Atomic Habits _Lesson 1_The power of atomic habits
How to become 37.78 times better at anything
| Atomic Habits summary (by James Clear) _Part 1
"What is a habit?"
"Can you name one good habit and one bad habit?"
"Have you ever tried to change a habit? What happened?"
Key Vocabulary & Grammar Focus: Cause-and-Effect Patterns
- Trajectory: the path or direction of something.
Compound: to add or increase gradually.
"Tiny changes in habits can lead to big outcomes."
Activity #1 Dictation
Imagine a plane taking off and travelling from New York to Los Angeles. Just before takeoff. You adjust the plane just slightly, by three degrees, or around 80 inches. If you were to keep flying in a straight line, you would end up closer to Tijuana in Mexico than in your intended destination of Los Angeles. And the same goes for our habits. ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ can change the trajectory of our lives in ways that we can't even notice until many years into the future. Looking back, in both good ways and bad, you are your habits.
The power of atomic habits.
A ___________ change in your ___________ ___________ can ___________ your life to a very different ___________ .
Massive action versus 1% improvements.
Far too often we convince ourselves that massive success is only possible through massive action. In any goal we are pursuing, we ___________ ourselves ___________ ___________ some quantum leap or momentous improvement that will gain others attention.
However, it is the ___________ ___________ that aren't even ___________ at first that create ___________ change. Let's look deeper into math.
___________ ___________ every day for a year will ___________ to ___________ ___________ ___________ , but ___________ ___________ every day over a year will ___________ you ___________ to ___________ .
Your habits can ___________ against you in the form of things like stress or negative self-talk, or they can ___________ for you in the form of things like knowledge, productivity, skills, and relationships. Success is the product of daily habits, not once in a lifetime transformations.
The truth about progress
When you start any endeavour in your life, here is what you think should happen. ___________ ___________ . But here is what actually happens.
Notice this section here. In the beginning, small changes in our progress are not even noticeable.
James Clear refers to this part of the graph as the ___________ ___________ ___________ . You've done so much, you've put in so much effort, and you can ___________ see any results. This is where most people ___________ and ___________ ___________ into their old routines. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed, so ___________ is required.
Goals versus systems.
Forget about goals, focus on systems instead.
A goal is the result you ___________ ___________ ___________ . Systems ___________ ___________ processes that ___________ ___________ the results. The conventional wisdom suggests that the best way to achieve anything we want in life, be it getting into better shape, building a successful business, or spending more time with family, is to ___________ ___________ , ___________ goals. But if you completely ignored your goals and ___________ only ___________ your systems, would you still succeed? The author of this book argues that you would.
Here are some problems with only having goals.
Successful and unsuccessful people ___________ the ___________ ___________ , so therefore the goal cannot be what ___________ winners from losers. Achieving a goal only changes your life for that ___________ in time. Goals can create an ___________ or ___________ . Either you achieve the goal and succeed, or you don't and you're a failure. Even if you were making progress in the right direction. When you achieve a goal, what do you do after? If your goal was running the local marathon, chances are after completing it, your ___________ will quickly ___________ and you will just ___________ ___________ into your old routines.
Problems with only having goals.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Goals are good for ___________ ___________ ___________ , but systems are ___________ for ___________ ___________ .
Comprehension Questions
What does the word “trajectory” mean in the context of the passage?
How can small habits lead to big changes?
What is the “valley of disappointment,” and why is it important?
What does the author suggest focusing on instead of goals?
Why does the author believe systems are more effective than goals?
Assignment
"Write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) about one habit you want to start or change. Include:
What the habit is.
- Why it is important.
What small steps you will take to achieve it."
Example:
"I want to start reading every day. Reading is important because it helps me learn and relax. I will begin by reading for 10 minutes before bed. Then, I will increase the time to 20 minutes. This small habit will help me achieve my goal of reading 12 books this year."
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