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Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones Paperback
- Print length250 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRandom House Business Books
- Dimensions0.04 x 0.04 x 0.04 inches
- ISBN-101847941842
- ISBN-13978-1847941848
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- Language : English
- Paperback : 250 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1847941842
- ISBN-13 : 978-1847941848
- Item Weight : 11.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 0.04 x 0.04 x 0.04 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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About the author
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James Clear is a writer and speaker focused on habits, decision making, and continuous improvement. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits. The book has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 60 languages.
Clear is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies and his work has been featured in places like Time magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and on CBS This Morning. His popular "3-2-1" email newsletter is sent out each week to more than 3 million subscribers.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book helpful for creating new habits and breaking old ones. They describe it as an engaging read with clear instructions and practical steps. The book focuses on small changes that create great results over time. Readers appreciate the slow, steady progress and detailed chapter summaries.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book helpful for creating new habits and breaking bad ones. They say it's a guide that inspires action and helps them achieve their goals. The simple, practical steps make self-improvement feel achievable. The book is full of knowledge and skills that you can immediately apply.
"...The book is simply packed with actionable ideas, tactics and strategies. Virtually every idea in the book is useful and resonated with me...." Read more
"...behavior—when the levers are in the right positions, they create good habits effortless whereas when they are in the wrong position, it is nearly..." Read more
"...It is filled with dozens of science-backed and actionable nuggets of wisdom. Do you want to improve any habits in your life?..." Read more
"...Plenty of real life examples as well as charts and illustrations that keep the reader engaged throughout. A must read for anyone needing a life boost." Read more
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable to read. They say it's a must-read for anyone needing a life boost. The writing is clear and interesting, and the concepts are effective. Readers also mention that the author is fun to follow on Twitter.
"...Other ideas of great value that stood out included, habit stacking (the best way to form a new habit), habit tracking, habit shaping and how to..." Read more
"...habits, I feel compelled to share updates with you because they have sincerely worked. I will divide the review into 5 parts...." Read more
"...James is also fun to follow on Twitter...." Read more
"...A must read for anyone needing a life boost." Read more
Customers find the book's explanations clear and relatable. They find the small steps that lead to desired outcomes easy to follow and instill into their mindsets. The writing style is straightforward, with real-life examples that make the concepts clear. The 4 step framework is introduced, which is composed of cue, craving, and action.
"...is conversational, and includes many interesting stories, making it easy to read - and hard to put down (I read it cover to cover in one day)...." Read more
"...[Chapter 3] In this chapter we are introduced to a 4-step framework, which is composed of cue, craving, response, and reward...." Read more
"...One of my favorite habit trackers is a FitBit/Apple Watch, which tracks steps, heart rate, sleep, weight and can even track food intake/calories, if..." Read more
"...Plenty of real life examples as well as charts and illustrations that keep the reader engaged throughout. A must read for anyone needing a life boost." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's approach to change. They find the small, gradual changes that create great results over time helpful. The methods for change are also helpful, with a focus on the mindset and why behind initiating change. Continuous improvement is also mentioned as a feature.
"This book is an excellent example of how small infinitesimal changes add up over time. You don't have to bite off more than you can chew...." Read more
"...It’s these minor tweaks, consistently applied, that can shape destiny, a theme consistently echoed throughout the book...." Read more
"..." philosophy is so refreshing—it’s all about making small, incremental changes that, over time, lead to huge results...." Read more
"...turns this book from a stale behavioral management book to a dynamic plan for change. Must read!" Read more
Customers appreciate the book's pacing. They find it provides for slow but steady progress in an easy-to-understand framework that really does. The book helps them maximize performance and streamline their life through time management, good habits, and minimizing or changing bad ones. They read it slowly, taking in the little nuggets of information one at a time. It's quick, easy to read, and understand to apply.
"...You learn the truth about self-control, how to stop procrastinating and how to use implementation intentions, temptation bundling and motivational..." Read more
"...incredible for those who want to understand how to maximize your performance (in any endeavor) through evidence based strategies...." Read more
"...with simple steps and a new approach to help improve life and positive thinking." Read more
"...exponentially, hurdle roadblocks with more grace and ease, and streamline life. Highly recommend!! Thanks James Clear!!" Read more
Customers find the book's chapter summaries helpful. They appreciate the detailed explanations and real-life examples provided in the book. The author explains most concepts in multiple ways, making it easy to understand. The method is simple and repeated throughout the book. Customers also like the supporting documents, bonus chapters, and tools included. Overall, the advice is practical and straightforward, not preachy or overly technical.
