'ATOMIC HABITS' .. and Piano Learning

"Atomic Habits" is a book by James Clear that was published in 2018. It reached Bestseller status almost immediately.

It talks about the power of small, everyday habits in creating lasting changes.

I figured that the insights from the book can easily be applied Piano Learning/Teaching

So here goes

1. Compound Effect of Small Habits: The book emphasizes that small, daily habits have a powerful compound effect over time. Even tiny improvements can lead to significant results if consistently practiced.

In the context of Piano Learning, it can begin with just committing to sitting at the Piano everyday for 10 mins if there is no particular goal. Just the simple act of going and sitting at your instrument everyday will compound over time

2. Focus on Systems, Not Goals: Instead of only setting goals, focus on creating systems that make it easier to achieve those goals. Systems are the habits and routines that lead to the desired outcomes.

Piano Learning often is goal oriented where teachers and students work toward a particular Exam, or a Particular Recital. While having goals are very important, what is more important is if there are systems in place to achieve that Goal. For Example the Teacher and Student devise a 'Sequence of Activities and a Checklist' to achieve that Goal which the Student ticks off at each practice session

3. The Four Laws of Behavior Change: The Author presents a framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones.

This consists of four laws:

i) Make it Obvious

ii) Make it Attractive

iii) Make it Easy

iv) Make it Satisfying

I will illustrate this with an example of a student in whom I want to inculcate a habit of Daily Practice

i) Make it Obvious : Make a Time-Table of the different activities they have to accomplish through the day and schedule 'Piano Practice' into it. I'd get them to Pin this up in above their Study desk

ii) Make it Attractive : At least 70 percent of what they need to Practice are materials that they're already good at and like

iii) Make it Easy : Schedule just 20 mins of practice as it makes it easy to do

iv) Make it Satisfying : Let them end their Practice with playing a Piece that they deeply enjoy

4. Habit Stacking: To create new habits, stack them on top of existing habits by associating the new habit with a current habit. This makes it easier to remember and incorporate the new habit into your routine.

I would tell the student to connect Piano Practice habit with an existing routine/habit.

For example, if they have a daily habit of having a cup of milk/tea in the morning, I would tell them to use that as a cue to start their piano practice immediately after finishing the milk/tea.

5. Environment Design: Modify your environment to make it easier to practice good habits and harder to engage in bad ones. A well-designed environment can have a significant impact on your habits.

I do tell students to keep their Practice environment clutter free. Their Piano should not be a table/bookshelf with books and sheets laying unorganized.

6. The Two-Minute Rule: To make a habit easy to start, break it down into a task that takes two minutes or less. As you become more consistent, you can gradually increase the duration of the habit.

This realization has come to be over time. I do not assign Practice chunks that take long. Each week I might assign a short phrase, or a hand shift or Rhythm/Articulation that is tricky when played hands together and let that be the sole focus of the week (earlier i used to be open ended with what I assigned). This way, they just need to be hyper focused on a specific skill that can be done in focused 2-minute chunks

7. Use Temptation Bundling: Pair an activity you want to do with an activity you need to do. This makes the desired habit more attractive, increasing the likelihood that you'll stick with it.

If students are allowed screen time at home, I would ask the parents to give Screen Time as a reward after Practice. This has been quite effective with students that follow this

8. Habit Tracking: Keep track of your habits to monitor your progress and maintain motivation. Tracking helps you stay accountable and provides a visual reminder of your commitment.

Especially for students who are on the Piano Exam Track this is easy to do. I usually enlist all their Pieces and Technical Work on a Sheet and Date it across Months, as start Marking it

to show students Progress. I have seen some teachers do something similar doing Graph Sheets as well.

9. The Goldilocks Rule: To maintain motivation, engage in tasks that are neither too easy nor too hard. Challenges that are just right for your current skill level create a sense of flow and keep you engaged.

Early in my career, I have been guilty of pushing/expecting a lot more from my students that what they can handle, which leads to disappointment for the student as well as myself. In some research I read that a task that is about 15% more challenging compared to what they can presently handle is the sweet spot. So as a teacher I have been intentional about assigning tasks that are in that '15% tougher' range (give or take)

10. Embrace Your Identity: Focus on adopting the identity of the person you want to become, rather than just completing the tasks associated with that identity. This helps you internalize the habits and make them a part of who you are.

Very early on in my career, a senior Piano Teacher once said to me, "Ashwin, a student is a Pianist from their very first lesson onward". It helped me break notions such as someone is not really a Pianist unless they finish Grade 8 or so. And this changes the way we as teachers would associate with our students, which in turn reflects the way they see themselves.

A student should be encouraged to identify as a Pianist right from the first lesson, their connection and association with the subject would be far deeper and meaningful over time.

In summary, I think "Atomic Habits" is a great book for anyone to read, and has many insights that are useful for Pianists and Piano Teachers to glean from.

If you have read the book and have different insights, do share :)