Smart Reads > Quotes

“For example, if you wish to begin a meditation habit, decide on a process you always perform at a certain time every single day. Brushing your teeth at night is a regular ritual for most of us. Consider stacking this habit with meditation: “After I brush my teeth at night, I will meditate for one minute before going to sleep.” By stacking this habit, you never need to find time to practice your new habit. Remember the first Law of Behavior Change? It is the cue, and you want to make it obvious. Habit stacking and implementing intention are foolproof ways to make your cue obvious; they are even more powerful when used as a pair. Key Points 1.​Implement”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“To be successful in creating a good habit, you must be sure the cue is obvious, the craving is attractive, the response is easy to perform, and the reward is personally satisfying. To successfully break a bad habit, the opposite is true. In this instance, you must make the cue invisible, make the craving unattractive, the response difficult to perform, and the reward dissatisfying. As we close out Part One, remember these four steps. The rest of this book goes into further detail on how to use these”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“•​You do not have to change every problem you see; you will never be happy until you stop. •​If you have a big enough reason to do something, you will do it. •​Being curious is more powerful than being smart. Curiosity leads to action. •​Cravings to change your behavior must occur before the action can take place, or you will not have the emotional response or drive necessary to change your behavior. •​Rational responses will follow emotional ones. Each of us has a unique set of emotional filters; presenting the same information to two otherwise-similar people can lead to two wildly different responses. •​Suffering produces desire, which drives us to progress in pursuit of satisfaction. •​Self-control is difficult, because it is not immediately satisfying. •​Expectations determine satisfaction, because happiness is relative. If you always want more than you have, you will never be satisfied.”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“great way to make a good habit irresistible is to create what is called a dopamine feedback loop. This happens when you are in the response stage of habit formation, and you feel the anticipation of the expected reward. In fact, the anticipation of the reward is more powerful than the reward itself, which completes the loop. In order to make sure a habit sticks, the craving must be attractive. Another method is called temptation bundling. This technique works by pairing a task you want to do (playing a video game) with one you need to do (cleaning your house). "If I clean for two hours, I can play my games afterward." To make this even more effective, pair it with habit stacking: "Every Wednesday after work, I will clean the house for two hours, then I can play my games.” Key Points”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“particularly”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“Humans and animals are born with certain innate behaviors and traits. The greylag goose, for example, is preprogrammed to retrieve its eggs and return them to the nest when they roll away. Researchers found this behavior could be replicated with light bulbs and billiard balls around the nests – the geese would reach for those too. The bigger the stimulus (ex. a basketball) in relation to the baseline stimulus (ex. egg), the bigger the reaction. This is called supernormal stimuli. An example of supernormal stimuli in humans is being attracted to junk food. Our brains are hardwired to seek out high-calorie foods.”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“There are three types of people we imitate: •​Those closest to us. People naturally align their actions with those of their close family and friends. However, if the people closest to you display habits that you want to avoid, it’s best to surround yourself with people who practice the habits you wish to emulate. Find your tribe. •​The many. In unfamiliar situations, we follow those around us, even if it goes against a personal belief. Conforming our behavior to the masses is heavily ingrained in us.”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“Subnormal stimuli like high-calorie foods are heightened versions of the stimuli that were programmed into our brains long before we had regular access to those foods. 2.​A dopamine feedback loop occurs when a reward is achieved, triggering the craving. After the first cycle, we release more dopamine from anticipation than from the reward itself, reinforcing the behavior. 3.​Temptation bundling means pairing a necessary activity with a likable one. For example,  listening to your favorite podcast ONLY while cleaning makes the cleaning seem much more appealing. Questions to Guide the Reader 1.​If you want to start a running regimen, how can you use temptation bundling to make a habit easier to repeat? 2.​Do we lose our cravings after achieving the goal and receiving the reward?”