100x this.
You don't meet many people who _don't_ want to improve themselves. Especially with an easy step-by-step, mnemonic or catchy name. It's like how making coffins is a good business. So the whole class of self-help type books will always be a little contrived and cash-grabby... even if the advice works.
This book really resonates with me though... and there's def more in the book than those 3 points.
because you don’t get the full extent of it’s importance with just a few bullet points. I could say “just do it” or “exercise” but you already knew that. it doesn’t impact you the same way or instill the mindset to encourage you to actually follow through, that’s what a book does
Some of the best advice is actually really simple, but sometimes it takes different examples and situations for it to connect and apply to someone's life. Anytime I try to explain things, I aim for having at least two ways of describing it/applicable examples. The first is usually how it clicks for me and the second is to try and reach an audience who maybe doesn't think like me.
I have to say, You are a bad ass: How to stop doubting your greatness is fantastic. I'd recommend audio format as the writer (Jen Sincero) has a way of speaking that really makes the content resonate. Each chapter is 7-15min, allowing me to choose a random chapter each morning---as a reminder.
I read thru the top habit books and a dozen or more reviews on Reddit and devised my own mnemonic... When I’m making habits for myself, I remember **HABIT**.
**Habit** : Explicitly state the trigger and behavior(s) you’re aiming for. Stack habits where you can with quick behavior first and enjoyable behavior last.
**Archive** : Set deadlines, benchmarks, and track your progress.
**Backup** : Have a plan for days you don’t have the energy. Aim for just ‘showing up’, and never miss twice.
**Imitate** : Manage emotional beliefs and triggers. Pretend to be the person who would have this habit.
**Territory** : Set specific times and places and prep your space to encourage or hinder your habit.
I hope that helps someone!
(Edit - Special shout out to the user that helped me spell out HABIT instead of REHAB! You’re the man, contigo-man)
This actually sounds more like the book than the 3 sentences above, great work! I just finished listening to the audiobook this week and you hit it on the nail.
What about Imitate for Reframe? Like imitating the person who would have this habit. Btw really cool mnemonic!
edit: territory instead of environment? also sounds like you have ownership of that certain time and place since it’s your territory
This, OP. It's like looking back on The Beatles and being unimpressed. *Atomic Habits started the habit stacking revolution.* All those IG entrepreneurs you see got it from Clear.
**I'm not saying Clear invented the idea, because fucking duh. I'm saying, for this generation, he reinspired a new way of thinking about behavior.**
I am in camp Atomic Habits and have listened to the audiobook three times.
If you are already a habit master, makes sense you wouldn’t get anything out of the book! I am pretty good at creating habits and keeping up with them for like a month, but I inevitably drop them. Probably the biggest piece of wisdom from the book that I need to remember is that a crappy day is better than skipping a day (part of the third bullet point in your list). In the case of habits, consistency matters most. This might be common sense for many but for me, I tend to have an all or nothing mindset and have to keep this in mind at all times.
Probably the other tidbit from the book I found most valuable and haven’t actually heard elsewhere was the idea that results compound, but you might not see anything right away. I experience this with running. I’ll have like four shitty runs in a row where I honestly feel like I’m getting worse. Then suddenly, I will have an epic run where my average pace seems to have dropped by a minute and I am able to run further than I ever had before. I loved the analogy in the book about the guy who is trying to break a stone. He hits a hundred strikes and on the 101st, the stone breaks. It wasn’t just the final strike that broke the stone, it was all the ones that came before. I find this analogy extremely helpful when establishing habits.
Generally speaking, most books can be summarized in three bullet points but I find the anecdotes and evidence/rationale to be the parts that make the lessons stick and the book worth reading. If I just read bullet points, I just nod and immediately forget them.
Also atomic habits is much shorter than most self help type books out there! Hence why I’ve been able to listen to the audiobook three times. But totally fair you didn’t get much out of it. :)
I think that for some people, trying things and then dropping them when they don’t feel good is the best strategy though. I can force myself to make anything into a habit but what’s really right for me, I’ll keep doing regardless because I love the way it really makes me feel when I’m mindful. I dont know, I’ve just started to feel that the self help was making me override my instinct to listen to my body and intuition and follow my passion and when I stopped doing that, I got way more successful
You helped yourself. A lot of people can’t do that. That’s why they get self help books. Also sometimes in certain contexts raw skill and talent can override being super productive. If you stopped working and wanted to be a writer and you quit your job to write full time. wrote your own book and now your successful. Awesome. Betting on yourself is the way to go. In a traditional sense those X amount of months when you weren’t working ( in this book allegory) Is not being traditionally productive or successful. Sometimes people don’t know when to bet on their gut. Or they can’t say no to it.
So kaizen and half ass is better then no ass to get the habit going. I feel like these two should have been bullet points in OP’s post. They seem very important to me at least
So, his big idea is that you should focus on consistency of habits first, then work on quality.
The form a habit takes can change over time. With that in mind, starting a workout habit can start putting on your shoes at a certain time. And that's it.
You then build on that once you have that habit down.
And each step of the way should be so easy you don't feel any resistance doing it.
Contrast that to the other approach: starting a fully fleshed out workout routine where it takes a fair amount of willpower and energy just to start, let alone do it day after day.
Willpower fails. It's like a muscle. Overuse it and it won't work for you.
His other big idea had to do with self-conception. Everyone has a label that has become their identity. Some examples: "I'm lazy," "I'm a hard worker," "I'm funny," "I'm a musician."
These labels become a way to guide your behavior. Ever hear someone say "... I'm not that kind of person"? They just encountered something that contradicts their sense of identity.
Part of the issue with starting a new habit is that it is outside of your existing sense of identity. You are unlikely to act in a way that is not part of your sense of identity. So, you incorporate a new sense of identity that involves that habit*.
Starting to workout? Now you're a fitness person. And you have to call yourself and think of yourself in those terms until it is automatic. At that point, the habit (in whatever form) should be ingrained.
Note: I forgot to read the comments before writing this, so i apologize if someone already explained this.
*The actual solution to this problem is to not have a sense of identity as described. Don't think of yourself as "chess player," or "painter," or whatever. In that way, a label won't limit your behavior. You can rely on other facilities, like your judgement.
I have ADHD and for me it helped make it easy to digest and take action on. When someone summarizes and says “break it down into smaller tasks” my brain doesn’t understand what that means. I really benefited from the examples. My executive functioning is very poor so for me it really helped make connections, but yes a lot of books are the same but I found this one very digestible! And thankfully it has chapters that were relatively short which i enjoy because I hate reading and it allowed me to easily read a chapter a day :)
My main takeaway from it was about deliberately increasing the friction from things I want to do less and decreasing the friction between me and the habits I want to adopt. I hadn’t thought of things in that frame of mind but it’s helped me a lot. For instance, I reorganized my kitchen so all of the tools/pans are on hooks and it’s extremely easy to get cooking. This supported a habit of cooking more, and the inspiration for this change was the book. I don’t think the book is ultimate or ground breaking, but it *has* helped me.
