Hello everyone

In continuation of my last post, I am going to write about how to beat procrastination or putting things off for later with the help of James Clear’s book ‘Atomic Habits’

How does a habit get formed?

A simple example is having a sweet tooth. You think about dessert or sweets after a nice meal. This triggers a craving for chocolate. So you respond by eating some chocolate.

James Clear talks about how habit is started by a Cue which triggers a craving which motivates a response which is rewarded by the behaviour or action. This cycle is called the habit loop.He has talked about 4 laws of behaviour change.

The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying.

To adopt a good habit eg. exercise regularly as an example
(1) Make it obvious – I keep my yoga mat and my workout clothes ready on the bed and visible
(2) Make it attractive – I think about how powerful I feel at the end of the yoga session
(3) Make it easy – I practice yoga at a time when it’s convenient for me. And I practice for say only 15 minutes for the first 2 weeks.
(4) Make it satisfying – I make it enjoyable by listening to music so I am likely to repeat it in the future.

And what happens if I don’t feel like exercising?

The secret to good habits is to not miss it twice.

So let’s say we consider eating chocolate or sweets a bad habit and want to break it?

So, if you want to stop eating sweets the flip side to break a bad habit are

(1) Make it invisible (2)Make it unattractive (3) Make it difficult (4) Make it unsatisfying

This will help you make it break the bad habit.

When you are building habits, it isn’t just about doing it – it’s about embracing, embodying and being it.

For example, if your goal is to run a marathon, your true goal should be to become a runner .

Each small action you take is a building block towards being the type of person you wish to become.

What habit do you want to change or adopt?

Is today a good day to start?

Do share your wisdom with the group on how you have adopted new habits.