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Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones Paperback – International Edition, January 7, 2020

4.8 out of 5 stars 139,427 ratings

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a·tom·ic hab·it, noun.
Definition: A small habit with big results.

People say when you want to change your life, you need to think big: swap job, move house, change partner. But they’re wrong.

World-renowned life coach James Clear has discovered a completely different way to revolutionise your behaviour. He knows that lasting change comes from hundreds of tiny decisions – doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call. He calls these atomic habits.

Clear delves deep into cutting-edge psychology to explain why your brain is able to amplify such small changes into such big outcomes. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, or the unexpected power of the Two-Minute Rule), to show how you too can grow miniscule shifts into life-transforming changes in behaviour. And he reveals a simple four-stage method that will let you build atomic habits into your day-to-day life, starting now.

These nuclear changes will have an explosive effect on your career, your relationships and your life.
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  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Business Books; International Edition (January 7, 2020)
  • 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
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 139,427 ratings

About the author

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James Clear
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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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4.8 out of 5 stars
139,427 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a powerful guide for building good habits and breaking bad ones, with an engaging narrative style that captivates from start to finish. The content is easy to understand and follow, with practical suggestions that can be applied immediately, and one customer notes that it serves as a guidebook for creating and maintaining good habits. While the book's wordiness receives mixed reviews, customers appreciate its concise summaries and its ability to help readers become less procrastinators.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

3,452 customers mention "Advice"3,439 positive13 negative

Customers find the book to be a powerful guide for building good habits and improving oneself, with one customer noting how the principles help progress exponentially.

"...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

"Atomic Habits by James Clear is hands down one of the most impactful self-improvement books I’ve ever read — and I’ve read quite a few...." 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

2,839 customers mention "Readability"2,816 positive23 negative

Customers find the book highly readable and essential, with one customer noting that it's worth rereading periodically.

"...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

"...Instead, it's about small, consistent improvements — 1% better each day — and how those micro-changes compound into big results over time...." Read more

"...A must read for anyone needing a life boost." Read more

1,704 customers mention "Ease of application"1,688 positive16 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand and follow, appreciating its step-by-step approach and clear messages.

"...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

"...It’s not just theory, either. The book is a toolkit full of clear, actionable strategies that you can start applying immediately...." 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

204 customers mention "Pacing"182 positive22 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing, noting it helps eliminate procrastination and bad habits while maximizing performance. One customer mentions it provides slow but steady progress, while another reports getting more done by 8am.

"...You learn the truth about self-control, how to stop procrastinating and how to use implementation intentions, temptation bundling and motivational..." Read more

"very quick and easy read. now to put these habits into place. Some are common sense even though you don't always think of them as a good/bad habit." Read more

"...incredible for those who want to understand how to maximize your performance (in any endeavor) through evidence based strategies...." Read more

"...exponentially, hurdle roadblocks with more grace and ease, and streamline life. Highly recommend!! Thanks James Clear!!" Read more

145 customers mention "Application"140 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate how the book provides practical suggestions that can be applied immediately, with one customer noting that every chapter offers immediate tools.

"...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

121 customers mention "Chapter summaries"96 positive25 negative

Customers appreciate the book's chapter summaries, which are concise and well-organized, with one customer noting that each paragraph contains valuable information.

"...This book is different from others in the way it covers an enormous amount of ground in the larger area of self-improvement while seamlessly tying..." Read more

"...Instead, it's about small, consistent improvements — 1% better each day — and how those micro-changes compound into big results over time...." Read more

"...James is also fun to follow on Twitter. Atomic Habits has 20 relatively short chapters that open with compelling stories and end with helpful..." Read more

"...those who genuinely want to make changes, but for me, it's just too much work. At 70 yrs old, guess I'm comfortable accepting myself as I am...." Read more

121 customers mention "Story quality"111 positive10 negative

Customers appreciate the book's engaging narrative style that captivates from start to finish, featuring personal anecdotes and short stories relevant to each chapter topic.

"...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

"Easy to read..the stories are great …it shares how a 1% change to start…I am only half way into the book.. and is making a big difference for myself…..." Read more

185 customers mention "Wordiness"129 positive56 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the wordiness of the book, with some finding it pragmatically written and having a great message, while others note that the explanations for lessons can get quite redundant.

"...The book is conversational, and includes many interesting stories, making it easy to read - and hard to put down..." Read more

"...The concepts, such as the power of tiny habits and the importance of systems over goals, have already made a huge impact on my daily life...." Read more

"...book's core concepts, there are instances where certain ideas felt slightly overemphasized...." Read more

"...It was a good grounding of what he achieved...." Read more

Huge toolkit of actionable, practical, organized strategies to build positive habits
5 out of 5 stars
Huge toolkit of actionable, practical, organized strategies to build positive habits
I've read a lot of books on changing behavior and building habits and James Clear's Atomic Habits is my new favorite. This book is different from others in the way it covers an enormous amount of ground in the larger area of self-improvement while seamlessly tying all these ideas back into the central theme of habits. One of the core concepts in Atomic Habits is to focus on the small improvement. The impact a 1% improvement per day can make may appear negligible at first, but Clear makes a compelling argument that in the case of habits, thinking small produces the biggest results over time. "Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement," explains Clear. Over the months and years, the accumulated effect of small habitual daily behaviors is staggering. Early in the book we are also warned that this compounding works both ways, so we'd better make sure we're making it work in the positive direction, not for the negative. This is a concept I was introduced to years ago under a different name - Kaizen - the Japanese term for continuous incremental improvement. What's different and new in this book is how the concept is applied specifically to building habits. I found the information introduced in chapter two about behavior change at the identity level to be spot-on. You're also given a simple two-step process for changing your identity and this one idea alone is incredibly powerful. In chapter three, we are introduced to the habit loop - cue, craving, response, reward - and we learn how to build good habits in 4 simple steps and break bad habits in 4 simple steps. One of those steps to habit formation, which goes hand in hand with the 1% concept, is how to make it not only small, but easy. In the chapters that follow, this is exactly what you find out. 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 design your environment - physical and social - for habit building success. You learn the truth about self-control, how to stop procrastinating and how to use implementation intentions, temptation bundling and motivational rituals. The book is simply packed with actionable ideas, tactics and strategies. Virtually every idea in the book is useful and resonated with me. While I may not agree that we should "forget about goals," I agree with one of Clear's core principles in the book - that we must develop systems for change. If we only focus on goals and don't develop systems and a focus on the process, we risk falling into a number of goal-related traps which ultimately lead to stagnation. With the right systems, we're rewarded with continuous improvement on a lifelong journey of success. Another difference between Atomic Habits and other books in this genre is that while it's based on science it doesn't bog you down with unnecessary details of the research. Clear's book is intensely practical, giving you a huge toolkit of organized and named strategies you can apply immediately to create and strengthen positive habits and stop the negative ones. The book 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). It's possible this might become your most highlighted personal improvement book because every page is so chocked full of memorable and quotable gems of advice.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2018
    I've read a lot of books on changing behavior and building habits and James Clear's Atomic Habits is my new favorite. This book is different from others in the way it covers an enormous amount of ground in the larger area of self-improvement while seamlessly tying all these ideas back into the central theme of habits.

    One of the core concepts in Atomic Habits is to focus on the small improvement. The impact a 1% improvement per day can make may appear negligible at first, but Clear makes a compelling argument that in the case of habits, thinking small produces the biggest results over time. "Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement," explains Clear.

    Over the months and years, the accumulated effect of small habitual daily behaviors is staggering. Early in the book we are also warned that this compounding works both ways, so we'd better make sure we're making it work in the positive direction, not for the negative.

    This is a concept I was introduced to years ago under a different name - Kaizen - the Japanese term for continuous incremental improvement. What's different and new in this book is how the concept is applied specifically to building habits.

    I found the information introduced in chapter two about behavior change at the identity level to be spot-on. You're also given a simple two-step process for changing your identity and this one idea alone is incredibly powerful.

    In chapter three, we are introduced to the habit loop - cue, craving, response, reward - and we learn how to build good habits in 4 simple steps and break bad habits in 4 simple steps.

    One of those steps to habit formation, which goes hand in hand with the 1% concept, is how to make it not only small, but easy. In the chapters that follow, this is exactly what you find out.

    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 design your environment - physical and social - for habit building success. You learn the truth about self-control, how to stop procrastinating and how to use implementation intentions, temptation bundling and motivational rituals. The book is simply packed with actionable ideas, tactics and strategies.

    Virtually every idea in the book is useful and resonated with me. While I may not agree that we should "forget about goals," I agree with one of Clear's core principles in the book - that we must develop systems for change. If we only focus on goals and don't develop systems and a focus on the process, we risk falling into a number of goal-related traps which ultimately lead to stagnation. With the right systems, we're rewarded with continuous improvement on a lifelong journey of success.

    Another difference between Atomic Habits and other books in this genre is that while it's based on science it doesn't bog you down with unnecessary details of the research. Clear's book is intensely practical, giving you a huge toolkit of organized and named strategies you can apply immediately to create and strengthen positive habits and stop the negative ones.

    The book 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).

    It's possible this might become your most highlighted personal improvement book because every page is so chocked full of memorable and quotable gems of advice.
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Huge toolkit of actionable, practical, organized strategies to build positive habits

    Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2018
    I've read a lot of books on changing behavior and building habits and James Clear's Atomic Habits is my new favorite. This book is different from others in the way it covers an enormous amount of ground in the larger area of self-improvement while seamlessly tying all these ideas back into the central theme of habits.