"...short chapters that open with compelling stories and end with helpful chapter summaries...." Read more
"...I also appreciated the summary at the end of each chapter, which helps reinforce the key takeaways...." Read more
"...It contains a detailed list of notes, references and citations towards the back that covers each chapter. Would I recommend this book...." Read more
"...There are also two on-line bonus chapters on applying Atomic Habits to Business as well as Parenting...." Read more
Customers find the book provides simple strategies and concepts to apply to their lives right away. They appreciate the handy worksheet and find it a great resource for getting organized, holding themselves accountable, and creating successful habits. The author explains that the most effective form of learning is practice, not planning. The book provides readers with the tools and mindset needed to build habits that align. It's personable and can teach many different people from different backgrounds about how to develop good habits and get rid of bad ones.
"...Clear's book is intensely practical, giving you a huge toolkit of organized and named strategies you can apply immediately to create and strengthen..." Read more
"...learning new skills based on the assumptions that we develop new talents through deep practices, finding our ignition identity, and having the right..." Read more
"...Atomic Habits" is not just another self-help book; it's a guide, a mentor, and a blueprint that ignited my drive for growth in ways I never..." Read more
"...The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning...." Read more
Customers find the stories in the book engaging and informative. They appreciate the personal story at the beginning and the narrative style that keeps them hooked from start to finish. The author leads each lesson with an interesting story of a successful individual or group. Readers describe the book as like a good novel, even though it's non-fiction.
"...The book is conversational, and includes many interesting stories, making it easy to read - and hard to put down..." Read more
"...Atomic Habits has 20 relatively short chapters that open with compelling stories and end with helpful chapter summaries...." Read more
"...This duality provides both a theoretical foundation and relatable stories, enhancing the book's credibility and readability...." Read more
"Loved the beginning personal story. Some of the strategies were mentioned in other books" Read more
Reviews with images
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Huge toolkit of actionable, practical, organized strategies to build positive habits
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2018I previously wrote this review right after reading the book. Today, February 15th, after applying James’s system for 100 days on a few tiny habits, I feel compelled to share updates with you because they have sincerely worked.
I will divide the review into 5 parts. The first part is a summary of the book with short excerpts highlighted while taking notes. Next, I hope to share pieces of advice that have motivated me while building new habits. Following that, I will share how I implemented the first 3 habits throughout these months. Then, some thoughts to whom I would recommend reading the book. Last, there are 4 complementary readings.
SUMMARY
[Introduction] James starts by sharing personal strategies he implemented to recover from a serious accident in high school. That event forced him to improve the quality of his routine to get his life in order, coming to the conclusion that “we all deal with setbacks, but in the long run, the quality of our lives often depends on the quality of our habits. With the same habits, you will end up with the same results. But with better habits, anything is possible.”
[Section I : The Fundamentals]
[Chapter 1] Here we learn the power of compounding effect: changes that seem small and unimportant at any given day will compound into remarkable results if we are willing to stick with them for months and years. James explains that “breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change.” Comparing to habits, he shows that bamboo can barely be seen during the first couple of years while the roots grow underground before exploding for almost 100 feet into the air in a few weeks. From that perspective, we come to understand the best outcomes are generally delayed.
[Chapter 2] Based on a 3-layer concentric circle behavior change model—divided into outcome change, process change, and identity change—James explains that we should pay attention to our inner identity by focusing on beliefs, assumptions, and values. “Many people begin the process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve. This leads us to outcome-based habits. The alternative is to build identity-based habits. With this approach, we start by focusing on who we wish to become.” The strongest changes, then, happen from inside out, starting from our identity, passing through the process, and ultimately changing the outcome.
