Laura Tatiana's Key Ideas from Atomic Habits
by James Clear

Small habits seem to give little difference in any given day but the impact they have over time can be huge. Usually this does not become apparent until many years later in one’s life when reflecting back on their life or consequences of such habits. James elaborates on this point of view by sharing with the readers a melting ice cube visual to shows us how impactful a tiny change can have when compounded. The visual made you imagine an ice cube in a room that began a to heat up. 26 degrees then 27, then 28 and so on until the ice cube finally began to melt once reaching 32 degrees.

It was only one degree higher than the last temperature shift & despite not seeming like the small change would have such a significant impact, it did. This amplifies the impact compounded habits have & is a key lesson on patience in any process that involves small habits that may not seem as important while doing them but compounded most definitely are. This is why many tend to give up right before they get to see any big change/impact. It’s like giving up at the 31 degree mark & not getting to see the impact that one degree higher would have had on the ice cube but for your personal life.

Many of us give up right before the big moment  thinking the compound of all those habits/actions went to waste because the desired result was not met the way you expected.

You cannot give up when things aren’t reaping the exact results you want as everyone hits valleys of disappointment before they can reach their breakthrough or level up. Instead remember the importance of patience during this time while you are building compounded habits because short term gratification is nothing compared to long term gain/success or achievements.

But what makes some slide into bad habits while others are able to stick through the process & reach their goals or see results?

Systems. James explains that the difference between systems & goals is that goals are about the results that you want to achieve. While systems are about the process that leads you to those results.

The goal may be to have your room clean, but if you only do it when you have a burst of motivation to do so, this will only result in your room eventually becoming messy again. This is due to the fact that you did not focus on setting a good system to keep your room clean but only set the goal when motivation hit.

This chapter highlights the importance of understanding not to change the result/goal, but to change the systems and to not withhold your satisfaction/happiness because the real life goal isn’t being achieved exactly how you envisioned but instead enjoy the journey of building it.

Atomic habits refer to tiny habits & changes that although underestimated on their own, are mighty & powerful as they are the building blocks to reach your bigger goals. 

And if you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem is not you. The problem is your systems. Bad habits will repeat themselves when you have a bad system to change these bad habits.  

Remember as James said in this book “You do not rise to the level of your goals, but you do fall to the level of systems.” Therefore focus on the systems you have in place rather than the goal.

This chapter elaborates on the fact that most of us attempt to change habits by focusing on the wrong aspect.

This is demonstrated by the visual of an onion, which shows the three levels at which change can occur:

Layer 1 is changing outcomes. These are your goals, such as running a marathon or losing weight.

Layer 2 is changing processes. These are your habits and systems, such as a new gym routine or decluttering your desk or room.

Layer 3 is identity. This includes your beliefs and biases about the world, yourself, and others.

So remember, what you get (outcome) is influenced by what you do (process), which is shaped by what you believe identity).