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The Hidden Problem With Atomic Habits Nobody Talks About

You’ve probably tried habit stacking before. The classic idea of, “After I brew my coffee, I’ll do X.”

I did that too. I stacked my physical therapy exercises onto my Nespresso routine, and I did them every single day for years. But the second I traveled? That habit disappeared. It just… evaporated. No Nespresso machine, no physical therapy.

Meanwhile, that same morning coffee routine? I once had to put a Post-it note on my coffee machine to stop myself from brewing it before fasting blood work, because I would do it on pure autopilot. I knew from experience — because the last time, even though I was not waking up at the same time of day and had a totally different morning routine to make it to the place on time, I still hit that brew button first thing. I was halfway through my cup of coffee when I remembered I wasn’t supposed to be drinking it.

Same brain. Both situations had cue disruptions. Two completely different results.

And this is where a lot of habit advice — including Atomic Habits — quietly breaks down. Not because the book is wrong. It’s incredibly useful. But because it doesn’t really spell out one big piece of habit science.

More Actionable Breakdowns Below👇

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More Actionable Breakdowns

Did you miss one of our previous breakdowns? Here are some you might find helpful.

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Your daily experiences, interactions, and projects are shaping your mind and influencing your success. By understanding how your brain decides what to remember, forget, and transform into core skills, you can harness the power of experiential learning to skyrocket your business and optimize your life. Learn how to train your brain the right way to think smarter, not harder.

How “Vacation Mode” Unlocks Your Prioritization Ninja (Hint: it’s not about self-care)

I have to admit that I don’t remember where I read the actual term “vacation mode” for the first time but suffice it to say I did not invent it. We could even call it the “vacation phenomenon”. I know most think of “vacation mode” as that feeling of being on vacation and that’s not what I mean here…but whatever you want to call it, I am capitalizing on it now and it also just came up in a discussion in virtual coworking in the inner circle. PLUS, the great news is you don’t need a postponed wedding to use this trick…So let’s get to it. 💪

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I hope you found this valuable!

Wishing you much productivity!

- Jenae :)