James Clear’s Atomic Habits is a guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones. It’s based on small, actionable steps.

I learned about his work through TIm Ferriss’s blog even before reading his book. 

I used the approaches he recommends to build many of my life-long habits. 

For example, I have missed a total of about 40 days of exercise in the past 11 years. 

I don’t have any issues with eating junk foods. 

Understanding how habits are formed also helped me stop wasting my time.

For example, I used to read the news every evening. 

It was taking too much time and didn’t provide me with nearly any benefit.

This book helps you deal with just such situations.

Another book that goes well along with it is the Willpower Instinct By Kelly McGonigal. You can read the review here: ==LINK==

Summary

Clear explains that small changes can lead to big results. 

He focuses on the idea of “atomic habits,” tiny adjustments that compound over time to create significant improvements.

Key Insights

1. The Four Laws of Behavior Change: Clear outlines four laws for creating good habits and breaking bad ones: Make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying.
2. Identity-Based Habits: Focusing on who you want to become rather than what you want to achieve. Habits that align with your identity are more likely to stick.
3. Habit Stacking: Pairing a new habit with an existing one to create a routine. This makes it easier to remember and implement new behaviors.
4. Environment Design: Adjusting your environment to support your habits. Simple changes in your surroundings can make a big difference.
5. The Two-Minute Rule: Start new habits by doing them for just two minutes. This makes it easier to begin and helps build consistency.
6. Tracking Progress: Keeping track of your habits helps maintain motivation and accountability. Use a habit tracker to monitor your progress.
7. Inversion of the Four Laws: To break a bad habit, invert the four laws: Make it invisible, make it unattractive, make it difficult, and make it unsatisfying.
8. Compound Effect: Small habits can lead to remarkable results over time. Clear explains how incremental improvements can compound into significant gains.
9. Focus on Systems, Not Goals: Instead of obsessing over goals, focus on the system and process that leads to those goals. This shift in focus can make habits more sustainable.
10. Immediate Rewards: To make habits stick, find ways to give yourself immediate rewards. This can help reinforce the behavior.
11. Overcoming Plateaus: Expect and prepare for plateaus in progress. Understanding that they are part of the process helps you stay committed.
12. Social Influence: The people around you can significantly impact your habits. Surround yourself with those who support your goals and habits.

My rating

• Easy to understand ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Practicality ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Convenience ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Educational Value ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Verdict

Atomic Habits is a must-read for anyone looking to improve their habits. 

For many years, I was repulsed by the title. The word “atomic” sounded spammy or clickbaity, as if it had something to do with the bomb. 

But I was wrong. 

If you’ve heard of this book, but haven’t read/listened to it. I highly recommend it.

This book offers a clear roadmap to making lasting changes.

Have you read Atomic Habits? Share your thoughts below!