    One of the core concepts in Atomic Habits is to focus on the small improvement. The impact a 1% improvement per day can make may appear negligible at first, but Clear makes a compelling argument that in the case of habits, thinking small produces the biggest results over time. "Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement," explains Clear.

    Over the months and years, the accumulated effect of small habitual daily behaviors is staggering. Early in the book we are also warned that this compounding works both ways, so we'd better make sure we're making it work in the positive direction, not for the negative.

    This is a concept I was introduced to years ago under a different name - Kaizen - the Japanese term for continuous incremental improvement. What's different and new in this book is how the concept is applied specifically to building habits.

    I found the information introduced in chapter two about behavior change at the identity level to be spot-on. You're also given a simple two-step process for changing your identity and this one idea alone is incredibly powerful.

    In chapter three, we are introduced to the habit loop - cue, craving, response, reward - and we learn how to build good habits in 4 simple steps and break bad habits in 4 simple steps.

    One of those steps to habit formation, which goes hand in hand with the 1% concept, is how to make it not only small, but easy. In the chapters that follow, this is exactly what you find out.

    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 design your environment - physical and social - for habit building success. You learn the truth about self-control, how to stop procrastinating and how to use implementation intentions, temptation bundling and motivational rituals. The book is simply packed with actionable ideas, tactics and strategies.

    Virtually every idea in the book is useful and resonated with me. While I may not agree that we should "forget about goals," I agree with one of Clear's core principles in the book - that we must develop systems for change. If we only focus on goals and don't develop systems and a focus on the process, we risk falling into a number of goal-related traps which ultimately lead to stagnation. With the right systems, we're rewarded with continuous improvement on a lifelong journey of success.

    Another difference between Atomic Habits and other books in this genre is that while it's based on science it doesn't bog you down with unnecessary details of the research. Clear's book is intensely practical, giving you a huge toolkit of organized and named strategies you can apply immediately to create and strengthen positive habits and stop the negative ones.

    The book 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).

    It's possible this might become your most highlighted personal improvement book because every page is so chocked full of memorable and quotable gems of advice.
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    2,300 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2018
    I 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
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2025
    Atomic Habits by James Clear is hands down one of the most impactful self-improvement books I’ve ever read — and I’ve read quite a few. What makes this book stand out is its down-to-earth, practical approach to building better habits and breaking the bad ones.

    I love how Clear emphasizes that you don’t need to make huge, sweeping changes overnight. Instead, it's about small, consistent improvements — 1% better each day — and how those micro-changes compound into big results over time. That simple shift in mindset makes the process of change feel accessible and achievable.

    It’s not just theory, either. The book is a toolkit full of clear, actionable strategies that you can start applying immediately. There's something here for everyone...whether you’re trying to be more productive, healthier, more focused, or just more intentional in your everyday life.

    I’ve referred back to it many times — it’s definitely one of those books you don’t just read once. It stays on my shelf, ready for me whenever I need a reset or some motivation.

    I had my college-aged sons read it, and they both found it very helpful, especially as they’re trying to balance academics, social life, and personal goals. It gave them simple frameworks to understand their own behaviors and build routines that work for them.

    If you’re looking for a book that is smart, inspiring, and totally doable, Atomic Habits is it. It’s one of those rare books that actually helps you change your life — not overnight, but in small steps for the long haul. Highly recommend to anyone at any age or stage.
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  • SBB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Piacevole
    Reviewed in Italy on February 8, 2025
    Spedizione veloce, involucro neutro ma adatto, come da descrizione. Lingua originale. Riflessioni sulle abitudini, l‘origine ed il modo per cambiarle. Con esercizi e aneddoti. Di piacevole lettura.
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  • Phil
    5.0 out of 5 stars Get 1% Better Everyday
    Reviewed in Australia on December 8, 2018
    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.
  • L. J. Oja
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Atomic Habits Unveiled: A Philosopher's Take on Personal Transformation"
    Reviewed in Canada on December 2, 2023
    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.
  • JG Araujo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bom livro
    Reviewed in Brazil on February 26, 2023
    Bastante aspecto prático e objetivo. Recomendo! Acredito que os sistemas e direcionamentos dados pe.o autor seja realmente de grande valia para todos. Quem já ent4nde e do,imã seus hábitos ou mesmo quem está lutando por fazer novos, o livro é um om pó tô de partida para uma auto avaliação
  • Romina
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ponerlo en práctica es lo más importante
    Reviewed in Mexico on March 25, 2025
    Fácil de leer para niveles principiantes en inglés y muy interesante para cambiar tu estilo de vida siempre que lo pongas en práctica.
    Me llegó en perfectas condiciones.