[Chapter 3] In this chapter we are introduced to a 4-step framework, which is composed of cue, craving, response, and reward. James calls it 'The 4 Laws of Behavior Change'. He then explains that we can think of each law as a lever that influences our behavior—when the levers are in the right positions, they create good habits effortless whereas when they are in the wrong position, it is nearly impossible. Through examples, he explains that “the cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.” Together they create a habit loop that, when repeated many times, habits become automatic.
[Section II : Make It Obvious]
[Chapter 4] A primer on how cues play a crucial role in predicting habit formation without consciously thinking about the outcomes. Once our habits become so common, the cues associated with them become essentially invisible because they are deeply encoded. If we want to create better habits, a good idea is to be aware of the cues. James finishes up by sharing a strategy called 'Habits Scorecard'—a simple exercise to become more aware of our behavior on a daily basis. We first write down a chronological list of our daily habits and, once we have a full list, we score each habit as an effective, ineffective, or neutral habit. Besides noticing what is actually going on, we can notice if certain behaviors help us become the type of person we wish to be.
[Chapter 5] The cues that can trigger a habit come in a wide range of forms, and the 2 most common cues are time and location. When we make a specific plan for when and where we will perform a new habit, we are more likely to follow through. Stacking our habits by pairing a new habit with a current habit is a form to connect our behavior to our own advantage. An example when building a daily journaling habit would be: “after I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will journal for 5 minutes.”
[Chapter 6] This chapter shows how our environment plays a crucial role in defining habit behaviors. “Given that we are more dependent on vision than any other sense, it should come as no surprise that visual cues are the greatest catalyst of our behavior.” To build good habits, then, we should either make desirable cues obvious in our environment or build new habits in a new environment to avoid fighting against old ones.
[Chapter 7] One of the most practical ways to break a bad habit is to reduce exposure to the cue that causes it. As James points out, “it is easier to avoid temptation than resist it.”
[Section III : Make It Attractive]
[Chapter 8] James explains how the modern food industry has created products that are more attractive and addictive to consumers, and by doing so he shows that the more attractive an opportunity is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming. Every behavior that is highly habit-forming tends to be associated with higher levels of dopamine. It is the anticipation of a reward that motivates us to take action. “Temptation bundling is one way to make your habits more attractive. The strategy is to pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.”
[Chapter 9] “We tend to adopt habits that are praised and approved of by our culture because we have a strong desire to fit in and belong to the tribe.” That said, it is common to pick up habits and behaviors from our parents, peers, and colleagues. There is also a tremendous internal pressure to comply with the norms of the tribe. And, finally, we try to copy the behavior of successful people because we desire success ourselves. One of the best strategies to build better habits is to join a culture where the desired behavior is the normal behavior.
[Chapter 10] To avoid unnecessary and detrimental cravings, we should highlight the benefits of avoiding a bad habit by making it seem unattractive. “Habits are unattractive when we associate them with negative feelings.”
[Section IV : Make It Easy]
[Chapter 11] “All habits follow a similar trajectory from effortful practice to automatic behavior, a process known as automaticity. Automaticity is the ability to perform a behavior without thinking about each step, which occurs when the nonconscious mind takes over.” The key component is to pay close attention to the frequency we perform a habit, not much for how long we have been practicing it.
[Chapter 12] Since every action requires a certain amount of energy, we are motivated to do what is easy. By contrast, the more energy required, the less likely it is to occur. “You don't actually want the habit itself. What you really want is the outcome the habit delivers. The greater the obstacle, the more friction there is between you and your desired end state.” That is why we should reduce the friction associated with our habits by creating a prosperous environment to make future actions easier.
[Chapter 13] There are decisive moments that deliver an outsized impact every single day. As James puts, these decisive moments are a fork in the road, sending us in the direction of a productive path or an unproductive one. To avoid procrastination, the skill of 'Showing Up' says that we should start a new habit by taking baby steps, making it as easy as possible to take action. “A new habit should not feel like a challenge. The actions that follow can be challenging, but the first 2 minutes should be easy. What you want is a gateway habit that naturally leads you down a more productive path.” He calls it the 'Two-Minute Rule', meaning that new habits should take less than 2 minutes to do in the beginning. Once the habit is established we can improve and master the finer details.
