So I’m reading this book called Atomic Habits by James Clear. I really don’t see how this book is transformational, and also how it became a best seller as most of the stuff the author says in the book are said by others in different forms. For example take the work of Stanford University professor BJ Fogg, in his book Tiny Habits he says that any good or bad behavior happens when Motivation (M), Ability (A), and a Prompt (P) come together at the same moment.” In short, he has devised a formula called B = MAP. This is very similar to the Cue, Craving, Response and Reward that Clear mentions.
In this book Atomic Habit, James Clear revisits some of these theories and gives a spin and make it absolutely readable and understandable for the layman who find ready resonance with what he says. Perhaps it’s because of this legibility in communicating and articulating an idea that made it a best seller?
In the book he states that the purpose of every habit is to solve the problems you face. Come to think of it, its really true. I try to cycle and run and this habit is to solve the problem of not putting on weight or to be active and be healthy. Similarly, the habit to write is to solve the problem of de cluttering my mind.
In the Cues, Craving, Response and Reward model I find the Cue to be interesting. Often without a Cue there is no trigger for a behavior. Often cues come in different forms and it depends on person to person and their associated behavior. I’m a coffee addict. So, when I see good coffee advertisement or when I smell good coffee, I get the craving for a cup of coffee. So, the cue here is in the form of a smell or images. In a similar fashion we get our cravings fulfilled through some of the Cues. For example, the cue to a craving to go for cycling can come from a notification about your friend who just posted on Strava.
Also, the aspect of Habits creating freedom is something worthwhile to ponder upon. I never thought how it can create freedom but look at it this way — if you don’t have a good learning habit, you are always short of ideas and you are behind the curve. The same with physical and financial fitness. Habits give you or creates freedom. Secondly, habits reduce cognitive load and free up mental capacity, so you can allocate your attention to other tasks. In the end Habits are simply, reliable solutions to recurring problems in our environment.