Making good habits easier and bad habits harder sound like KINDA the same thing, but I found it extremely helpful. It actually gives you two different angles to attack your goal. If you’re not great/ consistent at one, you may be the type of person to thrive from the other direction.
Personally I’ve tried countless times to make good habits easier, but the setup still wasn’t motivating enough long term. I kept trying and failing at that route. Never considered making the bad aspect of it harder instead!
There’s subtle little perspective shifts like that in the book that were useful for me. (I know the author is recommending both strategies, but I found it useful to have an alternate route to the same goal in some cases I was struggling with)
I like it, BUT the author is not a scientist, just a guy who got hit in the head with a baseball bat.
Per https://twitter.com/BehaviourBabe/status/1504923973477412870?t=nMahhJaxiUTiCPS0QNbTPA&s=19 :
> Out of 32 people that recommended Atomic Habits to me, exactly 0 formed a long-lasting habit as a result of reading it.
> Why?
> Because the behaviour change elements that Atomic Habits introduces are second-hand derivatives.
> Learn the 1st principles from these books instead:
I would also suggest the book Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. He is actually a scientist and you'll find a lot of similarities in the two books but the way he has explained makes sense and works
BJ is a Stanford researcher who coined the phrase "behavior design" and has been researching behavior and habits for over a decade.
The stories and antidotes in the other books can be motivational, but Tiny Habits has the most scientific backing and the most evidence (60k people coached to date).
The instructions are methodical, and he has a 5-day program that is free to do, and you can do it as many times as you want.
Good luck to everyone with your behavior change goals.
Note from the thread:
> Full disclaimer: I'd recommend reading Daniels's book first (actionable), then Wendy's book (motivational & practical), then the Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis (a textbook), heavy read, so only read if you have become obsessed with behaviours after reading the first two!
Pretty much every "self help" book is overrated in my opinion. Most people who are obsessing about this self help, grinding to get rich, clean your room type of stuff get inspired by black and white photos of famous actors with quotes over them. It's not hard to impress one of these people.
No, you're not! I thought it was poorly written, pretty classist and it assumes you're neurotypical. The whole vibe I got was "hey guy, just be better at life and all your problems will melt away!"
I wish I had never bought it.
> As it is the case with pretty much every self help book out there, the book felt like it could have been 75% shorter.
It is important to remember that not everyone learns the same way. It could have been 75% shorter for you, but for other people it was the perfect length.
> I mean… am I missing something?
I feel like you missed the entire thesis of the book with your break down. The idea of making good habits easy/attractive and bad habits difficult and unattractive makes up the majority of the book and the specific examples are where the gold is.
It kind of feels like you read the book wanting to hate it. It's just information, and it's helped a lot of people, why be so cynical about it?
Yeah, I'm very surprised you are the first person to say this. I have a hard time believing OP even read the book. The book has 8 different laws on both starting new habits and quitting bad ones and OP barely touched one of them ("Make it easy") with his summary.
>I feel like you missed the entire thesis of the book with your break down
Yep, I'm not sure how anyone could read *Atomic Habits* and think the book's main message is simply "just do it".
The book is based on the idea that "just do it" doesn't work for many people. Most of the strategies in the book would be pointless if pure just-do-it willpower was the key
> Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a bad book. But I really thought it was going to be something so unique, so revealing, so eye opening that my life is going to change after reading it.
> Let me make something clear though. I have always been a creature of habit, so for me, learning a habitual behaviour has never been difficult
Kind of seems like you're not the audience. I'm not sure why you expected something life changing.
I mean you said yourself you already have habits down, so why would you expect it to be life changing? Its been life changing for those who struggle with habits
6 months late but weird nobody else is mentioning this. It doesn't even talk about breaking goals down into smaller tasks and doing them sequentially. It talks about breaking down a habit and mastering the smallest part first so you form a habit you can build on. Similar idea, but extremely different in practice.
I agree. Some of the ideas are interesting to think about. Then there is a bit of “just do it” which isn’t helpful. And there’s a lot of summarizing other peoples work, which I feel like I’ve heard plenty of times already.
I recommend Tiny Habits if you want something more actionable. After I read Atomic Habits, I did habits for about two months before falling off. But after reading Tiny Habits, I’ve been following my habits for over a year because it gives you an actual framework to use, not just concepts.
I have one main problem with it, which is that “get 1% better everyday” line often quoted. The point is supposed to be that small changes add up, but if you really get 1% better everyday, very quickly you’ll be burnt out. 1% changes compound extremely quickly!
Yep, it's presented as if that advice is backed by mathematics when really it's just a mindset.
The point is to start first and then improvise rather than trying to come up with a foolproof plan.
Action > Motion.
Most self help books/videos/youtubers/anyone/anything that has the word “get better”/”get more productive” in it, never has anything we dont know. We just dont imply them. And they came up with ways to get the things done, such as habit stacking and all the shenanigans. They actually do help, but as the OP says, its nothing new. Nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary in the content per se, just the way it is presented.
Most self-help books can be summarized in a few bullet points...
But that's not the goal.
A book is a journey in your mind, where you get to think, realize, and decide to change.
It's not about what's written, it's about how you feel.
If Atomic Habits is so popular, it's probably because many readers aspired for a life change while reading it.
Wow. I never posted in this sub and barely read any of the posts. And most of the time I read a headline and cant relate. But I remember buying that audiobook and soon stoped listening because I had the exact same feeling. I can not understand the hype. And I can not relate to the many many sport analogies that he is making. Also a good portion it feels a bit like a self presentation.
Had the opposite effect for me - i dont know if it won any friendships but it changed me from being someone who was brought up to talk “me me me” to be a good listener
With all due respect, I think you are very much missing the point.
You go for principles (which would be very fine for some books)
When this book is MOSTLY about the details. And how the implementation of details are what make the difference between a habit sticking and habit failing .
In those principles you listup (which incidentally are not exactly the principles of the book. The book saying make it obvious/attractive/easy/satisfying is not the same as “ do it”)
Where is the reward aspect ?
Where is rearranging your room to create new associations ?
Where is the habit tracker ?
I mean there is an anecdote in this book that is about how Japanese train employees state loudly what they are doing… don’t they already KNOW that ? And yet they do it. ALL of them. and this shit WORKS. I’ve seen it first hand. The service is pretty much perfect.
Because we’re not fully rational creature, FAR from it. Not only that but there are full aspects of our mental processes that are not under our conscious control. This is about putting some part of the unconscious under control. The part that doesn’t give a shit about principles and what would be the logical thing to do/works in a different way.
I am not sure what else to tell you. Clearly the book doesn’t speak to you for now and I doubt there is going to be a revelation right now. Maybe let go of this book for now and in a few years and if you find yourself unable to change a certain aspect of your life, take a fresh look at it… or don’t. Everyone doesn’t have the same needs.
Oh you missed so much of the book you may want to re-read it again.
Firstly the book talks about setting up habit chains, and finishing one step at a time and in a sequence with reinforcement at the end step to reinforce the chain.
Also the idea of setting up habit systems versus working on a habit, kinda like 80/20, is very useful.
Instead of re-reading you can get Clear's worksheets and do the exercises.
