Intro to the book:Atomic Habits – Tiny changes, remarkable results, An easy & proven way to build good habits and break bad ones.Author: James Clear

• Author back story: in his sophomore year of high school he was accidentally hit in the face with a baseball bat, broken nose, skull fractures and two shattered eye sockets, Coma• Had double vision, lost his ability to smell, eyeball bulged out of socket for weeks. • Depression, loss, disappointment • He was determined to return to baseball.  How was he going to make his way back?  It took two years for what he called his turning point when he went to college and had worked hard for a spot on the baseball team.• James made a choice to focus on building good habits as he continued to work his way back to his peak performance and it paid off.   Creating habits gave him a feeling of control.  Sleep, study, fitness habits.  He lived this very book and decided to share the notes he took during his journey through a newsletter that grew to 200k email subscribers – developing in a book deal, larger audiences and speaking engagements. 

• What are Atomic Habits?  A regular practice or routine that is not only small and easy to do, but also the source of incredible power.

• Forget about setting goals, focus on systems – “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems”

• Four stages of habits:1. Cue2. Craving3. Response4. Reward

• The four laws of behavior change for building better habits:1. Make it obvious – Time & location2. Make it attractive – Craving, Temptaion bundling, Wanting the reward3. Make it easy4. Make it satisfying – What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.  

• Breaking bad habits:1. Makie it invisible2. Make it unattractive3. Make it difficult4. Make it unsatisfying

• Habit: A routine or behavior that is performed regulartly and in many cases automatically. • Habit Score: +, -, = • Habit Stacking: Taking a current habit you already have and then adding or stacking your new behavior on top.

• Questions:1. How does this apply to marriage?2. How does this apply to our household?3. How does this apply individually?4. Do we play a role in creating the right habits in our spouse or even holding on to bad habits?