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Atomic Habits Summary

1-Sentence-Summary:   Atomic Habits is the definitive guide to breaking bad behaviors and adopting good ones in four steps, showing you how small, incremental, everyday routines compound into massive, positive change over time.

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Table of Contents

Video Summary

Atomic habits review, audio summary, who would i recommend the atomic habits summary to.

One of the best keynote speeches I’ve seen is Seth Godin’s presentation for his book Linchpin . On one of the slides, he shows a baseball bat flying into the stands, with people ducking away and raising their arms in terror.

While Seth uses the picture to make a point about our irrational fears , in some rare cases, those fears come true. James Clear was one of those cases. When he was in high school, a loose bat smashed right into his face. Broken nose, dangerous brain swellings, dislocated eyes, fractures, his recovery took months.

To get his own baseball career back on track, he had no choice but to rely on the power of small gains. In college, he slowly accumulated good habits and eventually managed to become one of 33 players for the All-American Academic team. Wow!

Today, he is one of the most popular habit researchers, reaching millions through his blog at JamesClear.com . His first book,  Atomic Habits , is now the definitive guide on the topic and has quickly become a New York Times bestseller!

Here are 3 lessons to help you use everything he’s learned to break bad habits and form good ones:

• Every time we perform a habit, we execute a four-step pattern: cue, craving, response, reward.
• If we want to form new habits, we should make them obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying.
• You can use a habit tracker as a fun way to measure your progress and make sure you don’t fall off the wagon.

Let’s see what it takes to form new habits by learning from a true habit master!

If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want.

Lesson 1: All habits are based on a four-step pattern, which consists of cue, craving, response, and reward.

In 1776, Adam Smith laid the foundation of modern economics in his magnum opus ,  The Wealth of Nations . One of his most famous observations is that, in a free market system, all workers naturally maximize their own society’s welfare, even if merely acting in their own best interest:

“…he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention.”

When it comes to habits, James suggests that environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.  That’s why a prompt is always the first step in performing any habit . It may not always  be external, but, most of the time, it will be. Then, three more stages follow to complete the four-step pattern:

• Cue . A piece of information that suggests there’s a reward to be found, like the smell of a cookie or a dark room waiting to light up.
• Craving . The motivation to change something to get the reward, like tasting the delicious cookie or being able to see.
• Response . Whatever thought or action you need to take to get to the reward.
• Reward . The satisfying feeling you get from the change, along with the lesson whether to do it again or not.

There are several popular methodologies that try to predict how and why we do what we do, such as Charles Duhigg’s habit loop , Gretchen Rubins four tendencies , or BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits behavior model . James offers a more refined version of what Duhigg described in The Power of Habit and while all of these approaches are different, none of them are mutually exclusive.

Lesson 2: To form habits, you must make them obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying.

From the four-step pattern he suggests, James then derives four laws of behavior change, which correspond to one part of the loop each. Here they are, along with some ideas for how you can use them to facilitate good behaviors and make bad ones harder:

• Make it obvious . Don’t hide your fruits in your fridge, put them on display front and center.
• Make it attractive . Start with the fruit you like the most, so you’ll actually want to eat one when you see it.
• Make it easy . Don’t create needless friction by focusing on fruits that are hard to peel. Bananas and apples are super easy to eat, for example.
• Make it satisfying . If you like the fruit you picked, you’ll love eating it and feel healthier as a result!

You can apply these to all kinds of good habits, like running, working on a side project , spending more time with family, and so on. Conversely, do the opposite for bad habits. Make them invisible, unattractive, difficult, and unsatisfying. For example, you could hide your cigarettes, add financial penalties, get rid of all lighters, and only allow yourself to smoke outside in the cold.

Lesson 3: A habit tracker is a fun and easy way to ensure you stick to your new behaviors.

With a framework like this, making and breaking habits becomes fun. You’ll likely want to tackle multiple things sooner rather than later, but it’s important to not take on too much at once. An easy way of keeping yourself accountable without becoming overwhelmed is to track your habits with a habit tracker .

The idea is simple: You keep a record of all the behaviors you want to establish or abandon and, at the end of each day, you mark which ones you succeeded with . This record can be a single piece of paper, a journal, a calendar, or a digital tool, like an app.

This strategy is based on what’s sometimes called the Seinfeld productivity hack . Comedian Jerry Seinfeld apparently marked his calendar with a big ‘X’ every day he came up with a joke. Soon, his goal was to not break the chain. It’s a simple, but effective strategy to help you build good habits.

And since habits are the compound interest of self-improvement , that’s a process we should all start today.

When it comes to changing our behavior, we all need to find out what works for us. That said, there are several scientifically proven strategies we should all try first.  Atomic Habits  is a complete, fun, engaging, and simple to understand compendium of those strategies. I highly recommend you make it your first stop when wanting to learn about the science of habits.

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The 17 year old high school athlete, who wants to go pro in college, the 43 year old overworked creative, who struggles with finding time for sports, and anyone who’s never written down a list of their habits .

Last Updated on November 13, 2023

Niklas Göke

Niklas Göke is an author and writer whose work has attracted tens of millions of readers to date. He is also the founder and CEO of Four Minute Books, a collection of over 1,000 free book summaries teaching readers 3 valuable lessons in just 4 minutes each. Born and raised in Germany, Nik also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration & Engineering from KIT Karlsruhe and a Master’s Degree in Management & Technology from the Technical University of Munich. He lives in Munich and enjoys a great slice of salami pizza almost as much as reading — or writing — the next book — or book summary, of course!

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The Sage Millennial

Finance. Millennial. Productivity.

Book Review: Atomic Habits By James Clear

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Books are a great source of knowledge. They provide us with new ideas and ways of thinking. Books are like our mentors.

Why? Cause we can’t have Mentors such as Elon Musk or Robert Herjavec but due to the book they write, we can get a look into their lives, learn how they faced difficulties, managed competition, and achieved success.

The strategies they use, the techniques, and the life lessons are all in one single book, which we can read while sipping coffee at home, sounds awesome doesn’t it?

Due to this amazing amount of knowledge books possess, the demand for books is unimaginable.

I read books every single day as I know I am not the smartest guy out there but the least I can do is learn from the smartest in my field and study their pitfalls so I don’t make the same mistakes.

That’s why you should read books too, to learn, grow, and develop yourself.

Atomic Habits is a book written by James Clear which was published in the year 2018.

Atomic Habits is a self-help book that takes a scientific and logical approach to understanding how small habits impact our lives and how developing a few great habits and working on them daily for a long time will lead to higher productivity.

Book Review: Atomic Habits

Atomic Habits explains how to build a new habit with Habit stacking and Temptation Building. Achieve success by 1% improvements and get rid of our bad habits.

URL: https://thesagemillennial.com/go/atomic-habits/

Author: James Clear

Here’s what the book say’s

Early in his life after his major setback, James realized that small habits done consistently can reap massive success . “The way to start was small”.

This book will guide you and provide you with a step-by-step framework on how to be more productive and improve yourself to achieve success.

The guidelines provided in this book are backed up with science and logic to ensure you understand the process fairly well and use the principles appropriately.  

What does Atomic Habits mean?

Atomic habits mean tiny changes, marginal gains, and one percent increments which lead to huge results if done consistently.

Small tiny habits completed every day magnify your success. They help you grow into the person you wish to become.

The book has a lot of depth and information in it. So I’ll be going on some great pointers which I found helpful and I hope you find them helpful too. 

Gain practical insights, and make positive changes in your life!

Atomic Habits Book!

✅ Clear Understanding of Habit Formation ✅ Practical Strategies for Change ✅  Focus on Small Changes ✅ Scientific Insights in Accessible Language ✅ Inspiration for Long-Term Transformation

1. The 1% Percent Rule

James Clear says “It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis”

The one percent improvement says that first, you need to understand everything about your work, break it down into small easily achievable tasks, and improve it by just 1% every day. This can have significantly greater results in the long run.

Improving yourself by 1% every day will make you 37 times better in a year!

That’s surely an enormous amount of growth in a year.

2. Plateau of latent potential

If you take up a task, and try hard but eventually give up, James says that if you just had to put in a little bit more effort, you would have crossed the plateau of latent potential. 

The example atomic habits give is in reference to ice cubes

Let’s say there is an ice cube in front of you, the room temperature is 25℃ and is slowly rising to 27℃, 28℃, 30℃, 31℃; still, the ice cube does not melt. But when the temperature reaches 32℃, the ice starts melting.

This implies that in life we often try working hard till 31℃ and give up, not knowing that at 32℃ we could start seeing the results of our hard work.

Once your efforts reach 32℃, people start describing it as an overnight success but in reality, it is simply taking a few essential steps daily in order to achieve massive results in the long run.

Another example is that you head to the gym for three months but still don’t see any good results. You give up thinking that you will never be able to have a ripped body.

But only if you knew that consistently visiting the gym over and over again will eventually lead to greater results, and maybe an additional month would have gotten you closer to your fitness goal, you would’ve never stopped visiting the gym. 

Success takes time and constant effort. You shouldn’t give up just because you think you can’t achieve it. 

3. Valley Of Disappointment

We often feel that progress should come quickly to us, that a task we begin will soon reap benefits for us.

In reality, the results of our efforts are often delayed, not for a few days, but months maybe even years until we realize the true value of previous work we have done. 

James terms the level of disappointment faced by us when we don’t get results as the valley of disappointment.

Focus on systems

He says that instead of focusing on goals, focus on systems. Goals are your end results for example – I want to be fit and healthy. Whereas a system is a process of how to achieve the goal more systematically and smartly.

Having a goal is great, but it might confuse you; instead, have a predefined system; this will keep you in track with your path to achieve your goals.

Ask yourself 

Are you becoming the type of person you want to become? Have you improved yourself by 1% today?

Asking questions like these trigger your mind into thinking – what qualities should a person possess if he wants to find success in a particular field?

Once you get the answers to that, you need to start taking small actions every day to possess those qualities. It’s that simple!

4. Build a positive atmosphere

Try to say everything in a positive manner. Don’t say things like, I get tired of going to the gym, instead say the gym builds strength and endurance which makes me more active.

Don’t tell your mom that chores are boring, rather say that chores help me burn fat which makes me healthy. 

Saving money is nothing but sacrificing your life, instead say that living below your means today will ensure your future means are well-taken care of.

When Habits get boring we need to figure out a way to get that excitement back or else the habit fades away.

That’s why most bad habits like drinking smoking and eating junk food never fade away – it gives us immense excitement every time. We need to learn how to be consistent with our habits. 

For this, James Clear explains the following:

Four laws of behavioral change

1. Make it obvious

If you want to change a habit but act like there is nothing to change, you will probably not change the habit. You need to start taking action and realize that you need to change this habit right away.

2. Make it attractive

What’s more attractive – watching a movie or studying?

Obviously watching a movie! This is because studying is considered boring but if you can change that by altering your studies so that it’s interesting, your mind will find them attractive and won’t procrastinate on studying.

3. Make it easy

The only way to ensure that you stay consistent is to make it so simple and easy that it doesn’t create any problems in your normal routine. The change should be so minute and smooth that you don’t understand how easy it is to do the task.

4. Make it satisfying

If the habit you wish to follow is satisfying, meaning it gives you a reward, in the end, you’ll stick to it. Ensure you use the temptation-building strategy to make your task satisfying.

How to Break a Bad Habit?

1. Make it invisible

If you can’t see the bad habit, you won’t do it, simple as that. If you smoke, make sure you avoid seeing cigarettes anywhere you go. If you’re addicted to using your phone all day, hide your phone in your cupboard and do something, trust me you won’t get up to grab your phone.

2. Make it unattractive

A simple way to break a bad habit is to make it look unattractive and boring. If smoking is made to look unattractive and not appealing, you’ll observe that the addict will stop smoking right away, cause now it’s boring for the addict.

3. Make it difficult

The good thing about bad habits is that they are easily available to us. Your phone is usually at an arm’s distance, but if you can make it difficult to reach your phone, in time you will stop trying to use the phone. When I don’t need my phone for work, I always lock it in the cupboard in the bedroom, away from me.

4. Make it unsatisfying

If you make your task unsatisfying, your mind will immediately tell you to not do it again. Why? Cause you only want things that give you satisfaction.

