This is the crux of James Clear's book. He suggests that, with small changes, we can achieve outstanding results.
"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." (John Wooden)
Before I Begin, A Little Something About My Reading & Blogging Process
"I love inscriptions on flyleaves and notes in margins, I like the comradely sense of turning pages someone else turned, and reading passages someone else long gone has called my attention to." (Helene Hanff)
Some may call this defacement, but I am unapologetic about how I keep track of what I learn. While I would never write in a library or borrowed book, these are mine, and I will likely hang onto them for a long time. I hope whoever inherits them adopts the same attitude as Helene Hanff. When you have read a book with this much valuable content, it is helpful to go back and remind yourself of the essential parts. Much like it did with Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, these marked-up pages helped as I dissected Atomic Habits, and they will help with the books to come.
Habits and Mental Health
If you recall the article about the 'Black Dog' from a few weeks ago, Matthew Johnstone's book I Had A Black Dog: His Name Was Depression encouraged adopting behaviours (or habits) that help keep depression at bay. He mentions exercise, yoga, meditation, and journaling specifically.
I speak from personal experience when I say that it is incredibly difficult to think about the inefficacy of my habits when I'm feeling down. So, I don't think about it when I'm down, but I try to focus on it when I am in a good space. When I can focus on the CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and MCBT (mindful cognitive behavioural therapy) mentioned in an earlier post (Before we get to the root of the problem, let's talk a little about depression and mindfulness) there is no doubt that I can frame things better. When I'm not focused on getting out of that deep, relentless mud, I can focus on the pearls of wisdom inherent in almost every self-help book I have read. I cannot describe the uplift in spirit when I am in this place, but as I wrote in the 'Spoiler Alert' post, the trick is to stay in that uplifted space. Every self-help and/or motivational book I have read is a form of CBT and/or MCBT, and I hope that the habit of writing this blog will get me to a more consistent, uplifted state.
Habits are mentioned in all three books I have written about to date, so a pattern is becoming glaringly obvious.
A Practical Approach
But, back to the task at hand.
Atomic Habits is not the first (practical) self-help book to come onto the market, and it certainly won't be the last. Objectively, there are strong cases to be made for many books that take a practical self-help approach. Stephen R. Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons In Personal Change, Robert T. Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and even Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (to name a few) are solid examples of books that offer workable ways in which one can improve one's life. Given the overwhelmingly positive global response to Atomic Habits, I imagine its practicality has significantly influenced the book's success. It's a relatively easy read and accessible in terms of how it explains concepts and ideas. Despite taking two years to read the first ninety-four pages, when I picked the book up to prepare for its blog post, the remaining one hundred and seventy pages were read in just a few hours (in a single sitting). I must add that the gripping nature of the book's content, not just its simplicity, captivated me.
Writing about these books requires a delicate balance - one that exists between wanting to capture the essence of the work and not infringing on the author's intellectual property. That said, given the instructional nature of Atomic Habits, and out of respect for Clear's work, I can only speak about the book in broad terms, much like I did with Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself. Speaking of which...
There's That Common Thread Again
More and more, and especially as I read (or refer back to) a book, it's become clear that there's a commonality in self-help. These authors are onto something, and I want in. Every link I make between books strengthens my resolve and inspires me to pick up a new book (or one I bought twenty years ago).
In my previous post, What actually lit the fire under my butt? I mentioned that I had (more or less) been reading Atomic Habits and Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself simultaneously. While writing the individual blog posts, I kept both books close at hand and constantly cross-referenced them while making notes on things to include across the blogs. On Page 220 of Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, under the subtitle "Turning Small Steps into One Easy Habit", Dr Joe Dispenza writes:
"It's easier to comprehend and execute any new skill when by repetition, you master one small task or procedure at a time and then move on to the next."
The similarities between Atomic Habits and Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself don't end with the above quote. Like Dr Dispenza, James Clear also focuses on creating a new persona or identity—a version of yourself that you imagine or have dreamt about. He writes that, instead of being victims of our circumstances, we can become the creators of our experiences. But we must break our bad habits and create new ones to do that. If the decades-long history of New Year's resolution failures I have experienced is anything to go by, that isn't an easy feat, which is why it's good to have some guidance, and Atomic Habits offers guidance in buckets. However, I have concluded that the import of James Clear's book lies not in my writing about it but in putting it into practice.
Accountability
In my previous post, I mentioned adding a footnote to my blogs for a few weeks to track my progress and give this journey meaning in terms of the self-help aspect. How has this exercise impacted me, if at all? If I'm not progressing, this journey will carry very little meaning. With this in mind, I've settled on twelve weeks of footnotes, all of which will hold me accountable for twelve weeks. Beginning with the footnote below, I'll post the last footnote on Sunday, 22 December 2024. I aim to get a handle on twelve personal habits ahead of the New Year so I don't fall victim to the depressing trap that is resolutions. As I progress on this journey, I may link some of the footnotes to Clear's book and particular aspects of the book that have helped me, but I can't do it alone. James Clear encourages having an accountability partner who will help you stay accountable. He writes:
"Knowing that someone is watching can be a powerful motivator. You are less likely to procrastinate or give up because there is an immediate cost. If you don't follow through, perhaps they'll see you as untrustworthy or lazy. Suddenly, you are not only failing to uphold your promises to yourself but also failing to uphold your promises to others."
FOOTNOTE: Atomic Habit 1
Very early in his book (Page 8), James Clear quotes Naval Ravikant, who said, "To write a great book, you must first become the book." Clear says he can write about the things in Atomic Habits because he lived them; the result is that he's produced a good book. Now, I do not claim to be writing anything great, and I haven't become anything yet because I am still a work in progress. My point, however, is that I am writing with a degree of consistency. So, being committed to writing is the first good habit I wanted to mention because this week's post will be my 6th Sunday post since starting this journey. Perhaps, over the next 12 weeks, all the habits I add to my daily routine will compound, and I can start making my way to that version of myself that both Dr Dispenza and James Clear write about.
Thank you for being my accountability partner.
"Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them." (James Clear)
#selfhelp #mindfulness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #wellness #anxiety #depression #wellness #atomichabits #jamesclear
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