Design and implement a 10-day habit change experiment for yourself, and then analyze it based on ideas from Atomic Habits, a personal interview with someone else, and several outside readings, podcasts and videos.
Atomic Habits is available from the Merritt College Library in physical print form (ask for it at the Circulation Desk - it's with the Reserved Textbooks) and as an ebook. Note that if you are accessing the ebook from off-campus, you will be asked to log in with your Merritt email address and password. The ebook is only available for one student at a time; if you see notification that the book is already in use, please try again later.
You will be developing an essay on the topic of "What is Something We Need to Understand About Habit Change?"
Use the following essay prompts to help you plan and write your essay.
Remember to format your essay using MLA Guidelines!
Start with a statement/hook about habits (NOT about the book) to get our attention.
In the next sentences, introduce your sources, one sentence for each, including Atomic Habits.
Lastly, focus in on three key habit change techniques which you find most interesting and why (don’t go into detail about them yet, just introduce them…don't use quotes yet!). Build towards a thesis statement about them.
In one final sentence, give us your thesis, consisting of your opinion along with 3 key techniques and support for that opinion. Your well written thesis statement should guide your readers through the rest of the essay.
For additional information on writing different types of strong thesis statements, you may find this video helpful.
How to Write a STRONG Thesis Statement by Scribbr
Write a Steadman using a quote from Atomic Habits to define, explain and analyze the 1st key habit change strategy you have chosen. Analysis should go deep on why you think this is an important and successful technique.
Remember to format your in-text quotes into MLA format. Quotes from books (such as Atomic Habits) will consist of the author's last name and the page number of the quote. Note that you do not put a comma between the name and the quote. If you use the author's name in text prior to the quote, then you only need the page number in parentheses. Direct quotes (copied directly from the book) require quotation marks around the text while paraphrased text (put into your own words) does not require quotation marks (but does still require the author's name and page number).
Interview various people regarding their experiences with habit change until you find someone who experienced something related to your 1st key habit change technique. It may take a few interviews to get the right one to really help your paper! (That’s research for you). It could be someone who tried and failed to quit a habit (maybe the did the opposite of what they should have) or someone who succeeded, or some combination of the two. Get them to reflect on what they did and why it worked/failed (and maybe what they would do next time).
Write a paragraph using 2-3 quotes from the interview. The topic sentence should not mention the person, just the 1st key habit change technique.
You will refer to your interview in the format of an in-text citation. You will need the correct spelling for the name of your resource. Use the following formats:
Narrative citation: Put the last name of the person you interviewed into the text
Parenthetical citation: Put the last name of the person you interviewed in parenthesis at the end of the statement.
Write a Steadman using a quote from Atomic Habits to define, explain and analyze the 2nd key habit change strategy you have chosen. Analysis should go deep on why you think this is an important and successful technique.
Use the same MLA quote formatting used in Paragraph 2.
Paragraph 5 - The Process: What did you try for your 10-14 day Life Hack & how did it go? The topic sentence should mention your 2nd key habit change technique from your thesis statement.
Paragraph 6 - Reflection: What did your Life Hack teach you about that 2nd key habit change technique? Reflect and analyze.
Write a Steadman using a quote from Atomic Habits to define, explain and analyze the 3rd key habit change strategy you have chosen. Analysis should go deep on why you think this is an important and successful technique.
Use another outside source (a podcast episode, TED Talk, video, podcast, book, etc.) to further explore some tips about habit change in general. Include a quote but no Steadman required.
Note that when your in-text citations are from time-based sources such as movies or podcast episodes, the citations will include the time of reference of the cited material in the format of hours:minutes:seconds.
Or, do your own search!
Merritt Library subscribes to two video databases you may find useful: Kanopy and Films on Demand. You have free access to both databases although Kanopy will require you to set up a (free) username and password.
Use the Merritt Library databases to find a scholarly article about habit change in general or to say more about your 3rd technique. Write a Steadman using a quote.
You may easily access library databases by going to the library webpage and selecting the Catalog link or by using this direct link to the Catalog.
For tips on using the databases, check out the Merritt Library's Database & Ebooks Guide.
Some good, general databases to look in are:
Merritt librarians are here to help you! Come into the library during our open hours (Mon-Thurs from 9-6 and Fri from 9-4) and go to the Reference Desk or contact us via online chat. To chat with a librarian, go to the library webpage and select any of the links that say "Ask a Librarian" or "Chat With Librarian."
Restate your thesis, summarize some key points, add something new (perhaps looking to the future or connecting with the big picture, world today) and build to a dramatic conclusion!
On the final (separate) page, create a Works Cited list. This page will consist of a formatted list with all of your sources, including the interview. Every source you use must have an in-text citation and be listed in the Works Cited page. Include all page numbers within in-text citations (when possible). The sources will be listed in on the Works Cited page in alphabetical order.
For help formatting your citations and Works Cited page, please refer to the following sources:
