On Dogs and Women
It’s amazing what can come out of conversations if you join them with an open mind and ears! Sara is an active member of the wilm&a community, and during many zoom meetings, her humour and kindness shone through along with her intellect and perspective on topics about women in leadership. Sara joined our book club meet last month and listened intently as we discussed our book of the month. Her contribution and summary of what she took from our discussions was so clever that I asked her would she mind writing about it. A funny and witty post about habits, dogs and observations ……. keep in mind that Sara has not read the book! Best wishes, Laila
I never imagined myself writing a review of a book I’ve never read but apparently life is full of surprises! So, for those of you who (like me) have never read Atomic Habits by James Clear, here are my impressions:
This is yet another self-improvement book. I must confess that I find self-improvement books too slow to enjoy. You have to read through pseudo-physiological and quasi-psychological explanations, peppered with life examples which may or may not be true before you are presented with the teachings of the book. I am a physician, so I’m irritated by instructions that are not graspable within a minute.
What made Atomic Habits interesting to me was one comment in our book club. One girl had taught her child to read books regularly using this method. Oh my, the teenager in my house would never read books in their free time (it’s editing videos at the moment), so I was impressed!
It seems that Atomic Habits helps you change yourself one tiny step at a time. The girls in our book club gave this example: don’t start going to the gym every day – this will not be able to form a lasting habit. Instead, do this gradually. Day 1: put on your gym clothes but do nothing more. Day 2: put on your gym clothes and go to the gym but do nothing more. Day 3: put on your gym clothes, go to the gym, have a look at the machines… you get the progression, right? Atomic, tiny changes fit better into your routine and do not disrupt the flow of your life.
What struck me in this theory is that it has been used for ages in another field of teaching. Dogs. We are blessed with an allergic child, and through exclusion of offending breeds we found Abby, an Italian waterdog. These dogs exist in order to work with their human, be it in rescue operations, as therapy dogs, or as truffle retrievers. However, even though waterdogs are very intelligent, you have to take the time to teach them new tricks. Tasks have to be introduced incrementally in very simple steps. So, for example on Day 1, I will show Abby her transportation box. On Day 2, I will show the box and place a treat for her inside. On Day 3, I will place more treats to make Abby stay in the box for a while… and the progression seems suspiciously similar to Atomic Habits, right?
Funny as it seems, perhaps there is some logic in this analogy. Persistency and repetition are keys. If you don’t care to read self-improvement books, you can read Dr. Spock or even Claire Arrowsmith’s Instant Dog Training instead. If going to the gym seems daunting, just remember how you teach a kid to eat broccoli. First you put The Green Stuff on the table, then into the plate… then you bargain for a little tasting… repeat 40 times to have a habit. This strategy also works for dogs. It should also work for you.
Be your own dog! Train yourself into something new every day, and you will not be bored to the point of destructing the leather sofa and the slippers. And remember to add some little treats every step of the way. Myself, I prefer atomic bits of chocolate but for you, this might be truffles?
Sara Zdravka Veleva, Obstetrician-Gynecologist from the University of Helsinki, infertility researcher, co-ordinator of SIG Safety and Quality in assited reproduction of ESHRE and dog owner.
Abby