Other things are to be ignored. One way to make your phone unsatisfying is by changing the phone setting to monochrome in the developer’s options on Android devices. Looking at a black & white screen is very unattractive and you will keep them away for good.  

The 2 methods to develop a habit:

1. habit stacking.

How to stack a habit over an existing habit to ensure you do it daily?

Let’s say you want to do 10 push-ups every day the moment you get up in the morning.

So your habit stacking will be 

Once I get up from my bed I will brush my teeth and then do 10 push-ups followed by drinking water.

Do you see how you trained your brain to develop a path for your habit? Instead of just saying “I want to do push-ups every day in the morning” which seems vague and unclear to your mind.

2. Temptation building

Another strategy to get work done better is by using temptation building. This works by linking an action you want to do with an activity you need to do thus ensuring that the fun stuff is done along with what’s important. Win-Win situation for both goals.

The gym uses this technique quite often. Cardio machines have a virtual reality TV in front of it, so every time you do cardio(need task) you simultaneously watch something (want task), which creates entertainment while working out. A great strategy now used by many companies too.

Now that you know these two methods

The book says combining them is even better 

For example:

I will sleep for an hour and then go to the gym where I will do cardio(need) while watching a virtual reality TV (want).

You see I used habit stacking and said that once I sleep, I will go to the gym and then use temptation building to build a reason to go to the gym( virtual reality TV).

Will Atomic Habits Make You A Better Person?

Building better habits isn’t about flossing your teeth, taking a cold shower, or heading to the gym each day.

Habits help you achieve these things but they aren’t about having something they are about becoming something. Ultimately the habits you form help you become the type of person you desire to become.

We are so engrossed in finding the perfect workout, the perfect way to lose fat, we forget that taking action is what makes us better, finding the perfect way to do a task just delays today’s efforts. The only way you will improve is by doing something today. 

The principles and guidelines mentioned in the book can be used in all walks of life: personal life, professional life, parenting, finance , fitness, education anything which includes your behavior.

That’s what makes atomic Habits a must-read for every single one.  It’s a great choice for Millennials who are struggling to do it all in their 20s, it’s good for parents trying to manage their child along with their finances and professional life. 

Once you finish reading Atomic Habits, James Clear also offers you additional information which actually has a lot of really good ways to develop habits like how to apply atomic Habits to grow business, how to use atomic Habits for parenting, and so on. 

Feel free to leave your comments below if:

• You have a question or feedback
• You need me to clarify something regarding my Atomic Habits Book Review
• You wish to share your Atomic Habits Reading journey with everyone!

So let me know which habit you struggle to stick to and which habit do you easily adapt to.

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Book Review: ‘Atomic Habits’ By James Clear

• by Sam Howard

‘Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones’ by James Clear is a masterclass in habit-forming. I say this with confidence because with the guidance provided in the book, I was able to cut off a bad habit (excessive scrolling on my phone) and develop a couple of good habits (freewriting everyday and getting some steps in). 

The step-by-step guide itself was impressive in its own right, but what I liked about it the most is how simple and actionable it was, plus how James Clear explained everything so convincingly. So now, let me walk you through how he managed to convert a skeptic (me!) into a believer of tiny habits.

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‘Atomic Habits’ Overview

James Clear sets out that picking up a good habit is thought to be tough not because we lack willpower or commitment, but because we don’t have the right systems built to support a habit to form and sustain. So to build these systems, he suggests following the four ‘Laws of Behavior Change’ that can help start and maintain a good habit. They are: 

• Make it obvious
• Make it attractive
• Make it easy
• Make it satisfying 

He suggests inverting these laws to break a bad habit: 

• Make it invisible
• Make it unattractive 
• Make it difficult
• Make it unsatisfying

Clear provides detailed explanations on how these laws work and he accompanies the guided chapters with anecdotes and personal experience, making it easy to see how the practices he’s proposing have a very real impact.

‘Atomic Habits’ Book Review

I (reluctantly) started on ‘Atomic Habit’ back when I was in a reading slump, hoping I can pick up reading everyday again. I figured if the book is as good as a lot of readers said it was, it just might convince me to get back to my TBR. 

So there I was, expecting a noncommittal read and eager to (hopefully) get back to the books I abandoned halfway, and James Clear hit me with an opening narrative so intriguing that I couldn’t help but get hooked on the book. 

He explains his foray into habit forming came after a huge setback during highschool, where he suffered a severe injury playing baseball. Wanting to get back on track, he started practicing small habits like sleeping well, studying consistently, and keeping tidy. I’ve got to say, the results were really inspiring:

“…improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding…” – Chapter 1

1% BETTER EVERY DAY 1% worse every day for one year. 0.99 365 = 00.03 1% better every day for one year. 1.01 365 = 37.78

It’s a little bit of a genius move; put this way, I could see how much impact a small habit can have, especially if they compound over time – which is exactly what Clear suggests. 

So I thought of trying out the ‘atomic’ method of habit forming, going by Clear’s laws of behavioral change. Let’s see how I did!

1. Make it obvious

With the first law of behavioral change, Clear suggests that if we are to be intentional about habit forming, we have to make our habits obvious. 

I loved the example he cited to show the benefit of making it obvious – the ‘Pointing and Calling’ safety practice from the Japanese railway system. This involves all the railway staff pointing and calling out specific details like arrival time, speedometer reading, and signal status. This habit seemed a bit weird to me, but making these safety details obvious by speaking them out loud has actually helped reduce errors up to 85 percent. So Clear’s suggestion here is to make the habit so obvious that you can’t miss it at all:  

“Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity. It is not always obvious when and where to take action.” – Chapter 5

I felt like I could relate to this because I often complain I’m not motivated to do something, so I experimented with the first law of behavioral change by trying to make a habit of walking everyday. 

I work at my desk all day, tapping away at my keyboard and often when I stop for the day, it’s too late to go out for a walk or I’m just not too excited for it. So to carve out a time and to ‘make it obvious’ to get up and go, I followed Clear’s habit stacking formula.

The habit stacking formula is: After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]

I make myself a cup of coffee everyday around 5 in the evening, so I paired my coffee break with a 20 minute walk. I placed my running shoes right near my desk so when I get up to brew a cup, I’d put the shoes on and go on to make coffee. And since I’m already wearing shoes, what I’m thinking is I might as well step out of the house to take a walk for ten minutes and then back home. 

Believe me, I didn’t think it’d make a difference at first either, but against all expectations this actually worked. Apart from a couple of days where there was a ton of rain, I’ve been out as soon as I’ve had my coffee. And now, when I’m having coffee at a completely irrelevant time, I get the urge to get up and walk which means two things – I’ve successfully hardwired my brain to go for a walk after coffee, and I probably should have stacked walking with another habit 😅.

2. Make it attractive

The second law of behavioral change works by making a habit attractive so we get tempted to do it. 

Clear mentions that this is the practice that fast food companies follow to make their product so irresistible we always crave for more. Years of research have been poured into enhancing the flavor and mouthfeel of these foods; the science behind that is that our brain is attracted to hyperpalatable food so we are likely to go through a couple packs of potato chips or keep ordering thin crust pizza topped with gooey melted cheese.

So how does this fit in with making a habit attractive? Clear suggests we could heighten the appeal of a habit to immediately draw us to it, using ‘temptation bundling’:

“Temptation bundling works by linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do. In Byrne’s case, he bundled watching Netflix (the thing he wanted to do) with riding his stationary bike (the thing he needed to do).” – Chapter 8

I adopted this technique to get more nutrients in my system. I’ve been warned by the family doctor that I take in way less micronutrients than I’m supposed to and unfortunately, most foods I’m supposed to consume for micronutrients are not the most appealing. So, inspired by Mr. Byrne in Clear’s example, I resolved to watch Netflix only when I’m eating healthy. At first, this meant my time watching Netflix went down drastically, but a show I wanted to watch so badly got released and I had to go for some leafy greens and whole grains just to watch it. 

How did I manage to not watch Netflix until then, you ask? Well, I just got my partner to change the password to our family account and asked him to not share it with me under any circumstance (unless I was having the right food). This is also a couple of Clear’s techniques in action; the first is getting an accountability buddy to make sure you stick to your resolve and second is the reverse law of making a habit difficult (by adding the barrier of the password).

3. Make it easy

With this one, James Clear suggests applying the ‘Law of Least Effort.’ He elaborates that when deciding between two similar options, we tend to lean toward the option that requires the least effort. Humans are hardwired to find ways to do things so it delivers best possible value for low effort, so Clear suggests programming our habits that way as well. 

“The idea behind make it easy is not to only do easy things. The idea is to make it as easy as possible in the moment to do things that payoff in the long run.” – Chapter 12

Now, our brains can resist doing the right thing even if we make it attractive (remember me avoiding Netflix so I won’t have to eat spinach?); this is where ‘make it easy’ comes in. So to put the third law of behavioral change into action, I tried to make a habit easy with the 2-minute rule. This rule pushes you to do something for two minutes and not a second more, BUT you do it everyday. 

I’ve always wanted to build the habit of freewriting because I feel like I lose ‘my own writing time’ since I’m always writing for a particular reason. I’ve tried journaling and morning pages, but I’ve always fallen off the wagon (or page!) probably because I perceive both as big tasks. So I challenged myself to free-write everyday for two weeks to see how I do with the 2-minute rule. 

To my surprise, I felt no hesitation starting free-writing when my alarm rang signaling the time to write, because I limited it to two minutes only. I’ve been free-writing for over a year now, and I have this sense of fulfillment whenever I open my notebook. Funny thing is, I get the urge to write whenever I see my designated notebook – I’m not very sure what kind of brain conditioning happened there, but I’m not complaining!

Oh and by the way, the reverse rule of this helped me cut down my screen time because I activated an app blocker that cuts you off from accessing certain apps for a period of time. All my social media apps are blocked from 6 am to 6 pm, and it’s a pain to unblock it even if I wanted to. So I don’t check on social media at all during my working hours, and it has made me productive because I’m less distracted.

4. Make it satisfying

The final law of behavior change is to make a habit satisfying. Now, the challenge with this, as Clear explains, is how we can’t exactly see the progress we are making, especially with small habits. Waiting until the habit compounds is not exactly motivating at the moment, because we never know how long it will take to make a difference. 

“Making progress is satisfying, and visual measures—like moving paper clips or hairpins or marbles—provide clear evidence of your progress. As a result, they reinforce your behavior and add a little bit of immediate satisfaction to any activity. Visual measurement comes in many forms: food journals, workout logs, loyalty punch cards, the progress bar on a software download, even the page numbers in a book. But perhaps the best way to measure your progress is with a habit tracker.” – Chapter 12

I tried tracking my newfound habit of walking, with a visual habit tracker. It felt like a hassle at first, but I resolved to make a tick on the tracker that I hung on the corkboard above my desk immediately before sitting down to work after my walk (habit stacking!). I have to say, ticking off each day feels really good because I’ve successfully done something I couldn’t get myself to do before. With the tracker, I’ve also got the added challenge of maintaining my streak because I don’t want to leave a day unticked. I have missed a day or two, but then I remember what Clear said: 

“No matter how consistent you are with your habits, it is inevitable that life will interrupt you at some point. Perfection is not possible. Before long, an emergency will pop up—you get sick or you have to travel for work or your family needs a little more of your time. Whenever this happens to me, I try to remind myself of a simple rule: never miss twice.” – Chapter 15

So I try to never miss two days in a row, and so far, I never have.

When I read this chapter, I realized I’ve been using this law of making it satisfying without realizing it, with my language learning habit. My current streak on Duolingo is over 400 days long, and knowing the pain of losing the streak (I lost my earlier streak at 342 days😅) I fight tooth and nail to get my language lesson in everyday before midnight. 

There you have it, all the laws of behavioral change in action. This is exactly what I meant when I said James Clear’s book is simple and actionable. When I started reading, it didn’t seem to take a lot out of me to start forming a habit so I thought “I might as well try” and that went on for three months before I finally admitted to myself that ‘atomic habits’ actually work. 

