Hey, my friends! Today I want to share about a book I read recently, Atomic Habits. My friend Leah gave it to me for my birthday, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite nonfiction books.
Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and give you the tools and techniques you need to transform your habits–whether you are an athlete looking to win a championship, a leader hoping to optimize an organization, or an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, and achieve success that lasts.
This is the kind of book that I read more than once. The first time, I just read the chapters one at a time, getting an idea of what the author was talking about. I’ve read it several times since then, picking one or two new things to put into practice.
One of the key things I learned from Atomic Habits is that small habits can bring big changes. For example, the author uses the story of his college years, talking about how he made sure to get plenty of sleep, get to the gym several times a week, and keep his dorm room tidy. On the surface, all those things don’t sound that amazing, but it’s what they led to that is amazing. He says,
However, looking back on those years, I believe I accomplished something just as rare: I fulfilled my potential. . . changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.
I tend to get frustrated when I don’t see the results I want to when I want to. But thanks to all the diagrams and examples included in Atomic Habits, I realized that even if I can’t see progress right away, it’s there.
When I first started reading Atomic Habits, I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to finish. Would it be one of those books that’s helpful, but is very boring to get through?
As it turns out, Atomic Habits is a fascinating book to read. It’s full of real-life stories and examples, diagrams of the different concepts mentioned, and more. The chapters are the perfect length, too; before I even started to think, “This is a lot to process, is it over yet?” the next chapter would start. I really like that, especially in a book like this where there’s a lot to apply. It can easily get overwhelming, but not in this book.
You can read Atomic Habits over and over, and you’ll find something new to apply each time. When I read it the first time, I thought, “Okay, I can start applying these two ideas now.” When I read it again, I picked another idea to work on. The subtitle, “Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results” is true. Most of the principles the author talks about seem small and insignificant but put them together and you’ll see a difference.
My favorite idea from this book and the one I’ve been working on a lot recently is the idea of habit stacking. Basically, you put a new habit you want to form and put it with an already-established habit. At first, it’s still hard to be consistent with the new habit, but it’s somewhat easier because I always do it after something I do already.
In conclusion, Atomic Habits is a great book to read if you’re looking to create consistent good habits and get rid of the bad habits that keep hanging on. It’s especially helpful if you’re trying to form better habits before graduating and leaving for college.
