📚 The Secret to Success

Ever feel like something is standing between you and success?

Well, you might be onto something.

There’s a chemical that is being weaponized against you… and you probably don’t even know. 

What is it?

Dopamine.

Dopamine makes it hard to stop scrolling through social media, even when you know you should be doing something more productive.

How can you stop chasing dopamine from bad habits? And start using your time more productively?

Here are the key insights from 3 habit experts:

• 💣 Atomic Habits

• 💪 The Power of Habit 

• 🧠 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Read Time: 4 min 43 sec

💣 Atomic Habits

Everything you do is a vote for who you want to become.

But how do you make yourself do something you don’t want to do?

It’s like doing mental gymnastics.

Imagine you want to be a runner.

After a long day at work, you come home and all you want to do is sit on the couch and watch TV. 

 It's a habit. 

You still want to be a runner. But get up and go for a run? Not so much.

In Atomic Habits, James Clear shares two secrets to motivation:

#1- The 2 Minute Rule

You need to make the habit as easy as possible.

Maybe it’s too hard to tell yourself to get up and go run. 

But surely you can put on your running shoes. That just takes 2 minutes. 

Change your mindset.

Think of habits as the entry point. Once you tie your laces, you’ve done the habit. Now the run just follows. 

#2- Environment

Create an environment that encourages success.

3 ways to build a successful environment: 

• 1- Make good decisions automatic:

If you delete TikTok, you can’t spend 2 hours/day scrolling mindlessly. 

• 2- Make habits flow with your normal behaviors:

Join a gym on the way home from work instead of one 20 minutes in the opposite direction.

• 3- Get rid of negative influences:

If you don’t buy unhealthy food, you will choose healthier options.

Now let’s talk about how you can turn your bad habits into powerful drivers of success.

More on this:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

• Building a successful environment

Learn AI in 5 Minutes a Day

AI Tool Report is one of the fastest-growing and most respected newsletters in the world, with over 550,000 readers from companies like OpenAI, Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft, and more.

Our research team spends hundreds of hours a week summarizing the latest news, and finding you the best opportunities to save time and earn more using AI.

Sign up with 1-Click

💪 The Power of Habit

40% of what you do happens on autopilot.

So hack your habits right and you’ll work toward your goals without even thinking.

How?

Every habit follows a simple 3-part loop:

Cue- routine- reward.

#1- Cue: the trigger that pushes your brain into automatic mode. 

Your 7 AM alarm wakes you up. 

#2- Routine: your behavior or action.

You get up and make yourself a cup of coffee.

#3- Reward: the positive outcome that encourages behavior.

Reward: You enjoy drinking your coffee.

Now, let’s say you want to stop drinking caffeine.

The trick to changing a habit is to switch the routine and leave everything else unchanged.

So instead of drinking real coffee, you can start making decaf or a cup of tea.

You still get the reward of a hot beverage, just without the caffeine addiction. 

And once it becomes a habit, you won’t think twice before reaching for decaf.

Now let’s look at what habits you should adopt if you want to succeed (in everything you do.)

More on this:

• The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

🧠 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Everyone wants to be successful. 

But only some people are willing to put in the work.

The difference between people who set goals and those who achieve them lies in their habits.

These are the 7 habits of highly effective people:

Habit #1: Be Proactive

Learn to be proactive, not reactive. Getting upset because your business idea was a flop won’t change anything. Get back up and learn from your mistake so it doesn’t happen again.

Habit #2: Begin with the End in Mind

Pinpoint your core values and goals, and then act in line with that personal mission.

Habit #3: Put First Things First

We all have the same 24 hours.

The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is how they organize their time.

If you organize your time well, you can do so much more with it.

Habit #4: Think Win-Win

Not all aspects of business need to be cutthroat.

Effective people know how to collaborate and find outcomes that help all parties involved.

Habit #5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Learn to listen and understand other’s perspectives.

Being a good listener strengthens relationships and builds trust. 

Habit #6: Synergize

Value diverse ideas.

Recognize each person's strengths.

And you’ll make a stronger team.

Habit #7: Sharpen the Saw

Over time, our skills become dull. 

Invest in your learning, and you will stay sharp.

More on this: 

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

• How to rewire your brain for success

• Becoming a more proactive person