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“Summary Self-control is actually much less of a problem than most people think. They think to themselves, “If only I wanted it more, I could do it.” Research shows that most people, regardless of whether they describe themselves as “disciplined” or “undisciplined”, actually have the same amount of willpower. The only real difference, again, is their environment. The “disciplined” group simply spends less time in a triggering environment than the “undisciplined” group. If you want to be more disciplined, create a more structured environment with fewer temptations. If you are trying to quit drinking, don’t hang out at a bar. Likewise, keeping alcohol at home is a sure way to fail.”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“The inverse of the First Law: make it invisible •​Remove the triggers and your exposure to the bad habit. The inverse of the Second Law: make it unattractive •​Reframe your mindset and focus on the benefits of avoiding a bad habit. The inverse of the Third Law: make it difficult •​Increase friction between yourself and the completion of bad habits. •​Use a commitment device, such as prepaying for a course. This will make canceling this good behavior undesirable since you stand to lose money if you don’t follow through. The inverse of the Fourth Law: make it unsatisfying •​Create accountability by asking friends and family to keep you on track. •​Use habit contracts to create immediate punishments for failing to do what you say you will do.”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“naturally gravitate toward the path of least resistance. By using this principle, it’s easy to see that when starting a new habit, the best way to do so is to figure out how to expend the least amount of energy possible. If you want to begin training to do pull-ups, you don’t set a starting goal of 100 pull-ups a day. You start with one, and as the habit builds, you add more until you reach 100. Because of the way our brains work, this approach is most effective. Another way to make new habits easy is to reduce the amount of friction between yourself and the new habit. Many people have high goals when trying to establish a new habit, but they find themselves unable to sustain it over time. They feel that the habit is too time-consuming, expensive, or difficult. These are all sources of friction. The more of these common problems you can erase before beginning your new behavior, the more likely it is to become automatic.”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“Automaticity is the principle that habits are formed by repetitive practice, not time passed. Questions to Guide the Reader 1.​What is Hebb’s Law and how does it apply to habit formation? 2.​Two people are both trying to establish a reading habit. One person reads as much as possible every day, while the other creates a long-term goal of reading three books within six months. Who will create their habit more effectively and why? 3.​What is the difference between being in motion and taking action? Action Plan 1.​Define the habit that is desired. 2.​Insert cues into your daily routine to perform the action desired. 3.​Practice, practice, practice. 4.​Remember not to stay in perpetual motion – you must take action.”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“The only way to truly avoid a bad habit is to remove its cues from your environment and make the undesirable habit inconvenient, unrewarding, or painful to repeat. The craving may still be under the”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“If you want to establish a habit of going for a walk every day, make it easy for yourself! Schedule your walk at the same time every day. Set an exact amount of time you want to spend walking (e.g., 5, 15, 30, or 45 minutes). Then, be sure to get your shoes ready before your scheduled time, lay out your clothes, and have a water bottle ready. This will make it much easier to convince yourself to go – all you need to do is change, and you’re out the door. Prepping the pain points that require effort reduces friction and, therefore, resistance. If you stack these habits with some existing habits that form the structure of your day (discussed in chapter six) they are even more likely to become automatic. This process of removing potential obstacles before performing a new habit is called addition by subtraction. Humans are biologically addicted to convenience. Remember the primal cravings that drive”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“Our environment significantly influences our daily habits, whether good or bad. 2.​Some people are not more disciplined than others; they simply live in a more disciplined environment. 3.​Cue-induced wanting followed by discouraging defeat create a never-ending feedback loop that keeps people mired in their bad habits. 4.​Self-control is a short-term solution; it’s easier to avoid temptation than”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“Vision is our most powerful sense for picking up on cues; surround your immediate environment with positive choices. 3.​Context is also important; associate specific tasks with a certain room or area of your home. 4.​It’s easier to create a new habit in a new environment, where you are not as distracted by established cues as in your normal environment. Questions to Guide the Reader 1.​How and why is motivation less important than your environment for creating a new habit? 2.​How can you change your environment if your goal is to read more? 3.​If you always go to a coffee shop after work and get a cup of  coffee and a donut, how can you make an adjustment that still allows you to have your”
― Smart Reads, Workbook for Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones