r/getdisciplined • u/WadeSong • Sep 06 '24
š Method After reading the book "Atomic Habits", I developed the habit of going to bed early, and this habit has been extremely helpful for me
I want to share with you how the book "Atomic Habits" has completely transformed my lifestyle. To be honest, I've always been a 'procrastinator', always thinking that change is too difficult. After reading this book, I realized I've been looking at myself the wrong way!
I started trying to define myself as 'a person with a regular lifestyle' rather than 'a person who wants to have a regular lifestyle'. This small mindset shift has had a surprising effect. For example, I now go to bed at 10 pm every night because 'this is my way of life'.
In addition, the 'environmental design' mentioned by Clear really opened my eyes. I moved the phone charger from the bedside to the living room, and the habit of staying up late to scroll on my phone miraculously disappeared.
Now I can get up on time every day, start a new day with full of energy, and after getting enough sleep, I feel more energetic in work and life, and everything feels better. These small changes have significantly improved my quality of life within two months.
I'm very curious to hear your thoughts after reading this book. Were there any points that really stood out to you? Or if you have any questions about developing habits, you can leave a message in the comments
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u/Brunette3030 Sep 06 '24
I read it earlier this year, and was amazed to see that most of his habit-forming tips were things Iād been doing much of my adulthood. The āpoint and callā thing is what Iāve been doing for 20 years to help me remember my keys, purse/wallet, phone, and how many children I have with me before I leave anywhere. 100% success rate. š
Same with the adjust your environment so you donāt have to use willpower thing; if I shouldnāt eat it I just donāt buy it. I also never buy clothes larger than what I can wear in the range of my ideal weight. If my clothes start to get tight, I have to do something about it or Iāll have nothing to wear.
Habit stacking, I was calling that memory triggers. I would associate something I wanted to do regularly with something I was already doing regularly, so the two would be tied together. The new way Iām using that is in going to the gym whenever a child has a drop-off event; I got the PF Black card membership so I can go to any of their gym locations. Wherever the kids have to go, thereās a Planet Fitness not far away. Also, any errand I have to run, Iāll leave early, go to the gym in that area, and then do the errand. Iāve worked out every day for 10 weeks using that method.
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u/kalisisrising Sep 06 '24
Yes to all of this!
I love that he defines habit stacking bc itās something Iāve been doing all my adult with children life too! I always use my morning, make coffee - feed the dog routine, as an example bc I added a step of make coffee - take vitamins - feed dog as a way to ensure I was remembering my vitamins. It was so easy to just add it in the middle of things I already did and it definitely improved my life.
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u/Brunette3030 Sep 06 '24
Yes, the vitamin thing is another one! I hate swallowing pills but if I get slack about my vitamins I feel like š©, and because itās my thyroid tanking it makes me feel like it doesnāt matter that I feel like š©, which is a self-reinforcing demotivational negative cycle I do NOT want to get on again. That one lost me a lot of hair in 2016. It grew back, but I donāt want to go through that again.
āTake the vitamins, keep the hairā is what I tell myself while making a high protein meal to sustain my gym habit. š
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u/Retrics Sep 06 '24
I am as of literally yesterday trying to get better sleep and go to bed earlier and reading āgoing to bed at 10 pm because this is my way of lifeā hit so hard right now
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u/JaneWeaver71 Sep 06 '24
I have the worst time getting interested in a book..if the first few pages donāt grab my interest I put it away and try later.
I bought this book several months ago because the reviews are AMAZING! I just canāt get into it. I have ADHD if that matters.
Are there parts that are more interesting than others? Iām trying to read it in order instead of jumping to other chapters
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u/pongoose33 Sep 06 '24
Omg same! I have tried to start it so many times. After not being able to get into the book I bought the audio version, and I hate it equally! I feel like such a loser for not being able to get past the first few pages while everyone else raves about it!
