I Read Atomic Habits As A Cloud Engineer (10 lessons)

• Making small changes can lead to big results in cloud computing.
• Consistent 1% improvements compound over time for significant growth.
• Identity plays a crucial role in motivation and habit formation.
• Your environment can significantly influence your learning journey.
• Accountability is key in forming lasting habits.

If you've clicked on this video, chances are that you want to make small changes for big results in cloud computing. A few years ago, I would set ambitious goals that I wanted to achieve, but I was never successful. And that's when I learned that you do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the levels of your systems. This means setting goals is a pointless exercise if there is no system in place that will help you achieve that goal.

Hi, I'm Leman. I'm a cloud engineer, and today I'm sharing the 10 lessons that I learned from Atomic Habits by James Clear. Now these 10 small changes will build you the underlying systems that you need for big results in your cloud journey. How do I know it works? Because it's the same systems that Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos used to gain an unfair advantage. And I'm so confident it will work for you watching this because, well, I am the living proof.

These secrets that I'm revealing today are the same ones that took me from a beginner to setting up my own cloud security consultancy. And the best part? You can copy this exact strategy and implement the small changes for big results in your cloud journey today.

And by the way, for a limited time only, you can grab my Beginner's Guide to the Cloud for free (link in the description).

So the first lesson is the 1% rule. The idea is that small consistent improvements compound over time to produce significant results. If you can get just 1% better each day, you'll end up 37 times better by the end of the year. Now conversely, if you get 1% worse each day, you'll end up virtually at zero. So, habits are like the compound interest of self-improvement. They stack on top of each other every day. Good habits make time your ally, whilst bad habits make time your enemy.

When I first started my journey learning cloud computing, I felt overwhelmed by a sheer amount of information that I needed to absorb. AWS alone has over 200 services. But when I discovered the power of small consistent improvements, I realized that instead of trying to master AWS in a week, I could focus on learning one small concept each day. It didn't feel like much at the time, but over the weeks and months my knowledge compounded, and before I knew it, I was confidently building projects and understanding complex cloud architectures.

And the reason why this approach works is because it's sustainable and it prevents burnout. Even on busy days, I could always find time for a 1% improvement, whether it was reading a short article, watching a quick tutorial, or experimenting with a new AWS service for just 15 minutes.

So here is my challenge to you: What's your 1% improvement for today in your cloud journey? Remember, it doesn't have to be big. Small steps consistently taken lead to big changes.

Lesson number two is the ultimate form of intrinsic motivation, which is when a habit becomes part of your identity. The idea here is that to achieve that long-term motivation that comes from within, you must make the habit part of your identity. Instead of just saying that I want to learn about computing, I started telling myself that I am an inspiring cloud engineer. It might seem like a small shift, but it's incredibly powerful because what I've learned in the past 10 years is that your mind and the voice in your head can really shape the outcome that you desire the most.

Now, I do think there's a bit of truth in the age-old saying of fake it till you make it. So here are four things that I did to make this habit part of my identity.

1. I began making decisions based on this new identity. I'd ask myself, What would a cloud engineer do? What would future Soleiman do in this situation? This often led me to make choices that aligned with my goal of mastering cloud computing.

2. I surrounded myself with other cloud professionals. How? Well, I joined online communities and often posted about cloud engineering, which meant I was making new connections every single day on LinkedIn. Of course, posting on YouTube gave me access to a whole new network.

3. I celebrated the small wins that aligned with my new identity. If I was successful in deploying a new cloud application, no matter how simple, it was a confirmation that I was indeed a cloud engineer. These small victories reinforced my belief in my new identity.

4. I started talking about cloud computing with friends and family. By explaining concepts to others, I not only reinforced my learning but also began to see myself as an expert in the field. The more I repeated these behaviors, the more I believed in my identity as a cloud engineer, creating a powerful feedback loop that fueled my learning and my growth.

Lesson number three is that changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you're willing to stick with them for years. Learning cloud computing can be frustrating at first. I'm sure that you can relate. You might spend weeks studying and practicing without seeing any tangible results. Building projects isn't easy.

This stage is what the author calls the plateau of latent potential. I experienced this when I was learning about AWS Lambda and serverless architecture. For weeks, it felt like I was making no progress. I was putting in the hours, but nothing seemed to stick. I was tempted to give up, thinking maybe I just wasn't cut out for this. But after reading this book, I told myself that even if I couldn't see the progress, it was happening beneath the surface.