[Chapter 14] In order to keep bad habits away is to make them difficult in the first place. There are 2 interesting strategies to improve our future behavior. [1] Make good choices in advance before we can fall victim to temptation in the future. James gives a personal example by sharing that whenever he is looking to cut calories he will ask the waiter to split his meal and box half of it to go before the meal is served. If, however, he waits for the meal to be served and tries to eat just half, that would never happen. [2] Make onetime actions that can automate our future habits and deliver increasing returns over time such as buying a good water filter, unsubscribing from unwanted emails, moving to a friendlier neighborhood, buying a standing desk, or setting up automatic bill pay.
[Section V : Make It Satisfying]
[Chapter 15] We should make sure to feel immediately satisfied after performing a new habit to increase the odds that the behavior will be repeated next time. “The human brain has evolved to prioritize immediate rewards over delayed rewards.” For that, we can add a little bit of immediate pleasure to the habits that pay off in the long-run.
[Chapter 16] Here we learn how to measure our progress by tracking our habits. The immediate satisfaction it delivers—as mentioned earlier in Chapter 15—is one of the many benefits that standout. Besides that, James says, “when we get a signal that we are moving forward, we become more motivated to continue down that path.” The most basic format to track our habits is to get a calendar and mark an X each time we stick with our routine. One of the most important passages of the entire book is as follows: “If you miss one day, try to get back into it as quickly as possible. The first mistake is never the one that ruins you. It is the spiral of repeated mistakes that follows. Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit. This is a distinguishing feature between winners and losers. Anyone can have a bad performance, a bad workout, or a bad day at work. But when successful people fail, they rebound quickly.”
[Chapter 17] In order to prevent bad habits and/or eliminate unhealthy behaviors, James says that we could either add an instant cost to the action or make it painful. A habit contract is also another strategy to hold our accountability: “It is a verbal or written agreement in which you state your commitment to a particular habit and the punishment that will occur if you don't follow through. Then you find one to two people to act as your accountability partners and sign off on the contract with you.”
[Section VI : Advanced Techniques]
[Chapter 18] We learn how to distinguish habits when genes may or may not influence our performance especially for competitive activities. “One of the best ways to ensure your habits remain satisfying over the long-run is to pick behaviors that align with your personality and skills.” James proposes us to set some time apart to explore new activities in the beginning, before shifting our focus to exploit them thoroughly.
[Chapter 19] When we find the sweet spot of our ability we tend to learn best and fastest. The ‘Goldilocks Rule’ states that "humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right.”
[Chapter 20] One downside of certain habits, James explains, is that we may stop paying attention to the little details and errors. To counterbalance that we should review and reflect on the process over time to remain conscious of our own performance. Using a simple chart to convey his message, we learn that “the process of mastery requires that you progressively layer improvements on top of one another, each habit building upon the last until a new level of performance has been reached and a higher range of skills has been internalized.”
PERSONAL THOUGHTS
Reading the book twice helped me take better notes and capture details. In the meantime, I thought about 3 simple strategies that could improve our adherence to new habits. Let me share these strategies here with you, and in the following section, I will describe how I managed to cultivate the first 3 new habits upon reading the book—following the system proposed by James together with these 3 strategies.
[1] The first strategy is about determining a 'commitment time frame' to avoid excuses during this initial trial period. A 1-month time frame is a fair commitment, choosing to start on the first day of the month to practice it every single day for a full month. Just at the end of the period, I will take the time to reflect and evaluate the pros and cons.
[2] The next one is to choose only 1 new habit each month. In doing so we become familiar with the practice intentionally while we develop a sense of purpose.
[3] Last, during the first month of any new habit, I noticed that if I spend time exploring the details and the benefits, my motivation stays high. It doesn't only help us create better practices, but it is also inspiring to learn from others who have succeeded previously by adding the same habit into their lives. Podcasts, articles, videos, books, online courses, tutorials, and blog posts are all good sources.
IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW HABITS
[Nov 1, 2018] I had been wanting to journal on a daily basis for many years but that had never happened. Although I have carried a notebook with me for quite a while, it has never worked as a real journal—a daily routine, when we sit down and write personal thoughts, intentions, and reflections at around the same time. Instead, it has been mostly used to take notes during meetings, to write down ideas and thoughts, to express travel memories, and to doodle. Today, after 3+ months, I haven't looked back once, and still can't believe it took me that long to start this daily habit. During the first month, I read blog posts, watched videos, and even read a short and inexpensive book to foster my creativity.
