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More effort is wasted doing things that don’t matter than is wasted doing things inefficiently.

James Clear, Atomic Habits

The One Thing from My Atomic Habits Summary

My biggest takeaway from this book is the concept of telling yourself “Im the type of person that [DOES SOMETHING]” and stacking it with a time-based or location-based action to create a positive habit in your life or stop a negative habit.

I’ve incorporated this phrase to create a ton of little habits in my life like:

  • I’m the type of person that does 10 push-ups every time I turn on the tea kettle = 30 push-ups per day.
  • I’m the type of person that does at least one Duolingo class when I have 5 min to spare = 100 + straight days of learning Spanish
  • I’m the type of person that writes at least 200 words per morning as soon as I wake up = 10,000s of words published and counting

The book is worth reading just to learn this one thing.

Suggested Podcast to Book Path

My Suggested Combo – Listen to James Clear on Tim Ferris Podcast then read Atomic Habits. Read on to find out why.

Honestly, I ignored this book for a long time because sounded like just another self-help book with a catchy title, but after listening to the podcast with Tim my “CMO spidey sense” got turned on by two comments James made.

First, around minute 32 James talks about what he wants to optimize for which in his case is “I don’t want to have a big team, but I do want to make as big of an impact as possible.”

He follows this by asking the question, “How do I want to spend my days?” which leads to the truly great Marketing insight that he started analyzing his content for what was creating the most leverage.

The example he gives is an article about Newton’s Laws of Physics and how they apply to Habit forming. The reason he chose this article is it led to out-sized results, namely a request to be interviewed on a major tv show > that led to 100,000s of book sales.

This led him to the most important question a Marketer or Founder could ask –

“What is the work that keeps working for us once it’s done?”

That is the blogs, tweets, YouTube videos, and podcast interviews that live in the world to be found, read, heard, watched, etc that lead back to a result for your company.

This type of First Principles-based questioning is extremely powerful for generating compounding results that build into a tidal wave in 2-5 years if you can keep adding them daily.

The hard part is learning what not to work on. That is the activities that occur once (radio spot, conference sponsorship) that don’t keep producing while you sleep.

Podcast Takeaway #2 – Analysis of Successful Book Titles

Around 1 hr & 20, James and Tim get into deconstructing how James wrote Atomic Habits. This is an absolute clinic on how to create a great title that sells. I’ll build on this concept below.

Atomic Habits Summary

Now let’s pair the podcast insights with the book.

I’ve read my fair share of books on habit formation, but few have impressed me as much as Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you’re looking for a practical guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones, this book is a must-read.

Clear’s book is all about the power of small habits that compound over time to create significant changes in our lives. We all need things that compound!

He emphasizes the importance of leveraging small habits to build larger ones and focusing on the process of habit formation, rather than the end result. This reminds me so much of principles like Scott Adam’s “systems not goals” to live a better life.

So here are a few takeaways for Marketers and Founders that don’t spoil the book that builds on what I learned in the podcast.

Inversions

Clear also discusses how to break bad habits using the inversion technique and create an environment that makes it easy to do the right thing.

The inversion concept is one I really like and plan to use with my Marketing consulting clients. Here’s an example:

It’s often very difficult to get your CEO to do interviews even though they are super-powerful in promoting your company and your products. To kickstart this behavior, you’d want to invert your request to your CEO to do the interview.

Most requests look like this, “Hey boss we set an interview for you on Podcast X and it’ll be great for our Brand if you could show up for a talk for 30 min. Can you do…..

Inversion: “Our competitor’s CEO is making a splash doing podcast interviews, so we got you an interview on Podcast X to offset her efforts. Can you do…”

Habit Formation:

One of the most valuable parts of the book is Clear’s emphasis on creating systems for habit formation. By creating an environment that makes it easy to form good habits and break bad ones, we can achieve our goals without feeling overwhelmed.

One habit we all need to get into is creating systems and processes that ensure success like Clear’s analysis of successful book titles I heard in the podcast mentioned above.

Building a habit of always spending time looking for the most successful Titles of blog articles, LinkedIn posts, etc paired with a systematic process like the one James outlines in the podcast leads to more assets that continue to work while we sleep.

So to summarize succinctly with a specific example:

  • Build a Habit of always taking the time to determine the best Title for any asset you create by saying, “We’re the type of company that always creates great titles for our assets.”
  • Stack Process– Stack the Habit phrase with a repeatable process to find the best Titles (perhaps using ChatGTP?)
  • Result – More assets that get more clicks and attention from your prospects leading to an eventual tidal wave of interest down the road.

Conclusion – Atomic Habits Summary

Overall, Atomic Habits is a valuable resource for anyone looking to build good habits and break bad ones, which is pretty much all of us.

Clear’s friendly and approachable voice makes technical concepts easy to understand, and his use of examples, anecdotes, and metaphors makes abstract concepts relatable and approachable.

This book encourages readers to think critically about managing their time to get the most work done without distractions while offering actual advice to overcome challenges.

Overall chapter structure starts with a “real story” to anchor the concept.

Raw Book Notes

Podcast with Tim that inspired me to read this book – https://tim.blog/2023/01/06/james-clear-atomic-habits/

Min 34:32- choose what you’re trying to accomplish. I don’t want to have a big team, but I want to make as big of an impact as possible.

