I read two books related to habit-forming. The first is the Atomic Habit, and the second is the Hooked. Atomic Habit is more focus on creating personal habits. Hooked is more about integrating your product into a user’s daily life within Hook Model, but they give a similar concept in terms of habit-forming strategy.
1. Focus on the system
Hook model has four critical steps in the system, includes Trigger, Action, Variable Reward and Investment.
Atomic Habit mentions every habit can break down into four steps.
Both books provide strategies to create a habit by closing the loop and make the loop more comfortable to cycle through.
2. Your identity shapes your habit
Atomic Habits use three circles to describe the relationship between your identity with outcomes. The better way to build a new habit is from the inner circle to the outer circle, e.g. you can’t be a healthy person because you buy a bike.
This idea is very similar to Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle. When you communicate your concept to someone else, better to start with WHY rather than HOW. Self Identity tell you WHY you are here, and then you should know WHAT you should do, and you will break it down into HOWs.
In Hook Model, it doesn’t mention self-identity because we use products to solve problems.
3. Small Improvement for each step in the system
Hook Model uses “internal triggers” to encourage users to come back to the product frequently. Make “Action” as straightforward as possible. Provide “variable reward” to users. Use IKEA Effect(Investment) to increase product value.
The more users invest time and effort into a product or service, the more they value it.
Atomic Habit gives four principles which are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying. I will use my experience as an example in the next section.
Atomic Habit has a different definition of reward compare with Hook Model. It focuses on measurable and enjoyable rewards rather than variable rewards.
My Examples
In 2021 I plan to build new good habits and eliminate bad habits, which are
New Habits
- I do exercises 30 minutes every day
- I spent 30 minutes to write in English everyday
- I publish at least one article every month.
Bad Habits
- I spent too much time on my phone
- I drank too many beers last year
First of all, I define my identity which can guide me to build the right habits. (1) I’m a healthy person, and (2) I’m a good communicator in writing and then integrate those new habits into my daily life
Make it obvious
- After eating dinner and take a rest around 1 hr than doing 30 minutes of exercise
- After taking a shower, then writing a diary.
- When I go to my bed, I pick up Kobo eReader(or books) and read ten pages.
Make it harder
- Add time limits on the most used apps, e.g., I add 1 hour limit for Facebook/Instagram/Youtube.
- Remove entertainment apps from my phone’s main page.
- Put beers on the bottom of my refrigerator.
Make it satisfy
- Celebrate how long I don’t drink beer this year. I drank four beers this year for now. I allow drinking one beer every week.
- Use Apple Watch’s Close Your Ring feature to keep your sports activity continues.
- Publishing articles to Medium, I can receive claps and views from readers
