This post is going to give you the best tips from James Clear’s Atomic Habits that will help you master your life.

Are you ready to upgrade your life? Atomic Habits will give you the tools you need to master good behaviours and kick the bad ones.

In a world full of distractions, it’s so easy to get side-tracked from our goals and not implement the habits we need to achieve them. Now is the time to start taking back control of your own life, and James Clear shares the scientific-proven strategies to help you do it.

I highly recommend you read his book, but if you want a glimpse into the life-changing atomic tips, keep reading!

Forget about Goals – Focus on Systems

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

How many times have you set a goal or resolution that you haven’t followed through on? We’ve all been there. One of the best tips that I took from Atomic Habits was that creating systems are far more important to lead you to achieving the results you want than setting a goal.

But what’s the difference between a goal and a system? A goal is the broader result that you want to achieve, and systems are the processes and habits that will lead to the result.

For example:

If you’re a writer, your goal might be to write a book. Your system might be to write at a certain time every day, having someone read your work to provide feedback, and reading more to expand your vocabulary.

One of the biggest themes in this book is to focus on the small changes that will compound into making a big difference. The key is patience. When you regularly practise a routine and small habits, you will create a system that yields the best results.

Your Environment is More Important Than Motivation

“Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behaviour.”

We don’t realise how much our environment influences our decisions or behaviours, and Clear explains why it’s the key to making successful habits. A habit is initiated by a cue, and the more that cue stands out, the more likely we are to notice it and vice versa.

For example:

You’re more likely to be in the habit of drinking more water if you have a water bottle close by. You’re also less likely to stick to the habit of drinking water regularly if you don’t have water in front of you.

If you want to stick to a habit, create obvious visual cues to draw your attention to it. But you can actually take it a step further by having multiple cues to create persistent behaviours. Sprinkle cues and triggers throughout your environment to increase the likelihood of practising your desired habit.

Clear also talks about “the power of context” which is the strategy of using a new environment to create a new habit without the distractions of competing cues. Say you want to start eating healthier foods – try shopping at a different grocery store. You won’t be as inclined to buy junk food because it won’t be in its usual spot.

Make a Habit Irresistible Using Dopamine

“Desire is the engine that drives every behaviour. Every action is taken because of the anticipation that precedes it.”

The 2nd Law of Behaviour change that Atomic Habits delves into is to “make it attractive.” The more attractive a habit, the more likely it is to become habit-forming.

So what does dopamine have to do with forming a habit? Clear says that “habits are a dopamine-driven feedback loop,” meaning that when our dopamine levels rise, so does our need to act on a behaviour.

Interestingly, dopamine is not only released when you experience pleasure, but when you anticipate it. For example, cocaine addicts get a rush of dopamine when they see the powder, not after they take it. The anticipation of Christmas morning can be more exciting than actually opening the gifts on the day. So, how can you use anticipation to your advantage? Through the strategy known as temptation bundling.

Temptation bundling works by linking an action you want to do by an action you need to do. In this case, you’re making a habit more attractive if you do something you like at the same time. For instance, you might bundle watching your favourite show while riding a stationary bike.

Start combining the things you need to do with the things you want to do.

The Law of Least Effort

“Trying to pump up your motivation to stick with a hard habit is like trying to force water through a bent hose.”

The Law of Least Effort states that when you’re deciding between two things, you will naturally want to go with the option that requires the least amount of work. Usually the less amount of energy a habit requires, the more likely you are to do it. Think about how much you spend time on your phone or watching tv – we put almost no energy into these habits because they’re so convenient.

So how can you achieve more by doing less?

Choose a place to practise a new habit that’s already part of your daily routine. You’re more likely to stick to a habit if it fits easily into your life. If you want to regularly go to the gym, you’re likely to go if it’s on your route to work. However you’re less likely to go if you have to go off course to get there.

Reduce the friction within your home or office. It’s pretty difficult to start a new habit in a friction-filled environment. If you’re starting a new diet, it’s going to be hard going out to dinner with friends or family in the beginning. If you’re studying for a test with your phone nearby, it’ll be easy to be distracted. You can take out the things that add friction to achieve more with less effort.

Set up your environment for future use. Setting up your space is a powerful tool in making your next action easy. Say you want to eat healthy lunches during the week. You can cut up fruits and vegetables or pre-make meals that you can easily grab from the fridge to take to work.

Use the Two-Minute Rule to Stop Procrastinating

“When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes.”

The two-minute rule is one of the best tips I learned from Atomic Habits. When I have a new goal that I want to achieve, I used to start too big and never ended up following through with it. You don’t need to do too much too soon.

Start by making your habits super easy, like instead of wanting to read a whole chapter before bed, start by reading a page. Instead of meditating for 20 minutes every day, meditate for two minutes.

Find a “gateway habit” that will naturally lead you to your desired path. Clear says that to find your gateway habit, try mapping out your goals from a scale of “very easy” to “very hard.” An example might be running a marathon. The actual running of a marathon would be “very hard,” and it would be “very easy” to put on your runners. That would be your gateway habit.

More importantly, Clear stresses that you need to master the habit of showing up because if you can’t do that, you’ll never be able to go the distance. Eventually, the two minutes will become a ritual as part of your larger routine.

The Goldilocks Rule: The Trick to Staying Motivated

“Boredom is perhaps the greatest villain on the quest for self-improvement.”

There has been plenty of research into how we can stay motivated, and one of the most consistent answers is that you need to work on tasks of “just manageable difficulty.” This is where the Goldilocks rule comes in.

The rule states that we experience the most motivation when working on tasks that are just on the edge of our current abilities. You don’t want to start with something too hard or too easy – it needs to be just right.

Once you’ve established a behaviour, you can advance in small steps. It’s just like starting a new behaviour – you start slow and easy. The small improvements and challenges you face are going to keep you going, and you just might hit “the flow state.”

Clear explains the flow state as working on challenges that are easier to manage will help you to maintain motivation. It sounds counter-intuitive that you need to look for small challenges, but you need to find them and overcome them to progress. We need variation because without it, we’ll get bored. That’s where you’ll fall short.

So how can you overcome boredom? You need to find the sweet spot between success and failure. The right amount of “wins” will give you satisfaction and just enough “wanting” will create the desire. That’s why the Goldilocks rule is an awesome rule to follow because it gives you manageable challenges to keep things interesting.

Another quote from this chapter in Atomic Habits that really stuck with me was that,”Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.”