Atomic Habits

Hábitos Atómicos: Un método sencillo y comprobado para desarrollar buenos hábitos y eliminar los malos. James Clear. 2018. Penguin Random House. 271 pp.

Contraportada

No importa cuáles sean tus objetivos, Atomic Habits ofrece un marco de trabajo comprobado para mejorar día a día. James Clear, uno de los principales expertos mundiales en formación de hábitos, revela estrategias prácticas que te enseñarán exactamente cómo formar buenos hábitos, romper los malos y dominar los pequeños comportamientos que conducen a resultados notables.

Clear es conocido por su capacidad para destilar temas complejos en comportamientos simples que se pueden aplicar fácilmente a la vida diaria y al trabajo. Con base en ideas comprobadas extraídas de la biología, la psicología y la neurociencia, crea una guía fácil de entender para hacer que los buenos hábitos sean inevitables y los malos hábitos imposibles. A lo largo del camino, te inspirará al tiempo que te entretiene con historias reales de medallistas olímpicos, artistas galardonados, líderes empresariales, médicos que han salvado vidas y comediantes estrella que han utilizado la ciencia de los pequeños hábitos para dominar su oficio y llegar a la cima de su campo.

Atomic Habits cambiará tu manera de pensar sobre el progreso y el éxito, y te brindará las herramientas y estrategias que necesitas para transformar tus hábitos, ya seas un equipo que busca ganar un campeonato, una organización que espera redefinir una industria o simplemente un individuo que desea dejar de fumar, perder peso, reducir el estrés o lograr cualquier otro objetivo.

Resumen + Notas

Introducción

El momento decisivo. El viaje del héroe de Joseph Campbell. Una experiencia reveladora. Y supe que si las cosas iban a mejorar, yo era el responsable de lograrlo. Un hábito es una rutina o comportamiento que se realiza con regularidad y casi automáticamente. Empieza a cambiar. Pequeñas mejoras que te dan una sensación de control sobre tu vida. Pequeños cambios al principio se traducirán en resultados notables si pagas el precio. Afronta los contratiempos. Con el tiempo, los hábitos dan sus frutos. Crecimiento exponencial. Alcanza tu máximo potencial. 

The Surprising Power of Atomic Habits

El caso del ciclismo británico. Contratación de Dave Brailsford en 2003. La estrategia de acumulación de ganancias marginales: Buscar un pequeño margen de mejora en todo lo que haces. Mejorar un 1 %. Es fácil sobreestimar el valor de las pequeñas mejoras diarias. Los hábitos son el interés compuesto de la superación personal. Una sola decisión es fácil de descartar; es la acumulación de pasos lo que finalmente conduce a un resultado. El éxito, y el fracaso, suelen ser producto de los hábitos diarios. Deberías preocuparte mucho más por tu trayectoria actual que por tus resultados actuales. Tus resultados son la medida rezagada de tus hábitos. El tiempo amplía la diferencia entre el éxito y el fracaso. Necesitas saber cómo funcionan los hábitos y cómo diseñarlos a tu gusto. 

Momentos decisivos, resultado de acciones previas, que desarrollan el potencial necesario para desencadenar un cambio importante. A menudo, los hábitos parecen no tener importancia hasta que se cruza un umbral crítico y se alcanza un nuevo nivel de rendimiento. Los hábitos deben persistir lo suficiente para superar esta Meseta de potencial latente. Tu trabajo no se desperdicia, simplemente se almacena. Toda la acción ocurre a 32 grados. Efecto de éxito repentino: el cambio puede tardar años en ocurrir de golpe. La maestría requiere paciencia. Cuida una delicada planta día a día hasta que se convierta en un roble poderoso.

