Atomic Habits Chapter 1: The surprising power of atomic habits

Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Getting 1 percent better every day counts for a lot in the long-run.

It isn't even noticable, but it can be far more meaningful.

1% worse every day for one year: 0.99^365 = 00.03

1% better every day for one year: 1.01^365= 37.78

What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.

The impact created by a change in your habits is similar to the effect of shifting the route of an airplane by just a few degrees. Imagine you are flying from Los Angeles to New York City. If a pilot leaving from LAX adjusts the heading just 3.5 degrees south, you will land in Washington D.C., instead of New York. Similarly, a slight change in you daily habits can guide your life to a very different destination. Making a choice that is 1 percent better or 1 percent worse seems insignificant in the moment, but over the span of moments that make up a lifetime these choices determine the difference between who you are and who you could be. Success is the product of daily habits -- not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.

Habits are double-edged sword. They can work for you or against you, which is why understanding the detail is essential.

Small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. You need to be patient. This is one of the core reasons why it is so hard to build habits that last. People make a few small changes, fail to see a tangible result, and decide to stop.

An atomic habit is a little habit that is part of a larger system. Just as atoms are the building blocks of molecules, atomic habits are the building blocks of remarkable results.

If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead. Scott Adams, the cartoonist behind the Dilbert comic said, goals are about the results you want to achieve, systems are about the processes that lead to those results. Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.

Problem #1: Winners and losers have the same goals. Every Olympian wants to win a gold medal. Every candidate wants to get the job. And if successful and unsuccessful people share the same goals, then the goal cannot be what differentiates the winners from the losers.

Problem #2: Achieving a goal is only a momentary change. When you solve problems at the results level, you only solve them temporarily. Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves.

Problem #3: Goals restrict your happiness. The implicit assumption behind any goal is this: "Once I reach my goal, then I'll be happy." For them, happiness is always something for their future selves to enjoy. Furthermore, goals create an "either-or" conflict: either you achieve your goal and are successful or you fail and you are a disappointment. A systems-first mentality provides the antidote. When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don't have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running. And a system can be successful in many different forms, not just the one you first envision.

Problem #4: Goals are at odds with long-term progress. A goal-oriented mind-set can create a "yo-yo" effect. Many runners work hard for months, but as soon as they cross the finish line, they stop training. The race is no longer there to motivate them. When all of your hard work is focused on a particular goal, what is left to push you forward after you achieve it? This is why many people find themselves reverting to their old habits after accomplishing a goal. The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

Habits are like the atoms of our lives. Each one is a fundamental unit that contributes to your overall improvement. This is the meaning of the phrase atomic habits -- a regular practice or routine that is not only small and easy to do, but also the source of incredible power; a component of the system of compound growth.

Saduran dari: Clear, James. 2018. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (Chapter 1).