THE FUNDAMENTALS : Why Tiny Changes Make a Big Difference
Chapter 1 :
The Surprising Power of Atomic Habits
WHY SMALL HABITS MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.
If you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero.
That said, it doesn’t matter how successful or unsuccessful you are right now. What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path toward success. You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.
Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits.
FORGET ABOUT GOALS, FOCUS ON SYSTEMS INSTEAD
Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results. For instance, if you’re a coach, your goal might be to win a championship. Your system is the way you recruit players, manage your assistant coaches, and conduct practice.
A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems:
- Problem #1: Winners and losers have the same goals.
- Problem #2: Achieving a goal is only a momentary change - it won’t stay if you don’t have a good system.
- Problem #3: Goals restrict your happiness.
- Problem #4: Goals are at odds with long-term progress - a goal-oriented mind-set can create a “yo-yo” effect.
A SYSTEM OF ATOMIC HABITS
If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change.
Chapter Summary
- Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Getting 1 percent better every day counts for a lot in the long-run.
- Habits are a double-edged sword. They can work for you or against you, which is why understanding the details is essential.
- Small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. You need to be patient.
- An atomic habit is a little habit that is part of a larger system. Just as atoms are the building blocks of molecules, atomic habits are the building blocks of remarkable results.
- If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.
- You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.