get pulled off course by the urgencies of life. ([Location 2783](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=2783))
> “Being poor is not having too little, it is wanting more.” ([Location 3055](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07D23CFGR&location=3055))