Focusing on making tiny 1% improvements in your habits can lead to remarkable results over time. Success is the product of daily habits, not one-time transformations. By focusing on systems and processes rather than goals, you can make long-term progress.
The key to building lasting habits is focusing on creating a new identity first. Your current behaviors are simply a reflection of your current identity. To change your behavior for good, you need to start believing new things about yourself. Decide the type of person you want to be and prove it to yourself with small wins.
A simple set of rules can be used to create good habits and break bad ones:
Conversely, to break bad habits, invert these laws:
Motivation is overrated. Environment often matters more for shaping our habits. By designing your environment to make cues for good habits more obvious and cues for bad habits invisible, you set yourself up for success. Self-control is easier when the environment supports your goals.
To maintain motivation, aim to work on tasks of "just manageable difficulty." Humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are on the edge of their current abilities - not too hard, not too easy. A combination of automatic habits and deliberate practice is the path to mastery and continuous improvement.
Atomic habits - tiny changes, remarkable results. By focusing on small improvements, designing your environment to support your goals, and following the four laws of behavior change, you can transform your habits and your life.