Introduction Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (2018) by James Clear popularized the use of habits to drive personal productivity. Clear contends that tiny changes in daily habits lead to profound improvement.
The book is a collection of examples and recommendations for building good habits and breaking bad ones. Could Clear’s tiny changes transform your life?
The Good and the Bad of Atomic Habits
Entrepreneurs and anyone working on complex projects can appreciate how the daily grind leads to success. Clear’s focus on systems thinking and long-term focus contrast much of the current work in personal productivity. He also introduces us to useful tools in a casual yet structured fashion.
Conversely, this book feels like a duct tape solution for habits—quick and easy, not built to last. Clear’s claims rely more on personal stories, analogies, and selective references than solid evidence. Further, overusing anecdotes and clichés renders the book repetitive and cumbersome.
Finally, he presents a solution with no room for individuality, nor does he address the worst habit of all, procrastination.
Criticisms aside, the book is well-read and received. Clearly, it’s useful for a large group of people. Read on to determine if it is for you.
The Good of Atomic Habits
Traditionally, habits have been the realm of academia and scientists. Clear brings this topic to people in a way that everyone can understand.
Further, he focuses people on long-term success, presents them with novel productivity tools, and encourages systems thinking. This combination of benefits drives the popularity of his work.
Useful Tools
Atomic Habits presents valuable tools to add to your productivity arsenal: habit stacking, habit contract, and the two-minute rule. Habit stacking means using an existing habit as the trigger for a new habit. Second, a habit contract is written consequences for failing to adhere to a habit. Lastly, his 2-minute rule suggests we break down a desired new behavior into the first two minutes and commit to only doing that step.
For instance, commit to putting on your shoes and workout clothes if you’d like to start jogging. It’s a clever way to begin daunting goals.
Systems Thinking
Atomic Habits suggests that most people overemphasize the role of goals in success. According to the book, systems play a much more significant role in outcomes. Clear recommends establishing routines and processes that work toward your goals. To do so, find an identity and form habits that support your goal. You can reach almost any goal over time by shifting focus from goals to systems.
Makes Habits Accessible for Everyone
Most discussions around habits involve a lot of jargon and pretentious words. This academic speech makes habits inaccessible to the everyday person.
Conversely, Clear presents these ideas in a casual and available style. He fills his work with storytelling, analogies, and anecdotes.
Clear’s writing may be casual, but it is structured. His “Four Laws of Behavior Change” (Make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying) provides a valuable framework.
Another simple yet effective structure is his description of how a habit works: cue, craving, response, and reward.
In short, the book is easy to read and understand.
Long-Term Focus
The author’s focus on the long term is refreshing, given the self-help genre’s fascination with quick fixes. He not only teaches how to acquire habits but how to maintain them over time.
Bad of Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits has several flaws. First, casual writing works well until it becomes sloppy. Second, his work delves into pseudo-science. Third, he presents himself as a hero and his system as a cure for all. Finally, he dismisses procrastination and fails to discuss how to overcome it.
Flawed Writing
Casual writing has appeal, but Atomic Habits has some serious issues. First, the book includes excessive analogies and anecdotes. Often, their purpose seems to be an opportunity for Clear to brag.
Next, points are made so often that you want to scream, “Move on already.” It looks like the author was trying to hit a page number.
Finally, colloquialisms drown the main points. At the end of the day, it would be a win-win to circle back and turn off the broken record. Yes, it’s that bad.
Pseudo-Science
The author makes bold claims without facts or data. When he does cite sources, they include Twitter and Reddit. I’m not a scientist, but hello.
For example, he claims habits are unrelated to time and form based on how often an event occurs. This statement sounded suspect, so I did some research.
A study by Lilly and Gardner (as cited in Verplanken) explains that habits form based on a host of factors: 1) frequency of behavior, 2) consistency over time, 3) how simple or complex the behavior is, 4) the positive effect due to the outcome, 5) the selection and suitability of cues, and 6) the consistency of context [1,2]. It is much more complex than the author’s answer.
It’s great that he wrote the work so that everyone can understand. However, he should have disclosed the limitations of his approach and avoided definitive statements without any scientific backing.
