Self-improvement and growth are a big topic for me and I think it is everyone's duty to become the best version of himself. I try to read every day and with this blog, I want to summarize the books that I have read and say my thoughts about them.

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Devin Hasler


## 🚀 The Book in 3 Sentences

1. Forget about goals; focus on systems instead.
2. Identity, processes, and outcomes are the three layers of behavior change.
3. The first step of change is deciding who you want to be.

## 🕵🏼 Who Should Read It?

I have seldom seen a book that meets all the expectations one should have for a book like this. Its writing style is convenient and entertaining, and James Clear did not compromise on the depth of knowledge being shared.

Most of the time, I am skeptical when a book is sold in such high numbers—often, people buy it simply because others already have. However, with this book, I completely understand why it has been sold millions of times.

These are just some of the reasons I would recommend anyone to read this book. Honestly, it is probably one of the best books I have read in the self-improvement category. If I had to recommend just one book, it would probably be this one.

## ☘️ How the Book Changed Me

Before reading this book, I thought I already knew most of the concepts it teaches, having read *The Power of Habit*. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. The concise way this book is written, along with the summaries after each chapter, makes it very easy to grasp its overall structure. These summaries also make rereading the book much easier—something I’ll likely do, given the density of knowledge it offers.

I tried implementing many of the concepts discussed, such as making habits more attractive or reducing the appeal of bad ones, and I experienced great success. This book also taught me that habits are one of the most fundamental elements of success. Most astonishing achievements don’t happen overnight; they’re the result of consistency and the habits underpinning them.


## ✍️ My Top 3 Quotes

> “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung

> "Surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have yourself." – James Clear

> “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche


## 📒 Summary + Notes

I want to begin summarizing this book by explaining, in James Clear's words, why tiny, gradual improvements matter so much and can lead to massive achievements. The figure below demonstrates the impact of a 1% improvement.

Mathematically, this looks like:

- 1% worse every day for one year: 0.99³⁶⁵ = 0.03
- 1% better every day for one year: 1.01³⁶⁵ = 37.78

<img src="/images/blog/atomicHabits/compounding.png" alt="Compounding impact on improvement" title="Compounding impact on improvement" width="50%" height="auto" />

*Figure: The compounding impact of a 1% improvement over time.*

This shows how critical it is to build good habits, even if they represent small, marginal gains. Together with a bulletproof system for creating these habits, significant progress can be achieved. James Clear explains that focusing on a stable system is more effective than focusing on goals. Goals are about results, while systems are about the process. By creating a sustainable system for habit-building, we can let the process work its magic. This idea is the crux of the book, and the laws outlined in it are designed to help achieve this.

### How Habits Work

A habit is a behavior repeated enough times to become automatic and subconscious. It evolves through trial and error. After encountering a new situation, the brain makes a decision and builds neurological pathways based on the outcome. Over time, repeating the same action strengthens these connections, and the behavior becomes automatic.

This process is explained in the *habit loop*.

<img src="/images/blog/atomicHabits/habitLoop.png" alt="The habit loop as described by James Clear" title="The habit loop as described by James Clear" width="50%" height="auto" />

*Figure: The habit loop as described by James Clear.*



According to Clear, "A cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward. The reward satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue."

For example:
- **Cue**: You get a notification about a new YouTube video from your favorite creator.
- **Craving**: You feel the urge to watch the video.
- **Response**: You grab your phone, open YouTube, and watch the video.
- **Reward**: Your curiosity is satisfied, and you associate YouTube notifications with this pleasure.

### The Laws

James Clear structures the book around four laws to help readers form good habits and break bad ones. These laws, when inverted, work to eliminate old habits.

#### The 1st Law: Make It Obvious

James Clear starts teaching how to create new habits by explaining that we first must know our current habits. He suggests writing all the habits down on what he calls a habit scorecard. This means that for every habit you have, you write behind the habit if this habit is positive (+), negative (-), or neutral (=). This gives you an overview of all the habits in your life and a good base to work on.

After we have this, we can then start creating implementation intentions for our new habits. The formula for **implementation intentions** is the following:

“I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].”

