Book Review: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones 

There’s No Way It Can Be That Good, Right? 

Atomic Habits boasts a 4.34 on Goodreads—and that’s after 986,427 reviews—with a 95% positive rating amongst Google users. If you read a lot of books, you’ve undoubtedly heard of this one: but is the hype real? It’s a fair question to ask since these days many people seem to delight in reading the most banal and tripe stories. However, I can assure you that Atomic Habits is deserving of all the accolades it’s getting and more.  If you’re telling yourself that there’s no way it can be that good, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. This is a book that’s changed the lives of many people: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems,” James Clear writes. This is a book about creating systems that last.  

Make It Obvious 

How many times have you set out to start a new habit only to be telling yourself, “Oops! I forgot!” after the very first day? Some of us don’t even make it to the first day; we prefer to remember that new habit we were supposed to start on Monday (we’ll start next Monday) while falling asleep in bed. If this has happened to you, you’re not alone. Clear suggests making the habit obvious. But how do you make a habit obvious? Let’s say you want to get into the habit of going to the gym in the morning. What do you do? You could make it obvious by leaving your workout clothes in a place where you’ll see them—maybe next to the coffee pot. If you’re trying to get into the habit of journaling, leaving a journal out in a space you’ll see it can help the habit begin. 

Make It Attractive 

You’ve probably heard this before: the people who have the best willpower exercise it the least. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know that it’s dang near impossible to do that when you’re sitting in a house that’s full of junk food. However, if you’re sitting in a house full of healthy food, and you’re genuinely hungry, you’re more likely to eat that than to drive all the way to the grocery store since getting in the car to go somewhere isn’t fun, it’s actually the worst. If you’re trying to create a new habit, make it more attractive to do than the habit you were trying to break. If you’re trying to eat healthier having healthy food ready to eat is going to be more attractive than having to get dressed and go through a drive through.  

Make It Easy 

The more difficult your habit is, the more difficulty you’re going to have creating a consistent and lasting habit. For example, if you hate going running at 5:00 am, that might not be the best habit to create if your goal is simply to get into physical activity. If you know that you hate running, but you love dancing, attending dance classes is going to be much easier. Make sure to set yourself up for success in other areas too. For example, if you know that there’s no way you’re going to make it to the 6:30 am dance class, don’t push yourself to attend that class if you’re able to attend the 6:30 pm class without any conflicts. Make it easy to do the thing you’re trying to do consistently and you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to actually do the thing! 

Make It Satisfying 

One of the most potent quotes in Atomic Habits reads as follows: “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.” If you’re trying to create new habits, they need to be satisfying. In Atomic Habits, James Clear uses the example of a person who’s healthy: if you want to become a healthy person, start asking yourself what a healthy person would do. Would a healthy person drink a lot of soda? Or would they drink a lot of water. It cannot be overstated: every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. 

The Hype Is Real 

This is absolutely a book that should be sitting on your shelf. If you’re considering giving Atomic Habits a read, I’d say go for it. It really is a book that has life-changing advice for everyone.