Stop Feeling Unfocused And Unproductive. Build Atomic Habits, Unlock Founder Superpowers.
This Friday-> Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear [5 min reading]
On Startup Salad I break down a business book’s key takeaways in a simple, digestible format, just like a good salad!
Hey, it’s Fede!
On Startup Salad we’ve talked go-to-market, cap tables, pricing tricks…
All useful. All cool.
But today, let’s talk about the most important part of any startup: the founder.
When I built my first startup, Revogen, I learned one thing the hard way:
no energy = no execution.
And energy? It comes from how you manage your life.
We all have a bunch of habits.
Our lives are made of habits.
Some of them give us energy, others slowly drain it
…like late-night scrolling, no workouts, trash sleep... you get the idea.
So today, let’s talk about how to kill the bad habits and how to build the good ones that unlock your founder superpowers.
Today's book: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
A slight change in your daily habits can guide your life to a very different destination. J.C.
Let’s break it down!
The Habit Loop
We all have bad habits we’d love to quit, and new ones we wish we could stick to.
But let’s be real… It’s not easy.
That’s where this book comes in.
It breaks every habit into 4 parts, called the habit loop.
For each part, it shares simple techniques to help you take control.
This graphic shows how the loop works.
Each part has its own paragraph (Step 1, 2, and 3), where I’ve added the book’s best techniques to handle it better.
Cue → the trigger (you feel bored)
Craving → what the trigger makes you want (you feel the urge for a dopamine spike, hoping something interesting happened out there)
Response → the action you take (you grab your phone)
Reward → the feeling you get after (yeeaah, you can now spend your morning happily scroll through a piece of glass full of rare minerals)
Fede’s side note: Even though it’s shown as a straight line, the habit loop is actually a circle.
Example: You feel bored → you grab your phone → quick dopamine hit → feel better → put it down → now you feel even more bored → repeat.
BOOOM. You just trained your brain to grab the phone every time you’re bored.
In the next sections, we’ll break down how to stop bad habits like this one and start new healthy ones.
CUE
This first group of techniques is all about the cue part of the loop, how to make it easier to trigger good habits, and how to avoid getting triggered by bad ones.
Before we dive in, here’s something simple that really helps. If you’re just starting with this whole self-improvement thing, write down all your daily habits, from the moment you wake up to when you go to bed.
Then make two lists: one with the habits you want to get rid of, and one with the habits you’d love to add.
Cool. Let’s start:
1. Habit stacking
Link a new habit to something you already do. Like:
After I brush my teeth, I’ll read 5 pages of a book.
You’re not starting from scratch. You’re just hooking a new action to an old, automatic one. Much easier.
2. Time and location plans
Make it crystal clear when and where your habit happens:
“I’ll go for a walk at 7 AM in Central Park”.
This tactic is called an “implementation intention,” and it works. In one study, 91% of people who picked a time and place stuck with the habit. Just 35% did when they only set a general goal.
It’s like telling your brain: “This is happening in this moment. No excuses.”
3. Habit awareness (aka "point and call")
Most bad habits run on autopilot. The trick? Say them out loud.
Yeah, it sounds silly. But it works.
Try this:
“The first thing I’ll do when I open my home door is work out."
The moment you say it, your brain goes: “Wait… what?”
You break the automatic loop. And over time, you start spotting bad cues before they lead to bad actions.
4. Environment design
This is one of the BIG FISH of this book
Your space influences your behavior. So make it easy for good habits to win.
If you want to read more, put a book on the sofa, not in a drawer.
Want to eat better?
Keep fruit on the table, not chips.
Want to work out more?
Leave your gym shoes by the door.
Make each space do one job only.
Bed = sleep, kitchen table = meals, no emails in bed etc…
I get it, it’s not easy. I live in Geneva. Every square meter is precious. But TRY.
If your home is full of distractions, take your laptop to a quiet café. After a few visits, that café becomes your brain’s cue for focus.
Set yourself up to win before your habit even starts.
CRAVING
Let’s talk about the tools for the craving phase.
Because if the habit doesn’t feel good… your brain will ghost it.
This part is all about making your new routines something you actually want to come back to. And there are two strong ways to make that happen:
1. Temptation Bundling
Want to make a boring habit feel less… boring? Pair it with something you enjoy.