One thing I have to mention though, I felt the content could have been a bit shorter considering it’s self-help. James Clear had made the book digestible with chapter summaries and simple graphics, but I still felt like it took forever to finish the book (it could be me, I was in a reading slump after all). 

Considering I managed to get out of my slump plus build a few good habits along the way, I suggest giving ‘Atomic Habits’ a try (even if you have a less than enthusiastic attitude to forming habits like me). Inside the book, you are highly likely to find nuggets of wisdom that appeal to you, and simple ways of tricking your brain to do good that make you want to try out a new habit just for the fun of it.

Who Should Read ‘Atomic Habits’

Anyone who wants to pick up good habits or to break a bad habit should read this book, as it can give you that gentle push you’re looking for. 

If you want to understand what influences human behavior and how we form habits, this book is a solid starting point.

Books Similar to ‘Atomic Habits’

No products found. is a refreshing take on life, perspectives, and how we tackle challenges when they come our way. If you need a self-help read backed by science, experience, and wisdom punctuated by ruthless humor, this book is an awesome choice.

If you’d like to read more about how small actions compound into creating a big impact, No products found. is a captivating read that can change the way you approach personal challenges and professional tasks. 

Also, if you’d like to find more self-help recs, my collection of self-help book reviews and lists of recommendations can point you in the right direction!

Final Thoughts

James Clear’s No products found. is exactly the book you need to read if you want to develop a good habit and break a bad one. Clear promises no magic, but instead, he shares with us a whole lot of convincing anecdotes, digestible research findings, and simple, actionable tips to make any big habit possible. So if you want to read any self-help book on developing habits and improving yourself, let it be this one.

Yes! It’s a simple, easy-to-follow guide on how to form good habits and break bad ones and it’s worth reading because it’s actionable and reliable.

The four rules, or rather laws, of behavioral change in ‘Atomic Habits’ are, make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying.

‘Atomic Habits’ is so popular because it helps you build systems of habits instead of goal-based habits. That way, you are focused on sustaining the habit without being overly focused on the outcome.

Although ‘Atomic Habits’ doesn’t claim to be written for people with ADHD, a lot of ADHD-friendly practices like the 2-minute rule, body doubling, Pomodoro technique, etc. are included and encouraged in the book.

Yes. ‘Atomic Habits’ draws on relevant research and concepts from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to explain how we can get massive results by compounding a lot of small habits.

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Atomic Habits by James Clear: Summary and Lessons

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”

Rating: 9/10

Related: The Power of Habit , The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ,  Switch ,  Smarter Faster Better ,  The Willpower Instinct

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Table of Contents

Atomic Habits Short Summary

Atomic Habits by James Clear is the definitive guide on habit change. Learn how to create good habits and break bad ones with a simple step-by-step framework based on the best techniques from behavioral science. Highly practical, a must-read if you’re looking to upgrade your behavior and make the best version of yourself.

Executive Summary

The holy grail of habit change is not a single 1% improvement, but a thousand of them. It’s a bunch of atomic habits stacking up , each one a fundamental unit of the overall system.

Awareness comes before desire.

A craving is created when you assign meaning to a cue. It can only occur after you have noticed an opportunity.

It is the idea of pleasure that we chase. Desire is pursued. Pleasure ensues from action.

With a big enough why you can overcome any how . If your motivation and desire are great enough, you’ll take action even when it is quite difficult. Great craving can power great action – even when friction is high.

Being motivated and curious counts for more than being smart because it leads to action. To do anything, you must first cultivate a desire for it .

Appealing to emotion is typically more powerful than appealing to reason. Our thoughts and actions are rooted in what we find attractive and not necessarily in what is logical.

Suffering drives progress. The source of all suffering is the desire for a change in state. This is also the source of all progress. The desire to change your state is what powers you to take action.

Your actions reveal your true motivations.

Our expectations determine our satisfaction. If the gap between expectations and outcomes is positive (surprise and delight), then we are more likely to repeat a behavior in the future. If the mismatch is negative (disappointment and frustration), then we are less likely to do so.

Feelings come both before and after the behavior. The craving (a feeling) motivates you to act. The reward teaches you to repeat the action in the future:

Cue > Craving (Feeling) > Response > Reward (Feeling)

How we feel influences how we act, and how we act influences how we feel. Desire initiates. Pleasure sustains. Wanting and liking are the two drivers of behavior. If it’s not desirable, you have no reason to do it. Desire and craving are what initiate a behavior. But if it’s not enjoyable, you have no reason to repeat it.

Pleasure and satisfaction are what sustain a behavior. Feeling motivated gets you to act. Feeling successful gets you to repeat.

How to Create a Good Habit

The 1st law: make it obvious.

• Fill out the Habits Scorecard. Write down your current habits to become aware of them
• Use implementation intentions: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]”
• Use habit stacking: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]”
• Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.

The 2nd Law: Make It Attractive

• Use temptation bundling. Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do
• Join a culture where your desired behavior is normal
• Create a motivation ritual. Do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit

The 3rd Law: Make It Easy

• Reduce friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits
• Prime the environment. Prepare your environment to make future actions easier
• Master the decisive moment. Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact
• Use the Two-Minute Rule. Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less
• Automate your habits. Invest in technology and one-time purchases that lock in future behavior

The 4th Law: Make It Satisfying

• Use reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit
• Make “doing nothing” enjoyable. When avoiding a bad habit, design a way to see the benefits
• Use a habit tracker. Keep track of your habit streak and “don’t break the chain”
• Never miss twice. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately

How to Break a Bad Habit

Inversion of the 1st law: make it invisible.

• Reduce exposure. Remove the cues of your bad habits from your environment

Inversion of the 2nd Law: Make It Unattractive

• Reframe your mindset. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits

Inversion of the 3rd Law: Make It Difficult

• Increase friction. Increase the number of steps between you and your bad habits
• Use a commitment device. Restrict your future choices to the ones that benefit you

Inversion of the 4th Law: Make It Unsatisfying

• Get an accountability partner. Ask someone to watch your behavior.
• Create a habit contract. Make the costs of your bad habits public and painful

The Fundamentals: Why Tiny Changes Make a Big Difference

Chapter 1: the surprising power of atomic habits.

A habit is a behavior performed regularly and, in many cases, automatically.

Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.

Success is the product of daily habits . Getting 1% better every day counts for a lot in the long-run. 

The important thing is whether your habits are putting you on the right path. Be concerned with your current trajectory and not with your current results.

“Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. Your clutter is a lagging measure of your cleaning habits. You get what you repeat.”

If you want better results, forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.

Goals vs Systems

• Goals are the results you want to achieve. Systems are the processes that lead to those results
• Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress
• Achieving a goal is a momentary change. Systems solve a problem for good
• Goals restrict happiness, e.g. “Once I reach my goal, then I’ll be happy.” Systems make you fall in love with the process rather than the product so you don’t have to wait to permit yourself to be happy
• Goals are at odds with long-term progress. Goals are about winning the game. Systems are about continuing to play the game

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

Chapter 2: How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)

The Three Layers of Behavior Change:

• Outcomes: changing your results, e.g. losing weight. Most of the goals you set are at this level
• Process: changing your habits and systems, e.g. developing a meditation practice. Most of the habits you build live at this level
• Identity: changing your beliefs, e.g. your worldview or self-image. Most of the beliefs, assumptions, and biases you hold are associated with this level

The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become .

The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. True behavior change is identity change. 

“The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader. The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner. The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.”

Your identity emerges out of your habits. Repeating a behavior reinforces the identity associated with it.

Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become .

“Each time you write a page, you are a writer. Each time you practice the violin, you are a musician. Each time you start a workout, you are an athlete.”

New identities require new evidence. If you keep casting the same votes you’ve always cast, you’re going to get the same results you’ve always had . 

How to change your identity:

• Decide the type of person you want to be: What are your principles and values? Who do you wish to become? Now ask yourself: “Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?” For example, the type of person who could write a book is probably consistent and reliable. Now your focus shifts from writing a book (outcome-based) to being the type of person who is consistent and reliable (identity-based)
• Prove it to yourself with small wins: once you have a handle on the type of person you want to be, you can begin taking small steps to reinforce your desired identity

“I have a friend who lost over 100 pounds by asking herself, “What would a healthy person do?” All day long, she would use this question as a guide. She figured if she acted like a healthy person long enough, eventually she would become that person. She was right.”

Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity .

The real reason habits matter is not because they can get you better results (although they can do that), but because they can change your beliefs about yourself .

Quite literally, you become your habits.

Chapter 3: How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps

A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic . Their ultimate purpose is solving problems as little energy and effort as possible.

Any habit can be broken down into a feedback loop of four steps:

• Cue: what triggers your brain to initiate a behavior. The bit of information that predicts a reward
• Craving: the motivational force behind every habit. You don’t crave the habit itself, but the change in state it delivers (e.g. you do not crave smoking a cigarette, you crave the feeling of relief it provides)
• Response: the actual habit you perform, as a thought or action. Whether a response occurs depends on how motivated you are and the amount of friction associated with the behavior
• Reward: the end goal of every habit. We chase rewards because they satisfy our cravings and teach us which actions are worth remembering in the future

If a behavior is insufficient in any of the four stages, it will not become a habit. Without the first three steps, a behavior will not occur. Without all four, a behavior will not be repeated.

The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits :

• Cue: make it obvious
• Craving: make it attractive
• Response: make it easy
• Reward: make it satisfying

We can invert these laws to learn how to break a bad habit :

• Cue: make it invisible
• Craving: make it unattractive
• Response: make it difficult
• Reward: make it unsatisfying

Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn’t Look Right

You don’t need to be aware of the cue for a habit to begin. With enough practice, your brain will pick up on the cues that predict certain outcomes without consciously thinking about it. Once our habits become automatic, we stop paying attention to what we are doing.

That’s why the process of behavior change always starts with awareness . You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them.

We need a “point-and-call” system for our personal lives. That’s the origin of the Habits Scorecard , which is a simple exercise you can use to become more aware of your behavior.

How to create your Habit Scorecard:

• Make a list of your daily habits
• For each habit, ask yourself: “Is this a good, habit, or neutral habit?”
• If it is a good habit, write “+” next to it. For bad habits, write “–”. For neutral, write “=”

If you’re having trouble determining how to rate a particular habit, ask yourself: “Does this behavior help me become the type of person I wish to be?”

Habits that reinforce your desired identity are usually good. Habits that conflict with your desired identity are usually bad.

Chapter 5: The Best Way to Start a New Habit

The two most common cues that can trigger a habit are time and location . 

Implementation Intention: pairing a new habit with a specific time and location –  “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].”

For example: “I will exercise for one hour at 5 p.m. at my local gym.”

Habit Stacking: pairing a new habit with a current habit – “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”

For example: “After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute.”

The key is to tie your desired behavior into something you already do each day . 

You can develop general habit stacks for specific situations:

• “If I see stairs, I will take them instead of the elevator.”
• “When I serve myself, I will always put veggies on my plate first.”

The secret to creating a successful habit stack is selecting the right cue . Brainstorm a list of your current habits:

• In the first column, write the habits you do each day without fail
• In the second column, write everything that happens to you each day without fail
• Now find the best place to layer your new habit into your lifestyle

Make your cue highly specific and immediately actionable : “After I close the door”; “After I brush my teeth”. The more tightly bound your new habit is to a specific cue, the better the odds are that you will notice when the time comes to act.

Chapter 6: Motivation Is Overrated; Environment Often Matters More

Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior. Habits are context-dependent. Small changes in context can lead to large changes in behavior over time. 

Make the cues of good habits obvious in your environment :

• Practice guitar more frequently? Place it in the middle of the living room
• Drink more water? Fill up a few water bottles each morning and place them around the house

The most persistent behaviors usually have multiple cues . Habits become associated not with a single trigger but with the entire context surrounding the behavior. The context becomes the cue .

It is easier to build new habits in a new environment as you won’t fight old cues. Create new routines in new places, like a different coffee shop or a bench in the park.

If you can’t, rearrange your current one. Create a separate space for work, study, exercise, and entertainment. 

If your space is limited, divide your room into activity zones : a chair for reading, a desk for writing, a table for eating. You can do the same with your digital spaces.

“I know a writer who uses his computer only for writing, his tablet only for reading, and his phone only for social media and texting. Every habit should have a home.”

A stable environment where everything has a place and a purpose is an environment where habits can easily form.

Chapter 7: The Secret to Self-Control

Once a habit has been formed, the urge to act follows whenever the environmental cues reappear.  

Bad habits are autocatalytic: the process feeds itself . They foster the feelings they try to numb. You feel bad, so you eat junk food.

Researchers refer to this phenomenon as “cue-induced wanting”: an external trigger causes a compulsive craving to repeat a bad habit. Once you notice something, you begin to want it.

You can break a habit, but you’re unlikely to forget it. 

In the short-run, you can try to overpower temptation. In the long-run, you become a product of the environment that you live in. 

“I have never seen someone consistently stick to positive habits in a negative environment.”

The best strategy to eliminate bad habits is to cut off at the source. Reduce exposure to the cue that causes it.

For example:

• Can’t get any work done? Leave your phone in another room for a few hours
• Watch too much television? Move the TV out of the bedroom

Rather than make it obvious, make it invisible. Remove a single cue and the entire habit often fades away. Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one.

People with high self-control tend to spend less time in tempting situations. It’s easier to avoid temptation than to resist it.

Chapter 8: How to Make a Habit Irresistible

The more attractive an opportunity is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming. 

Habits are a dopamine-driven feedback loop . Every behavior that is highly habit-forming – taking drugs, eating junk food, browsing social media – is associated with higher levels of dopamine. Dopamine is released when you experience pleasure but also when you anticipate it.

It is the anticipation of a reward – not the fulfillment of it – that gets us to take action .

“Desire is the engine that drives behavior. Every action is taken because of the anticipation that precedes it. It is the craving that leads to the response.”

The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike.

Temptation Bundling: pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do

• Only listen to podcasts you love while exercising
• Only watch your favorite show while ironing 

How to build your temptation bundling strategy:

• In the first column, write the pleasures you enjoy and the temptations that you want to do
• In the second column, write the tasks you should be doing but often procrastinate on
• Browse your list and link one of your instantly gratifying “ want ” behaviors with something you “ should ” be doing

You can combine temptation bundling with habit stacking:  “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED]. After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT].”

• You want to read the news but need to express more gratitude: “After I get my morning coffee, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened yesterday (need). After I say one thing I’m grateful for, I will read the news (want).”
• You want to check Facebook but need to exercise more: “After I pull out my phone, I will do ten burpees (need). After I do ten burpees, I will check Facebook (want).”

Chapter 9: The Role of Family and Friends in Shaping Your Habits

The culture we live in determines which behaviors are attractive to us. 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.

We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups. Each group offers an opportunity to leverage the 2nd Law of Behavior Change and make our habits more attractive:

• Imitating the Close: we pick up habits from the people around us. To build better habits, join a culture where your desired behavior is normal behavior . If you are surrounded by fit people, you’re more likely to consider working out to be a common habit
• Imitating the Many: whenever we are unsure how to act, we look to the group to guide our behavior.  Most days, we’d rather be wrong with the crowd than be right by ourselves
• Imitation the Powerful: we are drawn to behaviors that earn us respect, approval, admiration, and status. If a behavior can get us approval, respect, and praise , we find it attractive. We are also motivated to avoid behaviors that would lower our status

Chapter 10: How to Find and Fix the Causes of Your Bad Habits

Every behavior has a surface level craving and a deeper underlying motive .

We do not desire to smoke cigarettes or check Instagram. At a deep level, we simply want to reduce uncertainty and relieve anxiety, win social acceptance and approval, or achieve status. 

Our habits are modern-day solutions to ancient desires . Some reduce stress by smoking a cigarette while others go for a run.

Once you associate a solution with the problem you need to solve, you keep coming back to it. 

• Cue: You notice that the stove is hot. Prediction: “If I touch it I’ll get burned, so I should avoid touching it.”
• Cue: You see that the traffic light turned green. Prediction: “If I step on the gas, I’ll make it safely through the intersection, so I should step on the gas.”

Life feels reactive, but it is actually predictive .

The cause of your habits is actually the prediction that precedes them . The prediction leads to a feeling, which is how we normally describe a craving – a feeling, a desire, an urge. 

Habits are attractive when we associate them with positive feelings and unattractive when we associate them with negative feelings.

To reprogram your brain to enjoy hard habits, make them more attractive by learning to associate them with a positive experience . Highlight the benefits of avoiding a bad habit to make it seem unattractive.

• Exercise. Exercise can be associated with a challenging task that drains energy and wears you down. You can view it as a way to develop skills and strength. Instead of “I need to go run in the morning,” say “It’s time to build endurance and get fast”
• Finance. Saving money is often associated with sacrifice. You can associate it with freedom as living below your current means increases your future means

Create a motivation ritual by doing something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit .

Chapter 11: Walk Slowly, but Never Backward

We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action.

“I refer to this as the difference between being in motion and taking action. The two ideas sound similar, but they’re not the same. When you’re in motion, you’re planning and strategizing and learning. Those are all good things, but they don’t produce a result. Action, on the other hand, is the type of behavior that will deliver an outcome.”

• Motion : outlining twenty ideas for articles. Action : sitting down and writing an article
• Motion : search for a better diet plan and read a few books on the topic. Action : eat a healthy meal

Motion can be useful, but it will never produce an outcome by itself .

Motion feels like making progress without running the risk of failure. But really, you’re just preparing to get something done.

The most effective form of learning is practice , not planning. Focus on taking action, not being in motion.

To master a habit, start with repetition, not perfection. You don’t need to map out every feature of a new habit. Just practice it. Get your reps in.

Habit formation is the process by which a behavior becomes progressively more automatic through repetition. 

The amount of time you have been performing a habit is not as important as the number of times you have performed it . What matters is the rate at which you perform the behavior. It’s the frequency that makes the difference.

Chapter 12: The Law of Least Effort

Human behavior follows the Law of Least Effort. We naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work .

So it is crucial to make your habits so easy that you’ll do them even when you don’t feel like it . 

Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible . 

Rather than trying to overcome friction, r educe the friction associated with good behaviors. When friction is low, habits are easy. 

Optimize your environment to make actions easier. To practice a new habit, choose a place that is already along the path of your daily routine. Habits are easier to build when they fit into the flow of your life. 

Another way is to prime your environment to make future actions easier . 

• Want to exercise? Set out your workout clothes, shoes, gym bag, and water bottle ahead of time
• Want to improve your diet? Chop up a ton of fruits and vegetables and pack them in containers so you have easy access to healthy snacks

To break bad habits, increase the friction associated with bad behaviors . When friction is high, habits are difficult. 

• Watch too much television? Take the batteries out of the remote after each use so it takes an extra ten seconds to turn it back on
• Check your phone too much? Leave it in another room so you must get up to check it

Chapter 13: How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the Two-Minute Rule

Habits can be completed in a few seconds but continue to impact your behavior for minutes or hours afterward. It’s easier to continue what you are doing than start something different. 

Many habits occur at decisive moments – choices that are like a fork in the road – and either send you in the direction of a productive day or an unproductive one.

It’s easy to start too big. Excitement inevitably takes over and you end up trying to do too much too soon. To counteract it, use the Two-Minute Rule :

“When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”

Scale down habits into a two-minute version:

• “ Read before bed each night ” becomes “ Read one page ”
• “ Do thirty minutes of yoga ” becomes “ Take out my yoga mat ”

The idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start . The actions that follow a new habit can be challenging, but the first two minutes should be easy. You need a “gateway habit”.

Find gateway habits that lead to your desired outcome by mapping your goals on a scale from “very easy” to “very hard.”

• Running a marathon – very hard
• Running a 5K – hard
• Walking ten thousand steps – moderately difficult
• Walking ten minutes – easy
• Putting on your running shoes – very easy

Your goal might be to run a marathon, but your gateway habit is to put on your running shoes. 

The point is to master the habit of showing up. You can’t improve a habit that doesn’t exist. Make it easy to start and the rest will follow.

The more you ritualize the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things. Standardize before you optimize.

The rule also reinforces the identity you want to build. You’re taking the smallest action that confirms the type of person you want to be. One minute of reading is better than never picking up a book. It’s better to do less than you hoped than to do nothing at all.

Once you’ve mastered showing up, scale your habit back up toward your ultimate goal with habit shaping .

For example, if you want to become an early rise:

• Be home by 10 p.m. every night
• Have all devices turned off by 10 p.m. every night
• Be in bed by 10 p.m. every night 
• Lights off by 10 p.m. every night
• Wake up at 6 a.m. every day

Chapter 14: How to Make Good Habits Inevitable and Bad Habits Impossible

Sometimes success is less about making good habits easy and more about making bad habits hard. 

C ommitment Device: a choice you make in the present that locks in better behavior in the future

• Overeating? Purchase food in individual packages instead of bulk size
• Want to get in shape? Schedule a yoga session and pay ahead of time

Commitment devices are useful because they take advantage of good intentions before you can fall victim to temptation . They increase the odds that you’ll do the right thing in the future by making bad habits difficult in the present.

The best way to break a bad habit is to make it impractical to do .

The ultimate way to lock in future behavior is to automate your future habits . Onetime choices – like buying a better mattress or enrolling in an automatic savings plan – deliver increasing returns over time. 

Using technology to automate your habits is the most reliable and effective way to guarantee the right behavior.

“Every Monday, my assistant would reset the passwords on all my social media accounts, which logged me out on each device. All week I worked without distraction. On Friday, she would send me the new passwords. I had the entire weekend to enjoy what social media had to offer until Monday morning when she would do it again.”

For example: 

• Cooking: meal-delivery services can do your grocery shopping
• Productivity: social media browsing can be cut off with a website blocker

Chapter 15: The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change

Behavior is repeated when the experience is satisfying. For habits to stick, you need to feel immediately successful – even if it’s in a small way .

Habits produce outcomes across time that are often misaligned. The costs of your good habits are in the present. The costs of your bad habits are in the future.

The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: “What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.”

Add a little bit of immediate pleasure to the habits that pay off in the long-run and immediate pain to ones that don’t.

In the beginning, make the ending of your habit satisfying so you stay on track. Use reinforcement with an immediate reward to increase the rate of the behavior.

Select short-term rewards that reinforce your identity rather than ones that conflict with it.

For example, rewarding exercise with ice cream is conflicting. Maybe reward yourself with a massage, which is both a luxury and a vote toward taking care of your body.

You can also make avoidance visible . Open a savings account for something you want – like a “Leather Jacket”. The immediate reward of seeing yourself save money toward the jacket feels better than being deprived. You are making it satisfying to do nothing.

Eventually, intrinsic rewards (better mood, more energy, etc.) kick in and you’ll be less concerned with chasing the secondary reward. You do it because it’s who you are. Identity sustains a habit.

Chapter 16: How to Stick with Good Habits Every Day

One of the most satisfying feelings is the feeling of making progress.

A habit tracker is a simple way to measure whether you did a habit—like marking an X on a calendar. Don’t break the chain .

Habit trackers and other visual forms of measurement can make your habits satisfying by providing clear evidence of your progress.

Whenever possible, automate measurement . Limit manual tracking to your most important habits. Record each measurement immediately after the habit occurs. 

The habit stacking + habit tracking formula is: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [TRACK MY HABIT].”

• After I finish each set at the gym, I will record it in my workout journal
• After I put my plate in the dishwasher, I will write down what I ate

Try to keep your habit streak alive. 

Life will interrupt you at some point. Remind yourself of a simple rule: never miss twice . If you miss one day, try to get back on track as quickly as possible . 

Show up on your bad (or busy) days. Lost days hurt you more than successful days help you. Doing something – ten squats or one push-up – is huge. Don’t put up a zero. Don’t let losses eat into your compounding.

Measurement is only useful when it guides you and adds context to a larger picture, not when it consumes you. Each number is simply one piece of feedback in the overall system. Just because you can measure something doesn’t mean it’s the most important thing.

Chapter 17: How an Accountability Partner Can Change Everything

Behavior is avoided when the experience is painful or unsatisfying. Pain is an effective teacher. The more immediate the pain, the less likely the behavior.

To prevent bad habits and eliminate unhealthy behaviors, add an instant cost to the action to reduce their odds. There can’t be a gap between the action and the consequences. As soon as actions incur an immediate consequence, behavior begins to change.

Habit Contract: 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. Find accountability partners that sign off on the contract with you

An accountability partner can create an immediate cost to inaction. Suddenly, you are not only failing to uphold your promises to yourself but also failing to uphold your promises to others .

A habit contract can be used to add a social cost to any behavior. It makes the costs of violating your promises public and painful. Knowing that someone else is watching you can be a powerful motivator.

Advanced Tactics: How to Go from Being Merely Good to Being Truly Great

Chapter 18: the truth about talent (when genes matter and when they don’t).

To maximize your odds of success, choose the right field of competition .

Genes cannot be easily changed, which means they provide a powerful advantage in favorable circumstances and a serious disadvantage in unfavorable circumstances. 

Habits are easier when they align with your natural abilities.

Choose the habits that best suit you , not the most popular. Find the version of the habit that brings you satisfaction.

Pick the right habit and progress is easy. Pick the wrong habit and life is a struggle. 

At the beginning of a new activity, you want to explore. In relationships, it’s called dating. You want to try out many possibilities, research a broad range of ideas, and cast a wide net.

Then, shift focus to the best solution you’ve found—but keep experimenting occasionally. The proper balance depends on whether you’re winning or losing.

If you are currently winning, you exploit, exploit, exploit. If you are currently losing, you continue to explore, explore, explore.

In the long-run, work on the strategy that delivers the best results about 80 to 90% of the time and keep exploring the remaining 10 to 20% (as per the 80/20 rule ).

To narrow in on the habits and areas that will be most satisfying to you, ask yourself as you explore: 

• What feels like fun to me, but work to others?
• Where do I get greater returns than the average person?
• What comes naturally to me?

Play a game that favors your strengths. 

And if you can’t find a game that favors you, create one . Rewrite the rules. When you can’t win by being better, win by being different . 

A good player works hard to win the game everyone else is playing. A great player creates a new game that favors their strengths and avoids their weaknesses.

Genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it. Once you realize your strengths, you know where to spend your time and energy.

Chapter 19 The Goldilocks Rule: How to Stay Motivated in Life and Work

The human brain loves a challenge, but only if it is within an optimal zone of difficulty.

The Goldilocks Rule: “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.”

The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom. As habits become routine, they become less interesting and satisfying. We get bored. Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated. It’s the ability to keep going when work isn’t exciting that makes the difference.  

“What’s the difference between the best athletes and everyone else? 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.”

Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.

When a habit is truly important to you, you have to be willing to stick to it in any mood.

The only way to become excellent is to be endlessly fascinated by doing the same thing over and over. You have to fall in love with boredom . 

Chapter 20: The Downside of Creating Good Habits

The upside of habits is that we can do things without thinking. The downside is that we stop paying attention to little errors and feedback.

Habits alone aren’t sufficient for mastery. You need a combination of automatic habits and deliberate practice:

Habits + Deliberate Practice = Mastery

Mastery is the process of narrowing your focus to a tiny element of success, repeating it until you have internalized the skill, and then using this new habit as the foundation to advance to the next frontier of your development. Each habit unlocks the next level of performance . It’s an endless cycle. 

You must remain conscious of your performance over time so you can continue to refine and improve. Establish a system for reflection and review to ensure that you spend your time on the right things and make course corrections whenever necessary.

• Annual Review

Each December, reflect on the previous year. Tally your habits and reflect on your progress by answering three questions:

• What went well this year?
• What didn’t go so well this year?
• What did I learn?
• Integrity Report

Six months later, conduct a different review. Revisit your core values and question if you have been living in accordance with them. Answer three questions:

• What are the core values that drive my life and work?
• How am I living and working with integrity right now?
• How can I set a higher standard in the future?

Reflection and review is also the ideal time to revisit your identity .

In the beginning, repeating a habit is essential to build up evidence of your desired identity. As you latch on to that new identity, however, those same beliefs can hold you back from the next level of growth.

The tighter we cling to an identity, the harder it becomes to grow beyond it. Avoid making any single aspect of your identity an overwhelming portion of who you are. 

Redefine yourself such that you get to keep important aspects of your identity even if your particular role changes:

• “I’m an athlete” becomes “I’m the type of person who is mentally tough and loves a physical challenge.”
• “I’m the CEO” translates to “I’m the type of person who builds and creates things.”

When chosen effectively, your identity works with the changing circumstances rather than against them.

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Atomic Habits Book Review – What You Need To Know

Atomic Habits, written by James Clear, promises an easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones. There have been many other personal development books on developing habits but how does this one compare? What sets it apart and do the strategies provided actually work? Here is our Atomic Habits Review.

*This article contains an Amazon affiliate link. Read our Affiliate Disclosure here.*

Bottom Line Recommendation:

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a highly recommended book on building good habits and breaking bad ones, with practical strategies backed by scientific research and real-world examples. The book emphasizes progress not being linear, the importance of systems over goals, and changing your identity to align with desired habits. Keep reading for more information.

Atomic Habits Review Summary

Atomic Habits is an excellent guide for anyone looking to build good habits and break bad ones. Having read many personal development books on the topic, I can confidently say that this one stands out from the rest. Clear provides practical step-by-step strategies that are easy to follow, and the book is backed up by scientific research and real-world examples without being bogged down by them.

What Stood Out

One of the standout points in the book is the emphasis on progress not being linear. Clear stresses that building good habits is a compounding process that requires patience and perseverance. He uses the example of an ice cube in a cold room, which stays solid until it reaches 1 degree warmer, and then suddenly it melts. This analogy helps readers understand that progress may not be visible at first, but it is happening beneath the surface, and breakthroughs will eventually occur.

Another important point is the idea of focusing on systems rather than goals. Clear argues that while goals are important for direction, the key to long-term success is creating systems or habits that will help you achieve those goals. He emphasizes the importance of identity change, where you focus on changing your beliefs to align with your desired identity. Once you have a clear identity, you are more willing to take actions that align with it, and this is where lasting change can occur.

Overall, Atomic Habits is an engaging and informative read that offers practical advice for building better habits and achieving your goals. While some of the concepts may not be new, the way Clear presents them makes them easy to understand and apply to your own life. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their habits and create lasting change.

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Atomic Habits by James Clear: Summary & Notes

Rated : 9/10

Available at: Amazon

ISBN:  0735211299

Related:   The Power of Habit

Get access to my collection of 100+ detailed book notes

Fantastic book.  Everything a good book should be: concise, clear, and actionable.

This is the best book on habit formation I have read, and will no doubt be a resource I continue to come back to.  James does an excellent job of providing all the required planning resources to go along with the book.

Recommend for everyone who is trying to change and build new habits (ie. pretty much everyone).

Chapter 1 - The Surprising Power of Atomic Habits

• You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.
• Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits.
• Breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change.
• If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system.
• You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
• If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.

Chapter 2 - How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)

• True behaviour change is identity change.
• The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
• Your identity emerges out of your habits.
• Each time you read a page, you are a reader.
• Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

Chapter 3 - How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps

• Habits do not restrict freedom. They create it.
• The process of building a habit can be divided into four simple steps: cue, craving, response, and reward.
• How to Create a Good Habit
• The 1st law (Cue): Make it obvious.
• The 2nd law (Craving) : Make it attractive.
• The 3rd law (Response) : Make it easy.
• The 4th law (Reward) : Make it satisfying.
• We can invert these laws to learn how to break a bad habit.
• How to Break a Bad Habit
• Inversion of the 1st law (Cue) : Make it invisible.
• Inversion of the 2nd law (Craving): Make it unattractive.
• Inversion of the 3rd law (Response) : Make it difficult.
• Inversion of the 4th law (Reward) : Make it unsatisfying.

Chapter 5 - The Best Way to Start a New Habit

• Broadly speaking, the format for creating an implementation intention is:
• When situation X arises, I will perform response Y.
• Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.
• The habit stacking formula is:
• After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

Chapter 6 - Motivation is Overrated; Environment Often Matters More

• Design your environment to motivate you to accomplish the things you want to.  Visual stimuli help.
• New environments can help eliminate old bad habits, and establish new ones.

Chapter 7 - The Secret to Self-Control

• Avoid temptations that trigger bad habits.  This is the only way to break bad habits.

Chapter 8 - How to Make a Habit Irresistible

• The habit stacking + temptation bundling formula is:
• After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED].
• After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT].

Chapter 9 - The Role of Family & Friends in Shaping Your Habits

• We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerful (those with status and prestige).
• One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group.

Chapter 10 - How to Find and Fix the Causes of Your Bad Habits

• Change the language and frame of habits to make them positive.
• Ex. I “get” to exercise today, instead of I “have” to exercise today.

Chapter 11 - Walk Slowly, but Never Backward

• Habits form based on frequency, not time.
• The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning.
• Aim for action (ex: working out), not motion  (ex: reading a book on exercise plans).

Chapter 12 - The Law of Least Effort

• Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.
• Conversely, use environment design to make the wrong thing as difficult as possible.

Chapter 13 - How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the Two-Minute Rule

• When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.
• Ex: “Read before bed each night” becomes “read one page."
• Master the art of showing up, then refine.

Chapter 14 - How to Make Good Habits Inevitable and Bad Habits Impossible

• The best way to break a bad habit is to make it impractical to do. Increase the friction until you don’t even have the option to act.
• Automate as much of your life as possible.
• Use commitment devices - a choice you make in the present that locks in future behaviour - to guarantee future actions.

Chapter 15 - The Cardinal Rule of Behaviour Change

• What is rewarded is repeated.  What is punished is avoided.
• Add a small, immediate reward to good behaviours.
• Ex: whenever you pass on a purchase, move that amount of money to a savings account for a future purchase.

Chapter 16 - How to Stick with Good Habits Every Day

• Track your behaviour, ideally with something visual like a calendar.
• Automate this tracking when possible.
• The habit stacking + habit tracking formula is:
• After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [TRACK MY HABIT].
• Whenever you miss a habit, don’t panic, just: never miss twice.

Chapter 17 - How an Accountability Partner Can Change Everything

• Create a habit contract with a painful penalty with one or two other people.
• The social cost (+ whatever penalty) will make violation painful.

Chapter 18 - The Truth About Talent

• Align your habits with your natural inclinations and abilities.
• Experiment with many things at first, and then when you find something you’re good at, exploit it and test variations occasionally.
• To maximize success, choose the right field of competition.
• Combine abilities to create a narrow field in which you can dominate.

Chapter 19 - The Goldilocks Rule: How to Stay Motivated in Life and Work

• Humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks right on the edge of their current abilities (roughly 4% beyond your current capabilities).
• Aim for a flow state - the experience of being in the zone and fully immersed in an activity.

Chapter 20 - The Downside of Creating Good Habits

• Once a skill is mastered, there can be a decline in performance over time.
• Habits + Deliberate Practice = Mastery
• Establish a system of reflection and review to avoid complacency.
• Make sure to keep your identity flexible.
• “Keep your identity small” - Paul Graham

Conclusion: The Secret to Results That Last

• Success is not a goal to reach or a finish line to cross. It is a system to improve, an endless process to refine.
• The secret to getting results that last is to never stop making improvements.
• It’s remarkable what you can build if you just don’t stop.
• Small habits don’t add up. They compound.

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5 ways reading 'Atomic Habits' helped me stop procrastinating and change my life for the better

• Dayana Aleksandrova is a copywriter and digital nomad based in Costa Rica.
• She read "Atomic Habits" by James Clear to improve her productivity and address distractions.
• Decluttering, auditing her day, and creating temptation have helped her avoid procrastination.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dayana Aleksandrova , a 30-year-old copywriter, mentor for online entrepreneurs, and digital nomad based in Costa Rica, about her experience reading " Atomic Habits ." The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When I expanded my online business from copywriting to business mentorship for online entrepreneurs, I started getting a ton of questions from clients about building good habits and time management. 

So I asked some of my high-performer friends who do 20 things at once and make it all look effortless what book they could recommend for improving upon this — and they unanimously said " Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones " by James Clear. 

I decided to read it in order to best serve my clients. So far, the lessons I've taken away from the book have worked at an 100% success rate — especially when it comes to addressing procrastination.

