Did You Know These Four Laws of Behaviour Change Govern Your Habits

Book Insights: Atomic Habits (Part 2)

Mar 16, 2025

Hi friend,

You can check out part 1 of this series here.

brown ceramic coffee mug on book — Photo by Ella Jardim on Unsplash

In this part of the series, I will talk about the four laws of behaviour change that we can use to build good habits and most importantly, stick to them.

Before we delve into the first law, here’s a short piece of advice from the author.

The author says that the process of behaviour change starts with awareness.

For which he suggested two methods. The first method is Pointing and Calling meaning you verbalise your actions so that you change them from non-conscious to a conscious habit.

The second method is maintaining a Habits Scorecard. Basically, you have to note down each of the actions that you perform everyday and assign a “+” if it’s a good habit like reading a book everyday, “-” if it’s a bad habit like using phone first thing in the morning, or an “=” sign if it’s a neutral habit like having breakfast.

Once you are aware of your bad habits, it’s time to get rid of them and adopt new habits. These laws will allow you to do just that.

First Law of Behaviour Change

The first law of behaviour change is “make it obvious”.

The author talks about a concept called “implementation intention”, a plan that you prepare beforehand about “when” and “where” to act. The author suggests that an action is more likely to be performed if you know exactly when and where you will perform it.

Strategy Formula: I will [BEHAVIOUR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].

Another strategy called “habit stacking” is also derived from the previously mentioned strategy.

In this strategy, instead of tying the new habit to time and location, we tie it to our current habit. For example, once I come from a walk after having dinner, I will take out a book to read before I go to bed.

Strategy Formula: After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

Another thing you can try doing is changing the environment where you are trying to build the habit. It will make the “where” more suitable for your good habits.

The author says that a stable environment where everything has a place and a purpose is an environment where habits can easily form.

Second Law of Behaviour Change

The second law of behaviour change is “make it attractive”.

The author says that habits are dopamine driven feedback loops.

And when it comes to habits, dopamine is released not only when you “experience” pleasure but also when you “anticipate” it.

An important point here is that it is the anticipation of a reward — not the fulfilment of it — that gets us to take action.

And that’s where a strategy called “temptation bundling” comes into play to make our experience rewarding.

This strategy involves a psychology principle called Premack’s Principle which states that “more probable behaviours will reinforce less probable behaviour”.

Basically, you bundle your habits using the below formula:

Strategy formula:
1. After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED].

2. After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT].

The author says that one of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where your desired behaviour is the normal behaviour.

For example, if you want to build a reading habit, you can consider joining a reading club.

Third Law of Behaviour Change

The third law of behaviour change is “make it easy”.

Human behaviour is governed by the “Law of Least Effort”. It simply means that we are more likely to perform the action that requires the least amount of work.

Taking the same example of reading, if you want to build a habit of reading daily before going to bed but have kept your book in a room where you are less likely to go before sleeping, you have already created friction for your desired action. Keep it near your bed so that you can easily access it.

The author shares a technique in the book called “Two Minute Rule” which simply means when you are trying to build a new habit, it should take less than two min to do it.

So, if you plan to read everyday before going to sleep, you should aim to read 1 page everyday.

Fourth Law of Behaviour Change

The 4th Law of Behaviour Change is “make it satisfying”.

We are more likely to repeat a behaviour when the experience is satisfying. That’s where rewards come into the picture.

But here’s the thing about rewards. The human brain is evolved to prioritize immediate rewards over delayed rewards.

The author says…

In the beginning of building any good habit, you need a reason to stay on track. This is why immediate rewards are essential. They keep you excited while the delayed rewards accumulate in the background.

The Cardinal Rule of Behaviour Change is “What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided”.

To get a habit to stick, you need to feel immediately successful - even if it's in a small way.

Again, coming to the reading habit example, maintaining your reading tracker where you mark your progress everyday after you read a page makes your experience rewarding and satisfying. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and keeps you going.

The first three laws of behaviour change - “make it obvious”, “make it attractive”, and “make it easy” - increase the odds that a behaviour will be performed this time. The fourth law of behaviour change - “make it satisfying” increases the odds that a behaviour will be repeated next time.

Have you read this book? If yes, what lessons have you implemented from this book? Let me know in the comments. :)

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