Just Finished Reading Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits is a 2018 motivational self-help guide written by James Clear.  The use of the word "atomic" in the title reflects two points the author is trying to make here: habits that are very small and potentially very powerful.  Clear discusses how he came about his philosophy of habits when, one day during high school baseball practice, he was hit in the head by a bat, nearly losing his life after slipping into a coma and then gradually making a full, painstakingly gradual recovery.  He claims that people mistakenly pursue goals when they should be instituting and stressing systems, with forming the identity that they want being paramount in importance.  Also, by changing a multitude of small habits over time, revolutionary change is possible. There are four elements to habit formation: cue, craving, response and reward...they can apply to both desirable and undesirable habits.  The trick when trying to form good habits is to make the cue obvious, the craving attractive, the response easy and the result satisfying.  Conversely, when facing bad habits, the strategy is to make the cue invisible, the craving unattractive, the response difficult, and the result unsatisfying...the author gives examples to illustrate how to approach both good and bad habits this way.  And how does one start a new habit?  According to Clear, it's crucial just to get something going...if you're starting to run then put on your running shoes today...tomorrow you can continue the process, maybe jogging for a minute or two.  It's not so much how much you do at the beginning...of course eventually you'll be doing much more...but to get the notion of regularly responding to the positive cues and performing something to make the habit real.  Then once you're "in" it, it is much easier to extend the habit in the direction you are seeking.  Atomic Habits continues chapter by chapter with helpful suggestions about habits...it can get a little cumbersome, all the information here, but James Clear does make it more manageable by outlining the main points at the close of each chapter.  I liked this book, one reason being that it confirmed some of what I had already been doing in my life...for example, I already employ his notion of "habit-stacking" by combining a new habit with one I already have.  I think this book can be useful to anyone...Clear's main intention is to help you become the person you want to be...