Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

The most effective form of motivation is progress
: This line is paraphrased from Greg
McKeown, who wrote, “Research has shown that of all forms of human motivation the
most effective one is progress.” Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit
of Less (Currency, 2014).
The first mistake is never the one that ruins you
: In fact, research has shown that
missing a habit once has virtually no impact on the odds of developing a habit over the
long-term, regardless of when the mistake occurs. As long as you get back on track,
you’re fine. See: Phillippa Lally et al., “How Are Habits Formed: Modelling Habit
Formation in the Real World,” European Journal of Social Psychology 40, no. 6
(2009), doi:10.1002/ejsp.674.
Missing once is an accident
: “Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a
new habit.” I swear I read this line somewhere or perhaps paraphrased it from
something similar, but despite my best efforts all of my searches for a source are coming
up empty. Maybe I came up with it, but my best guess is it belongs to an unidentified
genius instead.
“When a measure becomes a target”
: This definition of Goodhart’s Law was actually
formulated by the British anthropologist Marilyn Strathern. “‘Improving Ratings’: Audit
in the British University System,” European Review 5 (1997): 305–321,
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-review/article/improving-ratings-
audit-in-the-british-university-system/FC2EE640C0C44E3DB87C29FB666E9AAB
.
Goodhart himself reportedly advanced the idea sometime around 1975 and put it
formally into writing in 1981. Charles Goodhart, “Problems of Monetary Management:
The U.K. Experience,” in Anthony S. Courakis (ed.), Inflation, Depression, and
Economic Policy in the West (London: Rowman and Littlefield, 1981), 111–146.