Transform Your Life: Form New Healthy Habits with Atomic Habits

Successfully forming new healthy habits made easy. Learn how tiny changes in your behaviour can tremendously affect your health and life by following simple principles.

If you want to transform your life in easy steps, then Atomic Habits by James Clear is your book. His framework can be applied to every aspect of your life, enabling you to form good habits and lose bad ones. You can achieve remarkable results over time by taking small steps and staying consistent.

It is common to think that you must take radical action to make significant changes in your life. I used to think this way for a long time as well. But when I tried to make these radical changes, I always failed. Analyzing my past failures made me realize that with small, consistent changes, the outlook for long-term success was much greater and that even the tiniest changes can significantly impact our lives over time. In the following paragraphs, I will briefly outline the adaptation of the book's core principles in my life, which might differ from James Clear's recommendations. To get more details, I highly recommend reading the book. It is easy to understand, fun to read, and short. It can be found in every well-sorted online or brick-and-mortar bookstore. Also, we are not affiliates of James Clear, so we don't receive anything if you decide to buy his book.

Form New Healthy Habits

To change your life, you need to follow four core principles: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying.

The first step is to make the habit visible to yourself by placing cues in plain sight and removing obstacles that might stand in your way. The second step is to make the habit attractive and enjoyable by rewarding yourself when completing it. Make it as easy as possible to do it, e.g. buy the proper equipment that supports the habit or makes it more enjoyable. Finally, when you complete the habit, you should feel good about it or have a sense of achievement.

Eliminating Bad Habits

But what if you want to eliminate a bad habit instead of creating a new one? Don't worry. You can apply the same method by reversing the principles. Make the bad habit invisible by taking cues out of sight and adding obstacles to make it challenging. Make it unattractive and less enjoyable. You could even punish yourself for doing them. Increase friction to make it difficult to do them. Finally, make them unsatisfying because the less you enjoy something, the less likely you will repeat it.

Although the four principles may seem obvious, James goes into more detail in his book, explaining also the science behind them. Remember that you don't want to start with radical changes but with small steps. Also, it's crucial to have a clear picture of what you want to achieve. For example, to lose weight, ask yourself what your healthier self would look like and start working towards that new identity. Additionally, create self-awareness about your habits; it will help you better understand your behaviour patterns and make changes that fit your behaviour.

How I Applied Those Principles

Here is how I made small changes in my life to form new healthy habits and eliminate bad ones that dramatically improved my life.

For a long time, Christina and I used to eat a lot of junk food, sweets, and simply too much in general. I also loved my iced teas and cokes (I still do). However, over the span of more than two years, we changed our diet drastically through a series of small steps. We managed to lose over 154 lbs (70 kg) and have maintained the weight ever since.

Water Instead of Soft Drinks

This was one of the simpler new habits we adapted. It started during our travels. Initially, we'd always buy soft drinks, but over time, we'd slowly replace one bottle of Coke with a bottle of water. Eventually, we got to the point where refilling the bottle with water during the day just made a lot more sense, and we'd only have soft drinks in restaurants. Since we wouldn't have it daily, we'd cherish those drinks much more, applying the make-it-satisfying principle. Today, I always carry a small water bottle with me, which I place next to my computer, the make-it-obvious principle. This reminds me to drink enough water and stops me from drinking something else, as water is the most prominent option. I'm applying here the make-it-easy principle. The small water bottle plays another role in stacking habits, a powerful way to make more changes. It forces me to stand up and refill it several times a day, which is a great and simple way to clock some additional steps daily, walking from the desk to the kitchen and back.

Healthy Snacks

Food is one of my greatest weaknesses. I love deep-fried stuff and sweets! But that doesn't mean I eat a lot of it these days because you can also apply the reverse principles to eliminate bad habits.