Metas y sistemas. Los resultados tienen poco que ver con las metas, pero casi todo con los sistemas. Las metas se tratan de los resultados que deseas. Los sistemas se tratan de los procesos que conducen a esos resultados. Las metas marcan una dirección, los sistemas ayudan a progresar. El resultado se maneja solo. Enfócate en tu sistema. Resuelve los problemas a nivel de sistema: corrige las entradas y las salidas se solucionarán solas. Cuando te enamoras del proceso, no tienes que esperar a darte permiso para ser feliz. Estás satisfecho cada vez que tu sistema está funcionando. El propósito de establecer metas es ganar el juego, el propósito de construir sistemas es seguir jugando. El compromiso con el proceso determinará tu progreso. No alcanzas el nivel de tus metas, caes al nivel de tus sistemas. 

Identidad. Cambiar nuestros hábitos es un desafío por dos razones:

1. Intentamos cambiar lo incorrecto.
2. Intentamos cambiar de la forma incorrecta.

Las tres capas del comportamiento:

1. Resultados
2. Sistemas
3. Identidad 

Para cambiar tus hábitos, empieza por centrarte en quién quieres ser. La motivación intrínseca se da cuando un hábito se convierte en parte de tu identidad. El verdadero cambio de comportamiento es un cambio de identidad. El objetivo no es hacer, sino convertirse. El mayor obstáculo para un cambio positivo es el conflicto de identidad. Convertirse en la mejor versión de uno mismo requiere modificar continuamente tus creencias y actualizar y expandir tu identidad. Te convertirás en alguien a través de tus hábitos. Tu comportamiento refleja tu identidad. El enfoque siempre debe estar en convertirte en ese tipo de persona, no en obtener un resultado específico. 

Proceso de dos pasos para una nueva identidad:

1. Decide el tipo de persona que quieres ser. Decide quién quieres ser. Las grandes preguntas.
2. Compruébalo tú mismo con pequeños logros. Pequeños pasos. Ciclos de retroalimentación.

Tienes el poder de cambiar tus creencias sobre ti mismo. Tu identidad no es inamovible. No se trata de tener algo, se trata de convertirte en alguien. 

Mejores hábitos ahora. Edward Thorndike describió el proceso de aprendizaje: Los comportamientos con consecuencias satisfactorias tienden a repetirse, y aquellos que producen consecuencias desagradables tienen menos probabilidades de repetirse. Formación de hábitos: probar, fallar, aprender, intentar de forma diferente. Los hábitos son soluciones automáticas a problemas recurrentes de nuestro entorno. Son atajos mentales aprendidos con la experiencia: recordar el pasado para predecir mejor el futuro. Los hábitos no limitan la libertad, la crean al facilitar los aspectos básicos de la vida. Desarrollar hábitos en el presente te permite lograr más de lo que deseas en el futuro.

Los cuatro pasos de los hábitos:

1. La señal desencadena la respuesta.
2. La ansiedad es la fuerza motivadora detrás de cada hábito.
3. La respuesta es el hábito en sí.
4. La recompensa es el objetivo final que cierra el ciclo de retroalimentación.

Recompensas:

1. Satisfacen nuestro antojo.
2. Nos enseñan qué acciones vale la pena recordar en el futuro.

Si un comportamiento no es suficiente en ninguna de las cuatro etapas, no se convertirá en un hábito.

Las Cuatro Leyes del Cambio de Comportamiento para crear un buen hábito:

1. Hazlo obvio.
2. Hazlo atractivo.
3. Hazlo fácil.
4. Hazlo satisfactorio.

Las Cuatro Leyes del Cambio de Comportamiento para romper un mal hábito:

1. Hazlo invisible.
2. Hazlo poco atractivo.
3. Hazlo difícil.
4. Hazlo insatisfactorio.

La primera ley: Hazlo obvio

The paramedic case. The human brain is a prediction machine, takes signals from your surroundings and analyze the information. You don't need to be aware of a cue for a habit to begin, the unconcious part of brain take care of it. If a habit is mindless, you can't expect to improve it. Until you make the unoncious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. —Carl Jung. Pointing and calling is effective because it raises the level  of awareness from a nonconscious habit to a more conscious level. Scorecard. Make a list of your daily habits. Is this a good, a bad or a neutral habit? Categorize your habits by how they will benefit you in the long run. At this point observe your thoughts and actions without judgement or criticism. Don't blame yourself for your faults. Don't praise yourself for your successes. The process of change always starts with awareness.

