Atomic Habits Summary, Notes, and Quotes

This is not an ordinary book that you read and keep aside. It is one of those books that needs to be read every single year. Yes, it’s about Habits, James Clear covers everything—from building good habits to breaking bad ones.

How Atomic Habits Changed My Life

I used to be the kind of person who drank two to three cups of coffee every day. The first thought that crossed my mind every morning was to make a cup of coffee.

Yes, I was aware of this habit, but I wasn’t ready to let go of the comfort and energy I felt from a cup of coffee. The real problem was that I had become so dependent on it that I couldn’t even handle simple tasks without it.

You can say, I was a coffee addict, I needed coffee when I woke up and even at 8 PM.

This was getting worse and worse. Even after drinking 3 cups of coffee, I wasn’t feeling great, I was craving more and more.

So as James Clear said, I started cutting down my coffee intake. Yes, it wasn’t that easy but after almost 6 months, now I can live my life and do all the normal tasks without a coffee.

I reduced my coffee intake from three cups a day to just one. I also made it a rule not to drink coffee after noon, which has greatly improved my sleep at night

Related: 15 Must-Read Books in Life

I broke the automated process because of this book.

This is just one example of how I’ve applied the 1% rule in my life, and it has made a big difference. My advice? Start with small changes, even if the results aren’t immediately visible. Be patient, and over time you will experience the power of 1%.

Now, let’s go inside the book.

Atomic Habits Summary

This book is all about habit formation and how even a 1% improvement every day makes a huge difference. Whether you want to add new habits or remove bad ones, the book will teach you everything.

Remember, Small changes don’t feel that big when you start but in the long run, you will see a result. So give it some time.

Now, I don’t say this very often “Even if you don’t like to read, make sure you read the Atomic Habits, it’s one of those books that will change your life forever.”

The book is divided into four main sections:

1. The importance of habits
2. How habits are formed
3. How to create new habits
4. How to break bad habits.

So before we deep down, here is the FREE Mini-ebook of the Atomic Habits book. So download it now, and read it whenever you have time on your smartphone.

(Note: The PDF is not an actual book but a collection of valuable lessons.)

How You Adopt Habits

As someone said, you’re what you do every day. The future will be decided by your everyday actions.

So if you want to make your dream come true then you will have to add some good habits in your life whether it’s reading books or doing exercise every day.

James Clear has shared a four-step pattern in the Atomic Habits that will help you understand why you do certain things at certain points.

1. Cue. The act of getting out of bed automatically triggered the thought of making coffee. It’s like, you want something after you either wake up or perform some action.
2. Craving. The moment I thought about coffee, I could almost smell the aroma. That anticipation alone made me feel energized and happy, even before taking the first sip.
3. Response. My response to the cue was heading straight to the kitchen to make coffee. It was almost automatic—I didn’t even think twice before starting the process.
4. Reward. The reward came as soon as I took that first sip.

For example, if you want to quit coffee,

On the first day, your mind will find a way to drink coffee, it will remind you,

• How it smells,
• The feeling of drinking coffee, and
• How it tests.

So this is that place when you say, I don’t want to drink coffee. Yes, your mind will force you and give all the good reasons to drink it but if you really want to quit it, you have to say NO.

The key point here is,

You need to have a valid reason to quit a coffee otherwise your mind will find a way to fool you.

I know, when you quit coffee, it won’t be easy but once you decide something, in the end, your mind will make that happen.

The only thing you have to do is, focus on the process and not think too much about the end result. The process will take time and you will get tired but if you enjoy it then at the end of the day, your mind will start to adopt new changes.

Practical Ways to Build Habits

Now, first of all, you have to make new habits attractive, easy, and satisfying.

1. Make it obvious. Don’t hide your fruits in your fridge, put them on display front and center.
2. Make it attractive. Start with the fruit you like the most, so you’ll actually want to eat one when you see it.
3. Make it easy. Don’t create needless friction by focusing on fruits that are hard to peel. Bananas and apples are super easy to eat, for example.
4. Make it satisfying. If you like the fruit you picked, you’ll love eating it and feel healthier as a result!

Let’s say, you want to quit coffee, so first thing first, you can’t put coffee in your fridge or if you want to eat fruits every day then you have to keep fruits in the fridge.

Also when you want to quit something, replace the habit with another habit, this way, you won’t think about Coffee or whatever else you want to quit.

For example, if you want to quit Coffee then replace coffee with Milk, tea, fruits, or something else.

Just don’t quit coffee and do nothing.

For example, if you used to drink coffee while working on a project then you need a replacement otherwise, you will feel like something is missing whenever you go to your desk.

So it’s better if you replace coffee with something whether it’s tea, water, or something else.

This way, you won’t miss the coffee because you’re drinking something. Yes, it will be hard to fool your brain but the day will come and your brain will accept the change.

Track Your Habits

Whether you want to remove a habit or add a new one, you need to have a habit tracker, this way, you will have some idea of what you’re doing every day.

On the first day, write down on paper,

“how you felt when you didn’t drink coffee or what kind of thoughts you had during the day.”

One more thing you can do is,

Take plain paper and make 30 boxes. When you perform the habit, make a cross on the box and when you skip, leave the box empty.

For your reference, I will add a sample image above.

The key is to never miss two days in a row. If you miss a day, get back on track the next day.

Do this for only 30 days and see what kind of change you’re seeing in your life.

Atomic Habits Review

Atomic Habits is a powerful book written by James Clear. The author has told us scientific ways to quit bad habits and add new habits. The book is all about self-improvement. Also, it’s written in a fun and engaging way, so you won’t feel bored while reading.

As I have said, you have to read this book at least once in your life if you want to understand how your mind works.

Buy Atomic Habits:

Favorite Quotes From Atomic Habits

“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement”

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”

“If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.”

Who Should Read It

• If you want to understand how your mind feels when you drink coffee or when you spend time with your loved one then this book will help you to understand.
• If you want to cut down some bad habits then this book will guide you on the right path.
• You will be able to understand your mind better than ever.
• You will also learn, How small changes can lead to big changes.

I have just pointed out some points here. When you read Atomic Habits, you will learn more than what you have read here.

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