Episode 245 : Re-read the book atomic habits by james clear
Episode 245 : Re-read the book atomic habits by james clear
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Re-read the book Atomic Habits by james clear - episode 245
Re-read the book Atomic Habits by james clear - episode 245
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become." This week is a reminder of another favorite book, Atomic Habits by James Clear. I shared this book 4 years ago in episodes 75-79 where you will find a good summary and more thoughts on the book. Some of the great points of the book I mention are: one percent better, make it part of your identity, the process is more important than the goal and the 4 laws of a habit. I invite you to re-read the book again or to read it for the first time as you think about your direction and what you want to work on becoming this next year.
Show Notes: Hi Friends! I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode. Below are all the references.
Key Topics
Key Topics
Why Atomic Habits is a great book to reread at the start of the year
James Clear’s personal story and why he wrote the book
The power of getting 1% better over time
Small habits as votes for the person we want to become
Identity-based habits vs. outcome-based goals
Why enjoying the process matters more than fixating on results
How habits save mental energy and solve problems
Why habits can feel automatic — for better or worse
The Power of Small Changes
The Power of Small Changes
The story of the British cycling team and marginal gains
How tiny environmental changes led to massive success
Applying the same idea to everyday life
My own small examples:
Organizing one bathroom drawer
Slowly decluttering by removing one item at a time
Why small actions still count — and actually matter more than big overhauls
Identity and Becoming
Identity and Becoming
Habits shape identity, not just outcomes
Why it’s easier to act when something aligns with who we believe we are
Shifting from “I want to do this” to “I am this kind of person”
Seeing every habit as a vote toward the person I want to become
Letting go of perfection and focusing on consistency
How Habits Work
How Habits Work
Habits help the brain conserve energy
Why habits become automatic over time
The habit loop: cue → craving → response → reward
How habits start as solutions to problems
Why changing habits requires patience and awareness
The Four Laws of Behavior Change
The Four Laws of Behavior Change
Make it Obvious
Habit stacking
Giving habits time and space
Designing the environment to support change
Make it Attractive
Pairing habits you need to do with ones you want to do
Using enjoyment and connection to build consistency
Make it Easy
Breaking habits down to the smallest possible step
Reducing friction to start
Increasing friction to stop habits you want to break
Make it Satisfying
Why rewards matter when results are delayed
Using habit tracking and streaks
Celebrating progress without sabotaging the habit
The mantra: never miss twice
Personal Reflections
Personal Reflections
Watching habits form in family life
Using habit stacking for gratitude journaling and scripture study
Making habits more enjoyable through music, audiobooks, and shows
Why small consistency feels more sustainable than big motivation
Remembering that progress doesn’t require perfection
Invitation
Invitation
As you think about the habits you want to build this year, I invite you to focus on small, realistic changes. What is one tiny action you could take today that would be a vote for the person you want to become? Those small, steady choices really do add up.
Sources & Further Reading
Sources & Further Reading
James Clear, Atomic Habits
Episode 75,76,77,78,79 — Atomic Habits Series (Finding the Floor, January 2022)
Episode 47 — The Power of Habit (Finding the Floor)
Research on habit loops and behavioral psychology
Talks and interviews by James Clear on identity-based habits
Transcript
Transcript
give it time, won't give it time if I don't really set aside time for it.
So give it time and place or stack it on something else
He also talks about making your environment really obvious so that you can do it.
And so you're going to start doing that.
That's an obvious way to make it obvious.
Okay, he talks about the second law is making it attractive.
If you want to start a new habit, which is the craving,
or the inversion would be make it unattractive.
So if we make it attractive, then we're going to have this desire to do it.
And I feel like I do that all the time with things that I don't want to do.
clean or declutter while I'm listening to that book.
Or when I fold the laundry, I'm always watching a show.
It's like, hey, if I want to watch a show, I'm going to put that with watching something.
Or I've even started getting on the treadmill for
But I noticed that I miss that.
So I'm still getting that walk in every day.
So make it attractive and then kind of the same thing as you're making it unattractive.
What are things that you can make it so it just feels like, what is the, why am I even doing this?
Or I know sometimes it's fun to like be with friends.
And if you want to work out and be with your friends, you kind of like get together and do both.
So making it easy to start a habit is
It's just at least I made an effort.
That's the least I could do to make my bed.
He says, maybe you break it down if you want to start running a marathon.
For one week, all you do is lace up your shoes.
That's easy to lace up your shoes.
Then the next week, you're just going to walk around the block.
And then the next week, you run and walk around the block.
So adding to those easy things.
So making it easy in the response will help you.
Then he also says making it difficult.
That's the same thing he said.
I've heard of people unplugging their TV every time they are done with it.
So then it's a little bit harder to just turn it on.
So then it's harder to do the thing.
The 4th law, he says, is make it satisfying for the reward.
or in the inversion, make it unsatisfying.
So he's saying a lot of good habits, the reward is kind of delayed.
So for instance, if I'm eating healthy, it usually doesn't show up in my body until a week later.
But sometimes you can reward yourself with something else
so that you can continue doing that good habit.
A couple times I've had to restart.
I'm like, oh no, I broke my streak.
And it's just kind of been fun to compare streaks and who has the longest one.
And just to remind everybody, hey, have you been in your Gospel Library app?
That's really been a fun way to kind of like keep that habit going.
Every action is like a vote for that becoming.
And so even a small action, which is a small vote for that person, makes a difference.
Or I really like this mantra was like to never miss twice.
But then the stories he introduces, how he's used it in his real life to make it happen.
And it's not a long book, like I mentioned.
And I think it's just such a good one to just reread probably every year.
I need to be reminded of this book, these small little things I can do.
So even if you listen to 20 minutes of this book every day, you'll get through it.
Small little things, making choices,
or votes for that person that you want to become is a really great mantra.
So think about that awesome 1% better.
What are little things you can do in your becoming?
Okay, guys, again, that book is Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Come back next week and thanks for listening.
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