Implementation intention. Visualization. When situation X arises, I will perform action Y. The most common cues for implementation are time and place. Make a specific plan for when and where you will perform what. This is not about motivation, this is about clarity in your plan. Simply follow your predetermined plan. Give your habits a time and space to live in the world.

The Diderot effect. Obtaining a new possession creates a spiralof consumption that leads to additional purchases. After a new habit, add another one. Habit stacking: After I have done this, I will do that. The secret to creating a successful habit stack is selecting the right cue to kick things off.

Motivation is overrated, environment matters more. Choice architecture. People often choose products not because of what they are, but because where they are. Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human bahaviour. Habits are context dependant. Behaviour = f (Person, Environment). Hawkins Stern. Suggestion Impulse Buying. Eye level stands. End caps in aisles. The more obviously available a product or service is, the more likely you are to try it. We perceive the world through our senses. The most powerful is vision. Visual cues are the greatest catalyst of our behaviour. Don't be a victim of your environment. Be the architect of it.

When the cues that spark a habit are subtle or hidden, they are easy to ignore. By sprinkling triggers throughout your surroundings, you increase the odds that you'll think about your habits throughout the day. Make sure the best choice is the most obvious one. Making a better decision is easy and natural when the cues for good habits are right in front of you. Environment design allows you to take back control and become the architect of your life. Be the designer of your world and not merely the consummer of it.

The context is the key. Think in termsof how you interact with the spaces around you. Train yourself to link a particular habit with a particular context. Habits can be easy to change in a new environment. Go to a new place and create a new routine there. One space, one use. If you want behaviours that are stable and predictable, you needan environment that is stable and predictable.

The secret to self-control. The heroin case. Vietnam war. Disciplind people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control. A more disciplined person creates a more disciplined environment. You can break a habit, but you're unlikely to forget it. Reduce exposure to the cue of a bad habit. Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long term one. 

La segunda ley: Hazlo atractivo

How to make a habit irresistible. A supernormal stimuli is a heightened version of reality that elicits a stronger response than usual, i.e. the herring gulls and the volleyball. Food industry: orosensation, dynamic contrast, bliss point. Salt, sugar, and fat. Second Law of Behavior Change: Make it attractive. Learn how to make your habits irresistible. The dopamine driven feedback loop: Without desire, action doesn't happen, action stops.Dopamine is released not only when you experience pleasure, but also when you anticipate it. Whenever your dopamine rises, so does your motivation to act. It is the anticipation of a reward, not the fulfillment of it, that gets us to take action. Every action is taken because of the anticipation that precedes it. It is the craving that leads to the response.

Temptation bundling: Linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do. More probable behaviors will reinforce less probable behaviors. The habit stacking + temptation bundling formula is: 

1. After my current habit, I will do the habit I need.
2. After the habit I need, I will do the habit I want.

Temptation bundling is a way to create a heightened version of any habit by connecting it with something you already want.

The role of family and friends. A genius is not born, but educated and trained. —Laszlo Polgar. Humans are herd animals. To fit, to bond, to earn approval and respect. The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. We imitate mainly the habits of three groups:

1. The close. People around us. Peer pressure. Join the culture you want to have, where your desired behavior is the normal behavior, and you already have something in common with the group. Nothing motivates better than belonging to the tribe. Remain part of a group to mantain your habits.
2. The many. When changing your habits means fittin in with the tribe, change is very attractive.
3. The powerful. Humans pursus power, prestige, and status. We are drawn to behaviors that earn us respect, approval, admiration, and status. Once we fit in, we start looking for ways to stand out. 

Fix your bad habits. Allen Carr's easy way to stop smoking. Inversion of the second law: make it unattractive. Habits are associations. These associations determine wheter we predict a habit to be worth repeating or not. Every behavior has a surface level craving and a deeper underlying motive. A craving is the sense that something is missing. It is your desire to change your internal state. What you really want is to feel different. Once a habit has been built, the cue can prompt a craving, even if it has little to do with the original situation. The key to finding and fixing the causes of your bad habits is to reframe the associations you have about them. If you can reprogram your predictions, you can transform a hard habit into an attractive one.

