Reprogramming yourself. On March of 2019 I read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. I don’t like to be dramatic so this is a little uncomfortable to say but the concepts in this book quite literally changed my life.

I have always been impatient with myself, if I tried something and didn’t quickly become competent at it, I would abandon it and move on to the next thing. I was naturally proficient at some things so I gravitated towards those and later on in life I indeed got better at being persistent with some things, but I was never really consistent with anything, at least not anything positive (flashback to young me consistently staying up until 7AM watching garbage TV in my college years).

As a kid, school was relatively easy for me, and ironically that turned out to be mostly a net negative in my life. I failed to learn resilience, I failed to learn consistency, and in the last couple of years I have come to realize how important these concepts are for success, but most importantly for leading a satisfying life.

Getting by without planning or structure was a badge of honor for me. It’s not that being resourceful and figuring things out under pressure aren’t good skills to have, but I realized that the majority of the stresses in my life were avoidable if I had known back then about the importance of consistency.

Small, consistent changes can have a surprisingly large impact on your life, you always hear about the drop of water breaking the stone and all of that, but who has the time to wait for it? Well, turns out that in most cases there are no reliable shortcut and it’s best to commit to the long term payoff, while enjoying the process.

“If you want to make a positive change in your life, you should recognize that change requires patience, as well as confidence that your habits are keeping you on the right trajectory – even if you aren’t seeing immediate results.”

JAMES CLEAR – ATOMIC HABITS

The problem is that this is not easy to do, or rather, it is relatively easy but not intuitive. The best way to solidify a new habit is to make it so easy that it would be very difficult to fail. This is very counterintuitive but if you think about it for a few minutes makes a lot of sense, because once the habit becomes automatic, it’s easier to gradually increment the amount, duration or intensity of it until you reach the desired result. Not doing this is why we fail at habits, because we think we must do too much too soon, get overwhelmed, get frustrated and quit (many years of failed resolutions are undeniable proof of this).

This book taught me a foolproof strategy to build new habits and so far it has worked extremely well to help me create lots of habits that I still practice, many that I don’t need any more and many others that I will build in the future because now I know how to do it. I have also failed to set some habits, but instead of quitting for good, I reviewed what happened and tried again, sometimes multiple times. It took me several tries to solidify a consistent exercise habit, but now I have it and it is one of the topics that I would like to write about here.

In fact, this blog is the newest habit that I decided to start because I want to share all the good that has come to me from researching into the topics of productivity, motivation, mindset and meditation. I will also write about other interests such as music production, sports and in particular I have a draft for a multi part series about the wacky world of Japanese alternative idols, which I will publish someday.

I can say without any doubts that I am now a better person and can be self motivated and productive, all because of the tools I got from this book (and many others that I have read since then). Sometimes I wish I had read this (or something similar) when I was much younger, but regrets are not productive and wallowing is pointless. The past is unchangeable and that future doesn’t exist yet, so what’s left is to be consistent and continue building towards the person I want to become, now I know the way to get there.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

CHINESE PROVERB

The life-changing impact of Atomic Habits

On March of 2019 I read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. I don’t like to be dramatic so this is a little uncomfortable to say but the concepts in this book quite literally changed my life. This is not hyperbole. The principles in this book provided a framework for personal transformation that I had been missing my entire life.

The book provided a systematic approach to behavior change. Instead of relying on willpower or motivation, it offered a science-based method for building habits that actually stick.

It shifted my perspective from goals to systems. Instead of focusing on outcomes, I learned to focus on the processes that lead to those outcomes. This was a fundamental shift in how I approached personal development.

The concepts were immediately applicable. Unlike many self-help books that offer vague advice, Atomic Habits provided specific, actionable strategies that I could implement right away.

It explained why my previous attempts at habit formation had failed. The book revealed the common mistakes people make when trying to build new habits, and I recognized myself in every single one.

The impact was cumulative and exponential. Each new habit I built made it easier to build the next one. The skills and confidence I developed transferred to other areas of my life.

It provided a framework for continuous improvement. Instead of thinking about personal development as a series of isolated changes, I began to see it as an ongoing process of refinement and growth.

The problem with being naturally gifted

I have always been impatient with myself, if I tried something and didn’t quickly become competent at it, I would abandon it and move on to the next thing. This pattern was deeply ingrained in my behavior and was a major obstacle to long-term success.