[Dec 1, 2018] I have been impressed by the physical capabilities we can develop through body movement. Although yoga has been a special part of my life since I was 18, I hadn't given proper attention to handstands. But now, after 2+ months practicing it every day, it is rewarding to see improvements on a weekly basis. Again, I definitely recommend watching videos and reading tutorials to find your favorite method. This is the perfect habit to stack at the end or in the middle of any physical movement practice you may enjoy.
[Jan 1, 2019] By now we know the benefits of cold showers—ranging from healthier skin appearance all the way to a more resilient perspective of the world. I had previously taken cold showers for 3 months in 2017, but it was a “goal” mindset instead of a “habit” mindset. After that trial I set aside and, although I have kept taking cold showers once or twice a week since then, I wished cold showers was the default mode. Now, after 1+ month, I can't see myself taking warm showers. After all, it is about intention. Again, we can learn uncountable benefits of cold showers by reading success stories. One of my inspirations was Wim Hof. It isn't comfortable in the beginning of any chosen day, but after 3-4 minutes, both my breath and thoughts calm down.
Putting them together, these 3 habits don't take more than 30 minutes of my day. While I spend about 10 minutes journaling and 10 more minutes practicing handstands, I save 5 minutes taking cold showers because I won't stay any longer than necessary.
RECOMMENDATION
[1] First, if you have watched videos, listened to podcasts, read articles and books on habit formation and, after all that, you feel satisfied, then, please, save your money and time.
[2] However, if you are like me, that even after reading a few books on building habits and having successfully added good habits to your life, feel that there is still room for improvement, this book can be a terrific addition.
[3] Last, if you haven't spent much time and energy discovering a good system to build lasting habits while breaking bad ones, please, read this book.
COMPLEMENTARY READINGS
[1] Game Changers, by Dave Asprey, exposed me to a wealth array of ideas/habits/tools that have helped me decide which new habit to build next. The book is divided into 46 laws.
[2] Essentialism, by Greg McKeown, helped me focus on less but more important tasks, giving clarity to what matters most. This is especially interesting to break bad habits.
[3] The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle, brought more motivation when learning new skills based on the assumptions that we develop new talents through deep practices, finding our ignition identity, and having the right coach to guide us genuinely. I read it many years ago, then, a few years back, I read his following book called The Little Book of Talent—which is perhaps even more to the point.
[4] The Systems View of Life, by Fritjof Capra, enlightened my perspectives on how nature and living beings are systematically integrated. It is a profound and slightly academic book that can complement Atomic Habits especially to tie together the 4-step framework into the feedback loop system.
I sincerely hope you, too, have fun while building new habits.
Take care,
Haical
- Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025This book was a game-changer for me. I have taught my children, my employees, my friends, the folks I go to church with, etc. about the main points from this book. I no longer focus on goals, I focus on building better habits and using habit stacking. I have habits that I'd tried to develop for decades to no avail that I now have been doing daily for 2-3 years using the psychology from this book. My all-or-nothing personality benefited greatly from implementing the idea of showing up for 2 minutes, making it so easy that it didn't make sense not to do it, and then the habit grows from there. I think James Clear does an amazing job explaining these concepts. I am a huge fan of this book, and I've gotten several other people to incorporate these concepts so they can change their lives for the better as well. I feel better about myself and no longer beat myself up come New Year's, because it's not about reevaluating myself at the start of each new year. Now it's a daily process to focus on habits and get a little better as I go. I use a habit tracker every single day without fail, and there are some habits that are non-negotiable that I complete no matter what is going on in my life. These concepts truly work!
- Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2025James Clear's writing style is easy and down to Earth. With easy to grasp words and phrasing, he presents ideas infinite importance. If you are ready to change the habits that have been controlling you from the shadows, Clear explains why bad habits are hard to break. This is not a magic potion. It is a methodology you may use to identify and disrupt the cues, the cravings, and the responses that lead to the rewards, many of them empty, that are hurting your life. Invaluable! This will make you wonder why nobody ever told you this stuff before.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2025This is, again, my opinion:
It started off well. It is somewhat simplistic, but it hits enough key points. I understood he overcame his setback with what he wanted with sports. It was a good grounding of what he achieved.