With the help of implementation intentions, we no longer have to ask ourselves when we should go to the gym or go running, as it will already be very clear. James Clear also suggests something additional that works really well with the implementation intention: habit stacking. **Habit stacking** is the combination of a current habit with a new habit.

“After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”

The last thing James Clear suggests is the use of **environmental design**, which involves using environmental cues to start doing your habits. For example, you could dedicate a specific room just for work. In this room, no phone or TV is allowed, and you can only work there. If the need arises to check your phone, you leave the room and come back to work afterward.

#### The 2nd Law: Make It Attractive

In this law, James Clear also suggests some tips and tricks to make the habit you are trying to form easier. The first thing is using **temptation bundling** to make new habits more enjoyable. The example mentioned in the book is very creative, but simpler things can do the job equally well. The example was of someone who connected a phone to a bicycle and only if he rode the bicycle could he watch Netflix, as the power was connected to the output of the bicycle.

**Joining a culture** where the desired habit is the norm can help to build the habit because it will be easier to stick with other people and just do the same thing as they do. This could mean joining a book club, lifting club, running club, or simply going to a place for work where you know the people are working diligently on their tasks.

The third and last thing for this law is using a **motivational ritual** to make the habit more enjoyable. This helps reprogram the habit to be more enjoyable for the mind. This is something I find difficult since it can lead to spending too much time on the motivational ritual instead of starting to do the thing we wanted to do.

#### The 3rd Law: Make It Easy

The first thing mentioned for this law is to **reduce friction** between you and the good habits. This means having the things you want to do as accessible and easy to reach as possible to decrease the barrier to starting. Regarding reading, this could mean placing a book at the entrance of your home so you immediately start reading when you arrive.

Reducing friction comes hand in hand with **priming the environment for future use**, where you set up your environment to make reaching your goals as easy as possible. This means using the Law of Least Effort to your advantage.

The **Two-Minute Rule** is another suggestion to make habits as easy as possible to stick to. This rule became very popular and suggests breaking down the habit into a two-minute version. For example, reading a book a month becomes reading one page every day.

**Automating a habit** can be a game-changer when wanting to create a new habit. For example, if you want to save more money, set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to a savings account. This eliminates the need to use cognitive energy worrying about whether the money was transferred.

#### The 4th Law: Make It Satisfying

Making a habit satisfying involves immediately **rewarding** yourself after every completed habit. This can be done in many ways, but it is important to do it immediately after completing the habit.

Using a **habit tracker** can make habits very satisfying. The best example of this is the streak feature on Duolingo. There is nothing more satisfying than maintaining a long streak and knowing that you have been consistent for many days.

One rule that is very important in the context of sticking to a habit is **never missing twice**. If you follow this rule, it’s not the end of the world if you miss a day, as long as you complete the habit the next day. This rule emphasizes the importance of getting back on track immediately after missing a day.

Now equipped with multiple laws and tools to create new habits and stop old ones, I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I apologize for the length, but it was really hard to summarize all the important points given the sheer amount of information in this book. As always, thank you sincerely for reading, and I hope to see you in the next post.

With regards,  
Devin

A book by James Clear about good habits and removing destructive ones

Atomic Habits


## 🚀 The Book in 3 Sentences

1. The phone is a big opportunity, but a dangerous one as well
2. It is important to be more mindful of your phone
3. Implement digital detoxes in your daily life

## 🕵🏼Who Should Read It?

Almost 60% of people between 18-34 are addicted to their phones. There are endless studies that show the attention span of humans decreases. The average dopamine level that a person in this day and age experiences is astronomically high. This all means that this book could solve many problems for many people. What I have to say, though, is that if someone is already informed about the negative effects a phone can have, then the book can come off as somewhat repetitive. On the other hand, the 30-Day Challenge can also be undertaken by more experienced people.

## ☘️ How the Book Changed Me

The book improved my knowledge about the negative side effects of phones, but sadly, there were not a lot of new things contained in the book. That's why the book only gets 3 stars from me. I did not participate in the 30-Day Challenge of the book because I already do most of the actions. Probably the biggest impact the book had on me was raising my awareness about my phone.

