I take very drastic measures to break habits; sometimes, I am successful, but most times, I am not. So, when I stumbled upon a book about habits with an intriguing title and glowing reviews, it piqued my interest.

“Atomic Habits” taught me extensively about the science behind forming new habits and breaking bad ones. The author deconstructs compelling examples to illustrate how habits can be built and abandoned.

One critical insight was the power of small habits that accumulate over time; the concept that improving by just 1% daily leads to a remarkable 37x enhancement over a year was an incredible discovery—emphasising the importance of showing up every single day.

The book also emphasises that when we try to form habits, we should visualise the identity of the person we hope to be rather than focusing solely on outcomes. For example, it’s better to be building habits that help you be a healthier individual than to be someone who is building a habit of going to the gym.

I also learnt about The Habit Loop, characterised by cue, craving, response, and reward, and it provides a structured understanding of habit formation—I refer to it as the 2C2R loop.

Finally, another that struck me was that those who need to rely on their self-control the least are the ones with the best self-control. Essentially, we must optimise our environments to have cues for only good habits and optimise the same environment to deter bad habits.

These are just a few highlights from this book; there’s a wealth of knowledge I’ve yet to explore. I found the book immensely insightful and highly recommend it to others.