Page 199 - Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

things and make course corrections whenever necessar y—like Pat Riley

adjusting the e ort of his players on a nightly basis. You don’t want to keep
practicing a habit if it becomes ine ective.
Personally, I employ two primar y modes of re ection and review. Each
December, I per form an Annual Review, in which I re ect on the previous

year. I tally my habits for the year by counting up how many articles I
published, how many workouts I put in, how many new places I visited, and
more.* en, I re ect on my progress (or lack thereof ) by answer ing three
questions:

1. What went well this year?

2. What didn’t go so well this year?
3. What did I learn?

Six months later, when summer rolls around, I conduct an Integrity
Report. Like ever yone, I make a lot of mistakes. My Integ rity Rep ort helps

me realize where I went wrong and motivates me to get back on course. I use
it as a time to revisit my core values and consider whet her I have been living
in accordance with them. is is when I re ect on my identity and how I can
work toward being the type of person I wish to become.*
My yearly Integ rity Rep ort answers three questions:

1. What are the core values that drive my life and work?
2. How am I living and working with integ rity right now?
3. How can I set a higher standard in the future?

es e two rep orts don’t take ver y long—just a few hours per year—but
they are crucial per iods of re nement. ey prevent the gradual slide that

happens when I don’t pay close attention. ey provide an annual reminder
to revisit my desired identity and consider how my habits are helping me
become the type of person I wish to be. ey indicate when I should
upgrade my habits and take on new challenges and when I should dial my

e orts back and focus on the fundamentals.