I attended a book talk by James Clear on his book ‘Atomic Habits’ at the Rotman School here in Toronto in December 2019. The following post is my highlight notes of the event.
”Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” – James Clear
A New Take on Behavioralism
I read James Clear’s book, ‘Atomic Habits,’ about a year ago. I thoroughly enjoyed his book at the time, as it gave me a fuller and refreshing account of habit formation, behaviouralism in general and practical strategies in terms of personal and business habits.
Clear at the talk spoke about the fact that “often we feel habits are happening to us.” He explains, though, when we become mindful of our habits, we can consciously gain control of our habits and choose healthier and much more proactive habits. Thus, we are no longer a victim of our habits, as though a slave to them, but rather a conscious chooser of our habits.
1% Better
Clear spoke about the concept of becoming “1% better every day.” He implores us to “start small” in terms of making minor changes, versus, the significant changes we so often seek. He explains that by even becoming “1% better each day”, it leads to a compounding effect. He states that “the aggregation of marginal gains” is how to improve one’s habits.
Clear said, “if you can improve habits by 1%, they will compound.” So for James Clear, “excellence isn’t about radical change; it’s about continuous improvement.” Clear spoke about the power of habits: “habits can either build you up or tear you down.” He went on to state, “if you have good habits, then time becomes your friend. Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.”
System Versus Goals
I enjoyed it when Clear spoke about how one’s system of habits, be it as an individual or as an organization, is where we should give our most significant attention. He explained to the audience that “the problem is your system, not you.” Clear explained that you default to your system, especially when circumstances are difficult or you are under a great deal of stress. He stated, “you fall to the level of your system.” So for Clear, having a reliable system, in terms of positive and constructive habits, is the best way to be successful and happy in one’s life.
When Clear spoke about how one’s system is the most important aspect, this reminded me of probably one of the ‘godfathers of productivity,’ David Allen. In his classic book, ‘Getting Things Done,’ or GTD for short, Allen reminds his readers that “you’re only as strong as your weakest link.” This is why I spend a considerable time trying to strengthen my underlying system of staying organized. I know, when life becomes stressful, when I have many expectations on my time, that having a reliable system is one of the best ways to be resilient and consistent and delivery for my clients. Yes, this is always a work in progress. I don’t want to give the impression that my system is perfect by any means. However, by continuously improving one’s system, daily habits, I think the individual and business is vastly improved. It is leading to a more fulsome and rewarding life.
Clear stated that “goals are the easy part.” For him, “your current results are the collection of your daily habits.” So again for Clear, system trumps goals. In other words, he thinks we should be “more focused on the system vs the goal.” He believes that instead of being overly concerned about the goal, one should ask: “can my current habit lead me to my desired goal?”
The Four Stages of Habits Clear went over the four stages to a habit: cue, craving, response and reward. Many of us will recall this from the Pavlov’s Dog experiment or by the work of B. F. Skinner.
Clear outlines his way to make habits successful: 4 Laws:
Make it obvious
Make it attractive
Make it easy
Make it satisfying
The Importance of The Environment
One of Clear’s main points was that “if you want a habit to be apart of your life, then make it obvious in your environment.” He explained that, in terms of his thinking, he has noticed that the environment, as well as who one associates with, is one of the most significant indicators of whether one will be a success or happy. He gave a somewhat dire caution to the audience that “positive habits cannot sustain in a negative environment.” This point reminds me of the saying that “you are the common denominator of the people you hang out with.”
Clear had some practical advice about how to make desired habits more natural to adopt and implement in one’s life. This advice he filed under his section ‘Make it easy.’ He spoke about making the habit as frictionless as possible, i.e. easy. For instance, he explained that setting up an automatic saving account as an example. As well as he spoke about various automations computers can assist us with.
Create Friction to Counter Bad Habits
In contrast, in terms of countering or discouraging bad habits, Clear talked about “adding a level of friction for countering bad habits.” He gave examples of making it harder to access certain social media websites or not having access to unhealthy or fatty/ surgery foods at home.
Figure Out the ‘Tip of the Spear’ of Your Habit
”What is the tip of the spear, the lead domino, that will create the habit you want?” – James Clear
One of the most interesting points, and the insight I left the talk contemplating, was that need to consider the “entry point” or the “top of the spear” in terms of habit formation. Clear explained: “you need to focus on the entry point, the tip of the sphere.” He went on to ask: “what is the tip of the spear, the lead domino, that will create the habit you want?” For Clear, what he meant by this, was that a habit is formulated often by one minor, but significant decision. He used an example of a famous world-class dancer, Twyla Tharp. Tharp had to merely decide to get into the cab every morning, in order to practice her two hours of dance. He explained that once a “tip of the spear” decision is made, then the habit almost operates itself.
I know this from my own experience. When forming a habit, such as going to the gym, I know that when I pack my bag in the morning, that I’m almost guaranteed to go to the gym after work. So by focusing on the decision which operates as a “domino effect,” Clear explains we are conditioning ourselves to perform successfully in a habit creation.
In Conclusion
A final point Clear spoke about, was that of habits is a form of identity creation – that when a pattern is consistently performed over time, it becomes solidified as part of our identity. So, for example, we no longer think, “I’m going to go to the gym. I want to lose weight or get more fit.” Instead, we identify as “I’m an athlete or a gym-goer.” Habits, therefore, form part of our identity. Habits become not so much something we perform. Instead, they become our identity.