We got ideas on how to work on habits, ideas on daily/life practices, touched on many aspects of everyday lives, and how we look at things. It was interesting.
Then, the end, again for me, nose-dived heavily into sports analogies, and he lost me. It became too focused on this aspect.
I will be using this book for freshmen in college, as a peer highly recommended it. We'll see how they analyze it and report on the book.
Before I read the book, my only qualm was the word "Law" for the sections. It still bothers me.
I did enjoy the first 2/3's. I know many feel this is an excellent book. My four stars are for what I wrote above. Again, my opinion.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2025This book really helped me reshape my habits over time. By "showing up" every day, even if I just do a 2 minute version or 5 minute version, I have now formed habits that have lasted 2 years so far, and I think they are deeply embedded enough that they will last a lifetime.
Some of my habits include morning bible study (habit stacked) but also taking a 15 minute walk during my mid-morning break (and if it's stormy outside I switch to squats, planks, lunges, etc.).
I also habit stacked my whole morning: wake up>deep breathing>brushing teeth>grounding for 3 minutes>drinking 12 oz water>showering>skin care>bible study and prayer>dress and out the door by 6:00 am). I've never felt healthier or more at peace with myself and the world.
I've also shared these ideas with my students to get them to make small changes for a big impact in their life trajectory. Some run with it, some ignore it, but at least the idea is planted in their brain.
Top reviews from other countries
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Fernanda H.Reviewed in Mexico on February 3, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente Libro. Se los recomiendo al 100%
Excelente Libro. Se los recomiendo al 100%
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A mesa chegou danificada!Reviewed in Brazil on January 5, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars ótimo livro
Excelente para fazer uma reflexão e trazer os comandos automáticos para o campo de reflexão.
Indico a todos que nunca tenham lido!
- L. J. OjaReviewed in Canada on December 2, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars "Atomic Habits Unveiled: A Philosopher's Take on Personal Transformation"
All too often the advice given to people is of the order: 'To a depressed person - "Just Cheer Up".' Or perhaps to a person trying to lose weight, "Eat less and move more". While ultimately correct, has no real benefit to the person hearing or reading the advice.
Atomic Habits is exactly the opposite. It provides many different ways to create those habits within you. When I bought the book about this time last year, it was supposed to be a Christmas present to myself - one gift among the clutter (isn't that the correct collective noun for Christmas gifts?) just to surprise everyone else, i.e. Santa does make deliveries to adults. Anyway . . .
I opened the book during the holidays and could not find that lump of time to read it. Skimming through the book I got one essential point. Reading a book in one lump might not work so well for people, but could you find 15 minutes every morning to do this? At this moment in time, that made all the sense in the world to me. I simply can not find the time to read the book in a lump or two. This is actually something that has worked against me for years. It has limited my progress and my development for the past decade. I do read quickly and on occasion will find that lump of time, but nothing like the 15 minutes every morning. That 15 minutes is the time it takes to boil water for my pour-over coffee maker. I do cheat a little here because I could get my coffee in about 11 or 12 minutes, but let's run with this habit creation.
Starting January 2, 2023, the book was completed by the end of the month. Doing the mathematics on this, I found 29 days with 1/4 of an hour each day. This works out to over 7 hours of reading. That was my first read, and I shared this with a friend. We work together on a political executive. Like the "Walking Dead", he changed too. Looking at people who have not read or acquired the skills of Atomic Habits, is much like seeing a person from Mars with two heads. There is an oddity to blaming the lack of time.
Everyone reading this book will from the same common point develop their own habits, and develop along their own path, but it will not be for lack of time. Realize what I said, you will never be able to say that there is insufficient time.
Here is another example of what happened to me during the past year. I drive 33 minutes to see a dear friend. I treasure the time we have discussing things for he generates ideas and helps me generate those ideas. He does not really know how very important he is to me. But, I then need to drive 33 minutes back. In that hour, I listen to an Audible title - it is a new habit. My obvious caveat here is that the route I take is rather mundane and there are few traffic lights and the posted speeds are not that fast. It is a pleasant drive and now a productive one.
