This book has changed my life. No, that's not an exaggeration.
Everyone has good habits and everyone has bad habits. The power comes in understanding the grasp they have over our lives and how we can utilize them to become better versions of ourselves. Clear breaks down everything from the psychology of habits to the actionable steps that you can take to effectively implement success habits in your own life.
One of my favorite things about the book is the way that it's laid out. Each chapter is broken down into easily digestible chunks and have reviews at the end. This helped me personally to put into action what I was learning as I went. (I'm also an organizational freak so I totally geek out anytime I see lists and neatly outlined information... iykyk).
You probably have some big aspirations and goals for your life, right? But maybe you've fallen victim to the "I just don't have the time" or "The timing just isn't right, one day I'll get to do ___," crowd. This book proves that you can start working toward those goals now. You have what it takes, you've just got to shift your mindset.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
"Getting 1 percent better every day counts for a lot in the long run"
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress."
"Use temptation bundling. Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to."
"Reduce friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits."
"Use a habit tracker. Keep track of your habit streak and 'don't break the chain.'"
"Never miss twice. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately."
All habits are based on the four-step process of cue, craving, response and reward. Cue: a piece of information suggests there’s a reward to be found. Ding! You just got a text notification on your phone and now there’s a small red “1” above your message app. Craving: the motivation to change something to get the reward. Everyone just heard that “ding” right? It wouldn't be rude if I quickly checked this text quickly, would it? It could be a really important text! Response: taking the action needed to get the reward. I’ll just quickly pull out my phone and take a look-see. Like I said, it could be important. Reward: the satisfying feeling you get from the response. Phew, good thing I checked, that was a great meme my friend sent me.
"Consistency beats perfection - every. single. time."
"Start small. All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision."
"Get an accountability partner. Knowing someone else is watching you can be a powerful motivator."
“You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.”
“When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running.”
“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement”
"Winners and losers have the same goals."
“Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it.”
“Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.”
“Your actions reveal how badly you want something. If you keep saying something is a priority but you never act on it, then you don’t really want it. It’s time to have an honest conversation with yourself. Your actions reveal your true motivations.”
“With outcome-based habits, the focus is on what you want to achieve. With identity-based habits, the focus is on who you wish to become.”
Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.
This principles outlined in this book have become an integral part of my life. What's better is that is outlines how to get on track, but even more importantly, how to get back on track when you fall. It's safe to say that this book has drastically changed my life.
If you're looking for an interesting, easy to digest read that will change your life, this book is for you. I hope it leaves as much of an impact on you as it did on myself and the millions of other readers around the world. And be sure to let me know your thoughts!
Sending love always,
J.S.