Mark Manson, author of books such as The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, says Atomic Habits: (2018) by James Clear “might be the most practical book ever written on simple behavioral change.” And now there’s a companion workbook, just out in December.
How Clear identifies the three key lessons in Atomic Habits (“atomic” as in atom-size, or very small):
- Small habits make a big difference…Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.
- Forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead…If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change.
- Build identity-based habits…To change your behavior for good, you need to start believing new things about yourself.
Clear’s four laws of behavioral change:
- Make it obvious
- Make it attractive
- Make it easy
- Make it satisfying
Selected Quotes from Atomic Habits
Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.
The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.
All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.
Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.
The more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it. If you’re proud of how your hair looks, you’ll develop all sorts of habits to care for and maintain it. If you’re proud of the size of your biceps, you’ll make sure you never skip an upper-body workout. If you’re proud of the scarves you knit, you’ll be more likely to spend hours knitting each week. Once your pride gets involved, you’ll fight tooth and nail to maintain your habits.