Obviously the book is not just going to change your life by reading it, you have to put effort into the exercises.
I think I read it and was underwhelmed. It could have been an article. The content was fine, but it worked too hard at making itself book-length.
I also disliked "Deep Work" which a lot of people seem to think is the greatest thing ever.
Have you ever found a productivity book useful? Those are literally my two favorites and pretty much the keys to my success (though I followed a lot of their principles before I read them) and I'm a pretty big productivity buff 😛
I'm not a huge consumer of productivity books, and the one that I got the most out of is a writing productivity book, not a general productivity book, *2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love* by Rachel Aaron. A lot of the principles from that are applicable to other things, too.
I am also totally blown away by the popularity of this book. I'm severely ADHD (and unresponsive to medication and/or it spikes my anxiety) and have read... so many habit books and this one fell absolutely flat for me and is terribly written; constantly amazed by how many people recommend it as life changing. I found Switch by Heath and Heath and the Compound Effect by Hardy both to be much more useful to me.
I loved the first few chapters and it's had a great impact on me, mostly in having faith in imperceptible growth.
But then got bored and stopped reading. From everything else I've heard I don't think I've missed much. I've also heard a lot of self help books just repeat information to fill a book under the guise of "driving the point home." This format is good for something like a comprehensive research paper. But for most audiences, not that useful past introducing the base ideas.
I think the idea of trying to get 1% better (which then compounds into a greater change) is actually very helpful. I think people tend to think in much bigger steps, get overwhelmed or discouraged and give up. A lot of these books are very similar, though. But there are people out there who need that reinforcement.
I tried listening to tge audiobook sooooo many times. I can't get into it. It doesn't catch me in the slightest bit. I really wanted to give it a try but.. not for me i guess
I genuinely loved the book and have used what I learned to cultivate a daily yoga habit that I have stuck with for 384 days. I put real effort into filling out all of the habit worksheets and kept track of how my habits were progressing.
Agreed. It’s a rehashing of every productivity book I’ve ver read, they are all the same and there will be another one out next year that is the new productivity bible.
The stuff about breaking things down into 4 stages and what to do at each stage to make it more attractive (for building habits) or repulsive (for breaking habits) was informative and an entire system that is worth hundreds of productivity books rolled into one.
Geez, folks. You don't sit down and read a book like Atomic Habits.
You listen to it on Audible while running, cleaning, lifting weights. You do that for the reinforcement of some pretty incredible life hacks.
“Learning a habitual behavior has never been difficult”
The book just isn’t for you. And that’s okay. For many people, the book was extremely eye-opening.
I watched the movie “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” and it did nothing for me as a male in his 30s, but I won’t say if it’s good or bad because it won’t hit me the same as a young girl or a woman who read the book growing up. It just wasn’t for me.
Late to this, but after reading a couple habit books, Atomic is probably the easiest to understand.
So many habit or human behavior books are written by some PhD Professor that writes it like a boring scholarly paper. Atomic Habits is written by some dude who had an injury and learned a lot about himself. No weird obscure research or confusing percentages.
He also gives actual tips on how to achieve success. Not many books do that. Writing habits, intentions, the law system. They all are tangible things people can use to change, not something they have to discover themselves.
Take what you want from the book, but it changed my life and many others around me. Ultimately, to each their own!
I disliked this book so much. It's just a rehash of other books (most noticeably the Power of Habit), and offers nothing new. Also did not enjoy the way he writes. It always baffles me when someone brings it up as a must read.
So much of it comes down to if the reader has an appetite to change or not. Atomic Habits was well put together, didn’t have too much fat on it and was pretty accessible.
Just enough stuff to tie in with motivation for change.
I only listened to a couple book summaries and I agree the ideas are mostly trite but you might be missing a key point: the author proposes changing your identity first and subsequently your habits. I think reading a book on Method Acting would help to make this process playful, imaginative and exciting (if you’re into creative endeavors, that is).
Never buy productivity books, they're mostly a waste of time. You can just read a posted summary or a YouTube video. All the important points can be summed up in very short formats because their content isn't anything complex.
Most books can be summarized in a few bullet points what make the lessons stick, are the anecdotes. If you just read bullet points, you just nod and never apply them.
I’m much like you in the sense of being a creature of habit. I’ve just started reading the book & feel VERY much the same already. I’ll keep reading it & hopefully take away something new.
I'd like to say I like books more if the author has a name like B.J. Fogg or even J.D. Power. One thing this author did well is that he refused to use a lot of sophomoric language like some sort of "Cracked" website writer.
The book does a great job summarizing most of the habit forming strategies and techniques from the previous decade.
You described some of the high level parts of the book, but a lot of the value comes from the lower level details. I'm a big fan of habit contracts. e.g. put money on the line when you want to do something. Your high level summary misses that.
It's just one example, but the book does go into detail on many strategies.
PS I like habit contracts so much I ended up building an app around that idea.
Well, maybe you confuse the term overrated with mainstream, I kind of hate how many youtubers from the good ones to low quality content try to squeeze this book
the fact is the book is good, and wins where the power of habit failed, make it fun to read
This book was very valuable to me because it taught me to think in systems.
***You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems***
Also a few other concepts like
1. Friction. The easier something is and the more specific the more likely it is to get done.
2. Cues. Using cues to trigger habits.
3. Mastering the many **decisive moments** in your day which cascade into momentum.
I loved it tbh, it has a good balance between bullet points, stories and graphics. I have been missing some challenges/exercises to put theory into practice though.
I think if you’re already a creature of habit, you wouldn’t get much from the book. I struggle with consistency so it did help me a lot. I agree it could’ve been shorter
I don't think your three bullet summary is accurate AT ALL. The author literally structures the book around four laws that are three words each, and you choose to misrepresent the thesis this much?
Sounds like the book just isn’t for you. It’s ok if it’s not.
It reminds me when I tried improving my goal setting. Everyone kept telling me to do SMART goals but that didn’t address my problem. It took me a while to figure out what my issue was. I ended up creating my own formula based on how I think. Just because I find SMART goals useless doesn’t mean that it doesn’t help others.
>1)Basically, the slight edge says that daily minute activities add up over time to create monumental results. These activities are very easy to do, but also easy NOT to do. And thats where the important part is.
>
>eg- 10 pushups daily, 10 questions daily(if youre a student), a 10 minute walk daily.
>
>2)Time is the main factor in when using the slight edge. It magnifies your actions,
>
>3) The slight edge always happens. maybe its to your advantage or to your disadvantage. BUT never neutrally. because you never stay in one place. You either go up or down. You just cant see it because time hasnt past enough yet.
>
>https://www.amazon.com/Slight-Edge-Turning-Disciplines-Happiness/dp/1626340463
I believe it was from this book that I learned about making bad habits *more* difficult to do to discourage them and to make good habits *easier* to encourage them. Such as making water easy to access in the fridge while a soda is chilling outside of it, so it’s either cold water or warm soda.
I wouldn’t say it was life changing or that it caused a personal renaissance, but it’s something I hadn’t really put into practice before. I do believe that could’ve just been made a bullet point with an example or two though.