Heroism & Lack of Nuance
Clear, like many authors in the self-help genre, sets himself up as a superhero. The book implies that you’d have all these great habits if you could be like James. For example, he mentions that while he was in college, everyone else was having fun. Meanwhile, he was organizing his room and working. Please.
The problem with heroism is that nuance exists. For example, the Wallflower Digest calls out how his theory of never missing a behavior two days in a row is impossible for women due to menstrual cycles [3]. Just like shoes, there is no one-size-fits approach to habits.
At times, Clear appears to be a drill sergeant telling us to suck it up and march on. While effective for many, this approach will leave countless behind.
Doesn’t Address Procrastination
It’s mind-boggling that there is a book on habits that doesn’t discuss procrastination. The book assumes changing one’s mindset is straightforward and doesn’t address the difficulty of overcoming mental blocks. There isn’t much mention of how to deal with setbacks other than a simplistic try harder approach.
Moreover, Atomic Habits follows the trope of labeling procrastination as a lack of motivation or organization, which ignores significant causes such as inability to delay gratification, task aversion, or anxiety/perfectionism.
Overall Atomic Habits
Who Should Read It
People with a moderate baseline of organization and achievement will do well applying Clear’s strategies. It is a good introduction to using habits to benefit one’s life. Finally, it’s useful for people who want to start something new that takes a while to master.
Who Should Skip It
Readers looking for a science-based approach or who have psychological issues like confidence, motivation, or procrastination. Anyone without a baseline grasp of personal efficiency and organization should also move on.
Wrap Up
Despite some valid criticisms, Atomic Habits is a bestseller for a reason. It has helped many people use tiny daily habits to do great things.
There’s always more to read on this topic. Explore our full guide on personal productivity. Or you can view more productivity book reviews.
I love recommendations and feedback. Hit me up in the comments section or join me on Reddit at (opens new tab) r/Remove_Work_Advice. I would love to hear from you if you have read Atomic Habits or have anything else to share.
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Additional Information
About the Author
James Clear is an author, entrepreneur, and speaker focusing on using habits for personal growth. He grew up in Hamilton, Ohio, and graduated from Denison University in 2008. He wrote Atomic Habits in 2018, which spent 260 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.
Clear’s Books
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Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. New York, NY: Avery.
Online H3
Accessibility Note: All links beyond this point open to a new tab.
Official Website: JamesClear.com
Twitter: @JamesClear
Wikipedia: James Clear
Other Reviews
- Clear, J. (n.d.). Atomic Habits by James Clear – Forward Fitness. Forward Fitness. Retrieved January 5, 2024, from Book Review: Atomic Habits by James Clear – Forward Fitness
- Lewis, R. (2023, September). Atomic Habits by James Clear | Book Review. Retrieved January 5, 2024, from Atomic Habits by James Clear | Book Review – Rachy Lewis
- Harkness, L. (n.d.). Did Atomic Habits by James Clear actually change anything about my life? Luke Harkness. Retrieved from Did Atomic Habits by James Clear actually change anything about my life?
- Peters, K. (n.d.). Book review: Atomic Habits by James Clear. Kiley Peters | Small Business Strategist & Speaker. Retrieved January 5, 2024, from Book Review: Atomic Habits by James Clear – Kiley Peters | Small Business Strategist & Speaker
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The Four Laws are:
1. Make it obvious.
2. Make it attractive.
3. Make it easy.
4. Make it satisfying.
These laws guide you on how to build good habits. Reverse them to break bad ones.
The book advises you to begin by identifying the type of person you want to be. Then, align your actions with that identity. Use habits to reinforce the new identity over time.
Habit stacking means pairing a new habit with one you already do. For example, “After my morning coffee, I’ll journal.” Doing so makes building new habits easier.
References
- Lally P, Gardner B. 2013. Promoting habit formation. Health Psychol. Rev. 7: S137–58
- Verplanken, B., & Orbell, S. (2022). Attitudes, habits, and behavior change. Annual review of psychology, 73(1), 327-352.
- Wallflower Digest. (n.d.). Atomic Habits – A transformative guide to better habits. Wallflower Digest. Retrieved January 5, 2024, from My Problem with Atomic Habits by James Clear – The Wallflower Digest