The first step in the Habit Loop is the Cue.  The Cue triggers your brain to initiate a behavior that will get a reward like money, fame, love, friendship, power and so on.

The second step in the Habit Loop is the Craving.  Cravings are the motivational force behind every habit.  Without a craving, there is no reason to act.  Every craving is linked to a desire to change your internal state.

The third step in the Habit Loop is the Response.  This is the actual habit you perform, which depends on how motivated you are and how much friction is associated with the behavior.

The fourth step in the Habit Loop is the Reward.  This is actually what the response delivers.  Rewards are the end goal of every habit.  Rewards satisfy your craving and they also teach us which actions are worth remembering in the future.

The author further expands on the Habit Loop and describes the entire process as the Four Laws of Behavior Change.  The author goes into depth examining how you can create good habits and break bad habits using these four laws as your guide.

James Clear provides a simple point in each of the four laws to create a good habit.

Cue:                  Make it Obvious

Craving:           Make it Attractive

Response:        Make it Easy

Reward:           Make it Satisfying

He also suggests inverting the four laws to break a bad habit.

Cue:                  Make it Invisible

Craving:           Make it Unattractive

Response:        Make it Difficult

Reward:           Make it Unsatisfying

The author also explains the process of Habit Stacking.  This is the concept of pairing a new habit with an old one rather than using time or place to determine when your new habit happens.  Here is an example.  After I pour my cup of coffee in the morning, I will meditate for one minute.

The author used real-life stories and examples to demonstrate his points and provide inspiration for his readers.

Notable Quotes

“Building habits in the present allows you to do more of what you want in the future.” James Clear

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”  Carl Jung

“People who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through.”  James Clear

“Desire is the engine that drives behavior.” James Clear

“We need to make our habits attractive because it is the expectation of a rewarding experience that motivates us to act in the first place.” James Clear

“Surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have yourself.”  James Clear

“Most days, we’d rather be wrong with the crowd that be right by ourselves.”  James Clear

“Much of the battle of building better habits comes down to finding ways to reduce the friction associated with our good habits and increase the friction associated with our bad ones.”  James Clear

“Don’t break the chain.”  Jerry Seinfeld

“The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom.”  James Clear

Law Enforcement Application

By the nature of the work, police officers develop many bad habits.  These bad habits contribute to poor diets, a lack of sleep, depression, alcoholism, health issues and a myriad of other problems.

Ironically, police officers are the very ones who need to be in the best shape physically, emotionally and spiritually in order to do their job to the best of their ability.

Establishing good habits before work, can set your day up for success and help you move in a positive direction.  Minimizing or getting rid of your bad habits can accelerate success and positive growth.

Law enforcement leaders can benefit from establishing good habits while at work and avoiding the consequences of bad habits that negatively affect their organizations and those they lead.

A few positive habits like praising your staff publicly, reporting for work on time, volunteering for extra details, learning something new every day, treating each person in the organization with respect and working to help your staff reach their goals can make all the difference.

On the other hand, a few bad habits like publicly criticizing your staff, not supporting supervisor’s decisions once they have been made, talking negatively about your staff or supervisors and looking at your phone and/or otherwise being distracted when someone is trying to talk to you can damage your organization and undermine your ability to lead.

Good habits can help you while bad habits will hurt you.

Atomic Habits is the kind of book that will help you both personally and professionally.