I was naturally proficient at some things so I gravitated towards those. This created a comfort zone that prevented me from developing the skills I actually needed for success and fulfillment.

Later on in life I indeed got better at being persistent with some things, but I was never really consistent with anything, at least not anything positive. I could stick with things when they came easily, but I lacked the discipline to persist when things got difficult.

Flashback to young me consistently staying up until 7AM watching garbage TV in my college years. This is a perfect example of how I could be consistent with negative habits but struggled with positive ones. The problem wasn’t consistency itself, it was what I was being consistent about.

As a kid, school was relatively easy for me, and ironically that turned out to be mostly a net negative in my life. Being naturally good at something can be a curse in disguise. It prevents you from developing the skills you need to handle challenges and setbacks.

I failed to learn resilience. When things came easily, I never had to develop the ability to bounce back from failure or persist through difficulty.

I failed to learn consistency. I never had to practice showing up day after day, regardless of how I felt or what obstacles I faced.

In the last couple of years I have come to realize how important these concepts are for success, but most importantly for leading a satisfying life. These are not just skills for achieving goals, they’re essential for building a life that feels meaningful and fulfilling.

The illusion of winging it

Getting by without planning or structure was a badge of honor for me. I prided myself on being able to figure things out on the fly and succeed without preparation. This was a source of identity and self-worth.

It’s not that being resourceful and figuring things out under pressure aren’t good skills to have. These are valuable abilities that can serve you well in many situations. The problem is when they become your primary strategy for life.

I realized that the majority of the stresses in my life were avoidable if I had known back then about the importance of consistency. Most of the problems I faced were not external circumstances, but the result of my own lack of planning and preparation.

The stress of last-minute deadlines, the anxiety of unprepared presentations, the frustration of forgotten commitments. These were all symptoms of a larger problem: the belief that I could always figure it out later.

Winging it works until it doesn’t. There comes a point where the complexity of life exceeds your ability to handle it through improvisation alone.

The cost of inconsistency is invisible but real. You don’t see the opportunities you miss, the relationships you damage, or the potential you fail to realize when you’re constantly operating in crisis mode.

Consistency creates compound interest. Small, regular actions build up over time to create massive results. Inconsistency, on the other hand, creates compound losses.

The power of small, consistent changes

Small, consistent changes can have a surprisingly large impact on your life, you always hear about the drop of water breaking the stone and all of that, but who has the time to wait for it? The problem with this metaphor is that it makes the process sound passive and slow.

Well, turns out that in most cases there are no reliable shortcut and it’s best to commit to the long term payoff, while enjoying the process. The key insight is that the process itself can and should be enjoyable.

The compound effect of daily habits. When you do something small every day, the results compound over time in ways that are difficult to predict or imagine.

Consistency beats intensity. A small action done every day is more powerful than a large action done occasionally. The cumulative effect of daily practice far outweighs the impact of sporadic effort.

The 1% improvement rule. If you improve by just 1% each day, you’ll be 37 times better by the end of the year. This is the power of compound growth.

Small changes are sustainable. When you make small changes, you’re more likely to stick with them. When you try to make big changes, you’re more likely to burn out and quit.

The process becomes the goal. Instead of focusing on distant outcomes, you learn to find satisfaction in the daily practice itself.

Patience becomes a skill. You learn to trust the process and have confidence that your habits are moving you in the right direction, even when you can’t see immediate results.

The counterintuitive approach to habit formation

The problem is that this is not easy to do, or rather, it is relatively easy but not intuitive. The principles of habit formation are simple, but they go against our natural instincts.

The best way to solidify a new habit is to make it so easy that it would be very difficult to fail. This is the key insight that most people miss. We think we need to make habits challenging to be effective, but the opposite is true.

This is very counterintuitive but if you think about it for a few minutes makes a lot of sense. The goal is not to do something impressive, it’s to do something consistently. Consistency requires that the habit be easy enough to maintain.

Once the habit becomes automatic, it’s easier to gradually increment the amount, duration or intensity of it until you reach the desired result. This is the two-step process: first make it automatic, then make it effective.

Not doing this is why we fail at habits, because we think we must do too much too soon, get overwhelmed, get frustrated and quit. This is the classic pattern of New Year’s resolutions and other failed attempts at behavior change.

Many years of failed resolutions are undeniable proof of this. The evidence is clear: when we try to do too much too soon, we fail. When we start small and build gradually, we succeed.