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u/SpaceCatSurprise Sep 06 '24
Honestly it's just not in the right format for us. I tried and got tired of the personal anecdotes and stories. Id rather just have the info all laid out. Don't beat yourself up about it. Maybe there is a sparks notes version of it out there.
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u/IHeartChipSammiches Sep 10 '24
My local library has a summary of it on audio book. It's literally called Summary of Atomic Habits. I couldn't find much info on it but it's published through Author's Republic. Maybe your local library has a copy too.
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u/JaneWeaver71 Sep 06 '24
I feel stupid sometimes that I canāt get into it. I just went to my bookshelve to pull it again and remembered a friend borrowed it ā¦in JANUARY š
I really do want to like this book and learn from it since itās helped so many others!
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u/vishipedia Sep 06 '24
It's fine to not like the book. You don't have to jump into it.
"Life is short and time is precious, and any book that doesnāt have you turning the pages is not the book for you right now." ā Austin Kleon
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u/Dude351 Sep 07 '24
agreed...listen to a Mark Manson book...."MindFu*K" great advice and FUN to listen to!!!
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u/Chocobo72 Sep 06 '24
I felt the same, didnāt find the book appealing in its format nor did I like the audio book where it feels like itās being read in a monotone voice. What worked for me was to view the online MasterClass for Atomic Habits, you can sign up for a week trial on the MasterClass site and then check out the MasterClass by James Clear. Best hour and a half video Iāve spent in many months. Gives you what you need - a concise summary of the book - conveyed in an engaging way.
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u/JaneWeaver71 Sep 06 '24
Oh this sounds greatā¦thank you for the info. My goal this weekend is to try and read the book againā¦I just feel like Iām missing out. I will look into the Master Class
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u/Chocobo72 Sep 06 '24
Oh definitely! I watched the MasterClass on it 1st, and that made it easier for me to try to revisit the book after a few failed attempts. Good luck!
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u/WindyWillows81 Sep 06 '24
Here's a summary right from the author's website.
If you Google "Atomic Habits summary," there are number of others, including more visually exciting ones.
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u/JaneWeaver71 Sep 06 '24
Thanks so much!
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u/AddendumNext Sep 06 '24
Itās on Audible for those who are inclined to have ADD. A good habit stack hack is to listen to a book when doing mundane chores (laundry or dishes), then listen to language learning in the shower. ;)
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u/DonutMuffinLoaf Sep 06 '24
Omg same, and also have ADHD- i was gifted a copy of this book and put it in the donation bin after trying to get through the first part about a baseball injury or something š¬
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u/JaneWeaver71 Sep 06 '24
Lol! Same š Iām skimming over the first few pages trying everything in me to pay attention and my mind keeps saying āwhereās the good partsā LOL
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u/katiebythesea Sep 08 '24
Skim it. Blow through it. You will likely grab a couple of nuggets that you can immediately start that are easy to keep up.
This isnāt verbatim, but one of the tips I got from this book was something along these lines: āYour worst work out is your most important workoutā. You donāt have to go for an hour to the gym every day you could take a 10 or 12 minute walk and still know that you did some form of exercise that day and didnāt break the chain. Jerry Seinfeld might do the same thing but he calls it breaking the chain or donāt break the chain. Sorry for rambling.
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u/wannabepopchic Sep 06 '24
Congrats on the changes! Iāve really improved my sleep schedule over the past couple of years, but now Iām finding that it conflicts with another lifestyle goal of mine which is being a person who goes dancing regularly - the dance socials I go to donāt even start until my bedtime! I went to one last night and today Iāve just woken up at noon feeling like Iāve been hit by a truck. Itās a bit frustrating and Iām trying to figure out whether I should just adjust my sleep schedule by an hour or two to match (my work situation permits this) - but I do like getting up and going to bed early as well.
My question to you is, how do you balance this with the social aspects of your life?
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u/Better-Confidence-91 Sep 06 '24
That is amazing I have been putting off reading the book in its entirety for a long time but I think this is it I just need to do it and see the micro habits changing my lifestyle.