Here are five ways that my life changed for the better after I tried Clear's principles:

1. I beat distractions in my space

According to "Atomic Habits," the first law of behavior change is to "make it obvious." In the book, Clear refutes the idea that we're organized due to our willpower or genes and argues that our habits are a product of our environment. 

I'd been feeling very distracted at work, constantly jumping from one project to the next and leaving incomplete Notion tasks and half-finished emails. So, following the book's advice, I decided to upgrade my space.

My desk used to be a complete mess — sticky notes, pens, journals, and clementine peels everywhere, alongside multiple half-drunk takeaway coffee cups. 

After reading "Atomic Habits," I set an alarm for 20 minutes so I'd get it done under pressure and separated everything into three piles: essentials, nice-to-have, and extras. The "essentials" on my desk now are my laptop, a podcasting microphone, a journal with a single pen, and a water bottle. I stashed all my "extras" — my Kindle and any hardcover books, pencils, business cards, and highlighters — in my closet.

Getting rid of the clutter has helped me focus, and I no longer lose ideas. Now everything that crosses my mind is in that one journal rather than spread across 20-odd sticky notes. Plus, all the tasks I start actually get done. 

Clear's book inspired me to do the same inside my laptop, too. I grabbed all of my desktop folders and put them in one "Omega" folder, so now I enjoy a pristinely empty screen that doesn't give me anxiety. 

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Finally — this was the toughest — I began closing all my browser tabs before bed. I try to have no more than five open tabs at any given time now, which are my email, Canva , Teachable , and one or two Google docs.

2. I stopped dreading video calls

"Atomic Habits" advises making new habits attractive and dividing them into small increments that over time build up to produce massive changes.

One habit I wanted to improve upon was being comfortable on Zoom, especially after two years of video fatigue. So to emulate what the book said, I started asking people I admire to join me on 20-minute long "coffee dates." I would sit down with creators, CEOs, authors, podcasters, astrologers, and coaches — most of whom I met on Instagram — and just talk about work and life. 

When my timer went off, we'd wrap it up. That way, I could look forward to the next conversation. 

These calls went on for about two months. Finally, I'd totally forgotten why I started them, and Zoom no longer intimidated or drained me. As James Clear says, small habits generate big changes, as long as you don't quit.

3. I created more time and comfort in my day

When I read Clear's suggestion to "audit" my day by writing out every little thing I did for 24 hours, I found it painstaking, which is how I could tell it was going to be worth it. 

First, it made me realize that waking up at 7 a.m. was too late for my sleep chronotype. I was shocked to find out how much time I wasted on Netflix every evening — close to four hours — and how many consecutive hours I'd sit in a chair without getting up for a walk.

After this eye-opening audit, I began waking up at 5 a.m. and immediately felt in control versus "late to the party." The extra two hours per day allowed me to get a headstart on writing, and by the time 10 a.m. rolled around, I'd get up for an hour-long walk. I incorporated two more walks into my day — one around 3 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. when my Netflix binge would have been taking place. 

Adding these extra walks to my day has been a game-changer for my lower back, which hurts a lot less than before. My eyes feel less fatigued as well, as I'm spending less time looking at a screen, especially late at night. 

4. I made chores and dreaded tasks more manageable

Clear teaches his readers to do something called "temptation bundling." This means marrying two opposing actions: something you dread and something you love. 

I hate folding laundry, so inspired by Clear's idea, I "bundled" that task with listening to my favorite YouTube playlist. Whenever I feel too lazy to work out or do my daily walk, I pair that exercise with listening to my favorite podcast. I have two picks: one on manifestation and spirituality, and one on marketing. 

I now also save voice notes I get from my coaching clients to listen and reply to while I'm on my walk. That way, time flies and I get work done in the process. Plus, many of my clients love hearing the waves when I message them from the beach instead of the hollow echo of my home office. 

5. I built a new habit with the 2-minute rule

I've always loved the idea   of picking up new habits — but the reality is that it's hard. One of my goals last year was to get really good at recording Instagram Reels and posting every day, and "Atomic Habits" gave me a tangible strategy that helped me achieve this.

Clear suggests practicing the "two-minute rule" — setting your alarm for two minutes to test-drive a new habit, which is the only time you're allowed to practice that new habit for the day. So just as you start getting into it, time's up, and it leaves you craving more. 

This is exactly what happened. I'd sit down to shoot a Reel in just two minutes. Before I knew it, time would be up. The tight limit helped me stop overthinking and just speak authentically and with passion, which really resonated with my friends and clients.

The two-minute rule is also extremely powerful if you're a procrastinator. Since you know it's only going to take 120 seconds, you just start. There's no room for second-guessing, and you don't need to prep too much, either. So before you know it, the habit becomes second nature.

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Sam Thomas Davies

Atomic Habits by James Clear

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The Book in Three Sentences

• An atomic habit is a regular practice or routine that is not only small and easy to do but is also the source of incredible power; a component of the system of compound growth.
• Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change.
• Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.

The Five Big Ideas

• Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.
• If you want better results, then forget about setting goals . Focus on your system instead.
• The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become.
• The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying.
• Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.               

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Atomic habits summary, chapter 1: the surprising power of tiny habits.

“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”

“You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.”

“Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. Your clutter is a lagging measure of your cleaning habits. You get what you repeat.”

“Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. It will multiply whatever you feed it. Good habits make time your ally. Bad habits make time your enemy.”

“Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.”           

“If you want to predict where you’ll end up in life, all you have to do is follow the curve of tiny gains or tiny losses, and see how your daily choices will compound ten or twenty years down the line.”

“Breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change.”                

If you find yourself struggling to build a good habit or break a bad one, it is not because you have lost your ability to improve. It is often because you have not yet crossed what James calls, the “Plateau of Latent Potential.”

“When you finally break through the Plateau of Latent Potential, people will call it an overnight success.”                

“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.”                

“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.”

“Getting 1 percent better every day counts for a lot in the long-run.”

“Habits are a double-edged sword. They can work for you or against you, which is why understanding the details is essential.”

“Small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. You need to be patient.”

“An atomic habit is a little habit that is part of a larger system. Just as atoms are the building blocks of molecules, atomic habits are the building blocks of remarkable results.”

“If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.”

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”                

Chapter 2: How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)

“Changing our habits is challenging for two reasons: (1) we try to change the wrong thing and (2) we try to change our habits in the wrong way.”    

“There are three layers of behavior change: a change in your outcomes , a change in your processes , or a change in your identity .”

“Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe.”                

“With outcome-based habits, the focus is on what you want to achieve. With identity-based habits , the focus is on who you wish to become.”                

“The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity.”

“It is a simple two-step process: Decide the type of person you want to be. Prove it to yourself with small wins.”                                

“Ask yourself, “Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?”

“The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become.”

“Your identity emerges out of your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”

“Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity.”

“The real reason habits matter is not because they can get you better results (although they can do that), but because they can change your beliefs about yourself.”                

Chapter 3: How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps

Whenever you want to change your behavior, ask yourself:

• How can I make it obvious?
• How can I make it attractive?
• How can I make it easy?
• How can I make it satisfying?

“A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic.”

“The ultimate purpose of habits is to solve the problems of life with as little energy and effort as possible.”

“Any habit can be broken down into a feedback loop that involves four steps: cue , craving , response , and reward .”

“The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious , (2) make it attractive , (3) make it easy , and (4) make it satisfying .”                

Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn’t Look Right

“If you’re having trouble determining how to rate a particular habit, ask yourself: ‘Does this behavior help me become the type of person I wish to be? Does this habit cast a vote for or against my desired identity?’”                

“With enough practice, your brain will pick up on the cues that predict certain outcomes without consciously thinking about it.”

“Once our habits become automatic, we stop paying attention to what we are doing.”

“The process of behavior change always starts with awareness. You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them.”

“Pointing-and-Calling raises your level of awareness from a nonconscious habit to a more conscious level by verbalizing your actions.”

“The Habits Scorecard is a simple exercise you can use to become more aware of your behavior.”                

Chapter 5: The Best Way to Start a New Habit

“The 1st Law of Behavior Change is make it obvious.”

“Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.”

“The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption that leads to additional purchases.”                

“One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. This is called habit stacking .”

“The habit stacking formula is: ‘After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].’”                

“The two most common cues are time and location.”

“Creating an implementation intention is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a specific time and location.”

“The implementation intention formula is: I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].”

“Habit stacking is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a current habit.”

“The habit stacking formula is: After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”                

Chapter 6: Motivation is Overrated; Environment Often Matters More

“Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.”               

“Small changes in context can lead to large changes in behavior over time.”

“Every habit is initiated by a cue. We are more likely to notice cues that stand out.”

“Make the cues of good habits obvious in your environment.”

“Gradually, your habits become associated not with a single trigger but with the entire context surrounding the behavior. The context becomes the cue.”

“It is easier to build new habits in a new environment because you are not fighting against old cues.”                

Chapter 7: The Secret to Self-Control

“The inversion of the 1st Law of Behavior Change is make it invisible.”

“Once a habit is formed, it is unlikely to be forgotten.”

“People with high self-control tend to spend less time in tempting situations. It’s easier to avoid temptation than resist it.”

“One of the most practical ways to eliminate a bad habit is to reduce exposure to the cue that causes it.”

“Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one.”                

Chapter 8: How to Make a Habit Irresistible

“The 2nd Law of Behavior Change is make it attractive.”

“The more attractive an opportunity is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming.”

“Habits are a dopamine-driven feedback loop. When dopamine rises, so does our motivation to act.”

“It is the anticipation of a reward—not the fulfillment of it—that gets us to take action. The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike.”

“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: The Role of Family and Friends in Shaping Your Habits

“The culture we live in determines which behaviors are attractive to us.”

“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.”

“We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends) , the many (the tribe) , and the powerful (those with status and prestige) .”

“One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group. ”

“The normal behavior of the tribe often overpowers the desired behavior of the individual. Most days, we’d rather be wrong with the crowd than be right by ourselves.”

“If a behavior can get us approval, respect, and praise, we find it attractive.”                

Chapter 10: How to Find and Fix The Cause of Your Bad Habits

“The inversion of the 2nd Law of Behavior Change is make it unattractive.”

“Every behavior has a surface level craving and a deeper underlying motive.”

“Your habits are modern-day solutions to ancient desires.”

“The cause of your habits is actually the prediction that precedes them. The prediction leads to a feeling.”

“Highlight the benefits of avoiding a bad habit to make it seem unattractive.”

“Habits are attractive when we associate them with positive feelings and unattractive when we associate them with negative feelings. Create a motivation ritual by doing something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.”                

Chapter 11: Walk Slowly, But Never Backward

“The 3rd Law of Behavior Change is make it easy.”

“The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning.”

“Focus on taking action, not being in motion.”

“Habit formation is the process by which a behavior becomes progressively more automatic through repetition.”

“The amount of time you have been performing a habit is not as important as the number of times you have performed it.”

Chapter 12: The Law of Least Effort

“Human behavior follows the Law of Least Effort.”

“We will naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work.”

“Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.”

“Reduce the friction associated with good behaviors. When friction is low, habits are easy.”

“Increase the friction associated with bad behaviors. When friction is high, habits are difficult.”

“Prime your environment to make future actions easier.”                

Chapter 13: How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the Two-Minute Rule

Every day, there are a handful of moments that deliver an outsized impact. James refers to these little choices as “decisive moments.”                

“Decisive moments set the options available to your future self.”                

“A habit must be established before it can be improved.”                

“Habits can be completed in a few seconds but continue to impact your behavior for minutes or hours afterward.”

“Many habits occur at decisive moments—choices that are like a fork in the road—and either send you in the direction of a productive day or an unproductive one.”

“ The Two-Minute Rule states, ‘When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.’”

“The more you ritualize the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things.”

“Standardize before you optimize. You can’t improve a habit that doesn’t exist.”                

Chapter 14: How to Make Good Habits Inevitable and Bad Habits Impossible

“The inversion of the 3rd Law of Behavior Change is make it difficult.”

“A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that locks in better behavior in the future.”

“The ultimate way to lock in future behavior is to automate your habits.”

