Book Review: Atomic Habits
By: James Clear
Title: Atomic Habits
Genre: Non-Fiction - Self Help
Pages: 319
Rating: 3.5/5
This spring I have been researching some ways to help increase my confidence in my creative endeavors, as well as how to be more consistent in them. I don’t have time to wait about for muses to arrive, languorous and smug. I work full-time, have a young family, and like to do other things than isolate in my office and brood (side-eye at Hemmingway).
Clear’s Atomic Habits wasn’t life-changing for me, but I found his points interesting. I tend to want to make sweeping changes and use absolutes. ‘I will always write before bed.’ ‘I will never skip exercising.’ You know, the sort of all-encompassing statements that are bound to fail and leave one disappointed and disillusioned.
The main take away from this book is to stay small. Find little nudges in your routine, stick with those, and let the results compound over time. An hour of exercise seems daunting? Do 10 minutes. Need to write 10,000 words this month? Start with 50.
Nothing in this book was new to me, but I still wasn’t doing them. It was good reminder to take the time to examine the sticking points and make adjustments there, rather than try to work from the top down.
I read… 75% of this book. Skipped some parts that were repetitive. Overall, an interesting and knowledgeable take on the psychology of habits.
You can find more info at Clear’s website, jamesclear.com
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Thanks for reading! Anna
I had a similar reaction- the thing that has stuck with me from this one was the story about the cycling team. By making little changes to keep getting a bit (was it 1% better?) over and over in various areas, they were able to go from mediocre to champions. I love that idea and think of it often. Thanks for reminding me of this book. Love your honest and thoughtful reviews!