For example, we stopped buying junk food. You can't eat what you don't buy. I'm using the make-it-obvious principle. And the rare moments I get tempted to buy something, I just look at the calories and remind myself that this contributed to my overweight in the first place or how much exercise is needed to burn those calories again. Using here the counter principle of make-it-unattractive. In addition, to make it easy to form the habit, I make sure to have plenty of delicious healthy snacks around me. So when I get hungry, they are the obvious first choice, also applying here the make-it-attractive. By making these small changes, I was able to get rid of my bad eating habits and develop healthier ones.

Just Do It!

I also used the principles to create exercise habits, which worked wonders for me. After COVID, I decided it was a great time to start running again. Initially, it was challenging as my basic fitness level was mediocre at best. So, I decided to run at least 6.2 mi (10 km) a week. It initially took me two to three runs to achieve my weekly goal, but I scheduled it in my calendar to remind myself to do it. Using the make-it-satisfying principle, I ran at a decent pace but didn't push it to the limit, allowing me to enjoy it still. The 1.8-3.1 (3-5 km) per run was an achievable goal that gave me the feeling of accomplishment.

After the first month, I added 0.62 mi (1 km) per run. Eventually, I could run half marathons or more and ran on average 31 mi (50 km) per week at the peak. Then, I added strength exercises and reduced the cardio a bit.

So, I started a new habit of doing ten squats, 25 sit-ups, and planking for 30 seconds in the morning. I could have started with more, but I followed the make-it-easy principle to form the habit. Also, I intentionally do this first thing in the morning as this is the best time for me when I won't have any distractions, and it would be before showering. So this was my make-it-obvious. Today, I do 25 squats with some weights, 125 sit-ups, and a 2-minute plank, and I keep adding more every month. By starting small and gradually increasing, I developed a consistent exercise habit. If you want to start exercising or add more to what you're already doing, read our article how you can incorporate exercise into your daily life that doesn't feel like work.

Better Sleep

The principles can also be used for more straightforward but crucial things, such as changing your sleeping habits. I used to struggle to fall asleep, but today, it only takes me a few minutes most nights.

One change we made was removing the TV from the bedroom, the make-it-easy principle. We used to watch TV in bed before sleeping, which I firmly believe negatively affects our sleep. So, we moved the TV to the living room and have created a new habit of watching an episode of a show on Netflix before we get ready for bed, the make-it-obvious principle. These small changes have become an unconscious habit that quickly makes us fall asleep. My body and mind realize that as soon as we start watching our episode, the day is over, and getting ready for bed reinforces that signal. We made it very easy for our minds and bodies to realize when to slow down and go to sleep.

Stop Smoking

Another example I have is how I was able to quit smoking. During my time at the hotel management school, a few classmates and I decided to form a group to help each other quit smoking. We agreed that whoever was caught smoking by other members of the group or any other student would need to invite the entire group for an expensive dinner. Because we all knew quitting would be hard, we decided to make smoking as unattractive as possible. And by telling all other classmates about our agreement, we applied the make-it-obvious principle. So, smoking a cigarette would have triggered severe financial consequences.

It worked wonders for most group members. However, one still got caught and had to spend quite a bit of money on a dinner. Unfortunately, after the hotel management school, I had two setbacks. Still, eventually, I became smoke-free for over ten years now!

Remember, you can achieve anything you set your mind to, especially with the power of small, consistent changes, the right mindset, and a supportive community.

We Are the Sum of Our Habits

I always say human beings are the sum of their good and bad habits. The good thing is that we can change our habits. So, take the first step and ask yourself what habits you would like to start and which ones you would like to stop. Make a list and start with an easy habit. Look for opportunities to stack habits, a powerful way to make more changes to your life.

What Is Your Technique?

We're always looking for new ways to help people to stay engaged and empowered. We believe that sharing knowledge and experiences as a community is the best way to enable, inspire, and support people to live their healthiest, happiest lives. Therefore, we'd love to hear what new habits you are trying to form. What techniques did you try out in the past, and were you successful? Let us know in the comments below!