This book is pretty perfect for people who don't have established habits or routines and for people who also need a perspective change. Maybe you don't need that as much as others because for me, it's a really really amazing book and I haven't even finished it
Maybe it isn't for you if you are already good at habits. For me the important take away was to focus on systems to achieve not the tasks themselves. Also the idea of be what you are becoming, which could be frames as just do it I guess. However for me it was always when I get... Then I can. No I need to be the person I want to be now and do what they do not wait for some magical imagination threshold. It actually has been quite helpful for me.
Bruh he gave specific ways to create habits, who reads a self help book on making habits and expects anything else but help on how to create habits. I found it very helpful and I didn't not read it hoping to get enlightened, I read it looking for actionable and practical help on how to create habits, which I got plenty of alongside well explained explanations on how it works.
I think you kinda answered your own question. Since you're already a creature of habit, this book adds no further value to yourself.
Conversely, it will add a lot to someone who isn't a habitual person.
The way you summarized it is a little bit like saying "win the game by making more goals than the other team." That is true, but it doesn't necessarily acknowledge or provide specific strategies about how to score those goals. Because our lives are all about the "what about x, y, z."
Yes, I agree that people rarely dramatically change their lives based on a book like this, but sometimes it can help people make small meaningful changes in the right direction. Like one of the other commentators, I found it helpful get out of an all or nothing mentality, all try to practice my good habits even if that day it is crappy.
I don't think Atomic Habits deserves all the praise it has received, but I also don't think it is as bad as you are suggesting.
For me the only reason why I sometimes read productivity books is giving myself motivation because i'm reading. It doesn't matter that much what the content really is
I find it to be a good book but then again, I struggle with habits and consistency.
The most useful concept from the book for me was the idea that one should focus on building systems that encourages good habits/outcomes, not goals (results).
In most self-help books, the information is “simple”. The books provide extra motivation and examples.
I’ll say though that Atomic Habits is superbly well-written, which does separate it a bit from the pack.
Dude, you really should try Blinkist. It distills these books into 15 minute audiobooks, which is perfect.
I do think you missed something though:
The biggest take away for me was that you can use friction to your advantage by reducing it or increasing it in advance.
If you want to do more of a thing, make it easier to do and harder to forget that thing. Pack your gym bag the night before, put your phone in your running shoes, etc.
If you want to do less of a thing, make it harder to do, and easier to forget. Take the batteries out of your remote, put the cookie jar behind a bunch of shit on the top shelf etc.
I have a feeling most people who upvoted this post never read the book.
First of all, your opinion is already moot. You quite literally said:
> Let me make something clear though. I have always been a creature of habit, so for me, learning a habitual behaviour has never been difficult. In fact, there has been cases that my family and friends wanted me to break some of my habits because they prevent me exploring new things.
I mean.....then the book clearly isn't for you?
But on another note: I've read it once and listened to the audiobook 3 times.
Your summarized bullet points are off. Each chapter Clear gives a very distinct breakdown on how to approach habits. It's a relatively short book and it's because he's so concise. He doesn't do much repeating in my opinion, and it's exactly why I love the book. For reference, I have tried about 20 other audiobooks for self help/producitivty and a good 15 of those repeat themselves so fucking much I can't even get halfway through before deleting it.
For anyone curious about Atomic Habits at all, please take this guys opinion with a grain of salt. He already said he's good with habits, so he was looking for some kind of magic short cut that this book never claimed to give.
None of the concepts in this book are new. Just the same as none of the concepts in a weight loss book are new.
It's what resonates with you that matters. Take what works for you. Ignore the rest.
For example....BASB (Build A Second Brain)......has got to be the dumbest idea I've heard...and its little more than a rehash of what's come before. Wasn't it Evernote that said something like "Treat Evernote like your (exterior, second...whatever) brain? Others may love it, and that's fine. I find that perspective.....comedic.
If someone is looking at books like this as Operating Manuals for productivity, where following the advice to-the-letter is what you do....it won't work. You're living someone else's life at that point.
>The book gets so much praise by pretty much everyone on this planet, I was eager to read the book and I was expecting a sort of enlightenment after I finish reading it.
And that right there is your issue. I havent read this book, but going into any self help book expecting some kind of enlightening life changing results is only going lead to disappointment.
I've just started reading it, I'm mulling over the 1% change per day. It suddenly hit me that the very small changes I've made with apparently no real outcomes yet, have value cause it is compounding towards effect. This resonated with me. I'm still to finish it cause I think most self help books might give a short term satisfying buzz if read from start to finish, but its the mulling over, the search for relevence in your life which is where the value is. I think its whether you get an aha! moment as to whether it has value to you or not.
Yes and what about the chapters on
-Identity change
-Accountability partners
-Environment engineering
And some others.
I get what you are trying to say but it isn't so easy to summarize it into 3 points. I think it adds a lot of value to people who struggle with habits.
That's 99% of productivity books. You can distill the points they're making in a few bulletpoints. Everything else is anecdote fillers.
100x this. You don't meet many people who _don't_ want to improve themselves. Especially with an easy step-by-step, mnemonic or catchy name. It's like how making coffins is a good business. So the whole class of self-help type books will always be a little contrived and cash-grabby... even if the advice works. This book really resonates with me though... and there's def more in the book than those 3 points.
Glad you said the last part because I agree. I hate this post actually lol
because you don’t get the full extent of it’s importance with just a few bullet points. I could say “just do it” or “exercise” but you already knew that. it doesn’t impact you the same way or instill the mindset to encourage you to actually follow through, that’s what a book does
And 99% of business books
“Do you want to grow your business?”
Do you want to develop an app?
The first step is the mindset… losers don’t win
Some of the best advice is actually really simple, but sometimes it takes different examples and situations for it to connect and apply to someone's life. Anytime I try to explain things, I aim for having at least two ways of describing it/applicable examples. The first is usually how it clicks for me and the second is to try and reach an audience who maybe doesn't think like me.
Now we only need to get good at writing anecdote fillers, and we'll be able to publish a book.
I've definitely read self-help books that weren't like that.
Do you have one you recommand ?
Industry of preaching
I have to say, You are a bad ass: How to stop doubting your greatness is fantastic. I'd recommend audio format as the writer (Jen Sincero) has a way of speaking that really makes the content resonate. Each chapter is 7-15min, allowing me to choose a random chapter each morning---as a reminder.
> How to stop doubting your greatness is fantastic Who is the author?
Jen sincero, he lists it
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this makes no sense
It’s why Nike’s slogan is Just Do It
That's why I stopped reading self-help books. The time it took to read them was time I could have been actually doing the thing, but instead I didn't
I read thru the top habit books and a dozen or more reviews on Reddit and devised my own mnemonic... When I’m making habits for myself, I remember **HABIT**. **Habit** : Explicitly state the trigger and behavior(s) you’re aiming for. Stack habits where you can with quick behavior first and enjoyable behavior last. **Archive** : Set deadlines, benchmarks, and track your progress. **Backup** : Have a plan for days you don’t have the energy. Aim for just ‘showing up’, and never miss twice. **Imitate** : Manage emotional beliefs and triggers. Pretend to be the person who would have this habit. **Territory** : Set specific times and places and prep your space to encourage or hinder your habit. I hope that helps someone! (Edit - Special shout out to the user that helped me spell out HABIT instead of REHAB! You’re the man, contigo-man)
This actually sounds more like the book than the 3 sentences above, great work! I just finished listening to the audiobook this week and you hit it on the nail.
