Habits are about energy application and momentum

I recently read James Clear’s Atomic Habits. I’ve always been obsessed with introspection that leads to optimization, and this book served as a great refiner of my thoughts.

Building habits is easy. We do it all the time. Building the right habits is harder. It takes focus and energy. So how do we apply our energy well? Physics class says, apply energy where you want to create change. Energy is the ability to do work. So we need energy.

Habits are not built off of the quality of the instance, but the quantity. Get the reps in. Build your momentum to the point that you can’t be stopped by the normal outside forces that act on you (tiredness, work, commitments, etc). So should I apply a ton of energy? Or little amounts? We need to know how much to apply.

High reps, low energy or low reps, high energy? Well, of course, we want high energy and high repetitions! Agh. If I commit to an application of large energy for each instance of a habit (i.e going to the gym for 2 hours after work). It’s far more likely that in any given day I do not have the required energy to perform my habit. However, if I commit to low-energy instances (i.e. the gym for 30 minutes) then I’m much more likely to actually get to the gym (I rarely have 120 minutes of energy, but I usually have 30). And getting to the gym, performing the action, is what matters.

Let’s summarize. We need energy. We need to apply it correctly. We need to apply it frequently.

To build habits, we can apply small amounts of energy easily, with high frequency, in a single direction. This is how we build momentum (p = m * v) and the result is habits that are not easily derailed.

Motivation doesn’t build habits, movement does.

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Some additional quotes from Atomic Habits and thoughts:

Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.

So let’s make a lot of votes! Frequency!

Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement

Charlie Munger says “the first rule of compounding is to never interrupt it unnecessarily.”