I want to optimize for time, not money. Then ask the question “How do I want to spend my days?” Then I try to make as few choices as possible that violate that answer.

Reach the most people or make the most money possible without violating that principle.

The question I love for increasing leverage –

“What is the work that keeps working for us once it’s done?”

Radio interview vanishes vs a podcast is recorded so people can continue to listen to it.

There are multiple versions of James out there working for you.

1-2 things per day that work for you e.g., blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.. The tidal wave of previous efforts in 2-5 years that is working for you.

Example: Physics of Productivity Newton’s 3 laws and applying them to productivity.

British cycling team – C1 – How does this happen? 1% change in everything AND M.E.D – small improvements with the least possible set of maximum impact actions lead to the greatest results. It’s like Pareto + Parkinson’s Law. Compounding interest comes into play – a key concept of life that is underrated and under valued.

You get what you repeat – lagging measures – AND you need to know your baseline so you can see the cumulative effect over time. This is a key concept for CEOs and eventual exits that I didn’t see before.

Systems over goals – repeated theme from Scott Adams

Make habits part of your identity. I’m the type of person who is this!

You find whatever way you can to avoid contradicting yourself AND this is why gaslighting is so dangerous. My experience with XYYZ was so overwhelming I couldn’t see this so I kept avoiding changing it until my friend pointed it out. This is why you need to ask for help. People rarely say no – Coach Cooley.

What would a healthy person do? Asking this question over and over again is a habit that drives results.

For language, what would a person that loves communicating with other cultures do? What would a person that loves languages do?

Cue, craving, response, and reward influence nearly everything we do each day.

Cue – Make it obvious

Craving – Make it attractive

Response – Make it easy

Reward – Make it satisfying

Invert to break habits (Inversions should be part of my M&A writings and processes***)

Cue- Make it invisible

Craving – Make it unattractive

Response – Make it difficult

Reward – Make it unsatisfying

Vietnam study on heroin chapter 7- outlier (look for the outlier Naval). “ The idea that a little bit of discipline would solve all our problems is deeply embedded in our culture.”

“disciplined people are just better at structuring their environment. This is the key to self-control! Make cues of your good habits obvious and the cues of your bad habits invisible.

Habit stacking + temptation bundling! Combos!

After I wake up, I will meditate for 20 min

After I write for an hour, I will watch a fishing/cooking video

Charles Darwin noted, “In the long history of humankind, those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”

I think it is from Think and Grow Rich where the guy surrounded himself with Abraham Lincoln and talked to them every night. This is an interesting play on Chap 9

Chap 10 – Inversion of Make it Attractive, Make it unattractive. “Your habits are modern-day solutions to ancient desires.”

Change the word “have” to “get” – I get to learn Spanish!

The 3rd Law – Make it easy

Chap 11 – you just need to get your reps in – simple concept, a great model with automaticity curve

Chap 12 – law of least effort (MED!), we follow the law of least effort e.g., the option that requires the least amount of work. Addition by subtraction – look for every point of friction and remove it. Reduce the cognitive load our environment places on us

The central idea is to create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible – BUT you have to know your baseline to know what the right thing is to set up your environment. Without it, you cant get to a movement that is measurable. Also maybe you need control to prove it to yourself.

Leave your phone in another room until lunch – I love this, once I’m done with Calm and checking the weather the phone lives in another room. Plenty of ways to listen to music etc without a phone!

Chap 13 – Change into workout clothes as the habit starter!

Decisive moments. You have to standardize before you can optimize! This is so baseline. First baseline, then reduces the easiest thing, then build the muscle, then excel. Master the art of showing up.

Whenever you are struggling with starting a new habit – use the two-minute rule. E.g., do it for two minutes!

Chap 14 – Single choices can deliver returns again and again – continue to do 1% every day

Cash register story about unstealable is great.

When you automate as much of your life as possible, you can spend your effort on tasks that machines can’t do LIKE conjecture ( I need a blog article on Conjecture!, this is a good intro)

The 4th Law -make it satisfying, not just any satisfaction, immediate satisfaction AND this is why people don’t adopt software or do the 1% everyday thing that compounds. It doesn’t give you the minty toothpaste feel.

As a general rule, the more immediate pleasure you get from an action, the more strongly you should question whether it aligns with your long-term goals.*

Chap 16- habit tracking,

The habit stacking + habit tracking formula is: After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [TRACK MY HABIT].

Never miss twice – As Charlie Munger says, “The first rule of compounding: Never interrupt it unnecessarily.”

Signed detailed habit contract with consequences, love this concept. I should make my clients do this, the best way to maximize the sell value of your company

Our genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it.

The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities.

Chapter 19 – There’s an interesting combo here. Boredom is the greatest threat to success and from 4HWW – happiness is the opposite of boredom. So keeping things you are working on just outside the level of boredom (MED) 4% novel will keep you both happy and give you the best chance at success. This is worth revisiting as an article.

Chap 20 – I like the Career Best Effort CBE concept from Pat Riley. Get a baseline then improve by 1% and you have your CBE without fail.