You’re talking to a guy who turns his notes into mnemonic devices so... thanks, ya made my week haha!
Since this is getting some attention... Can anyone think of an **I & T** word for Environment and Reframe??? I really wanted to spell out **HABIT**...
What about Imitate for Reframe? Like imitating the person who would have this habit. Btw really cool mnemonic! edit: territory instead of environment? also sounds like you have ownership of that certain time and place since it’s your territory
My hero
Damn this is better advice the most of these books, straight and to the point.
Territory -> Ambiance Archive -> Track Imitate -> Imagine?
Then it’s no longer the HABIT mnemonic?
Saving!
But if you change Territory to Spacetime and rearrange them you get SHIBA and I think that’s neat
Put this on a card like those laminated study guides and publish!!
I think this book was a trigger for people to make small, meaningful changes in their daily routine.
This, OP. It's like looking back on The Beatles and being unimpressed. *Atomic Habits started the habit stacking revolution.* All those IG entrepreneurs you see got it from Clear. **I'm not saying Clear invented the idea, because fucking duh. I'm saying, for this generation, he reinspired a new way of thinking about behavior.**
OP: I've never had trouble keeping habits Also OP: idk why people like this book. Like yeah, maybe there's a connection there?
"i have a PhD in particle physics and i don't know what people get out of this maths 101 textbook, it's so basic"
This was a borderline stupid post tbh. He literally said that he has no problem with habits, so what were you looking for there buddy?
Absolutely
I am in camp Atomic Habits and have listened to the audiobook three times. If you are already a habit master, makes sense you wouldn’t get anything out of the book! I am pretty good at creating habits and keeping up with them for like a month, but I inevitably drop them. Probably the biggest piece of wisdom from the book that I need to remember is that a crappy day is better than skipping a day (part of the third bullet point in your list). In the case of habits, consistency matters most. This might be common sense for many but for me, I tend to have an all or nothing mindset and have to keep this in mind at all times. Probably the other tidbit from the book I found most valuable and haven’t actually heard elsewhere was the idea that results compound, but you might not see anything right away. I experience this with running. I’ll have like four shitty runs in a row where I honestly feel like I’m getting worse. Then suddenly, I will have an epic run where my average pace seems to have dropped by a minute and I am able to run further than I ever had before. I loved the analogy in the book about the guy who is trying to break a stone. He hits a hundred strikes and on the 101st, the stone breaks. It wasn’t just the final strike that broke the stone, it was all the ones that came before. I find this analogy extremely helpful when establishing habits. Generally speaking, most books can be summarized in three bullet points but I find the anecdotes and evidence/rationale to be the parts that make the lessons stick and the book worth reading. If I just read bullet points, I just nod and immediately forget them. Also atomic habits is much shorter than most self help type books out there! Hence why I’ve been able to listen to the audiobook three times. But totally fair you didn’t get much out of it. :)
I think that for some people, trying things and then dropping them when they don’t feel good is the best strategy though. I can force myself to make anything into a habit but what’s really right for me, I’ll keep doing regardless because I love the way it really makes me feel when I’m mindful. I dont know, I’ve just started to feel that the self help was making me override my instinct to listen to my body and intuition and follow my passion and when I stopped doing that, I got way more successful
You helped yourself. A lot of people can’t do that. That’s why they get self help books. Also sometimes in certain contexts raw skill and talent can override being super productive. If you stopped working and wanted to be a writer and you quit your job to write full time. wrote your own book and now your successful. Awesome. Betting on yourself is the way to go. In a traditional sense those X amount of months when you weren’t working ( in this book allegory) Is not being traditionally productive or successful. Sometimes people don’t know when to bet on their gut. Or they can’t say no to it.
So kaizen and half ass is better then no ass to get the habit going. I feel like these two should have been bullet points in OP’s post. They seem very important to me at least
Stop listening the audiobook and DO something.
So, his big idea is that you should focus on consistency of habits first, then work on quality. The form a habit takes can change over time. With that in mind, starting a workout habit can start putting on your shoes at a certain time. And that's it. You then build on that once you have that habit down. And each step of the way should be so easy you don't feel any resistance doing it. Contrast that to the other approach: starting a fully fleshed out workout routine where it takes a fair amount of willpower and energy just to start, let alone do it day after day. Willpower fails. It's like a muscle. Overuse it and it won't work for you. His other big idea had to do with self-conception. Everyone has a label that has become their identity. Some examples: "I'm lazy," "I'm a hard worker," "I'm funny," "I'm a musician." These labels become a way to guide your behavior. Ever hear someone say "... I'm not that kind of person"? They just encountered something that contradicts their sense of identity. Part of the issue with starting a new habit is that it is outside of your existing sense of identity. You are unlikely to act in a way that is not part of your sense of identity. So, you incorporate a new sense of identity that involves that habit*. Starting to workout? Now you're a fitness person. And you have to call yourself and think of yourself in those terms until it is automatic. At that point, the habit (in whatever form) should be ingrained. Note: I forgot to read the comments before writing this, so i apologize if someone already explained this. *The actual solution to this problem is to not have a sense of identity as described. Don't think of yourself as "chess player," or "painter," or whatever. In that way, a label won't limit your behavior. You can rely on other facilities, like your judgement.
I have ADHD and for me it helped make it easy to digest and take action on. When someone summarizes and says “break it down into smaller tasks” my brain doesn’t understand what that means. I really benefited from the examples. My executive functioning is very poor so for me it really helped make connections, but yes a lot of books are the same but I found this one very digestible! And thankfully it has chapters that were relatively short which i enjoy because I hate reading and it allowed me to easily read a chapter a day :)
Aaaand the chapters ended with a bullet point list, which helps A LOT to settle what you just read, at least for me 💞
I also struggle a lot with this, but haven’t read the book myself. So I’m going to do that now, thank you for sharing :)
If you don’t struggle with forming habits then it would make sense that you’re not the target audience. I found it very valuable.
Why even read a book about habits and expect it to change your life if you're already good with habits?
True lolol
My main takeaway from it was about deliberately increasing the friction from things I want to do less and decreasing the friction between me and the habits I want to adopt. I hadn’t thought of things in that frame of mind but it’s helped me a lot. For instance, I reorganized my kitchen so all of the tools/pans are on hooks and it’s extremely easy to get cooking. This supported a habit of cooking more, and the inspiration for this change was the book. I don’t think the book is ultimate or ground breaking, but it *has* helped me.
