Atomic Habits Book Summary

Atomic Habits Book Summary Preview

Key Insights

We all have our own routines that carry us through the day. On closer inspection, these routines are made up of repetitive behaviors or “habits”. In Atomic Habits, James Clear asks us to consider the nature of our habits. Are they serving longterm goals or preventing us from progressing? Clear argues that because the effects of these behaviors compound, all longterm outcomes are affected by them. He explains that in order to eventually live a life we’re proud of, change starts at the atomic level of habits.

Although changing your habits may seem like a small act, they can affect your life enormously in the long-run. 

Habits may seem like no big deal. When we imagine taking on running as a habit, we think of how it will take years to run any faster or longer. Our habit of sleeping in a few hours may seem like it’s not worth fixing, given those hours of rest feel so good.

But Clear points out that although it may only involve 15-minutes or an hour of our day, after a certain number of weeks, months, and years, the amount of time these habits are practiced becomes hugely significant. A year from now, you could’ve put in 91 hours running or spent 530 hours practicing a hobby in the morning instead of sleeping. The long-term effects of habits should not be underestimated. 

This is why clear calls them “atomic habits”, the foundation of remarkable results. As they’re practiced, they become easier and have increasingly large effects. Ultimately, it’s this daily practice of anything that allows us to attain any goals we set for ourselves.

Clear explains that although it may be hard to notice their effect in the short-term, we should still focus on pointing ourselves in the direction we wish to end up in by basing our habits around our goals. In any given moment ask yourself: are my habits supporting my dreams? If no, habits should be adjusted until the trajectory is right.

Your identity is made up of habits, so align your habits with the person you want to be.

An alternative way to think about these small changes, rather than thinking them as goal-based habits, is by seeing them as steps towards the person you want to come. 

Because our identities arise from our actions, and habits are behaviors we repeat on a regular basis, it follows that habits are strongly connected to our identities. Clear asks us to consider the person we want to be and the sorts of habits that a person would have. By shifting our habits to fall more in line with this conception, we move closer to becoming the person we were always meant to be.

A habit is an action performed so frequently that becomes automatic and developing new habits helps conserve energy. 

When you imagine the habits in your life, they likely don’t involve much thinking anymore. Brushing your teeth feels mindless, for example, or taking that cigarette break comes as second nature.

A habit, by definition, is a behavior that has...

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