Hi everyone, my name is Mart Bergsma. In this article I am going to talk with you about a book that I have recently read. It is called Atomic Habits by James Clear. The book helps you build good habits in life and avoid bad ones. I have read it because I am interested in the topic. Besides that, a couple of friends recommended it to me.
Key points
First of all, a habit is something that you do so many times that it becomes automatic. This goes for good habits, but also for bad ones. Atomic habits are very small habits that can improve your life with 1 percent. However, they can also make it 1% worse. It is basically compound interest. Over time, when you have built a lot of positive atomic habits, the impact becomes more and more exponential. James teaches a lot of ways to build good habits and avoid bad ones. Think of changing your environment, stacking habits and making them more attractive.
Most people focus on the end goal every time they are performing habits. James explains that it is much more effective to focus on the process. For example: focus on becoming an athlete who exercises every day, instead of losing five kilograms of bodyweight. Because when you reach that end goal, more often than not you will gain weight again. Then you have to start over again. If you focus on your identity, it basically never stops until you decide to change who you want to become.
Personal experience
This book has helped me a lot in building strong habits and breaking bad ones. I want to become a great musician, so I am trying to play the guitar for thirty minutes every day. When it comes to habit stacking, I have built a habit to do calisthenics exercises consistently. When I finish it, I will start reading a book and repeat this process three times. If I start with a hard habit and combine it with a habit that I really enjoy, it becomes easier. To make sure I am doing these habits, I track my progress with a habit tracking app. These are just a couple of things that I focus on. But I will keep adding new things and improve them over time.
I also believe that you have to build these good habits if you want to live a more enjoyable life. Most of the time, this differentiates successful people from others. To become a master at something, you have to put in the hours. My environment is also very important to me. For instance, I have put a guitar in the middle of my living room. Next to it are some sheet music and a bluetooth speaker. That way I will pick up the guitar more often and practice every day.
Besides that, I am a lot more conscious about the people that I hang out with. At first I thought that I had to be strong to refuse negative things people offered me. But I learned that in order to avoid negative habits, you have to change your environment. Many people do not realise this, but it makes a huge impact.
Recommendation
This book could help you a lot if you want to make changes to your life. For me, it has helped me in becoming a musician and athlete. It also made me a person who likes to read and write. But it could help you in a lot of different areas, because you can apply these lessons in almost anything. It can help you in your personal life, but also in business. That said, my identity can always change, just like the type of person who I want to become. This book is a guideline to give you more meaning in life and achieving success.
If you like this article, check out The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari Review for another book review.
Also check out my youtube channel Mart Bergsma
Have a nice day,
Mart Bergsma
