A must-read: Atomic Habits or How habit can save ur life in school

 Hi everyone! 

I'm Nour, and this is my first blog article. Since we are at the beginning of a new, intense school year, I decided to talk to you about a book that I greatly appreciate, which emphasises the importance of habit. And as you understand, it is the one and only Atomic Habits by James Clear. 

 

I. Why Atomic Habits is a must-read

Even if this book can look massive and long or complicated, it's very easy to understand.

Firstly, because he always uses simple and common examples, you can quickly understand what he is talking about. The book is filled with schemas and lists to simplify the subject. And a very useful thing is that at the end of every big section of the book, there is a table to summarise the part. 

And still, if you imagine it is a difficult book to read, know that it was the second book in English I ever read, and the most difficult part was not the size or the vocabulary, but applying it in my life. In fact, I'm still trying 

Also, the whole point of this book is to give simple and applicable actions to do every day. These tips, even if they look useless they have a big impact, and that is what atomic habits is learning us. These small changes can help you replace bad habits (like procrastination, scrolling on TikTok, etc) with productive ones. 

II. Key lessons by atomic habit you can use for your studies

° The 1% Rule
You don’t need to change everything overnight. Improving just 1% each day, whether that’s reading one page of notes or reviewing one formula, compounds into big achievements over time. Make a change even if it is slower than other people.

°Habit Stacking
Attach a new habit to one you already do. For example: review flashcards right after brushing your teeth at night, or jot down tomorrow’s to-do list after dinner. With links, you will be more able to create a new habit.

°Environment Design
Make good habits easy and bad habits hard. Keep your notebooks ready on your desk, but leave your phone in another room while you study. We're all lazy, especially when you come back home and just want to chill, so the farther your phone is far the less you want to go take it, and vice versa. 

°Identity-Based Habits
Shift your mindset from “I want good grades” to “I am the kind of person who studies consistently.” When habits match your identity, they stick longer. This technique is just like manipulating your mind. You said you are a good student; your brain will focus on being a good student. But don't forget that you have to be precise so you know in which direction you need to go. A good student? But what is it for you?  

III. Do you want a challenge 

Maybe when you read this title, you will answer no. And I completely understand, but still, try to read one chapter of Atomic Habits and put the lesson in your life, even if you don't see the effect, do it constantly, that will pay off, I promise.

Surviving this school year seems very difficult, but not impossible, and it's the reason why I wanted to share this book. 

Hoping my article interested you. 

Fighting!

Gone Girl : A peek behind closed doors.

 

‘People judge. Fast’ But what is behind closed doors ?

On the morning of their fifth anniversary, Nick’s wife, the beautiful, intelligent, warm and compassionate Amy Dunne, disappears. People start to whisper. That she was afraid of him, that he might have killed her. Nick says he’s not guilty. Who is telling the truth?

                     

Well, hello Charlie. Did I grab your interest like this book grabbed mine?

Written by Gillian Flynn in 2012, Gone Girl is a thriller about a two married new yorkers who move to Mississippi, hoping to find a better life after both losing their jobs. Shortly after their wreckage, they start to lose faith in each other. Nick still wants to think that his wife is the perfect, never angry, nurturing woman he met, and Amy misses the husband she believes she used to have, the Nick who cared about her and loved her for who she was. And then Amy goes missing. Everything comes crashing down. Everybody thinks it’s Nick. But what really happened?

                                                                   

From the second you start the book, you know that the characters are REAL people, with emotions, doubts, fears and a heart. These feelings won’t leave you alone, because you understand these people, you can read them, you’re inside their minds. You are Nick Dunne. You are Amy Dunne. And from the beginning, you know that something is threatening them, that there is something wrong, toxic in the way they behave. You raise an eyebrow in front of your book when you read the difference between what they said and what they’re actually thinking, written in italic, it’s like they were taking the time to think through every single choice they have to make, often angrily, and then put the appearance the outside world expects.

Just like every other human, they fear people’s judgement. Nick tries to compensate for his “humanity” by trying to be perfect, in everything, and Amy puts on personas (as many as she needs to) to be in the likes of others, to be cool, to be what they want her to be in spite of everything she wants as a woman and as a person. She lets others control her appearance, her moods. She is a strong and brilliant woman yet uncapable to take control of her life by acting the way she wants to. She is faking Amazing Amy, the childish character her parents invented as a model to make her happy. Nick is also much more complicated than the good guy who is certain he did no wrong and fails to admit that he waits for other to rescue him. He struggles as he tries to confront what he has done to Amy, to himself, what they have done to each other and fight by himself instead of hiding in everyone’s shadow. He develops from a guy who resents most women and fears facing people’s feelings to someone who cares for more than his own interest and wants to do the right thing.

Amy is a saddening yet realistic example of a sheltered woman who was actually feeling trapped and lonely, driven crazy by society. She is resenting her husband for his incapacity to keep loving her when she stopped being what he wanted her to be : a Cool Girl. This book, through Amy’s character, is tearing apart a trope deserving woman who try to fit in a men’s world by acting like men want them to act. By acting like the “Cool Girl”, they choose not to be themselves despite how unique they are, and how much better they could be if they were playing “their own persona”, be who they are.

 I think this book is deeply feminist without neglecting its male characters : there is more depth to both men and women than just one negative and reducing trait that defines their whole being. Nick was a cheater, he’s trying to be a better man and understand others, Go is a sister who unconditionally loves her brother, but she’s also a strong woman who has lost her work, her parents, watched her brother almost go down, got back a job by herself, told her brother when he messed up and made ‘the best out of a terrible situation’ as Nick would say. Not a single character lacks development and each point of view depicts society in a different way, pushing us to ask ourselves how we want to live and where our choices will lead us.

 

This book is definitely a page-turner, good luck trying to put it down !

Thanks for reading my article ;)

N