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Book Review: Atomic Habit

New year is around the corner, if you are planning to create a new habit in the new year to come, Atomic habit is a must read for you! Normally before the new year, many people will have resolutions. We set lofty goals. We get so motivated in the beginning, but most of us fail to make all of those goals come true. 

I think self development is great, however sometimes it can be a trap like a hamster wheel. It is easy to have the idea of improving your life without ever doing it because you are too busy reading “How to Change Your Life” books. Most books of course come with their promises to give value to the readers. Atomic Habit is one of those books. 

It is easy to see why this book has sold so many copies in a short period of time. It is very worth reading and full of very useful information about habits and how to form them, break them, and to make them. 

To highlight what’s the book is about:

1. To achieve a real change, it is a compound of effect of hundreds of small decisions or accumulated habits overtime that produce remarkable results,
2. You need to build a system to achieve your goals,
3. Habits are compounds of bad and good things overtime that create a real change.

This book helped me to understand the difference between system and habit and how by making a small habit as our identity, with time we can achieve our goals no matter big or small.

When it comes to who should read this book, obviously there is no limit to who should read this book, because we are all made of habit. So you will enjoy this book if you care about achieving your goals, want to change your habits, discover a new habit or want to build a system to support your goals. 

There are 4 laws that we can use to build a good habit and break a bad one:

Make it Obvious

It means that the habits need to be effortless. For example, if you want to create a new habit of using skin care regularly, then put those skin care in a place that is visible, maybe in your bedside. 

Make it easy

The greater friction between you and the habit you are trying to lesser you are likely to achieve those habits. Example on how to make your habit easy is like if you want to go to the gym, prepare your gym outfit the day before.

Make it attractive

If your habit is not attractive, it is unlikely that you are going to do it. Therefore you need to make your habits more attractive. For example you can listen to the podcast while in the gym or doing the habit you are trying to build to make it more attractive. 

Make it satisfying 

Do something that makes you feel joy because our brain will reward immediate return.

Written by: Nevy Pangestika

Pictures: cultivatewhatmatters.com