So, I kept going, kept studying, and kept building projects. About a month later, I was working on a project and suddenly everything clicked. I found myself effortlessly architecting a serverless solution and understanding how all the pieces fit together. This taught me that progress isn't always visible day to day, but it is happening.

It's like planting a seed. For a long time, nothing seems to be happening, but beneath the surface, the roots are growing, and eventually, a plant will break through. In your cloud journey, you might spend weeks learning about networking concepts or security best practices without feeling like you're making any progress. Then suddenly, you have a breakthrough.

You find yourself able to design complex secure network architectures or implement robust security measures across your cloud infrastructure. Remember, breakthroughs often come after a long period of seemingly fruitless efforts. Keep pushing through, and you'll eventually break through the plateau.

Now the next four lessons are going to be about the laws of behavior change. These provide a simple yet powerful framework for designing habits that stick. The first one is making it obvious. Many people think they lack motivation when in fact they really lack clarity.

To make my cloud learning habits stick, I had to make them obvious. I set a specific time and a place for my cloud studies. For me, this was in the mornings before I went to work and in the evenings after work. I also used habit stacking, which is pairing my cloud learning with an existing habit. For example, after I finished my journaling in the morning, I would then spend 10 minutes reviewing cloud concepts that I studied the day before.

You can do simple things like creating a study schedule for each day or joining a cloud newsletter and reading the daily emails, which will go a long way. By making habits obvious, you reduce the friction to start and increase the likelihood of consistent practice.

Now the second law of behavior change is that the more attractive an opportunity is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming. The idea here is to make learning the cloud attractive, just like it is when you're binge-watching your favorite Netflix series or spending the weekend watching football. We don't think twice about those things.

To make learning the cloud more attractive, I paired it with things that I enjoyed. I would make myself a coffee and grab a snack while studying AWS, which would give me this little extra boost. I was also posting often on LinkedIn, which meant my feed was filled with deep dives on cloud projects and other people's success stories.

Maybe you can reward yourself with something that you enjoy after completing a challenge or a task that you set yourself. For example, I know someone that loves running to the point where they would specifically put learning something difficult just before their run, which meant that after completing his task, running would be his reward, and it worked like a dream for him.

By making learning cloud computing attractive, you'll find yourself naturally drawn towards building projects rather than having to force yourself to start. Speaking of making cloud learning more attractive, I want to introduce you to a tool that's not just attractive but essential for aspiring cloud engineers: Docker Scout.

This tool from Docker offers security superpowers for fearless innovators like you. Docker Scout is designed to identify security issues, outdated packages, and potential compliance problems within container images. It's like having a security expert by your side as you learn and build.

Here is why Docker Scout is a game changer:

1. It gives you real-time insights into your container image security status.
2. It helps you build a more secure software supply chain from development to production.
3. It integrates seamlessly with tools you are already using, like Docker Desktop and Docker Hub.

By incorporating Docker Scout into your learning journey, you're not just mastering cloud computing; you're developing critical security skills that will set you apart in the job market. You can try Docker Scout for free by using my link in the description below. It's an invaluable tool for anyone serious about a career in cloud computing.

Now let's continue with our atomic habits for cloud learning. The most effective form of learning is practice and not planning. The third law of behavior change is all about making your learning easier. And here is what I did.

I broke down difficult concepts into smaller and manageable chunks. I focused on one AWS service at a time. I used the two-minute rule, scaling down my initial habit to something very simple, like just opening the AWS console and reviewing my running instances. A small action like this often led to longer and more productive learning sessions.

This law is just about reducing the friction and making it easier to engage with cloud technologies. And that will result in you finding yourself practicing more consistently and making faster progress — which deep down, if you're watching this, that's exactly what you want.

Lesson number seven — the last law of behavior change — is that what is immediately rewarded is what is immediately punished is avoided. The idea here is all about rewarding yourself immediately because that will lead to a long-term habit. How did I implement this? Well, I created a success journal where I recorded all of my learning achievements.

