I would consider myself an avid Audible listener. I listened to over nine days worth of content in 2021. That was actually a bit low for me because of the pandemic. I spent almost no time in the car during the first six months of the year. I think it's a great platform to aid in learning new material and fill the gaps of time that you might otherwise sit idly or fill your mind with whatever task is next in the queue. Audible also provides recommendations based on the content you've downloaded. That's how I discovered the book, 'Atomic Habits,' by James Clear. I appreciate the efforts of individuals who spend time analyzing human behavior, in general as well as from an efficiency point of view. Clear's content struck a chord with me because it paralleled some of the content I've listened to on the Tim Ferriss podcast (https://tim.blog). Both of these authors are on a mission to make their time on this planet as productive and efficient as possible. In particular, Clear has done a great job in outlining how powerful habits really are.
I don't think anything I'm about to say deserves a spoiler alert. I'll stay as general as possible. The book itself begins with some history of the author's childhood, which ultimately started him on a path to focus heavily on habits and their intrinsic role in our lives. Whether our habits are good or bad, they ultimately shape how we live. In essence, we are our habits. He points out that our brain has a natural ability to makes steps out of the tasks we often repeat, day after day. The purpose of this is so that our minds utilize less energy, which ultimately leaves us with a greater surplus of brain power to tackle new, complex tasks. These habits may not even be as obvious as you might think. For instance, you may have developed a habit of thinking a particular thought every time you see yourself in the mirror, or every time you see you partner, or every time you do something well or something not so well. Whatever that thought is, whether it's 'I'm a genius,' or 'what does he want now,' causes you to feel a particular way. These feelings then ultimately cause you to behave in a certain way. Your behaviors ultimately bring about certain consequences, and on we go. And what's even more interesting to me about all of this? Much of these thoughts and experiences happen without our awareness.
The habits we establish may seem meaningless when thought about in isolation. But if you look at them across the board, they add up to be something very meaningful. We can accept the basic programming we're given as children and operate on autopilot with whatever tools we were given. Or we can do some self examination and work towards creating patterns that could ultimately lead to the type of life and the type of peace that we may want. I think it's worth taking inventory of one's own life and try to determine what habits are working and what are not. Mr. Clear suggested a similar task in his book. He offers the advice of taking inventory of your life. Go from habit to habit of your typical day, and categorize each one as positive, negative, or neutral. It's probably rather difficult for most of us to be honest with ourselves to the point that it might mean giving up something we indulge in, but that's why I think it's such a powerful process. It forces you to be real with yourself. I should also point out, the goal he establishes isn't necessarily to form a habit in isolation. The goal is to become the type of person you want to be, and work from there. So if you take the challenge of analyzing your habits, the measure of whether the habit is good, bad, or neutral is to ask yourself, 'is this a habit of someone who would be like the kind of person I want to become?'
Habits are of particular interest to me because the analysis of them, their formation, and their outcome feel very much like a design process of sorts. This is very true if you follow the logic Clear points out: start with who you want to become (the big picture), narrow down to the habits (work through the details, and make sure they support the big picture). We're designing our lives with each little decision, whether we realize it or not. The last point I would like to make is about identity. Clear points out that we often establish identities on fragile concepts. We develop habits of saying things like, 'I am a soldier,' or 'I am a CEO.' He notes the danger in this by pointing out that identities can shatter when circumstances change. Who are you when you're no longer in active duty? Who are you when you're no longer a CEO of a company? Rather, we should frame our points of view around the lasting qualities that allow us to do perform these roles. So rather than saying, 'I am a good CEO,' rephrase the self-talk to state, 'I'm good at creating new business and leading people to achieve new goals.' Focus on the qualities that allow your sense of self to stay intact as life shifts and bends. This notion interests me as an architect. In the profession, we do not say 'I think about buildings for money,' or 'I design spaces for people to inhabit.' We always say, 'I am an architect.' There's even emphasis on this when you go through the process of getting licensed. Those who regulate the license process are quick to point out, 'you can't call yourself an architect until your licensed.' If I were to flip the script now, I would probably say something like, 'Good, because architecture is a thing I do to support my family. It's not who I am as a person.'
Sources:
Clear, James, Atomic Habits, October 16, 2018
Website: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
Tim Ferriss website: https://tim.blog