Atomic Habits

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Lifehack #5

Build Systems, not habits.

This advice was given by james Clear in Atomic habits. I love the idea.

I used to try building a habit to write 1000 words every day. It didn't work. It annoyed me . And it was very easy to give up.

A habit is the thing you do. A system is the setup that makes you do it.


Most of us obsess over habits. We say we’re going to wake up early, write every day, exercise more, save money. Those are all behaviors. They sound concrete, but they rely heavily on motivation, and motivation is fickle. Some days you have it. Most days you don’t.

Clear’s argument is that focusing on the habit alone is backwards. Instead of trying to force yourself to behave better, you redesign the environment around you so the behavior becomes the path of least resistance.

If you want to write, the habit is “write 500 words.” The system is having a fixed time, a clear desk, your document already open, and your phone out of reach. If you want to work out, the habit is exercising. The system is laying out your clothes the night before and choosing a gym on your commute so skipping feels inconvenient. If you want to save money, the habit is restraint. The system is automatic transfers that happen before you even see the cash.

In other words, habits feel like discipline. Systems feel like design.

Clear’s broader point is that discipline doesn’t scale very well. You can’t rely on willpower forever. But a well-designed system quietly carries you along even on bad days. You don’t have to fight yourself; you just follow the setup.

That’s why he says you don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems. Goals describe the outcome you want. Habits are the actions you hope to repeat. Systems are what actually determine whether those actions happen at all.

So the difference isn’t philosophical. It’s practical. Habits are what you’re trying to change. Systems are what make change stick.

Iim not usually a fan of most productivity books because (and I've said this before), a great many books feels like a single piece of insights repeated over a dozen times (Looking at you Malcolm Gladwell - Tipping point, Blink)

The examples make it interesting, sure, but a great many of them could be a long article in a a magazine and do just as well.

Atomic habits felt genuinely useful. I would rank it among my top 10 non fiction books.  Please read it!

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