La tercera ley: Hazlo fácil

Photography class case: quantity versus quality groups. Overthinking and never get to take action. The best is the enemy of the good. —Voltaire. Action is the type of behavior that will deliver outcomes. Action versus motion. Motion allows us to feel like we are making progress without risking anything, delaying failure. Motion is useful, but will never produce an outcome by itself. Endless preparation becomes a form of procrastination. Don't merely be planning, start practicing. Get your reps in.

Automaticity: Ability to perform a behavior without thinking about each step, when the nonconscious mind takes over. Habit formation is the process by which a behavior becomes progressively more automatic through repetition. Neuroplasticity. Long-term potentiation: Strenghtening of connections between neurons based on recent patterns of activity. Hebb's Law: Neurons that fire together wire together. Learning curves: habits form on frequency, not time. Take the action you need to make progress: make it easy. Repeat.

Law of Least Effort: Make it as easy as possible in the moment to do things that payoff in the long run. Addition by subtraction: Process that eliminates every point of friction in the manufacturing process. The idea is to create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible. Prepare for the future: reset the room. Make future action easier. Get ready ahead of time. Increase the friction associated with bad behaviors: make it difficult.

The two-minute rule. Decisive moments, a fork in the road. When you start a nw habit, it should take less than two minutes to do. The idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start. Set a gateway to your goal. Ritualize the begining of a process. Master the habit of showing up. A habit must be established before it can be improved. Standarize before you optimize. Youca't improve a habit that doesn't exist. The best way is to always stop when you are going good. —Ernest Hemingway. Small habits reinforce the identity you want to build, confirms the type of person you want to be. Habit shaping: to scale your habit toward your ultimate goal, but keeping focus on the first two minutes of behavior.

Make it difficult. Create an environment of inevitability where good habits are virtually guaranteed.

1. A commitment device is a choice you make at the present that controls you in the future, i.e. Victor Hugo and The Hunchback; The best way to break a habit is to make it impractical. Increase the friction until you don't have the option to act.
2. Onetime choices are single actions that automate your future habits and deliver increasing value over time. i.e. a good mattress, the cash register case.
3. Technology allows automatization.

La cuarta ley: Hazlo satisfactorio 

Make it satisfying. Karachi and  handwashing. Safeguard: foam and smell. “This feels good. Do this again, next time.” Wringley chewing gum and taste. Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: What is rewarded is repeated. What is punished is avoided. Instant gratification. Time inconsistency. The brain value the present more than the future. The consequences of bad habits are delayed while the rewards are immediate. The sweeter the first fruit of a habit, the more bitter are its later fruits. —Frédéric Bastiat. Train yourself to delay gratification. What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided. Align your little rewrds with your ultimate goal. Incentives to reinforce your motivation.

Paper Clip Strategy. Making progress is satisfying, and visual measures provide clear evidence of your progress. As a result, they reinforce your behavior and add a little bit of immediate satisfaction to any activity. Habit tracker. Don't break the chain.

Benefits:

1. Habit tracking is obvious. It can create a trigger for the next habit. It keeps you honest.
2. Habit tracking is attractive. Progress.
3. Habit tracking is satisfying. Focused on the process rather than the result.

Recover ASAP. Perfection is not possible, but never miss twice. Avoid a second lapse. Don't put up a zero. The first rule of compounding: Never interrupt it unnecessarily. —Charlie Munger. Choose a good proxy to track. Don't by driven by the number rather than the purpose behind it. i.e. Focus on getting meaningful work done instead on working long hours. Goodhart's Law: When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. Measurement is only useful when it adds context and guides you to a larger picture. Keep proper tracking in its proper place. Try different measurements, look for different signals of progress.