The two-minute rule. Start with a habit that takes less than two minutes to complete. This makes it almost impossible to fail, and once it’s automatic, you can gradually increase the duration.

The habit stacking method. Attach your new habit to an existing habit. This leverages the automatic nature of existing behaviors to create new ones.

Environment design. Make good habits obvious and bad habits invisible. Your environment has a powerful influence on your behavior.

The foolproof strategy in action

This book taught me a foolproof strategy to build new habits and so far it has worked extremely well to help me create lots of habits that I still practice. The strategy is not complicated, but it requires patience and consistency.

Many that I don’t need any more. Some habits serve their purpose and then become unnecessary. This is a sign of growth and progress.

Many others that I will build in the future because now I know how to do it. Having a reliable method for building habits gives you confidence to tackle new challenges.

I have also failed to set some habits, but instead of quitting for good, I reviewed what happened and tried again, sometimes multiple times. Failure is not the end of the process, it’s part of the process.

It took me several tries to solidify a consistent exercise habit, but now I have it and it is one of the topics that I would like to write about here. The exercise habit is a perfect example of how persistence pays off.

The key is to treat failures as experiments. Each failed attempt provides valuable information about what doesn’t work, which helps you refine your approach.

Success is not linear. You don’t improve steadily day by day. You have setbacks and plateaus, but the overall trend is upward.

The process of building habits builds character. You develop patience, persistence, and confidence in your ability to change.

The ripple effects of habit formation

In fact, this blog is the newest habit that I decided to start because I want to share all the good that has come to me from researching into the topics of productivity, motivation, mindset and meditation. The skills I developed through habit formation enabled me to start this blog.

I will also write about other interests such as music production, sports and in particular I have a draft for a multi part series about the wacky world of Japanese alternative idols, which I will publish someday. The confidence and discipline I developed through habit formation allow me to pursue multiple interests.

I can say without any doubts that I am now a better person and can be self motivated and productive, all because of the tools I got from this book (and many others that I have read since then). The transformation is real and measurable.

The skills transfer to other areas. The discipline, patience, and systematic thinking I developed through habit formation apply to every area of my life.

I’m more resilient. When I face setbacks or challenges, I have the tools and confidence to persist and adapt.

I’m more patient. I understand that meaningful change takes time and that the process itself is valuable.

I’m more systematic. I approach problems with a methodical mindset rather than relying on intuition or improvisation.

I’m more confident. Knowing that I can change my behavior and build new habits gives me confidence to tackle new challenges.

Letting go of regret

Sometimes I wish I had read this (or something similar) when I was much younger, but regrets are not productive and wallowing is pointless. This is a mature perspective that comes from understanding the nature of time and change.

The past is unchangeable and that future doesn’t exist yet, so what’s left is to be consistent and continue building towards the person I want to become. This is the essence of mindfulness and effective living.

Now I know the way to get there. Having a reliable method for personal development is incredibly empowering.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. This Chinese proverb captures the essence of the message: start where you are, with what you have.

Regret is a form of mental time travel. You’re suffering in the present because of something that happened in the past, which you cannot change.

Focus on what you can control. You can’t change the past, but you can control your actions in the present moment.

The compound effect works in both directions. Just as small positive actions compound over time, small negative actions (like regret) also compound.

Every day is a new opportunity. You don’t need to wait for a special occasion to start building the habits that will create the life you want.

The bottom line

Reprogramming yourself is possible. Your behavior is not fixed. You can change your habits, and changing your habits changes your life.

Small, consistent changes create massive results. The compound effect of daily habits is more powerful than most people realize.

The key is to start small and build gradually. Make your habits so easy that they’re almost impossible to fail, then gradually increase the challenge.

Consistency beats intensity. A small action done every day is more valuable than a large action done occasionally.

The process is more important than the outcome. Focus on building the systems and habits that will create the results you want.

Failure is part of the process. Don’t give up when you fail. Learn from the failure and try again with a refined approach.

The best time to start is now. Don’t wait for the perfect moment or the perfect conditions. Start where you are, with what you have.

You are not stuck. No matter where you are in life, you have the power to change your habits and transform your future.

The tools are available. Books like Atomic Habits provide the knowledge and strategies you need to build lasting habits and create meaningful change.

Reprogramming yourself is not just possible, it’s necessary. The person you want to become requires different habits than the person you are now. Start building those habits today.