1% Better

OUR ADDICTION TO REPETITION

For the past few years, as I scoured lists of popular reads, Atomic Habits would show up repeatedly. Peter and I unironically started with this book to kick off our new habit of listening to audiobooks together during our evening strolls. Much of what’s discussed in the book felt so intuitive and sensible. What we enjoyed most about the book—and presumably why it has been so popular—is how it lays bare these oft overlooked concepts. Chapters are succinct and easily digestible with plenty of actionable tips.

Though the book already distills the process of creating and adhering to habits simple, we took away three main points. With that said, this post is not meant to substitute for the book in any way, so please go get and treat yourself to the full book! The first of these lessons is making good habits easy while erecting roadblocks for bad habits. This was achieved by a series of smaller concepts including habit stacking, setting up our environments for success, and manipulation of reinforcement (or punishment) systems. Habit stacking was a new concept to us and refers to rolling multiple smaller habits in sequence to accomplish a defined goal.

We’ve already implemented these principles to multiple areas of our daily lives. In fact, the book is set up to facilitate implementation as you progress through the chapters. One such area includes even the mundane process of waking up. We previously would jolt out of bed when my blaring alarm went off. Our weakness here was obviously climbing back into bed or dragging our feet to making an anticipated cup of coffee. Ever since we’ve started grinding our own beans, even those 2 minutes can feel like a huge hurdle at 5:00 AM. As a result, we were often late and rushed through our workout routine or would have to finish it later in the day.

Now, we set two alarms: 4:58 AM and 5:00 AM. The first alarm prepares us for actually waking up. We crawl back into bed for a “slow” awakening over the next 2 minutes while doing our cat stretches (morning stretches are now a daily habit to combat the ensuing age). When the alarm goes off for 5:00 AM, I’ve started the habit of immediately turning on all the lights, which then signals to Peter to make the bed.

By then, I’m already in the kitchen making our coffee. To facilitate this, we’ve started loading our grinder with the 18g of coffee beans the night prior—one step less to getting our day started when motivation is at its lowest. This series of small actions (some of which may seem inane) have led to robust improvements in how we squeeze in work outs, walks, and preparation all before the workday starts. A good morning often sets the tone for the remainder of the day, especially for myself who has always struggled with early morning hours.

The second big takeaway was having an accountability system. For us, this takes the form of a habit tracker. We also work as each other’s accountability partners. Peter built a daily task log embedded into Notion for us to mark down any and all habits we’ve accomplished each day. This is not only a daily reminder, but is highly satisfying as we compete with each other for the highest completion rate.

We wanted to set up a check list that reflected our effort in building habits—that is, as long as we did something, regardless of the amount, it would count toward the habit tracker. Of course, if we had the luxury of more time, we could allot more toward different habits, hobbies, or tasks for the day. We worried that having too strict of criteria would discourage us at even attempting these habits on a stressful day. We emphasized the efforts made to improving ourselves daily.

The third major takeaway is one of identity formation and resilience. Through some effort, grit, and sedulousness, we look forward to becoming better people. We want to build not only discipline in our lives through the building of habits, but also to gather skills and grow as people.

Though results are often not immediately apparent or life-changing, the process of habituation holds as much, if not more, value to us. As the author James Clear puts it, we are only seeking to grow 1% better day by day with the hopes of it culminating into greatness eventually.

This concept is well illustrated in his book through a number of examples. One of the easiest analogies is with one’s physical health. Rather than looking toward a specific number on the scale or physique, we want our identities to be those of healthy individuals. This is probably better measured in mobility, strength, and energy levels—measures that are not easily quantified. We don’t want for there to be a ceiling to our progress, a fatal flaw of looking toward something as concrete as a number. That is, we continue with habits knowing full well that our goal posts are ever-moving.

Similarly, when we build habits of incorporating acts of service, words of affirmation, and physical touch, we are not looking to self-gratify. We do this so that we can show up as more compassionate, empathic, and loving toward each other and to those around us. When we sit down nightly to review events of the day and plan for the next, we build an identity of responsibility. These are but a few ways in which we are trying to cultivate our identities outside of fixed, concrete personas.

The hardest part of building habits for the both of us is avoiding plateau. We get bored easily, and in most habits, there is a very real limitation, such as weights when it comes to lifting. So then, how do we look forward, even in the light of diminishing returns? What do we do when habits no longer feel like growth but rather stagnation?

This will require us to continually introspect and reflect so that we are not engaged in habits just for the sake of doing them. Indeed, the true masters are those who can continually perform the boring without seeking the thrill and allure of something new. Cognizant of these limitations in such habits, we allow ourselves grace and reminders that maintenance of accomplishment is just as important as progression.

In the end, we sought to develop habits that encompass what we love, value, and have an affinity for. This way, we can find longevity in our habits. If you’re looking for an easy read that can effect real change, we’d highly recommend Atomic Habits!

XOXO,

Howard and Peter