“Onetime choices—like buying a better mattress or enrolling in an automatic savings plan—are single actions that automate your future habits and deliver increasing returns over time.”

“Using technology to automate your habits is the most reliable and effective way to guarantee the right behavior.”                

Chapter 15: The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change

“The 4th Law of Behavior Change is make it satisfying.”

“We are more likely to repeat a behavior when the experience is satisfying.”

“The human brain evolved to prioritize immediate rewards over delayed rewards.”

“The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.”

“To get a habit to stick you need to feel immediately successful—even if it’s in a small way.”

“The first three laws of behavior change—make it obvious, make it attractive, and make it easy—increase the odds that a behavior will be performed this time. The fourth law of behavior change—make it satisfying—increases the odds that a behavior will be repeated next time.”                

Chapter 16: How to Stick with Good Habits Every Day

“Named after the economist Charles Goodhart, Goodhart’s Law states, ‘When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.’”

“One of the most satisfying feelings is the feeling of making progress.”

“A habit tracker is a simple way to measure whether you did a habit—like marking an X on a calendar.”

“Habit trackers and other visual forms of measurement can make your habits satisfying by providing clear evidence of your progress.”

“Don’t break the chain. Try to keep your habit streak alive.”

“Never miss twice. If you miss one day, try to get back on track as quickly as possible.”

“Just because you can measure something doesn’t mean it’s the most important thing.”                

Chapter 17: How an Accountability Partner Changes Everything

“The inversion of the 4th Law of Behavior Change is make it unsatisfying.”

“We are less likely to repeat a bad habit if it is painful or unsatisfying.”

“An accountability partner can create an immediate cost to inaction. We care deeply about what others think of us, and we do not want others to have a lesser opinion of us.”

“A habit contract can be used to add a social cost to any behavior. It makes the costs of violating your promises public and painful.”

“Knowing that someone else is watching you can be a powerful motivator.”

Chapter 18: The Truth About Talent (When Genes Matter and When They Don’t)

“The secret to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition.”

“Pick the right habit and progress is easy. Pick the wrong habit and life is a struggle.”

“Genes cannot be easily changed, which means they provide a powerful advantage in favorable circumstances and a serious disadvantage in unfavorable circumstances.”

“Habits are easier when they align with your natural abilities. Choose the habits that best suit you.”

“Play a game that favors your strengths. If you can’t find a game that favors you, create one.”

“Genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it. They tell us what to work hard on.”                

Chapter 19: The Goldilocks Rule—How to Stay Motivated in Life and Work          

“The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. ”

“The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom.”

“As habits become routine, they become less interesting and less satisfying. We get bored.”

“Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated. It’s the ability to keep going when work isn’t exciting that makes the difference.”

“Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.”              

Chapter 20: The Downside of Creating Good Habits

“The upside of habits is that we can do things without thinking. The downside is that we stop paying attention to little errors.”

“Habits + Deliberate Practice = Mastery”

“Reflection and review is a process that allows you to remain conscious of your performance over time.”

“The tighter we cling to an identity, the harder it becomes to grow beyond it.”                

Recommended Reading

If you like Atomic Habits , you may also enjoy the following books:

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
• Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential  by Tiago Forte
• Better Than Before: Mastering The Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin

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Atomic Habits Book Review: Is It Worth Reading?

POSTED ON Oct 1, 2023

Written by Sarah Rexford

If you’re unfamiliar with the Atomic Habits book now is the time to review it. A New York Times bestseller , with over one million copies sold, this book has influenced countless readers. Clear’s nonfiction work largely contributes to the success of those dedicated to becoming one percent better every day. Creatives, entrepreneurs, and authors can use his principles to accomplish better work in less time.

This article is an in-depth review of Atomic Habits , James Clear’s phenomenal book on the power of habits to transform your life. Let's dive into Atomic Habits, An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones . 

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The proven path from blank page to 10,000 copies sold - written by 7-time bestselling author, Chandler Bolt

Atomic Habits book: article breakdown

Atomic habits summary.

Whether you will listen to the Atomic Habits audiobook on your commute or read the physical copy, here's a sneak peek of the Atomic Habits book. I’ve found it is helpful to read a summary of a book before I delve into the topic itself. 

Introduction

James Clear begins his Atomic Habits book with an in-your-face (quite literally) first sentence that compels you to continue reading: “On the final day of my sophomore year of high school, I was hit in the face with a baseball bat.” 

This vulnerable introduction preps the reader with background for what plunged Clear into developing his own healthy habits. After setting the scene and sharing what you, the reader, will learn from his own life lessons, the A tomic Habits book begins with chapter one. 

The fundamentals

Before committing to read best business books like Atomic Habits , it’s helpful to understand the fundamental reasons you should. In fact, Clear spends the first three chapters of the Atomic Habits book doing just that: he shares the power of these types of habits, how they shape you, and overviews the four steps he discusses throughout the book. 

The 1st law

The first step, or law, of what Clear calls atomic habits is to make your habit obvious . For instance, if you want to establish a habit of practicing gratitude, you may want to set a gratitude journal in a location you will see every single day. 

The 2nd law

James Clear’s second law is to make your habit attractive , even irresistible. He briefly overviews how friends and family influence our habits as well as pinpoints the root of bad habits and how to fix them.

The 3rd law

Third, make your habit easy . If you want to accomplish big goals, this habit may sound counterintuitive. You may ask, “How can easy habits help me reach big goals? You’ll want to spend some focused time on this law (chapters 11-14) to familiarize yourself with how small steps can create big results.  

The 4th law

The Atomic Habits book finishes its laws by encouraging you to make your habit satisfying . I expand on this below, but essentially, you want your habits to satisfy you so you actually stick with them.  

Advanced tactics 

For the overachiever, the one who truly wants to max out on their potential, you will love these final three chapters. Subtitled, How to Go from Being Merely Good to Being Truly Great, James Clear covers exactly that. 

What are the 4 principles of Atomic Habits ?

The four principles of the Atomic Habits book are: make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. Sound familiar? You just read them above, but repetition is the mother of learning, so let’s discuss these laws, or principles, in greater detail.

1. Make it obvious

The starting point for the Atomic Habits book lies in James Clear’s simple statement: “Once our habits become automatic, we stop paying attention to what we are doing.”

To establish great habits, habits that create lasting change in your life, it’s crucial to make your habits obvious . Clear states that the process of behavior starts with awareness, so good habits begin with awareness of current habits.

Once you know your current habits and the habits you want to make, make your new habit obvious. 

If you want to write more regularly, make this habit obvious. Let’s say every morning you make loose leaf tea. Consider choosing from a list of daily journals for writers and then journaling a few sentences while your tea steeps.  

2. Make it attractive 

Next up, make your habit attractive . Again, if you want to build a healthy habit of working out five days a week, you can make your habit obvious by laying out your gym clothes the night before. But how do you make physical exertion attractive? 

In 1954, neuroscientists discovered the actual process behind what people crave and what they desire. They discovered that without dopamine there is zero desire, and without desire there is zero action. 

When making a habit attractive, choose to pair the habit you want to form with an aspect of life you desire.

I find it helpful to reserve specific TV shows for my workouts. I allow myself to watch the show (something I desire) while I workout (a habit I want to continue forming). 

3. Make it easy

This law is not equivalent to only taking action if the task is easy, but making the task easy to act on. For instance, if you want to live in a more organized environment, how can you make this goal easy to achieve? 

Years ago I watched a YouTuber explain that when she comes home after a long day, she refused to throw her coat on the couch. If she did, she’d have to pick it up a second time to put it away. 

Effectively, by not putting the coat away immediately, she would have to put twice the effort into the same goal.   

This idea stuck with me. I simply apply the rule to the various objects I engage with. When I’m done working, I reorganize my desk. When I come home, I hang my coat up. When I'm doing cooking, I do the dishes.

The Atomic Habits book creates easy answers to sometimes complicated obstacles. What’s one choice you can make easier to execute? 

4. Make it satisfying 

If you want to persevere with your goal, you need to create results that satisfies you. For example, let’s say you want to invest in some book writing help . Your thought process goes something like this, “ I wrote a book! Now what? I don’t have extra finances to invest in publishing.” 

Your goal is to save up to publish your book. For many people, saving isn’t satisfying in the short term. Let’s say you love buying new books though. Instead of purchasing a new book, borrow one from your local library. 

Every time you borrow a book instead of purchasing one, put the money you saved into a savings account you call “Book Fund” or something similar. Over time, this perseverance creates a sum of money you can put toward publishing your book and achieving your goal. 

In the long run, you will even qualify yourself in how to write about perseverance in a way that impacts your readers.

Is Atomic Habits about ADHD?

While the Atomic Habits book is not specifically about ADHD, it does cover methods that can help if you struggle coping in this area. ADHD can make it difficult to maintain a healthy routine. Daily tasks become a challenge to overcome. 

Reading the Atomic Habits book could help you because it: 

• Identifies healthy habits
• Shows small (atomic) ways to achieve the habits
• Creates a reward system for the one making the habit

Additionally, once you build strong, healthy, atomic habits, you can achieve far-reaching results. Atomic habits, linked together, can help you:

• Write that job application in much less time than it would previously take
• Listen to a podcast episode (such as Using Atomic Habits to write and publish a book ) with focus 
• Keep your car organized and clean 

Whether you want to apply for your dream job or learn how to write a motivational book or how to write a self-help book , the Atomic Habits book provides actionable steps, even if you struggle with ADHD. 

How to apply the concept of atomic habits to the book writing process 

As a writer, chances are you want to read the Atomic Habits book and apply it to your own writing goals. From coming up with your main theme, to book launch ideas , to author book signings and appearances , your early habits matter.

In his interview with Chandler Bolt, James Clear discusses the positive results of using Atomic Habits to write and publish a book . 

Clear states that it took him five years to ideate and then finally complete the Atomic Habits book. Throughout the process, Clear and his team chose to take action on the very ideas people know work.

However, instead of just going through the motions, they chose to upscale these ideas in a big way. 

Email list 

Upon signing his book deal for the Atomic Habits book, James Clear had roughly 200,000 subscribers. He grew this list to about 440,000 by the time the book officially released. At the time of his podcast recording with Chandler Bolt, Clear’s list was over one million. His small efforts created tremendous results.

Book Announcement 

About ten weeks before his book came out, James Clear announced its pending release. This announcement drove pre-orders, but he didn’t linger too long on his announcement. Instead of over-promoting his book, he went back to writing his standard articles. One small change aided the success of his launch.

Bonus packages 

Just two weeks before the Atomic Habits book was released, Clear made another announcement: a suite of bonus packages. Looking back, Clear says he likely wouldn’t repeat this step. While it boosted sales by about 700 copies, the investment didn’t have the payoff he had hoped for. 

Emails during launch week 

Launch week is busy for writers, and this fact applied to James Clear just like it does the rest of us. During launch week he sent four emails to his newsletter list:

• Monday (day before release): an excerpt of the Atomic Habits book
• Tuesday (day of release): Layered his CBS This Morning interview into his email
• Wednesday: break
• Thursday: Another excerpt
• Friday: Last call, bonuses ending, etc. 

Tip: Refuse the urge to stop promoting your book once your release week ends. Instead, put focused effort into continually marketing your new title.

Podcasts 

James Clear recorded 75 podcasts and asked the hosts to release them around the time the Atomic Habits book came out. Podcast hosts released all 75 recordings in the ten days surrounding the Atomic Habits book release, making for a compelling launch with podcasts alone. Not stopping here, over the following six months, Clear engaged in 200 interviews. 

Influencer copies

Before he published his book, Clear reached out to the various influencers he hoped would support him. He sent them a primer on his book and offered to send them a copy if they were interested. This way, he secured influencer support and only sent copies to those truly interested. 

It’s important to note that while James Clear sent the Atomic Habits book to influencers who opted in, he never asked them to promote his book. Instead, he chose influencers he believed would benefit, whose audiences would benefit, and hoped the quality of his book would do the rest of the work. 

Related: How Much Money Can You Make From Writing a Self-Help?

What is the main point of Atomic Habits ?

The main point of the Atomic Habits book is the power that small changes have on large goals. James Clear focuses on two primary points throughout his book: the importance of small habits as well as how crucial it is to choose where you put your focus (hint: it’s not on goal-setting). 

