Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Book review: Atomic Habits by James Clear

James Clear in his book Atomic Habits teaches a new method where simple changes can create overwhelming results in the long run. The book focuses on four techniques based on compounding habits, identity-based movements, and the suitable environment to form the habit. He further discusses the introduction of the Four Laws of behaviour, which are, Make it Obvious, Make it Attractive, Make it Easy, and Make it Satisfying. These concepts provide a clear explanation for the development and destruction of positive and negative habits. Such laws have examples and studies that correlate them with behavior.

As previously mentioned, the book is a nonfiction genre, which then means there are no characters or plot. Though James Clear does touch upon the lives of entrepreneurs, athletes, and various artists, this helps explain how small habits can lead to numerous success stories. Narratives such as these serve the role of case studies. The only difference is that they are practical and informative as well.

But what I found the most interesting was aspec he focused on, which is identity-driven habits. He insists that the most perfect way for change is to become the person who has naturally adapted the habits which that person wants to have. This makes it so that instead of being goal focused, which is much easier, the motivation lies within the process and the definition of the goal.

Engaging, concise and well-structured are words that can perfectly sum up Clear’s writing style. His balance of anecdotes and science quite effectively makes difficult psychological theories accessible to the audience. I really appreciate narrative finishing with actionable strategies since they always encourage to act right away. However, some ideas can sometimes be felt as a bit too repetitive, and a few of the examples provided look a bit too simple for those wanting deeper and more sophisticated coverage.

As for me, the book explains how to set goals in such a way which radically transformed my vision of personal development. It is just so much easier to set a goal when the basic concept is to take baby steps instead of estimating that everything has to be done in a single large action. I have found the habit stacking and environment design ideas very useful in developing effective routines.

Whether you would like to develop yourself or work on changing your behavior or are just a bit interested in talking about how to be productive, I would suggest you this book. This book will help anyone who wants to be more active in any area – health, work or some another personal activity. For those who want a very highly theorised sort of text, this will not suffice, but then again its strength lies in its straightforwardness and the ability to act.

In any case, Atomic Habits is a solid and understandable book that helps to change things rather than just to think.