ELC Reading Club#9- Atomic Habits “Every action you take is a vote for a type of person you wish to become.”

        On 17th February, the English Language Centre held its first reading club of 2023 on a self-help book entitled Atomic Habits. This breakthrough book from James Clear is claimed by many to be one of the most comprehensive guides on how to build good habits and help people to grow 1% better every day.

        As usual, the reading club was held online via Zoom from 7pm to 8.20pm, and was joined by more than 70 participants, including six teachers from Tsun Jin High School. Most of the participants were from S2 Melbourne as they were encouraged to attend this reading club by their English teacher, Miss Wendy. 

        The presenter of the day, Teh Kian Ee from S2 Adelaide kicked off the session by giving a very brief synopsis of the book. Then, he moved on to one of the core ideas presented by Clear - how habits compound over time and why making small improvements on a daily basis can lead to a significant difference in the long-run. By taking the British Cycling team as an example, Kian Ee showed the audience the power of tiny gains. He explained that though there is basically no difference between making a choice that is 1 percent better or 1 percent worse in the beginning, as time goes on, these small improvements or declines compound. As a result, there will be a very big gap between people who make slightly better decisions on a daily basis and those who do not. This is why small choices don’t make much of a difference at the time, but add up over the long-term.

        Kian Ee also mentioned that he learnt how to be mindful of his habits, both positive and negative ones, by using the habit scorecard recommended by Clear. “The purpose of having a habit scorecard is to make you aware of your habits and initiate change.” Another good practical advice he shared is that in order to form good habits, one needs to understand the four laws of behavioural change which are making the habit obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying, and set an implementation intention. “I find it so much easier to make myself do something I set my mind to do by writing down specifically when and where I shall do it. This is because once an implementation intention has been set, I don’t have to wait for inspiration to strike, I just do it.”

        Kian Ee ended his sharing by recommending two books for further reading which are The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey and Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky. 

Lim Min Hao (S2 Melbourne)

        The reading club was a success. The session was full of useful techniques which I found very practical. They help me to have better control of my life. I also enjoyed the way Kian Ee presented. I felt like I was listening to a friend the entire time and not someone I don't know. Surely, this makes what the host said more acceptable to me. Well done!

Cheah Chung Wei (S2 Melbourne)

        It was a pleasure attending a reading club that was hosted by a talented friend that I've known since Junior 1. I’ve learned a lot from it, especially on how to manage my time and have self-discipline. Atomic Habits is a very relevant book, especially in today’s society when youngsters often let their bad habits get the better of them. Kian Ee did an amazing job helping us visualise the contents of the book, teaching us how to apply the concepts into our daily lives. Overall, it was a great and memorable experience. I hope he will host more reading clubs in the future! 

See Sheng Tien (S2 Melbourne)

        I enjoyed the reading club that was hosted by ELC. The presenter did really well and the entire presentation was fun and not boring at all. Well, I took in the advice from the book that he summarised and applied it in my daily life and it has brought me positive changes since then and I'm really grateful for him and thankful to our teacher, Ms Wendy who encouraged our class to participate in this wonderful activity. I participated  in two reading clubs in my senior years and I think it has gotten better and better. I hope the ELC reading club will continue on in the future.

Lim Hui Ci (S2 Melbourne)

        I was really anticipating this reading club as soon as I knew that one of my closest friends was hosting it. Kian Ee spoke very well and presented this book in a fun and interesting way that kept me interested throughout the whole session. He even added bits and pieces of his own life experiences along the way as well! He was great in explaining all the different concepts that were mentioned in the book. I am very grateful that I got to attend a reading club hosted by him and I really hope he gets to host more in the future!! 

Fujiana Tanoto (S2 Melbourne)

        When I knew the reading club this time was based on Atomic Habits, I immediately signed up for it since I’d been eyeing this book for so long. Our host did an amazing job during the whole session; his explanation was very clear and the examples given made me understand it even better. I believe everyone who attended the reading club is now interested in reading this book, because I can’t wait to read it in depth after attending this. I’m excited to apply these habits in my daily life, and I’m looking forward to joining more reading clubs!

《兴华月报》2023年3月号
https://www.hinhua.edu.my/ebook/2303hinhuamonthly/mobile/index.html