That’s the Premack Principle: first the boring thing, then the fun thing.
…which is even my mom’s principle tbf…
Example:
“After I do 10 pushups, I’ll watch a YouTube video.”
Boom discipline with a cherry on top.
You can also turn up the craving with some sensory upgrades. Think superstimuli: a warm shower, a crunchy snack, a killer playlist. No need to build Disneyland. Just make it pleasant enough that your brain says, “Yep, I want more of this.”
2. Social Boost
“We are the average of the five people closest to us.”
That’s because we tend to mirror the people around us. Always have, always will.
If your crew hits the gym at 6 AM, you’ll probably start doing it too.
If your circle scrolls TikTok and complains all day… well, you know how that ends.
Your tribe defines what feels normal.
So, surround yourself with people already doing the habits you want. I get it, it's not always easy. But with social media, newsletters, Discord, and whatever else… It’s never been easier to find your niche.
RESPONSE
Now let’s focus on the response phase…
There’s a great story from photographer Jerry Uelsmann. He split his students into two groups: one had to take one perfect photo, the other had to take 100 quick photos.
Guess who improved faster?
Yep, the ones who did the reps.
Quantity beats quality. Because action teaches you more than perfection ever will.
Same with habits. If it feels hard, you’ll quit. But if it’s easy? You’ll keep going.
Here are a few tricks to lower the friction and make your habits stupidly simple to start:
1. The 2-Minute Rule
Every habit should start with something that takes less than 2 minutes.
Not “read a book” just read one page.
Not “do yoga” just roll out the mat.
Not “work out” just put on your shoes.
Once you’ve started, you can go further. But the key is to just show up. Every day.
2. Reduce Friction
We’re lazy by design. If something’s hard, we skip it. So make it easy.
Prep your gym bag the night before
Keep healthy snacks in sight
Put your workout app on the home screen
Automate whatever you can
The less effort it takes to start, the more likely you’ll keep going.
3. Use Commitment Devices
These are decisions you make now to help your future self stick to the plan.
A few smart ones:
Buy a great mattress so you sleep better
Set a timer to turn off Wi-Fi at 10 PM
Portion your snacks ahead of time
Subscribe to a delivery service for healthy meals
Use apps that auto-renew prescriptions or savings
Let the system do the work, so your brain doesn’t have to.
Bottom line: if it’s easy, it gets done.
Don’t try to build a perfect habit. Build an easy one, and grow from there.
REWARD
Good habits pay off in the long run, but if you want them to stick, you need a reward in the short term too.
Your brain needs to feel: “Hey, that was worth it.”
So every time you complete a habit, give yourself a little win. Something that feels good right now. Doesn’t need to be big, just something you actually enjoy.
Example: Want to work out more?
Every week you hit 4 workouts, your next train ticket is first class. Simple as that.
Track your progress. Celebrate the small wins.
You’ll stay motivated, avoid the “ugh, whatever” mood, and stop falling off the habit wagon.
Make it satisfying, and you’ll want to come back for more. Every. Single. Time.
Let me give you a real example of how I applied Atomic Habits in my own life.
When I moved to Geneva, Switzerland, I stopped doing kickboxing after 7 years.
I knew I needed to get back into serious training, so I built a new habit from scratch.
Here’s how I did it:
Cue → I used Technique 2: Time and Location Plans.
I told myself: every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 AM, I train in my bedroom. Simple and clear.
Craving → I used Technique 2: Social Boost.
I found a personal trainer to train with me every session. This way, I had no excuses. I had to get out of bed and show up.
Response → I applied Technique 2: Reduce Friction.
All my training gear was ready the night before, so there was zero resistance in the morning.
Reward → In my case, I didn’t need any extra reward.
The physical and mental benefits came fast, and that was enough to keep going.
Are there any habits you’d like to break or build?
Let me know down below!
That’s it for today, I hope you enjoyed it, BIG HUG.
The guidelines you need to build your startup:
The Lean Startup: What You Can Actually Learn From the King of Founder Books
Zero to One: Why Competing Is a Trap and What Great Founders Do Differently
See you next Friday,
Federico Lorenzon