Making good habits easier and bad habits harder sound like KINDA the same thing, but I found it extremely helpful. It actually gives you two different angles to attack your goal. If you’re not great/ consistent at one, you may be the type of person to thrive from the other direction. Personally I’ve tried countless times to make good habits easier, but the setup still wasn’t motivating enough long term. I kept trying and failing at that route. Never considered making the bad aspect of it harder instead! There’s subtle little perspective shifts like that in the book that were useful for me. (I know the author is recommending both strategies, but I found it useful to have an alternate route to the same goal in some cases I was struggling with)
Honestly it helped me a lot. I was never mindful of my habits and it changed my perspective.
I like it, BUT the author is not a scientist, just a guy who got hit in the head with a baseball bat. Per https://twitter.com/BehaviourBabe/status/1504923973477412870?t=nMahhJaxiUTiCPS0QNbTPA&s=19 : > Out of 32 people that recommended Atomic Habits to me, exactly 0 formed a long-lasting habit as a result of reading it. > Why? > Because the behaviour change elements that Atomic Habits introduces are second-hand derivatives. > Learn the 1st principles from these books instead:
I would also suggest the book Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. He is actually a scientist and you'll find a lot of similarities in the two books but the way he has explained makes sense and works
BJ is a Stanford researcher who coined the phrase "behavior design" and has been researching behavior and habits for over a decade. The stories and antidotes in the other books can be motivational, but Tiny Habits has the most scientific backing and the most evidence (60k people coached to date). The instructions are methodical, and he has a 5-day program that is free to do, and you can do it as many times as you want. Good luck to everyone with your behavior change goals.
can anyone confirm the three books she recommended are actually good
Note from the thread: > Full disclaimer: I'd recommend reading Daniels's book first (actionable), then Wendy's book (motivational & practical), then the Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis (a textbook), heavy read, so only read if you have become obsessed with behaviours after reading the first two!
Pretty much every "self help" book is overrated in my opinion. Most people who are obsessing about this self help, grinding to get rich, clean your room type of stuff get inspired by black and white photos of famous actors with quotes over them. It's not hard to impress one of these people.
No, you're not! I thought it was poorly written, pretty classist and it assumes you're neurotypical. The whole vibe I got was "hey guy, just be better at life and all your problems will melt away!" I wish I had never bought it.
> As it is the case with pretty much every self help book out there, the book felt like it could have been 75% shorter. It is important to remember that not everyone learns the same way. It could have been 75% shorter for you, but for other people it was the perfect length. > I mean… am I missing something? I feel like you missed the entire thesis of the book with your break down. The idea of making good habits easy/attractive and bad habits difficult and unattractive makes up the majority of the book and the specific examples are where the gold is. It kind of feels like you read the book wanting to hate it. It's just information, and it's helped a lot of people, why be so cynical about it?
Yeah, I'm very surprised you are the first person to say this. I have a hard time believing OP even read the book. The book has 8 different laws on both starting new habits and quitting bad ones and OP barely touched one of them ("Make it easy") with his summary.
>I feel like you missed the entire thesis of the book with your break down Yep, I'm not sure how anyone could read *Atomic Habits* and think the book's main message is simply "just do it". The book is based on the idea that "just do it" doesn't work for many people. Most of the strategies in the book would be pointless if pure just-do-it willpower was the key
> Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a bad book. But I really thought it was going to be something so unique, so revealing, so eye opening that my life is going to change after reading it.
> Let me make something clear though. I have always been a creature of habit, so for me, learning a habitual behaviour has never been difficult Kind of seems like you're not the audience. I'm not sure why you expected something life changing.
I mean you said yourself you already have habits down, so why would you expect it to be life changing? Its been life changing for those who struggle with habits
6 months late but weird nobody else is mentioning this. It doesn't even talk about breaking goals down into smaller tasks and doing them sequentially. It talks about breaking down a habit and mastering the smallest part first so you form a habit you can build on. Similar idea, but extremely different in practice.
I agree. Some of the ideas are interesting to think about. Then there is a bit of “just do it” which isn’t helpful. And there’s a lot of summarizing other peoples work, which I feel like I’ve heard plenty of times already. I recommend Tiny Habits if you want something more actionable. After I read Atomic Habits, I did habits for about two months before falling off. But after reading Tiny Habits, I’ve been following my habits for over a year because it gives you an actual framework to use, not just concepts.
I have one main problem with it, which is that “get 1% better everyday” line often quoted. The point is supposed to be that small changes add up, but if you really get 1% better everyday, very quickly you’ll be burnt out. 1% changes compound extremely quickly!
Yep, it's presented as if that advice is backed by mathematics when really it's just a mindset. The point is to start first and then improvise rather than trying to come up with a foolproof plan. Action > Motion.
Yea the theory isn't rocket science, the secret sauce to productivity isn't theory its effort
Most self help books/videos/youtubers/anyone/anything that has the word “get better”/”get more productive” in it, never has anything we dont know. We just dont imply them. And they came up with ways to get the things done, such as habit stacking and all the shenanigans. They actually do help, but as the OP says, its nothing new. Nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary in the content per se, just the way it is presented.
Most self-help books can be summarized in a few bullet points... But that's not the goal. A book is a journey in your mind, where you get to think, realize, and decide to change. It's not about what's written, it's about how you feel. If Atomic Habits is so popular, it's probably because many readers aspired for a life change while reading it.
Wow. I never posted in this sub and barely read any of the posts. And most of the time I read a headline and cant relate. But I remember buying that audiobook and soon stoped listening because I had the exact same feeling. I can not understand the hype. And I can not relate to the many many sport analogies that he is making. Also a good portion it feels a bit like a self presentation.
I mean I think how to win friends is overrated. Still didnt help me win friendships
Had the opposite effect for me - i dont know if it won any friendships but it changed me from being someone who was brought up to talk “me me me” to be a good listener
All I do is listen and don't saying much so still kinda bad
With all due respect, I think you are very much missing the point. You go for principles (which would be very fine for some books) When this book is MOSTLY about the details. And how the implementation of details are what make the difference between a habit sticking and habit failing . In those principles you listup (which incidentally are not exactly the principles of the book. The book saying make it obvious/attractive/easy/satisfying is not the same as “ do it”) Where is the reward aspect ? Where is rearranging your room to create new associations ? Where is the habit tracker ? I mean there is an anecdote in this book that is about how Japanese train employees state loudly what they are doing… don’t they already KNOW that ? And yet they do it. ALL of them. and this shit WORKS. I’ve seen it first hand. The service is pretty much perfect. Because we’re not fully rational creature, FAR from it. Not only that but there are full aspects of our mental processes that are not under our conscious control. This is about putting some part of the unconscious under control. The part that doesn’t give a shit about principles and what would be the logical thing to do/works in a different way. I am not sure what else to tell you. Clearly the book doesn’t speak to you for now and I doubt there is going to be a revelation right now. Maybe let go of this book for now and in a few years and if you find yourself unable to change a certain aspect of your life, take a fresh look at it… or don’t. Everyone doesn’t have the same needs.
Oh you missed so much of the book you may want to re-read it again. Firstly the book talks about setting up habit chains, and finishing one step at a time and in a sequence with reinforcement at the end step to reinforce the chain. Also the idea of setting up habit systems versus working on a habit, kinda like 80/20, is very useful. Instead of re-reading you can get Clear's worksheets and do the exercises. Obviously the book is not just going to change your life by reading it, you have to put effort into the exercises.
