My grandmother used to weave large, intricate tapestries. When I asked her how she created them, she would say, “A little bit often.” This led to me being fascinated with habits and how small tasks done repeatedly over time can create incredible change. Two books about habits I love are The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Both of which I highly recommend.
Over the winter break, a friend mentioned he was thoroughly enjoying the book, Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable results. I eagerly downloaded Atomic Habits from Audible and began listening to the book. I was utterly blown away. This is the best book I have ever read on how to create and maintain habits that last. I have since listened to the book twice, purchased the Kindle and hardcover editions as references and signed up for the online course based on the book called The Habits Academy.
There are numerous amazing quotes in this book, and one of my favorites is, “It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action. Whether it is losing weight, building a business, writing a book, winning a championship, or achieving any other goal, we put pressure on ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everyone will talk about. Meanwhile, improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run.”
In the first few months of the year, many of us reflect on what happened the year before and imagine a new year where new habits replace less helpful ones. However, after some weeks these resolutions drop away, and it seems as though we are back to doing what we have always done. What I loved so much about Atomic Habits is the author, James Clear, outlines four practical and straightforward strategies we can all use to make lasting improvements in our lives.
1. Make it obvious.
2. Make it attractive.
3. Make it easy.
4. Make it satisfying.
He dives into each of these strategies in Atomic Habits. I highly encourage you to purchase a copy of this book. I believe it can help all of us make small and lasting improvements in our own lives and it can help us better understand how to help our students create positive and enduring habits. Helping our students develop helpful habits early in their lives can help them in profound ways. James Clear has also made available online a bonus chapter that outlines how to apply the concept of Atomic Habits to parenting. You can download a copy here.