Make it unsatisfying. Pain is an effective teacher. When the consequences are severe, people learn quickly. The best way to overcome a bad habit is to increase the speed of punishment associated with that behavior. There can't be a gap between the action and the consequences. The punishment must match the relative strenght of the behavior it is trying to correct. The more local, tangible, concrete, and immediate the consequence, the more likely it is to influence individual behavior.

A habit contract is a verbal or written agreement in which you state your commitment to a particular habit and the punishment that will occur if you don't follow through. A habit contract is a strightforward way to make a bad habit painful in the moment. An accountability partner can be a powerful motivator. 

Tácticas avanzadas: Cómo pasar de ser simplemente bueno a ser verdaderamente excelente

Pick behaviors that align with your personality and skills. Beneath the surface of your behavior your genes are operating. To be truly great, select the right place to focus. i.e. Michael Phelps in water, Hicham El Guerrouj on land. Your unique cluster of genetic traits predispose you to a particular personality:

1. Openness: 82-58
2. Conscientiousness: 67-68
3. Extraversion: 10-6
4. Agreeableness: 02-18
5. Stability: 32-29

Build habits that work for you. Habits need to be enjoyable if they are going to stick. Play a game where the odds are in your favor. Stay energized because you are making progress. It's a virtuous cycle. Pick the right habit and your progress is easy. Pick the wrong one and life is a struggle. Explore/exploit trade-off. Start with ample exploration, eventually narrow in on your best areas.

1. What feels like fun for me, but work to others?
2. What makes me lose track of time?
3. Where do I get greater returns than the average person?
4. What comes naturally to me?

If you can't find a game where the odds are stacked in your favor, create one. i.e. Scott Adams, from Dilbert. Create your mix. Realize what your strenghts are, so you know where to spend your time and energy. The better you understand your nature, the better your strategy can be. Work to get close to your limits. Work as hard as those you admire.

Goldilocks Rule. Brain loves a challenge, but only if it is within an optimal zone of difficulty. Not too hard. Not to easy. Once a habit is established, advance in small steps, with little improvements and new challenges to keep you engaged. Flow state is the experience of being fully immersed in an activity. The optimal level of challenge: 4% beyond your current ability. The greater threat to success is not failure but boredom. Really successful people find a way to show up despite boredom. Variable reward provides novelty. This variance leads to spikes in dopamine and accelerates habit formation. i.e. Slot machines, porn, junk food. Fall in love with boredom. To achieve remarkable results, be consistent. Step up when it is annoying or draining or painful. Be a professional, not an amateur. Stick to it in any mood. Put reps in.

The downside of habits is that you get used to doing things a certain ways and stop paying attention to little errors. Once a skill is mastered there is a slight decline in performance over time. Mastery is the combination of automatic habits and deliberate practice. Mastery is the process of narrowing your focus to a tiny element of success, repeating it until you have internalized the skill, and then using this new habit as the foundation to advance to the next frontier. Each tiny habit unlocks the next level of performance. Avoid complacency.

Reflect and review. Lakers Career Best Effort (CBE) program: Improve 1 percent over the course of the season. The way to be successful is sustaining an effort. Learn how to do things right, then do them the same way every time. Decision journal to record every major decision (why, what to expect, the outcome) as a review tool. Improvement is about fine-tuning. Integrity report with core principles to keep the course. Correct the path. Daily habits are powerful because of how they compound. Reflection and review offers an ideal time to revisit one and again a core aspect of behavior and personality: Identity.

One great downside of habits is pride. Avoid making any single aspect of your identity an overwhelming portion of who you are. Keep your identity small. The more you let a single belief define you, the less capable you are of adaptation. Identity must be flexible rather than brittle. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail. —Lao Tzu. Everything is impermanent. Life is constantly changing, so check periodically if your habits and beliefs are still serving you. A lack of self-awareness is poison. The antidote is reflection and review. 

Sorites paradox. This is a continuous process. Never stop making improvements. Don't stop. Small habits don't add up. They compound. Tiny changes. Remarkable results.

Appendix

Additional resources.