I haven’t read a page-turner in a while.

That changed this last month. It was fantastic to read James Clear’s Atomic Habits.

A lovely book on how to build durable good habits and break destructive bad habits.

I was drawn to his ‘4 Laws’ of a good habit:

• Make it obvious

• Make it attractive

• Make it easy

• Make it satisfying

If you can build a habit supported by each law, you can be pulled to achieve based on ancient chemistry versus pushed from raw discipline —which leaks considerably.

My biggest takeaways:

• Reframe your identity. Self-talk matters as you shift thinking from “what you do” to “who you are”. For me, I would mention to people: “I want to sing.” But I never thought of myself as a ‘singer’. His point: Unlearn that and switch your script to start saying “I am a singer”. And you’ll be more likely to reinforce this identity through a new habit.

• Stack your habits. Use everyday cues to help you do a particularly difficult habit. Something like: “After [X], do [Z].” For me, a ‘stack’ would be after waking up, drink half of my water bottle & put a book on my pillow to read. And a new one I’m experimenting, after I close my laptop, do ‘10’ push-ups.

• Create a ‘loyalty program’ for yourself. Love this one. Airlines, credit cards, and more have been using loyalty for decades. Why not for you? For example, I’ve struggled with exercise for 2 decades. But I sure do like buying or vacationing. Attach the two: pay yourself when you workout towards something you want. $5 a workout towards new headphones or that Cancún trip. Use short term rewards as incredibly powerful incentives.

Amazed how a simple framework is starting to redefine my approach.

As James beautifully wrote: “Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results.”