Shahid Chowdhary, Founder and CEO Siliconchips.
I must confess, my favourite book of 2023 was actually written five years ago.
In 2018, James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, released Atomic Habits. It became an instant worldwide bestseller and sold over 15 million copies.
So why is this my favourite book?
As someone deeply interested in how our minds work, I was drawn to how the book uses the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible.
It’s a dip-in-and-out kind of book that is digestible and applicable to everyone. The six key takeaways that I have adopted in my daily life are:
Power of compound growth
Clear discusses the long game and how every little choice affects the compounding of our journey towards our desired goals. Just like atoms are fundamental units of larger systems, habits act as the atoms of our lives.
Tiny changes = huge results
We can achieve remarkable results by making small, consistent changes to our daily routines. For example, if you wake up 10 minutes earlier every day to meditate, that 10 minutes gives you a clearer mind, so you can make better decisions that lead to better outcomes.
Habit stacking
Adding a new habit onto an existing one helps embed it into your daily routine. For example, you may want to increase your flexibility. So, you add a short stretch routine to your usual exercise.
Identity and pattern-based habits
Your current behaviours are a reflection of your current identity. You need to start believing new things about yourself to change your behaviour for good.
Focus on the process, not on goals
While having a goal is essential, your commitment to the process will determine your progression towards that goal, so that should be the focus.
Continuous improvement
Continuous improvement is a dedication to making small changes and improvements every day, with the expectation that those small improvements will add up to something significant.
This book stands out compared to other self-help books because it really applies to all areas of our lives. From our relationships to work to caring for our health and well-being, we can apply atomic habits to them all.
I appreciated the numerous real-life examples contained in the book, as well as its practical and scientific approach.
You will keep returning to this book, and I do not doubt it will become an all-time favourite.
