The Arena Newsletter: Issue 16

The Arena Newsletter

Issue 16 | June 20, 2019

"If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system."

– James Clear

Welcome to The Arena Newsletter

In this issue, we're exploring Atomic Habits , the book from habit-expert James Clear that outlines the best way to create (and keep) good habits.

Atomic Habits Overview

Atomic Habits provides a framework for good habit formation, as well as some strategies for breaking bad ones. The best piece of advice that Clear offers is that if you are failing to change a habit, the problem isn't necessarily you; the problem is your system. With his methods, Clear outlines how to change your habits in a way that will stick, rather than disappearing after a short while.

In the Arena

With The Arena App, the Atomic Habits systems are best practiced with the repeating tasks option. If you have a task or project that repeats (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), you enter it once, choose the frequency, and it will appear as instructed. When you are planning your day, that particular task is already entered, and you are in the habit of seeing it when it needs to be done, rather than potentially forgetting to enter it every time. Completing this task every time it appears for you allows the habit-formation that Clear discusses, even in small increments.

The 1%

The effects of small habits compound over time. For example, if you can get just 1 percent better each day, you'll up with results that are nearly 37 times better after one year. What can you be 1% better about? Atomic habits are about small, seemingly tiny changes that add up over time. At first, it will seem like nothing is happening. Then, all of a sudden, progress will begin to build on itself. So cool! This is not about huge, grand, sweeping changes that cannot be sustained. This is about tiny, incremental betterments. What tiny thing are you improving on?

About Thrivner Software

The Arena App: Daily Planner, developed by Thrivner Software, combines best practices for #productivity, #timemanagement, and a life well-lived so you have a better day, every day!