So, keeping up with these two habits, let's see how much reading I get done now?
Waiting for coffee time: 0.25 hours x 365 = 91 hours of reading!
Driving to my buddy's 60 minutes x 50 = 50 hours or reading !!
The total amount of reading is now 140 hours of reading in one year. Just those two atomic habits, and on average that could mean 28 books per year if I need 5 hours per book, but only 14 books if I read at the other end of average which is 10 hours per book. On average, a good approximate FOR YOU MIGHT be 7.5 hours per book and therefore 21 books per year.
If you have read my review this far, congratulations! You have exactly what it takes to master this one Atomic Habit and become a much better (I don't mean moral) person. Buy the book! Read it in manageable chunks as I suggested. Get Audible (no! I do not work for Amazon) to find those times when you have wasted chunks of time.
Buy the book and make a positive difference in yourself. Let that difference infect others (there is that Walking Dead theme again) and together make a difference in your lives and your world.
Leo Oja, M.Ed.
- AshwinReviewed in India on February 22, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those who want to make a change!!!
One of the best books I have read in a while. My first kindle book that I managed to finish. Lots of anecdotes and explanations which helps in conceptualising the nature of habits and how one can truly overcome the hump of procrastination.
- PhilReviewed in Australia on December 8, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Get 1% Better Everyday
Atomic Habits review
“Get 1% better every day”.
I am slightly biased in writing this review because prior to reading the book I already possessed a near religious belief in habits and how they impact our lives. Having read previous habit books like Charles Duhigg Power of Habits and Marshall Goldsmith “triggers”, I felt I was at least relatively intermediate on my knowledge of the topic.
Why did I read the book then? Because learning (or reinforcing learning) about habits is one of the most powerful ways for you to improve in the game of life. Your habits shape your destiny is one of my core beliefs so I am always happy to try to get a new “edge” or ways to improve them. I also
expected to find new gems that would help reinforce the message of why habits are so powerful and I was not disappointed.
But enough of my own habits and life, the question is whether you should read this book? The resounding answer is YES.
Honestly, who doesn’t want to get better at something? Or who doesn't want to stop doing something?
James Clear is a fantastic writer who I have followed his informative articles on a variety of topics for nearly a year. A lot of what is in the book is material he has written about on his website as other reviewers have stated but he puts it together in a very neat format for the book so even his regular readers should get something out of this. I actually took so many notes/highlights from the Kindle edition that I almost reached the publisher limit of 10% - a sign that I believe highly in what I am reading and want to reflect upon it for years to come.
The opening pages of the book lay down a quote I will now repeat forever “if you can get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty- seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1% worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero.” The beginning lays out why habits are so powerful and how habits shape who we are as people before getting into the HOW of starting to build better habits.
The core of the book is based on the author’s “4 Laws” of habit change - Make it obvious, Make it Attractive, Make it Easy, Make it Satisfying”. By following the laws of habit creation we improve our chances of success in creating new habits.
Without droning on too long, I must highly recommend this book. Even if you have no idea about what a habit is or if you are already advanced in the practising of habit change then this book will still teach you so much. If not just a refresher on the topic to keep you motivated. Seriously, anyone of any age could benefit from this book. It gives you the tools to start thinking more clearly about your life and improving it. I would recommend it to anyone over the other habit books I have read (see above) as it is relatively short and provides the “how to” parts on a silver platter.
I will end my post on a few excellent quotes of the book towards the end (Ch.19 ”How to Stay Motivated” as this is the golden question for once you finish the book. A coach was asked by Clear what is the difference between the best athletes and everyone else? The coach said: ‘the factors you might expect: genetics, luck, talent. But then he said something I wasn’t expecting: “At some point it comes down to who can handle the boredom of training every day, doing the same lifts over and over and over.”
“Mastery requires practice. But the more you practice something, the more boring and routine it becomes. Once the beginner gains have been made and we learn what to expect, our interest starts to fade.
It is a fantastic book but the key thing will be can you then translate that into action? The book gives you the best leg up you can get - it’s then up to you to turn knowledge into action and go and get 1% better every darn day.