## ✍️ My Top 3 Quotes

> “The easiest way to break this habit is to make it harder to reach for your phone while you’re in bed.” Catherine Price
>

> “Our Phones are designed to addict us.” Catherine Price
>

> “social media represents the epitome of Trojan horse design.” Catherine Price.
>

## 📒 Summary + Notes

The book is structured into a theoretical and practical part. In the theoretical part, Catherine Price discusses why phones are so addictive and how they are designed to be addictive. She also explains how phones can change your brain. In the practical part of the book, Catherine Price presents a 30-Day Challenge that provides a step-by-step plan on how to break up with your phone.

### The Wake-up

Phones are designed to addict us. Our phones have one of the biggest impacts on our brain chemistry. They are designed to provide us with rewards in various forms. As a result, our brain associates certain behaviours with rewards. The chemical released in this process is dopamine. Dopamine is the excitement hormone, and we greatly enjoy being excited. The problem is that any experience that triggers the release of dopamine is something we will want to experience again, which is how we become addicted to our phones.

Another reason why we are addicted to our phones is that they are equipped with subtle positive reinforcements. These reinforcements give us the feeling of control, and as we know, humans love to be in control.

The effects of our phones on our brains are widely known in science. One of those effects is the impact on our attention span. Studies have shown that the attention span of people between 18-34 is drastically shorter than the attention spans of older generations who have less contact with their phones. This is reflected in the movie industry, where movie scenes are now much shorter compared to older movies. There are significantly more cuts and images in modern movies, whereas scenes changed at a slower pace in older films. This effect has a significant impact on schools and the education system in general. Teaching materials need to be more interactive, playful, and interesting in order to engage students effectively.

Another effect of our phones is that due to the constant high level of dopamine we experience, we become desensitized to the dopamine released from smaller things like a beautiful tree or a hug from someone we like. As a result, we seek more time on our phones to achieve the same level of dopamine release.

Because of all these effects and the challenges associated with breaking up with our phones, specific tools can assist us in achieving that goal. Currently, I am working on a project that helps individuals maintain focus on important tasks. This is accomplished through a session blocking system, where users can specify the duration they want to concentrate, and the app locks their phone for that specified period. If you are interested and would like to learn more, please visit [focuscoinapp.com](http://focuscoinapp.com/) and sign up for the newsletter to receive notifications about the app's launch.

## The breakup

In this chapter of the book, Catherine Price provides the reader with a step-by-step plan on how to break up with their phones. This plan is outlined in a 30-Day Challenge, designed to gradually free oneself from excessive phone usage.

The 30-Day Challenge begins with small but impactful changes, such as disabling notifications, logging out of or deleting social media apps, and organizing distracting apps into a single folder. Additionally, changing the phone background to a text that serves as a reminder to stay aware is recommended.

As the 30-Day Challenge progresses, Catherine introduces more advanced techniques like the WWW (What for, Why, and When). Implementing and adhering to the WWW concept may not be easy, despite its simplicity. To practice the WWW, individuals are encouraged to ask themselves the following questions each time they feel the urge to reach for their phones:

**What For?** What are you picking up your phone to do? (For example, to check your email, browse Amazon, order dinner, kill time, and so on.)

**Why Now?** Why are you picking up your phone now instead of later? The reason might be practical (I want to take a photo), situational (I’m in the elevator), or emotional (I want a distraction).

**What Else?** What else could you do right now besides checking your phone?

If, after answering these questions, you still find it reasonable to pick up your phone, you are allowed to do so.

Furthermore, Catherine Price suggests an intriguing approach known as "detox days." This entails locking your phone away for an entire day. It can be a shared activity with your partner, friends, or even your entire family.

Now armed with these newly learned strategies, I hope you will be able to successfully break up with your phone. I look forward to seeing you in my next blog post.

With regards  
Devin Hasler

A book about how to break your addiction and be mindful with your phone.

Addiction

Atomic Habits

Break up with your phone