用系统来塑造习惯——《掌控习惯》（Atomic Habits）

1. Author: James Clear
2. Title : Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
3. 本书讲了如何通过四条法则来建立一个新习惯或改变一个坏习惯。

Impressions

书中关于 habits stack的概念让我对习惯有了新的看法。habit不是单独一个一个，而是像多米诺骨牌一样，会产生连锁反应。

Who Should Read It?

想要培养习惯试了很多方法而不得的人。

Summary + Notes

The backbone this books is the author's four-step model of habits—cue, craving, response, and reward—and the four laws of behavior change that evolve out of these steps.

Atomic Habits

1. Four-step model of habits—cue, craving, response, and reward

The cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and , ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.

Problem Phase

Cue

The cue triggers your brain to initiate a behavior. It is a bit of information that predicts a reward.

Craving

Cravings are the motivational force behind every habit.

What you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state it delivers. You do not crave smoking a cigarette, you crave the feeling of relief it provides. Every craving is linked to a desire to change your internal state.

Solution Phase

Response

The response is the actual habit you perform, which can take the form of a thought or an action.

A response is depends on your ability, the physical or mental effort that you can afford.

Reward

Rewards are the end goal of every habit.

The cue is about noticing the reward. The craving is about wanting the reward. The response is about obtaining the reward.

Fours Laws

Law 1 Make It Obvious(cue)

You habits are shaped by the systems in your life.

• The Habits Scored Card is a simple exercise you can use to become more aware of your behavior:

  1. make a habit list
  2. good habit +/ bad habit -/neutral habit =
     • how to rate a particular habit is good or bad? Ask: Does this behavior help me become the type of person I wish to be?
     • Habits that conflict with your desired identity are usually bad.

• Pointing-Calling

  • Say out loud the action that you are thinking of taking and what the out-come will be.
  • Hearing your habits spoken aloud makes the consequences seem more real.

• The implementation intention formula is:

  I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]

  The two most common cues are time and location.

• Habit stacking formula is:

  After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]

• Motivation is overrated, Environmentt often matters more

  Every habit should have a home.

  • Each location develops a connection to certain habits and routines.
    • [Example] Here are a few ways you can redesign your environment and make the cues for your preferred habits more obvious: If you want to remember to take your medication each night, put your pill bottle directly next to the faucet on the bathroom counter.
  • Whenever possible, avoid mixing the context of one habit with another. When you start mixing contexts, you'll start mixing habits—and the easier ones will usually win out. e.g. You can use your phone for all sorts of tasks, which makes it a powerful device. But when you can use your phone to do nearly anything, it becomes hard to associate it with one task.
  • If your space is limited, divide your room into activity zones: a chair for reading, a desk for writing, a table for eating. You can do the same with your digital spaces.

• Author's idea that inspires me: Self-control is short-term strategy, not a long-term one. So, yes, perseverance, grit, and willpower are essential to success, but the way to improve these qualities is not by wishing your were a more disciplined person, but by creating a more disciplined environment.

Law 2 Make It Attractive(craving)

• The amount of time you have been performing a habit is not as important as the number of times you have performed it.

• The law of least effort: The less friction you face, the easier it is for your stronger self to emerge.

  Reduce the friction associated with good behaviors. Increase the friction associated with bad behaviors.

• Two-Minute Rule: When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do. e.g. Read before bad each night.→ Read one page. e.g Study for class→open my notes.

  • Follow 2 min rule: very easy →easy→moderate→hard→very hard
  • The point is not to do one thing. The point is to master the habit of showing up.
  • If the Two-Minutes Rule feels forces, try this: do it for tow minutes and then stop. e.g.

Once you've established the habit and you're showing up each day, you can combine the Two-Minutes Rule with a technique we call habit shaping to scale your habit back up toward your ultimate goal.

Law 3 Make It Easy(response)

• The inversion of the 3rd Law of Behavior Change is make it difficult.
• A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that locks in better behavior in the future.
  • If you find yourself continually struggling to follow through on your plans, then you can take a page from Victor Hugo and make your bad habits more difficult by creating what psychologists call a commitment device.
• The ultimate way to lock in future behavior is to automate your habits.
• Onetime choices—like buying a better mattress or enrolling in an automatic savings plan—are single actions that automate your future habits and deliver increasing returns over time. Examples:
  • Nutrition: Buy a water filter to clean your drinking water. Use smaller plates to reduce caloric intake.
  • Sleep: Buy a good mattress. Remove your television from your bedroom.
• Using technology to automate your habits is the most reliable and effective way to guarantee the right behavior.”

Law 4 Make It Satisfying(reward)

• The fourth law of behavior change—make it satisfying—increase the odds that a behavior will be repeated next time..We are not looking for just any type of satisfaction. We are looking for immediate satisfaction.
• You live in what scientists call an immediate-return environment because your actions instantly deliver clear and immediate outcomes.
• You live in what scientists call a delayed-return environment because you can work for years before your actions deliver the intended payoff.
• You value the present more than the future. A reward that is certain right now is typically worth more than the one is merely possible in the future.
• The vital thing in getting a habit to stick is to feel successful —even if it's in a small way.
• What we're really talking about here—when we're discussing immediate rewards—is the ending of a behavior. The ending of any experience is vital because we tend to remember it more than other phases.
• What Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.

How to Stick with Good Habits Every Day

• One of the most satisfying feelings is the feeling of making progress.
• A habit tracker is a simple way to measure whether you did a habit—like marking an X on a calendar.
• Habit trackers and other visual forms of measurement can make your habits satisfying by providing clear evidence of your progress.
• Don’t break the chain. Try to keep your habit streak alive.
  Never miss twice. If you miss one day, try to get back on track as quickly as possible.
• Just because you can measure something doesn’t mean it’s the most important thing. 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.

Others

You have to fall in love with boredom.

The only way to become excellent is to be endlessly fascinated by doing the same thing over and over. You have to fall in love with boredom.