Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

In this book, author James Clear, after a brief introductory theory, gives a practical step-by-step guide that you can put into practice immediately.

A habit builds over four steps: A cue (e.g. “I'm bored”) triggers a craving (“I want stimulation”); this craving motivates a response (“I'm checking my social networks”); this response leads to a reward (“I'm experiencing new things or getting likes”); the reward, in turn, connects our brain with the cue. This feedback leads us to repeat the behavior until it becomes a habit.

You can use this so-called habit loop to create desired habits and get rid of unwanted ones:

1. “Make it obvious” (or invisible) – e.g., put a bowl of fruit on the table and hide the sweets; always have a book handy and put the remote control behind the TV; hide your mobile phone in a drawer when working.

2. “Make it attractive” (or unattractive) – Join a group where the desired behavior is the norm. If each of your friends eats healthy food and exercises regularly, this behavior will become attractive to you; if all your friends are non-smokers, smoking will become extremely unattractive to you.

3. “Make it easy” (or difficult) – Building habits is a process that starts with repetition – make a start easy: meditate for two minutes a day; read two pages a day; put on your running shoes every day. Create an environment that makes it easy to do the right thing (or hard to do the wrong thing): Have your running gear ready in the morning; prepare healthy food a week in advance; don't have sweets in the house but buy them when you feel like it.

4. “Make it satisfying” (or unsatisfying) – Good habits have a delayed gratification: A single day at the gym doesn't get you a six pack. Therefore, combine them with an immediate reward, such as watching your favorite TV show on the treadmill or listening to an audiobook while jogging. Find a partner to whom you will be regularly accountable: If you want to write a book, announce that you will send him ten pages a day and agree on a penalty if you don't.

With these relatively simple improvements, you can significantly improve your quality of life over time.

Suitable as an audiobook? Yes, absolutely recommended.