Small habits 

Clear titled his Atomic Habits book appropriately. The smallest of habits can yield massive results. Throughout his book, James Clear stresses how vital small, daily habits are. 

For example, if you want to become physically healthy, you can start with:

• Saying no to the small things (like the extra cookie) 
• Saying yes to the small things (like walking instead of taking the elevator) 

One of the reasons the Atomic Habits book seems to impact so many readers is because of its accessible message. You don’t need to completely overhaul your life to create change. You can start with small, atomic habits that point you in the right direction. 

Systems over goals 

My favorite quote from the Atomic Habits book is a simple statement: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

James Clear encourages readers to create atomic habits that focus on the system of how you do a task rather than the end goal you hope to accomplish. 

Let’s say your goal is to turn your book into a speech for further promotion. Let’s also imagine you are a morning person. If you choose to work on creating a speech from your book every night when you can barely keep your eyes open, you will fall to the level of your system. Instead, rise to the level of your goals by creating atomic habits that aid you. 

Is the Atomic Habits book worth reading?

For anyone hoping to develop or maintain healthy habits, the Atomic Habits book is worth the time investment to read. While you could choose to spend your time trying to make your current system work, I encourage you to dedicate specific time every day to reading this book.

Implementing these small habits will likely save you time in the long run. 

Even if you feel you are a master at healthy habits, the Atomic Habits book is a great example of how to write about serious topics . At times, everyone struggles to live the life they want to live. 

James Clear calls this difficulty out by sharing his own story, creating small, actionable steps to help, and encouraging readers on every page. While the topic is more serious than, say, a children’s story or cookbook, Clear makes a difficult message available to the average reader. 

Change can feel difficult, but with the proper guidance and habits, anyone can take steps to lead the life they want to.

Related: 14 Books Like Atomic Habits To Read Next

Now it's time for you to move forward with what you just learned from the Atomic Habits book. You can use the Atomic Habits book to change your life and build the writing habits you need to reach your goals. But life change starts with one small step, or dare I say, one small atomic habit. You've got this!

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Book review : atomic habits.

No matter your goals,  Atomic Habits  offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. Goodreads

Atomic Habits came highly recommended from many people I know and from the Twitterverse. Reading the book, though, was a bit of a mixed experience.

I really like the accessible, informal tone of the book. It felt like a long blog post written by a friend rather than reading a ~250 page long book. There isn’t a lot of “scholarly” pretension anywhere in the book, though James undoubtedly knows what he is talking about very deeply from an academic perspective too.

He builds out a nice 4 point framework for building habits and explains some good practices built around behavioural trigger that can help us reshape our lives.

The most powerful takeaways for me were:

• Think in terms of processes and journeys rather than fixed, boolean goals.
• Tiny changes add up over time.

Neither of these are new ideas by any means – the agile process is essentially the former and compound interest the latter – but somehow neither is very intuitive to us and they are where I think most people fail over the long term. James reiterates these points many, many times in the book, and cautions against the big-bang success narratives riddled with survivorship bias.

Atomic Habits is a great book if you are looking for something prescriptive which will lay out a bunch of do’s and dont’s for creating new habits and breaking old ones. It is full of directly actionable advice.

My problem with the book is actually what I mentioned above – there are no new ideas in this book. I was looking to learn more deeply about how habits work with respect to the human mind and psychology. I realized that this was the wrong expectation only after I a long way into the book. Even so, I came away from the book without the feeling of having “learnt” anything. There are no really new or groundbreaking ideas here. The book is essentially a “practitioner’s guide” of the many years James has spent learning and talking about the subject. Thinking Fast, and Slow is a better book for those who want a deeper study of the mind.

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Here are my highlights from reading “Atomic Habits”. This is not a summary of the book. James does that himself by giving very succinct summaries at the end of each chapter. These are just some passages from the book that stood out for me.

• In the long run, the quality of our lives often depends on the quality of our habits.
• It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis.
• Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.
• Be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.
• Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. Your clutter is a lagging measure of your cleaning habits. You get what you repeat.
• Habits often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold and unlock a new level of performance.
• Mastery requires patience.
• Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.
• If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.
• Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.
• Goal setting suffers from a serious case of survivorship bias. We concentrate on the people who end up winning—the survivors—and mistakenly assume that ambitious goals led to their success while overlooking all of the people who had the same objective but didn’t succeed.
• We think we need to change our results, but the results are not the problem. What we really need to change are the systems that cause those results.
• Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves.
• The problem with a goals-first mentality is that you’re continually putting happiness off until the next milestone.
• When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running.
• 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.
• You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
• An atomic habit is a little habit that is part of a larger system.
• Behind every system of actions are a system of beliefs.
• There are a set of beliefs and assumptions that shape the system, an identity behind the habits. Behaviour that is incongruent with the self will not last.
• The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person who wants this. It’s something very different to say I’m the type of person who is this.
• True behaviour change is identity change.
• The real reason you fail to stick with habits is that your self-image gets in the way.
• Your habits are how you embody your identity.
• The process of building habits is actually the process of becoming yourself.
• Each habit not only gets results but also teaches you something far more important: to trust yourself. You start to believe you can actually accomplish these things. When the votes mount up and the evidence begins to change, the story you tell yourself begins to change as well.
• Decide the type of person you want to be. Prove it to yourself with small wins.
• Work backward from the results you want to the type of person who could get those results.
• Your identity is not set in stone. You have a choice in every moment.
• “Habits are, simply, reliable solutions to recurring problems in our environment.”
• One of our greatest challenges in changing habits is maintaining awareness of what we are actually doing.
• People who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit.
• Being specific about what you want and how you will achieve it helps you say no to things that derail progress, distract your attention, and pull you off course.
• The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption that leads to additional purchases.
• Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.
• Make sure the best choice is the most obvious one.
• If you’re overweight, a smoker, or an addict, you’ve been told your entire life that it is because you lack self-control—maybe even that you’re a bad person.
• Bad habits are autocatalytic: the process feeds itself.
• Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one. You may be able to resist temptation once or twice, but it’s unlikely you can muster the willpower to override your desires every time.
• It is the anticipation of a reward—not the fulfillment of it—that gets us to take action.
• Temptation bundling works by linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do.
• Temptation bundling is one way to apply a psychology theory known as Premack’s Principle . Named after the work of professor David Premack, the principle states that “more probable behaviors will reinforce less probable behaviors.”
• Join a culture where (1) your desired behavior is the normal behavior and (2) you already have something in common with the group.
• Nothing sustains motivation better than belonging to the tribe.
• Habits are all about associations.
• The cause of your habits is actually the prediction that precedes them. These predictions lead to feelings, which is how we typically describe a craving—a feeling, a desire, an urge.
• Habit formation is the process by which a behavior becomes progressively more automatic through repetition. The more you repeat an activity, the more the structure of your brain changes to become efficient at that activity.
• A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that controls your actions in the future.2 It is a way to lock in future behavior, bind you to good habits, and restrict you from bad ones.
• Commitment devices are useful because they enable you to take advantage of good intentions before you can fall victim to temptation.
• The best way to break a bad habit is to make it impractical to do. Increase the friction until you don’t even have the option to act.
• Technology can transform actions that were once hard, annoying, and complicated into behaviors that are easy, painless, and simple.
• Mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead wrote, “Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them.”
• We are more likely to repeat a behavior when the experience is satisfying.
• The first three laws of behavior change—make it obvious, make it attractive, and make it easy—increase the odds that a behavior will be performed this time. The fourth law of behavior change—make it satisfying—increases the odds that a behavior will be repeated next time. It completes the habit loop.
• You value the present more than the future.
• A reward that is certain right now is typically worth more than one that is merely possible in the future.
• The costs of your good habits are in the present. The costs of your bad habits are in the future.
• Let’s update the Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.
• In a perfect world, the reward for a good habit is the habit itself. In the real world, good habits tend to feel worthwhile only after they have provided you with something.
• Use reinforcement, which refers to the process of using an immediate reward to increase the rate of a behavior.
• Incentives can start a habit. Identity sustains a habit.
• Making progress is satisfying, and visual measures—like moving paper clips or hairpins or marbles—provide clear evidence of your progress. As a result, they reinforce your behavior and add a little bit of immediate satisfaction to any activity.
• Habit tracking also helps keep your eye on the ball: you’re focused on the process rather than the result.
• The problem is not slipping up; the problem is thinking that if you can’t do something perfectly, then you shouldn’t do it at all.
• The dark side of tracking a particular behavior is that we become driven by the number rather than the purpose behind it.
• Named after the economist Charles Goodhart, the principle states, “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”
• Measurement is only useful when it guides you and adds context to a larger picture, not when it consumes you.
• The more immediate the pain, the less likely the behavior.
• People are born with different abilities.
• Our environment determines the suitability of our genes and the utility of our natural talents.
• Genes can predispose, but they don’t predetermine.
• The takeaway is that you should build habits that work for your personality.
• Choose the habit that best suits you, not the one that is most popular.
• A good player works hard to win the game everyone else is playing. A great player creates a new game that favors their strengths and avoids their weaknesses.
• Work hard on the things that come easy.
• The Goldilocks principle 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.
• A flow state is the experience of being “in the zone” and fully immersed in an activity. Scientists have tried to quantify this feeling. They found that to achieve a state of flow, a task must be roughly 4 percent beyond your current ability.
• 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.
• The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom. We get bored with habits because they stop delighting us.
• Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.
• Habits are necessary, but not sufficient for mastery. What you need is a combination of automatic habits and deliberate practice.
• The more sacred an idea is to us—that is, the more deeply it is tied to our identity—the more strongly we will defend it against criticism.
• When you cling too tightly to one identity, you become brittle. Lose that one thing and you lose yourself.
• Success is not a goal to reach or a finish line to cross. It is a system to improve, an endless process to refine.

Read next : More book reviews .

Psychology Books , Self-Help Books

3 thoughts on “Book Review : Atomic Habits”

Hello Kislay verma..! You have highlighted the most important point of the books.As a reader always I expect this,so that I get a pure idea about the book and under purpose of the books. BTW I also write review you can check it out here – https://healthybookish.com/atomic-habit-book-review/

Great review, Kislay. For me it was one of those books, which should have been a blog and you have written that. So, thank you. Please write a few hundred of these and the humanity will thank you for saving millions of hours which can be spent in reading real books.

The power of habit explains the science behind habits a lot better. While you are at it, do read the tell-tale brain. Most psychology bits are explained by evolution. The remaining parts are better explained by biology 🙂

Beautiful book review!

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Atomic Habits Book Summary

Publisher description.

Unlock the Power of Habit with Our "Atomic Habits" Summary Dive into the world of transformative habits with our concise summary of James Clear's bestseller, "Atomic Habits." Why spend weeks reading when you can grasp the essence and start changing your life today? Here's why our summary is the go-to choice for those eager to evolve their habits swiftly and effectively: •Crystal-Clear Insights: We distill James Clear's groundbreaking concepts into clear, manageable insights, making the science of habit formation accessible and understandable. Our summary cuts through the noise to deliver the core principles directly to you. •Actionable Advice: Every point in our summary is crafted with practicality in mind. Get actionable advice that you can implement immediately to start building better habits or breaking bad ones, no matter where you are in your journey. •Expertly Curated: Crafted by professionals who excel in the art of simplification, our summary encapsulates the wisdom of "Atomic Habits" with precision. Benefit from expert curation that highlights the most impactful strategies and lessons. •Engagement and Motivation: Our summary doesn't just inform—it inspires. Engage with compelling narratives and motivational insights that make the process of habit change fascinating and attainable. •Time Efficiency: In today's fast-paced world, your time is invaluable. Our summary is designed for efficiency, allowing you to absorb and apply key lessons quickly, catalyzing your personal and professional growth. •Versatile Learning: Whether you're a busy professional, a student, or just someone looking to enhance their daily routine, our summary fits into your lifestyle, offering you the wisdom of "Atomic Habits" whenever and wherever you need it. Step into a life of improved productivity, greater discipline, and enhanced well-being with our summary of "Atomic Habits." Start building the small habits that lead to massive change and discover the compounding power of incremental improvements. Your journey to a better you, one habit at a time, starts here!

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