183 - Building & Changing Habits with James Clear of "Atomic Habits"

Read full show notes here: https://bit.ly/3mSR9C1 James Clear is the author of the New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits. His extensive research into human behavior has helped him identify key components of habit formation and develop the “Four Laws of Behavioral Change.” In this episode, James provides insights into how both good and bad habits are formed, including the influence of genetics, environment, social circles, and more. He points to changes one can make to cultivate more perseverance and discipline and describes the profound impact habits can have when tying them into one’s self-identity. Finally, James breaks down his “Four Laws of Behavioral Change” and how to use them to create new habits, undo bad habits, and make meaningful changes in one’s life. We discuss: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:10 - Why James became deeply interested in habits 00:04:39 - Viewing habits through an evolutionary lens 00:08:29 - The power of immediate feedback for behavior change, and why we tend to repeat bad habits 00:14:25 - The role of genetics and innate predispositions in determining one’s work ethic and success in a given discipline 00:24:36 - How finding one’s passion can cultivate perseverance and discipline 00:31:40 - Advantages of creating systems and not just setting goals 00:39:55 - The power of habits combined with self-identity to induce change 00:55:13 - How a big environmental change or life event can bring on radical behavioral change 00:59:38 - The influence of one’s social environment on their habits 01:06:28 - How and why habits are formed 01:16:45 - How to make or break a habit with the “Four Laws of Behavior Change” 01:24:08 - Practical tips for successful behavioral change—the best strategies when starting out 01:40:01 - Self-forgiveness and getting back on track immediately after slipping up 01:50:18 - Law #1: Make it obvious—Strategies for identifying and creating cues to make and break habits 01:59:24 - Law #2: Make it attractive—examples of ways to make a new behavior more attractive 02:12:00 - Law #3: Make it easy—the 2-minute rule 02:17:17 - Law #4: Make it satisfying—rewards and reinforcement 02:20:18 - Advice for helping others to make behavioral changes -------- About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 35 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is a physician focusing on the applied science of longevity. His practice deals extensively with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://bit.ly/3ob4Onv Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://bit.ly/2Yt1v26 Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://bit.ly/3bSapZU Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGoogle