A&B #56

Hey everyone,

I want to share two lessons I learned this week with you:

1) Read for yourself and to improve your own life. Don't read to try to impress others.

This past week I finished 3 books. Did I get an award or prize for it?

Nope.

Why not?

Because the world does not care how fast you read or how many books you've read. The world only cares about the actions you take from the lessons you learned. That's the real reward.

Lesson 2: The internet is a beautiful place.

I found this cool subreddit that shares lists of free books you can download for free (and it's 100% legal). 

Here are 1,000+ ebooks and audiobooks you can download for FREE. 

Alright, let's dive into this week's newsletter.

📚 Book Lessons:

This week's book is Atomic Habits by James Clear.I wrote about Atomic Habits in last week's newsletter but there's so much knowledge in it that I had to share more. If you missed last week's lessons, you can read them here.Here are 3 more lessons from 1) Follow The 2-Minute RuleA common problem when starting a new habit is procrastination. To beat this, James recommends making the habit so small, you could accomplish it in 2 minutes. For example: "Read before bed each night" becomes "Read one page" "Jog for 30 minutes" becomes "Put on your running shoes." "Study for your exam for an hour" becomes "Open your notes."The idea is to make your habit as easy as possible to start. Once you've gotten started, you'll have more momentum to keep going and a higher chance of completing the habit. You might think that reading only one page or just opening your notes is weird, but the point is to master the habit of showing up. Only once a habit is established can you move forward with improving it. So, start small today (you can optimize it later). 2) Redesign Your Environment In Your FavorIf you want to develop a new habit, you want to make it as easy as possible to do it. Reduce any steps between you and your habit to increase the odds of success.For example:  If you want to develop a reading habit, keep a book next to your couch or bed so it's easy to grab when you're home. If you want to eat healthier, move the fruits and vegetables to the front of the fridge and push the snacks to the back. If you want to practice guitar more often, place your guitar in the middle of your living room so it's easier to access.The easier you make it to perform a habit, the less energy and motivation you'll need to summon up to do it. So, redesign your environment to work for you, not against you. 3) Join A Tribe That Does Your HabitOne of the best ways to develop a new habit is to join a tribe where your desired behavior is the normal behavior. It's much easier to work out when you join your gym's Spin class. It's much easier to practice a musical instrument when you join a band. It's much easier to learn chess when you join a chess club.By joining a tribe, you transform your personal quest into a shared one.You surround yourself with people already doing the habit you're trying to develop which shows you it's possible and connects you with people on the same path as you. So, look for a tribe that performs the habit you want to develop.

✅ Actionable Advice:

1) Follow the 2-minute rule:

• Make your habit so small you could do it in two minutes.

• The smaller your habit, the greater chance you'll actually do it.

• Master the act of showing up first, then work on optimizing the habit.

2) Redesign your environment in your favor:

• Make it as easy as possible to perform your good habits.

• Make it as hard as possible to perform habits you don't want to do.

• Be the designer of your life instead of relying on willpower or motivation.

3) Join a tribe that does the habit you want to develop:

• Want to get in shape? Join your gym's CrossFit or Spin class.

• Want to get better at chess? Join your local chess club.

• Want to read more books? Join a community of readers on Twitter and Instagram.

🎧 Podcast Update:

No new pod this week, but here are 3 popular YouTube short videos:

• 4 Books I Wish Someone Gave Me At 18

• 5 Books You Should Read Before Turning 25

• 5 Books To Go From NICE Guy To RIGHT Guy

📖 Reading Lesson:Finding time to read is hard.Finding time to read as a parent is nearly impossible.Here are 10 reading tips for busy parents.

⭐️ Weekly Quote:“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”-Haruki Murakami

🙏 Support:This week's sponsor is For The Interested.For The Interested is free a weekly newsletter that shares 5 strategies from the world’s most successful creators to help you produce, promote, and profit from your creations.If you're a content creator, marketer, or entrepreneur, you'll find this newsletter valuable. Join 25,000+ people who read For The Interested here!

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next Sunday!Read on,Alex W.