Audio Review: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

The instant New York Times bestseller Financial Times Book of the Month

A revolutionary system to get 1 per cent better every day

People think when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions - doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.

He calls them atomic habits.

In this ground-breaking book, Clears reveals exactly how these minuscule changes can grow into such life-altering outcomes. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, the unexpected power of the Two Minute Rule, or the trick to entering the Goldilocks Zone), and delves into cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience to explain why they matter. Along the way, he tells inspiring stories of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy.

These small changes will have a revolutionary effect on your career, your relationships, and your life. ________________________________

'A supremely practical and useful book.' Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck

'James Clear has spent years honing the art and studying the science of habits. This engaging, hands-on book is the guide you need to break bad routines and make good ones.' Adam Grant, author of Originals

'Atomic Habits is a step-by-step manual for changing routines.' Books of the Month, Financial Times

'A special book that will change how you approach your day and live your life.' Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle is the Way

Well, after almost eight years of blogging, it was bound to happen. I thought I had everything scheduled and all, and I DID, but I forgot actually to write the post.  A bunch of friends pointed this out to me and when I checked yep!!!   EVERYTHING but the post was there so let me try again and hope this time is a charm!!

I have been obsessed with how habits are made and broken for years. I first became interested when I was trying to kick my pack a day cigarette habit.  I read ANYTHING that I could have gotten my hands on about habits. I seemed to feel that the answer to all of my dilemmas was found in a book.

Quitting smoking was not the only habit I was trying to do. I also wanted to be productive and get everything down into a habit.  This was easier said than done, however.  Before reading Atomic Habits, the book that resonated with me the most Was Gretchen Rubin’s Better than Before and Charles Duhigg the Power of habit. I felt that those two offered a complete picture of how to set up or break bad habits.

Then I read Atomic Habits

Y’all, my mind was BLOWN. This is next level habit making. It took all of the current research and explained it so that all of Us could understand. One pet Peeve that I have is when people try and tell me that you decide you don’t want to make the habit anymore and TADA  you are free. Alan Carr’s Stop Smoking book is one such example of this. I was desperate at the time, so I coughed up the change to buy the stop smoking book and… I STILL had horrible cravings no matter how many times I wanted to quit.

I then read this:

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

And I thought about how true this is.  I mean we all have a limited amount of willpower when it comes to forcing our selves to meet our habits, but what happens when the willpower run out? James Clear explains that when the willpower is gone, we revert to our default state.

All of a sudden, it was clear why when my willpower ran out, i could never seem to make any habits stick. I examined my behaviors and used a tool such as exist.io to find out where exactly I was tripping up.  One such thingie I did was to stop going to the food store. I either have it delivered or available for a pick up so will not be tempted to but only junk food. Once that system was in place, I have been MUCH better about eating clean.

Granted, it was not an easy change, and for some of my goals, I still stumble a lot, but I am making forward progress, and THAT is how good habits are born.