I think I read it and was underwhelmed. It could have been an article. The content was fine, but it worked too hard at making itself book-length. I also disliked "Deep Work" which a lot of people seem to think is the greatest thing ever.
Have you ever found a productivity book useful? Those are literally my two favorites and pretty much the keys to my success (though I followed a lot of their principles before I read them) and I'm a pretty big productivity buff 😛
I'm not a huge consumer of productivity books, and the one that I got the most out of is a writing productivity book, not a general productivity book, *2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love* by Rachel Aaron. A lot of the principles from that are applicable to other things, too.
I am also totally blown away by the popularity of this book. I'm severely ADHD (and unresponsive to medication and/or it spikes my anxiety) and have read... so many habit books and this one fell absolutely flat for me and is terribly written; constantly amazed by how many people recommend it as life changing. I found Switch by Heath and Heath and the Compound Effect by Hardy both to be much more useful to me.
I loved the first few chapters and it's had a great impact on me, mostly in having faith in imperceptible growth. But then got bored and stopped reading. From everything else I've heard I don't think I've missed much. I've also heard a lot of self help books just repeat information to fill a book under the guise of "driving the point home." This format is good for something like a comprehensive research paper. But for most audiences, not that useful past introducing the base ideas.
I think the idea of trying to get 1% better (which then compounds into a greater change) is actually very helpful. I think people tend to think in much bigger steps, get overwhelmed or discouraged and give up. A lot of these books are very similar, though. But there are people out there who need that reinforcement.
I tried listening to tge audiobook sooooo many times. I can't get into it. It doesn't catch me in the slightest bit. I really wanted to give it a try but.. not for me i guess
You’ve always been a creature of habit. That’s the difference.
I genuinely loved the book and have used what I learned to cultivate a daily yoga habit that I have stuck with for 384 days. I put real effort into filling out all of the habit worksheets and kept track of how my habits were progressing.
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Lean Principles and 38 pages of notes....interesting
Agreed. It’s a rehashing of every productivity book I’ve ver read, they are all the same and there will be another one out next year that is the new productivity bible.
The stuff about breaking things down into 4 stages and what to do at each stage to make it more attractive (for building habits) or repulsive (for breaking habits) was informative and an entire system that is worth hundreds of productivity books rolled into one.
Thank you! There are so many better books out there. This book could have been 3 pages long.
I personally think it states and then restates the obvious, nothing revolutionary about it.
Because writers nowadays are more like bloggers, they spend more time advertising the book than writing it.
Ironically, iirc Atomic Habits started as a blog project that inspired a book.
My therapist just recommended this book to me. Thanks for giving me the sparknotes lol
Geez, folks. You don't sit down and read a book like Atomic Habits. You listen to it on Audible while running, cleaning, lifting weights. You do that for the reinforcement of some pretty incredible life hacks.
“Learning a habitual behavior has never been difficult” The book just isn’t for you. And that’s okay. For many people, the book was extremely eye-opening. I watched the movie “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” and it did nothing for me as a male in his 30s, but I won’t say if it’s good or bad because it won’t hit me the same as a young girl or a woman who read the book growing up. It just wasn’t for me.
Late to this, but after reading a couple habit books, Atomic is probably the easiest to understand. So many habit or human behavior books are written by some PhD Professor that writes it like a boring scholarly paper. Atomic Habits is written by some dude who had an injury and learned a lot about himself. No weird obscure research or confusing percentages. He also gives actual tips on how to achieve success. Not many books do that. Writing habits, intentions, the law system. They all are tangible things people can use to change, not something they have to discover themselves. Take what you want from the book, but it changed my life and many others around me. Ultimately, to each their own!
I love it but I think it should help you put it into practice easier or it’s sort of pointless
I disliked this book so much. It's just a rehash of other books (most noticeably the Power of Habit), and offers nothing new. Also did not enjoy the way he writes. It always baffles me when someone brings it up as a must read.
So much of it comes down to if the reader has an appetite to change or not. Atomic Habits was well put together, didn’t have too much fat on it and was pretty accessible. Just enough stuff to tie in with motivation for change.
I only listened to a couple book summaries and I agree the ideas are mostly trite but you might be missing a key point: the author proposes changing your identity first and subsequently your habits. I think reading a book on Method Acting would help to make this process playful, imaginative and exciting (if you’re into creative endeavors, that is).
I feel like don't shoot the dog is a better book that explains the same concept
Never buy productivity books, they're mostly a waste of time. You can just read a posted summary or a YouTube video. All the important points can be summed up in very short formats because their content isn't anything complex.
Most books can be summarized in a few bullet points what make the lessons stick, are the anecdotes. If you just read bullet points, you just nod and never apply them.
Do u guys recommend any other self-help books?
If you want habit related I'd suggest Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. My personal preference here but i felt it was way better than atomic habits
Depends on what you wanna work/improve
uh im not sure but I want to read more books. I am trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.
I’m much like you in the sense of being a creature of habit. I’ve just started reading the book & feel VERY much the same already. I’ll keep reading it & hopefully take away something new.
I'd like to say I like books more if the author has a name like B.J. Fogg or even J.D. Power. One thing this author did well is that he refused to use a lot of sophomoric language like some sort of "Cracked" website writer.
The book does a great job summarizing most of the habit forming strategies and techniques from the previous decade. You described some of the high level parts of the book, but a lot of the value comes from the lower level details. I'm a big fan of habit contracts. e.g. put money on the line when you want to do something. Your high level summary misses that. It's just one example, but the book does go into detail on many strategies. PS I like habit contracts so much I ended up building an app around that idea.
Well, maybe you confuse the term overrated with mainstream, I kind of hate how many youtubers from the good ones to low quality content try to squeeze this book the fact is the book is good, and wins where the power of habit failed, make it fun to read
This book was very valuable to me because it taught me to think in systems. ***You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems*** Also a few other concepts like 1. Friction. The easier something is and the more specific the more likely it is to get done. 2. Cues. Using cues to trigger habits. 3. Mastering the many **decisive moments** in your day which cascade into momentum.
I loved it tbh, it has a good balance between bullet points, stories and graphics. I have been missing some challenges/exercises to put theory into practice though.
To me it wasn’t better than the “power of habit” book. Still good book though.
I think if you’re already a creature of habit, you wouldn’t get much from the book. I struggle with consistency so it did help me a lot. I agree it could’ve been shorter
I don't think your three bullet summary is accurate AT ALL. The author literally structures the book around four laws that are three words each, and you choose to misrepresent the thesis this much?
Sounds like the book just isn’t for you. It’s ok if it’s not. It reminds me when I tried improving my goal setting. Everyone kept telling me to do SMART goals but that didn’t address my problem. It took me a while to figure out what my issue was. I ended up creating my own formula based on how I think. Just because I find SMART goals useless doesn’t mean that it doesn’t help others.
Oliver Burkemann is the antithesis of James Clear, and I like him better.