Before each study session, I'd review this journal, which made me feel good about my progress and motivated me to keep going. I also used visual cues to track my progress. I created a simple calendar where I'd mark an "X" for each day that I studied. Now, as the chain of X’s grew longer, I became more motivated to keep the streak going.

In your cloud journey, you need to celebrate the small wins. Share your achievements online. Tell your friends and family about what you successfully deployed today. By doing this, you're going to make it more likely to stick, and ultimately that will bring you closer to mastering cloud computing.

Lesson number eight is that the environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior. Think about it. Children and toddlers are able to pick up a whole new language just from their parents speaking it. They're not in school or studying for this, right? So in your cloud learning journey, you have to realize that your environment is either working for you or against you.

What I did was create a dedicated space in my room just for my AWS studies. I also set up a second monitor specifically for cloud labs and tutorials. This made it easy to follow along with video courses while having plenty of screen real estate for hands-on practice. You can also place vision boards on your wall, highlighting any of your significant achievements to help you stay motivated.

And the environment isn't just physical. I also organized my digital environment. I set my browser homepage to the AWS documentation. This way, every time I opened a new tab, I was reminded of my cloud learning goals. Whenever I was studying, I also turned off all of my notifications on my phone to ensure I wasn't distracted.

I would wake up between 4 and 5 AM before my 9 to 5 job, so I had to make sure if I was waking up this early, that I was being productive. The result? My environment started working for me and not against me. I found myself naturally gravitating towards cloud learning, and even on days when motivation was low, I still had these systems in place today.

So take a look at your physical and digital environment. How can you redesign them to make cloud learning the path of least resistance? Remember, small changes in your environment can lead to big changes in your behavior.

Lesson number nine is the Goldilocks rule, which says that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. When I first started with cloud computing, I made the mistake of jumping into advanced topics way too quickly. I tried to understand complex serverless architectures before I had a solid grasp of basic cloud concepts.

The result? Well, it was frustration and demotivation. Then I swung to the other extreme. I spent too much time on beginner tutorials long after I had mastered the basics. This led to boredom and a feeling of stagnation. But after reading this book, I realized that I needed to find my Goldilocks zone.

I started challenging myself with projects that were slightly beyond my current skill level. For example, after learning about EC2 instances, instead of launching a basic instance, I challenged myself to set up a fully load-balanced web application. It was difficult but not impossible. I had to stretch my skills, but I could see the path forward.

Each small victory fueled my desire to take on the next challenge. Here is how you can apply this to your cloud journey:

1. Assess your current skill level honestly.
2. Choose projects or topics that are one step beyond your comfort zone.
3. Break these challenges into smaller and manageable tasks.
4. Celebrate your progress after completing each task, and once you've mastered a skill, quickly move on to the next challenge.

Now, if you're looking for a place that applies the Goldilocks rule to learning cloud computing, then consider joining my Cloud Engineer Academy. I'll take you from beginner with no IT experience to job-ready cloud engineer in 12 weeks. My academy is designed to keep you in that sweet spot, the Goldilocks zone, where you are challenged every week but not overwhelmed.

So you're never making progress. Of course, don't take my word for it. Check out J.'s story. He went from banking to cloud, hired in less than six months with no tech experience. Link in the description.

The final small change you can implement is that the more immediate the pain, the less likely the behavior. This is all about the power of accountability in forming lasting habits. While self-motivation is great, having external accountability can be a powerful driver for consistency.

Why do you think so many people have personal trainers to help them in the gym? Obviously, they know that working out helps them achieve their goal, but they need someone who's going to be there, keep them accountable, and get them to show up.

Here is how you can hold yourself accountable in your cloud journey:

1. Write down your specific cloud learning goals.
2. Find an accountability partner who's trying to do the same thing as you.
3. Agree on the immediate consequences for not meeting your commitments.
4. Set up a system for daily or weekly check-ins.
5. Finally, review and adjust your goals as you progress.

This external pressure helped me stay consistent, especially on days when internal motivation was low. Remember, the key is to make the pain of not doing the habit more immediate than the pain of doing it. This external accountability can be the push that you need to turn your cloud learning into a consistent long-term habit.

I've given you the systems to implement for big results, but you are going to need a guide on exactly how you can actually land your first cloud job. If you want to increase your odds of landing a cloud job by 85%, then click the video right here where I share all my secrets that helped me land multiple six-figure cloud jobs.