Overview
A book about developing habits. Core thesis is that habits should be built outward. decide on the person you want to be and act accordingly- rather than focusing on results.
Notes
Habits form inside out
- look at desires and goals
- ask what kind of person would achieve these goals
- act as if I am that person already
Be Goal Oriented Not Process Oriented
Start there and work backward from the results you want to the type of person who could get those results. Ask yourself, “Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?” Who is the type of person that could lose forty pounds? Who is the type of person that could learn a new language? Who is the type of person that could run a successful start-up?
By focusing on being the person we want to be rather than achieving some goal we reinforce good habits. This makes the habits part of our identity. Clear gives the example of two smokers who recently quit and are offered a cigarette. One says "No thanks - I don't smoke" and the other says "No thanks- I quit" . He suggests that the former will struggle to stay quit because he has not made it part of his identity. As a former smoker I agree- for me to finally quit I had to let go of the idea that I was a smoker
The easiest example of applying this- rather than focusing on weight loss goals- just try to eat and work out the way an athletic person would. When we learn to enjoy the process then there is no failure, only continual growth.
4 phases of Habits
- Cue
- Craving
- Response
- Reward
This cycle is what repeats and creates a habit. We are cued by our environment which triggers a craving for something. We respond to that craving with action and that action leads to reward. Because we got the reward we will continue to repeat the cycle when cued.
To apply this our lives and habit building we want to make each of these phases of the habit as easy to accomplish as possible:
Whenever you want to change your behavior, you can simply ask yourself: How can I make it obvious? How can I make it attractive? How can I make it easy? How can I make it satisfying?