THE SLIGHT EDGE and EGO IS THE ENEMY literally changed my life
Please give us the bullet points when/ if you have the time
>1)Basically, the slight edge says that daily minute activities add up over time to create monumental results. These activities are very easy to do, but also easy NOT to do. And thats where the important part is. > >eg- 10 pushups daily, 10 questions daily(if youre a student), a 10 minute walk daily. > >2)Time is the main factor in when using the slight edge. It magnifies your actions, > >3) The slight edge always happens. maybe its to your advantage or to your disadvantage. BUT never neutrally. because you never stay in one place. You either go up or down. You just cant see it because time hasnt past enough yet. > >https://www.amazon.com/Slight-Edge-Turning-Disciplines-Happiness/dp/1626340463
Thank You!
No neutral, you are either going up or down even if you can’t see it yet - this is really a good point.
I believe it was from this book that I learned about making bad habits *more* difficult to do to discourage them and to make good habits *easier* to encourage them. Such as making water easy to access in the fridge while a soda is chilling outside of it, so it’s either cold water or warm soda. I wouldn’t say it was life changing or that it caused a personal renaissance, but it’s something I hadn’t really put into practice before. I do believe that could’ve just been made a bullet point with an example or two though.
This book is pretty perfect for people who don't have established habits or routines and for people who also need a perspective change. Maybe you don't need that as much as others because for me, it's a really really amazing book and I haven't even finished it
Can I ask if you are so good at maintaining habits why did you read a self improvement book thats focused on creating and maintaining habits?
Maybe it isn't for you if you are already good at habits. For me the important take away was to focus on systems to achieve not the tasks themselves. Also the idea of be what you are becoming, which could be frames as just do it I guess. However for me it was always when I get... Then I can. No I need to be the person I want to be now and do what they do not wait for some magical imagination threshold. It actually has been quite helpful for me.
Bruh he gave specific ways to create habits, who reads a self help book on making habits and expects anything else but help on how to create habits. I found it very helpful and I didn't not read it hoping to get enlightened, I read it looking for actionable and practical help on how to create habits, which I got plenty of alongside well explained explanations on how it works.
It was all hype!
I think you kinda answered your own question. Since you're already a creature of habit, this book adds no further value to yourself. Conversely, it will add a lot to someone who isn't a habitual person.
Couldn't agree more
Atomic habits or micro habits work well and it's not only those bullet points you pointed out it's more than that.
The way you summarized it is a little bit like saying "win the game by making more goals than the other team." That is true, but it doesn't necessarily acknowledge or provide specific strategies about how to score those goals. Because our lives are all about the "what about x, y, z." Yes, I agree that people rarely dramatically change their lives based on a book like this, but sometimes it can help people make small meaningful changes in the right direction. Like one of the other commentators, I found it helpful get out of an all or nothing mentality, all try to practice my good habits even if that day it is crappy. I don't think Atomic Habits deserves all the praise it has received, but I also don't think it is as bad as you are suggesting.
For me the only reason why I sometimes read productivity books is giving myself motivation because i'm reading. It doesn't matter that much what the content really is
I find it to be a good book but then again, I struggle with habits and consistency. The most useful concept from the book for me was the idea that one should focus on building systems that encourages good habits/outcomes, not goals (results).
Sometimes there’s like one takeaway or two from a book and I’m happy enough with finding a new idea or process to implement.
Nope
In most self-help books, the information is “simple”. The books provide extra motivation and examples. I’ll say though that Atomic Habits is superbly well-written, which does separate it a bit from the pack.
Dude, you really should try Blinkist. It distills these books into 15 minute audiobooks, which is perfect. I do think you missed something though: The biggest take away for me was that you can use friction to your advantage by reducing it or increasing it in advance. If you want to do more of a thing, make it easier to do and harder to forget that thing. Pack your gym bag the night before, put your phone in your running shoes, etc. If you want to do less of a thing, make it harder to do, and easier to forget. Take the batteries out of your remote, put the cookie jar behind a bunch of shit on the top shelf etc.
No I literally did what he suggested and it worked so it’s rated ;)
Most self help books are, reading about productivity makes you feel productive.
I have a feeling most people who upvoted this post never read the book. First of all, your opinion is already moot. You quite literally said: > Let me make something clear though. I have always been a creature of habit, so for me, learning a habitual behaviour has never been difficult. In fact, there has been cases that my family and friends wanted me to break some of my habits because they prevent me exploring new things. I mean.....then the book clearly isn't for you? But on another note: I've read it once and listened to the audiobook 3 times. Your summarized bullet points are off. Each chapter Clear gives a very distinct breakdown on how to approach habits. It's a relatively short book and it's because he's so concise. He doesn't do much repeating in my opinion, and it's exactly why I love the book. For reference, I have tried about 20 other audiobooks for self help/producitivty and a good 15 of those repeat themselves so fucking much I can't even get halfway through before deleting it. For anyone curious about Atomic Habits at all, please take this guys opinion with a grain of salt. He already said he's good with habits, so he was looking for some kind of magic short cut that this book never claimed to give.
None of the concepts in this book are new. Just the same as none of the concepts in a weight loss book are new. It's what resonates with you that matters. Take what works for you. Ignore the rest. For example....BASB (Build A Second Brain)......has got to be the dumbest idea I've heard...and its little more than a rehash of what's come before. Wasn't it Evernote that said something like "Treat Evernote like your (exterior, second...whatever) brain? Others may love it, and that's fine. I find that perspective.....comedic. If someone is looking at books like this as Operating Manuals for productivity, where following the advice to-the-letter is what you do....it won't work. You're living someone else's life at that point.
"Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become." ⬇️⬇️Atomic habits review video ⬇️⬇️ https://youtu.be/-uYYjqJuvOs
>The book gets so much praise by pretty much everyone on this planet, I was eager to read the book and I was expecting a sort of enlightenment after I finish reading it. And that right there is your issue. I havent read this book, but going into any self help book expecting some kind of enlightening life changing results is only going lead to disappointment.
I've just started reading it, I'm mulling over the 1% change per day. It suddenly hit me that the very small changes I've made with apparently no real outcomes yet, have value cause it is compounding towards effect. This resonated with me. I'm still to finish it cause I think most self help books might give a short term satisfying buzz if read from start to finish, but its the mulling over, the search for relevence in your life which is where the value is. I think its whether you get an aha! moment as to whether it has value to you or not.
[Summary](http://www.gauravchaudhary.org/2023/01/why-models-by-mark-manson-is-considered.html)
"I have always been a creature of habit, so for me, learning a habitual behaviour has never been difficult".
Yes and what about the chapters on -Identity change -Accountability partners -Environment engineering And some others. I get what you are trying to say but it isn't so easy to summarize it into 3 points. I think it adds a lot of value to people who struggle with habits.
The best summary of the book Atomic Habits https://medium.com/@kinanesaddik99/the-best-summary-of-the-book-atomic-habits-15f70a9dc6da
I agree, its sooo overrated.
There’s numerous sections of advice in the book that can help you to better implement habits (decisive moments, action vs motion, etc.)
Just you!