Over winter break, I decided to read James Clear’s self-help book, “Atomic Habits.” First published in 2018, this book gained popularity amongst millions of readers aiming to better their lifestyle. Eight years later, it seems people of all ages and walks of life continue to reference the book’s practical concepts and enjoy its straightforwardness.
I found the author’s story to be quite moving. During his sophomore year of high school, Clear suffered from a life-changing injury when his teammate’s bat struck his face by accident. This injury shattered Clear’s nose, severely impacting his eye sockets and fracturing a portion of his skull. This complicated Clear’s ability to focus on his schoolwork and interrupted his baseball career. While Clear’s traumatic experience is unique to his own life, his process of using healing and discipline to implement healthy habits can be applied to anyone.
Clear jumps into his work with a description of his traumatic head injury and illustrates his frustration with getting back into the game of baseball. His concussion required him to relearn drills and improve hand-eye coordination over the course of several months until finally advancing his position on the baseball team while balancing academics at the same time. One concept that stood out to me was Clear’s idea of getting “one percent better” every day, and he emphasizes the fact that no great change can occur overnight. In other words, smaller, “micro habits” can add up and make a significant impact on one’s lifestyle and overall well-being.
I was intrigued by Clear’s dedication to maintaining healthy habits and how he stayed motivated despite a horrible injury that nearly put an end to his baseball career. Despite his challenges, Clear managed to earn a spot on Denison University’s baseball team as a pitcher and in 2008 was awarded the Academic All-American honors title by ESPN.
Clear further explains the Four Laws of Behavior Change, and titles sections of his book accordingly: “Make it Obvious,” “Make it Attractive,” “Make it Easy,” and “Make it Satisfying.” I appreciated how the book transitioned smoothly from one step to the next, outlining how a supportive environment fosters good habits rather than detrimental ones.
My biggest takeaway from Clear’s book is how habits centered around changing one’s personal identity are often the strongest. This reframing can shift one’s inner narrative from a thought such as, “I want to exercise more” to “I am an individual who prioritizes daily movement.” Clear delves into the importance of this mindset shift by emphasizing that it is crucial to first become the particular type of individual who performs the habit at hand on a frequent basis, to the point where it becomes a large portion of their identity. In turn, developing the mindset of an individual who already performs the habit and considers it to be crucial to their own identity is much more effective than separating the self from the task at hand.
As a current second-year student, I’ve mostly adapted to the rigorous academics at Colgate and the frigid winter weather, although I know there’s still room for change and improvement. Clear’s book is especially applicable to young adults finding their place in their world, although truly anyone can learn something new from his advice and personal perspectives. It’s still the beginning of the year, and with the current weather (hopefully) changing to warmer temperatures soon, you may feel more motivated to execute change in your daily habits.
My main critique of Clear’s book is that he doesn’t take into account how one’s environment plays a large role in the success of implementing new habits. Additionally, while I appreciated the anecdotes and numerous examples that Clear incorporated into the text, the book is repetitive and could have been made more concise. However, I appreciated the end-of-chapter summaries Clear provided and the realistic examples for each concept, which can apply to any individual’s lifestyle.
Atomic Habits allowed me to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of how starting off with small, achievable goals builds up in the long term. Clear defines this as “habit stacking,” in which an ideal future behavior associated with a new habit is paired with an old habit already in place. Let’s say you take a shower at around the same time every evening. Of course, continue this daily habit of basic hygiene, but consider pairing that daily shower with a gym session beforehand so you can sweat, release endorphins and build a healthy habit.
I would rate Atomic Habits by James Clear five out of five stars. Anyone can benefit from the book’s major points, especially if you find yourself in need of some change and intention in your daily actions. I also recommend readers check out Clear’s website, which offers worksheets specific to the book’s topics that can be filled in with different details, timestamps and goal checkpoints based on the individual.
5/5
