My uncle lent this book to me and this is the first book I read this year. It’s a great book for personal growth. I’ll share some main insights from this book.
- Success is a product of daily habits — You get what you repeat. People feel discouraged after putting in weeks or months of hard work without experiencing any results. But it was simply being stored. Habits make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. Never stop making improvements. The more you master a specific skill, the harder it becomes for others to compete with you.
- The human brain loves a challenge, but only if it is within an optimal zone of difficulty — work on tasks of “just manageable difficulty”.
- Habits are easier to perform and more satisfying to stick with when they align with your natural inclinations and abilities. If you want to be truly great, selecting the right place to focus is crucial.
Genes do not determine your destiny. They tell us what to work hard on.
- Successful people feel the same lack of motivation as everyone else. The difference is that they still find a way to show up despite the feelings of boredom. When a habit is truly important to you, you have to be willing to stick with it in any mood. Be fascinated by doing the same thing over and over.
You have to fall in love with boredom.
- Focus on who you wish to become. The more deeply a thought or action is tied to your identity, the more difficult it is to change it.
- Decide the type of person you want to be
- Prove it to yourself with small wins
- Building a habit:
cue, craving, response, reward=obvious, attractive, easy, satisfying
- The process of behavior change always starts with Awareness. You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them
The first law of behavior change: make it obvious
- Implementation intention
I will [BEHAVIOUR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]
- Habit stacking
After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]
When I see stairs, I will take them instead of using the elevator
Go to a corner of your room you seldom use and create a new habit there.
- Reduce exposure to the cue that causes a bad habit.
Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one.
2nd law: Make it attractive.
- The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike. When dopamine rises, so does our motivation to act. A craving is a sense that something is missing. It is the desire to change your internal state.
After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT]
One of the deepest human desires is to belong.
- The environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior. A small change in what you see can lead to a big shift in what you do. Whatever habits are normal in your culture are among the most attractive behaviors you’ll find. We imitate the Habits of three groups in particular:
- The close. We pick up habits from people around us without realizing it. Surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have yourself. New habits seem achievable when you see others doing them every day.
~ I imitated many things from my dad. For example, he loved listening to the Beatles, Queen, etc. He researched the stories behind the songs and behaviors and histories of the artists. I do it too. I don’t try to imitate it intentionally, I just have grown up close to my dad and his habits. I also love cycling, reading books, vinyls, and science stuff — my dad’s favorite activities.
2. The many. Whenever we are unsure how to act, we look to the group to guide our behavior. Most days we’d rather be wrong with the crowd than be right by ourselves.
3. The powerful. We try to copy the behavior of successful people because we desire success ourselves. If the behavior can get us approval, respect, and praise, we find it attractive.
“A genius is not born, but is educated and trained” — Lazlo Polgar
3rd law: Make it easy.
- We naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least effort. Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible. Reduce the friction(илүү ажилбар, төвөгтэй байдал) associated with good behaviors. Increase the friction associated with bad behaviors. Prime your environment to make future actions easier.
Log out your social accounts and delete the applications.
Prepare your workout clothes and place them.
- Many habits occur at the decisive moment and either send you in the direction of a productive day or an unproductive one. We are limited by where our habits lead us.
- The two-minute rule: When you start a new habit, it should take less than 2 minutes to do. Make it easy to start and the rest will follow.
Your goal might be to run a marathon but your gateway habit is to put on your running shoes.
4th law: make it satisfying.
- With our bad habits, the immediate outcome usually feels good, but the ultimate outcome feels bad. (why people smoke — reduces stress now but might kill you in 10 years). With good habits, it is the reverse.
The road less traveled is the road of ‘delayed gratification’
- Habit tracking can make your habits satisfying by providing clear evidence of your progress. Never miss twice.
- Make bad habits painful and unsatisfying by using a habit contract. An accountability partner can create an immediate cost to inaction. Knowing that someone else is watching you can be a powerful motivator.
If I don’t do the diet, I will give $200 to my trainer.
I hope you found some ideas on how to build good habits and break bad ones. It is a very well-written book and I am trying to implement some methods. The most important habit I want to have is to program. I don’t know whether my abilities are suited for this or I can really get satisfaction by solving problems on my laptop. I have to fall in love with boredom.
22.01.14 nana inda bed.