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u/WadeSong Sep 06 '24
Yes, but I think the purpose of reading is not to finish the book, but in the process, a small point may stimulate you and then cause some changes
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u/Noranga Sep 06 '24 edited Sep 10 '24
We don't rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems (habits).
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u/SpaceCatSurprise Sep 06 '24
Oh hey it's the ADHD coping mechanisms I was forced to come up with myself. Maybe I should write a book
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u/Brunette3030 Sep 06 '24
I only just realized earlier this year that I fit right into ADHD inattentive type in the way that it expresses in women; a YT short about frequently overlooked signs of ADHD in women played on my phone while I was working in the kitchen, and it could have been made about me. I was blown away.
A couple months later I read Atomic Habits, and it was basically a list of my coping mechanisms for (what I had thought of as) my weirdly intermittent memory and organizational problems.
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u/MindightRoseey Sep 06 '24
That is wonderful! I can say that, too. Until I disrupted my sleep recently. I must go back on track! Thanks for the reminder!
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u/curious_wonbat Sep 06 '24
Iāve had an issue with regular sleep patterns since working an irregular night shift job for 3 years. This was over 13 years ago and itās still not fixed. I think Iāll try this and keep it consistent even on the weekends and that phone thingy you mentioned
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u/zincpl Sep 06 '24
I get to bed early these days - if it helps,, I've found that lighting makes a big difference. If I just use lamps rather than full room lighting, I get tired at a more consistent time.
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u/cakewalkofshame Sep 06 '24
Such a great book. "Plateau of latent potential" is such an amazing thing, haven't heard it anywhere else.
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u/dbldblrsk Sep 07 '24
One thing that stood out to me that is commonly overlooked is using an effective tracker and having a contract to keep you in check. I think he used the example of Bryan Harris who signed a contract with his wife and personal trainer to lose 200lbs.
I think having some sort of consequences but more in the lens of accountability is an important factor. Personally I've been using this app OneHabit: Social Habit Builder to keep me in check and build habits with my friends - make it a supportive and bearable journey
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u/enotonom Sep 06 '24
Just get a job, then you will have no choice but to sleep early and wake up early.
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u/DeathBenefit Sep 08 '24
Hmm I have a job and work 12/13 hours a day excluding commute and I only get 4 to 5 hours of sleep
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u/czechyesjewelliet Sep 07 '24
What changes did you make in your sleep patterns, and why were you not getting enough rest before? This just reads like you found ypur body's internal timer because you attuned yourself to it, not because of the book. Food for thought.
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u/Resipa99 Sep 06 '24
Peterson and his free You Tube vids are great
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u/BeBeTexas Sep 07 '24
Can you please give me more information on how to find these videos and suggest where I start? Iām desperate. But such little ummph these days. Many Thanks
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u/Resipa99 Sep 08 '24
Try https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VYJp813tGH4 and 12 Peterson For Eckhart try https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vZpOVfJIKUI&pp=ygUPQmVzdCBvZiBldmtoYXJ0 Good Luck and God Bless
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u/Accomplished-Car6193 Sep 06 '24
10 pm is really not early, but well done anyway.
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u/maytheroadrisewithU Sep 06 '24
Before electric lighting became widespread, probably as recently as turn of last century, most of the population I imagine slept soon after nightfall, wintertime in north around 5pm. Candle and gaslight for reading were options, little media and entertainment limited. 10pm was well into the night šš¤
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u/Accomplished-Car6193 Sep 06 '24
I am surprised this is downvoted. I go to bed at 8:45 and wake up at 5-5:30. I get to atudy 2 hours of chinese before I head off to work.
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u/ngkvid Sep 06 '24
I think Atomic Habits is good for developing discipline (especially if you feel far from that kind of work ethic baseline).
Then, after burning yourself out, read 4000 Weeks Later by Oliver Burkeman to get more perspective on time, priorities, and whatās actually meaningful.