ATOMIC HABITS: WORKSHOP #1
This audio-based workshop has been designed to support everything you are learning as you read through the shelf help. featured title, Atomic Habits by James Clear.
This is the first of six audio sessions in which shelf help. founder Toni will be highlighting a key concept, exercise and quote as well as sharing some journal prompts based on the first three chapters of the book, including: The Surprising Power of Atomic Habits, How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa) and How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps.
You can listen to this workshop before reading, to get you excited about what's to come, or after reading, to cement your learning.
Let's go...
[play me] ATOMIC HABITS Guided Workshop #1
EXERCISE: THE HABIT LOOP
In Chapter Three James Clear introduces us to the science of how habits work, and the four steps that make up the process of building a habit - aka The Habit Loop.
He says: “The four stages of habit are best described as a feedback loop. They form an endless cycle that is running every moment you are alive. This “habit loop” is continually scanning the environment, predicting what will happen next, trying out different responses, and learning from the results. In summary, the cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.”
This week’s exercise is to look at some of our your own habits - two that you like/find inoffensive, and two that you would like to change - and break them down into the four stages James has described. If you need inspiration there are a load of examples given in the table on pages 52 and 53.
JOURNAL PROMPT
In Chapter Two, How Your Habits Shape Your Identity, James shares the story of a friend who lost a load of weight by asking herself before taking any action: “What would a healthy person do?”
Inspired by this friend, and the idea of identity-based change, this week’s journal prompt is a two-parter:
PART ONE
Work out the kind of person you wish to become through habit change by reading this book. More productive? More energetic? Less work-obsessed? More creative? Less glued-to-your-phone? This awesome version of you is your avatar for the rest of the time we are reading together. For extra power points this inspirational figure could be based on someone specific who embodies the quality or qualities you are aiming for eg Richard Branson, Jacinda Ardern, Joe Wicks? Mine is Arianna Huffington, because she is an inspiring business woman and media mogul creating brilliant well-being content and a huge impact, while getting lots of sleep and still having great hair.
PART TWO
If/when something doesn’t go to plan this week take a couple of moments to journal on the event asking yourself what the magical, mythical person from part one might have done in the same situation. Maybe that person wouldn’t have gotten themselves into that situation in the first place. Why not? What difference in their actions would have produced a different result? Ask yourself: What Would (eg) Arianna Do? And am I able to start modelling these actions in some small way?
For instance, my journaling might reveal that Arianna would probably not have stayed up too late watching crap TV when she had loads to do the next morning. Or pressed snooze five times and missed her opportunity to squeeze in some morning yoga or a walk before the day started. And so my action to take from this could be to stop watching TV earlier and get more sleep. Or pack less into the morning to make sure I still get to do yoga. Both are easy enough, but also easy to let slide, and the: ‘What Would Arianna Do?’ question is a great way to highlight the small things that I could start changing to get much better results.
SHOW NOTES/RESOURCES/READING
[video] How to Get 1% Better Every Day by James Clear (below)
[book] The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
[book] The Kindness Method by Shahroo Izadi
[article] Dilbert creator Scott Adams on Why it’s Better to Have a System than a Goal
[article] How to be Truly Convincing by Anthony Robbins (about our frame of references)
[join] The James Clear Newsletter (it’s a goodie!)
[follow] Naval Ravikant on Twitter @naval