This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I only ever recommend products that I have personally used and loved. Thank you for your support!
I originally planned on making a book review with 11 lessons, but quite frankly, there is so much goodness in Atomic Habits that I had to write about more.
Since the book is incredibly well structured, with useful summaries at the end of each chapter and a list of lessons at the very end, I tried to pick out lessons that were a bit more hidden inside the text and would provide you with a new insight.
I also made sure to develop actionable steps to help you implement the lessons from this book. Because, after all, knowledge is only potential power unless it is put into action.
So don’t be a knowledge hoarder but an action taker!
Read also: Reading List For Personal Growth
The Reading Experience of Atomic Habits
First of all, let me share some quick words on the reading experience of Atomic Habits. After all, no matter how great the content is, you will hardly find the motivation to read it if it is dreadful to consume.
Fortunately, Atomic Habits is a delightful book to read!
The chapters have the perfect length and are filled with inspiring and fascinating real-life stories that demonstrate the lessons James Clear wants to convey.
And as mentioned above, there are perfectly bite-sized chapter summaries to ensure the information sticks.
Atomic Habits is genuinely a great book to read as much for the value as for the reading experience.
The Lessons + Actionable Ideas
1. Your current trajectory is more important than your recent results
“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
It is easy to fall into the trap of comparing your status quo with someone else’s lifestyle.
If they are driving a sports car, but you are not, you might feel unsuccessful compared to them.
Yet real success is not to be found in results but in your trajectory. The results only prove that your trajectory is successful.
When measuring your success in life, make sure to value the daily habits that have not yet given you significant results.
#1 Actionable Idea
I encourage you to make this a daily or at the very least a monthly habit.
Write down all of the habits you did the last day or month that will compound into an extraordinary life with time.
I do this in my monthly review (to be exact, I do a cycle review to honor my female infradian rhythm).
I chose different areas of my life (health, family & friends, emotions & mindset, finances, work & uni …) that I take a look upon. For each, I write down the good habits I practiced during the past month.
I also give each life area a rating from 1-10, and I place more value on where I’m heading than what I’ve already accomplished.
So I might not have earned much this month, but if I’ve taken daily action towards a higher income in the future, I count it as a success.
2. Don’t judge habits while working through the valley of disappointment
“This can result in a “valley of disappointment” where people feel discouraged after putting in weeks or months of hard work without experiencing any results. However, this work was not wasted. It was simply being stored. It is not until much later that the full value of previous efforts is revealed.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
Often new habits produce results only slowly. You might not notice any imediate change in your life from using affirmations every day or writing down three things you are grateful about.
It makes one wonder if it is even worth the effort.
Most likely, yes.
Just think about it. Who recommended the habit to you?
I bet it was someone who has been practicing it for quite some time. You can’t really compare your results to them unless you’ve practiced just as long.
#2 Actionable Idea
To combat the frustration of seeing no results create a habit tracker, and check off each day you did the habit.
Change your goal from seeing results to merely keeping the habit streak alive and going.
You could even create milestone treats for yourself.
Treat yourself to something nice once you reach a 14-day streak, then after a month, after 55 days, and so on.
3. Winners and losers have the same goals
“If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“Furthermore, goals create an “either-or” conflict: either you achieve your goal and are successful or you fail and you are a disappointment. You mentally box yourself into a narrow version of happiness.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
This lesson was truly eye-opening for me. In theory, I knew this already, of course. But I’ve never thought about it this way.
If you are active in the personal development realm, you surely have stumbled over the advice to create SMART goals.
And yes, sure, creating actionable, reasonable, and measurable goals is excellent. But even more important than a trackable goal is to create an effective system to get there.
Nowadays, I actually don’t like to set myself any time-bound goals, much less SMART goals.
Because goals like ‘making 1.000€/month with my blog‘ or ‘getting rid of acne‘ can take 3 months or 2 years. Who knows? I surely don’t since I’ve never achieved either of them before.
So while I was keeping these goals in the back of my mind, I put my main focus on my strategy to get there.
I am always trying out new things, sticking with what works and abandoning what doesn’t.
I may have the same goals as people who fail at them. But my ever-improving strategy and unwavering determination are aligned with the winners.
#3 Actionable Idea
Write down 1-3 of your most important current goals.
Then write down what you’ve been doing so far to achieve them.
Next, do some research or reach out to people who have already accomplished this goal. How did they get there? Is there at least one tiny thing that you can copy from them?
I, for example, am improving my study technique non-stop. I’ve changed parts of my studying strategy countless times during my law studies. And every time, it has gotten just a tiny bit more effective.
Same thing with my skin and curl care regiment and my business strategy. I am always looking for ways to improve with all those projects, no matter how tiny they might be.
When you write down the strategies towards your goals, make sure to look back and remember the last time you improved either of them. Focus on the one that’s been stagnating the longest and see what you could change.
If you like, make this a part of your monthly review.
4. Don’t focus on what you want to achieve but who you want to become
“The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person who wants this. It’s something very different to say I’m the type of person who is this.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
This has caused a real mindset change for me.
Just phrasing your goals differently in your head can make such a difference; it is honestly stunning.
After reading Atomic Habits, I now think to myself:
- I am an A-student; I am the kind of person who aces the exam.
- I am an entrepreneur; I am the kind of person who runs a successful online business.
- I am the kind of person who has clear skin and gorgeous hair.
Instead of putting out that desperate energy of wanting something so badly, I know to ask myself: “What would a person, who has achieved this goal, do?”
And then I go and do that.
It’s as if slipping into a role like an actor. Only that you are not merely acting but calling forth that identity that you already have deep within you.
After a while, you will naturally embody that kind of person you were wanting to be like.
#4 Actionable Idea
Write down all of your current goals and then change them into an identity statement.
Ask yourself: What kind of person achieves these goals with ease?
5. An identity is made up out of habits
“Your identity emerges out of your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
People don’t write books because they are writers; they are writers because they write books and blog posts.
People are not A-Students because they get good grades; they get good grades because they are A-Students.
Whatever identity you wish to have it starts out with making the habits. That’s why Atomic Habits can be your guide to a whole new identity.
#5 Actionable Idea
Now that you know what kind of person achieves the goals you have, it’s time to reverse engineer how they got to where they are today.
What are the daily, weekly, or yearly habits that shaped them into the person they are today?
Be very specific about it.
It’s not enough to say that A-students study diligently every day. You need to figure out HOW they study. Do they read textbooks or use active recall? Do they have learning buddies, or are they using practice exams?
What exactly are they doing?
These are the things you should start doing as well.
6. The dark side of habits is carelessness and a lack of self-awareness
“We’re so used to doing what we’ve always done that we don’t stop to question whether it’s the right thing to do at all. Many of our failures in performance are largely attributable to a lack of self-awareness.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
Have you ever parked your car somewhere, and just as you’ve walked out of sight, you started wondering whether you’ve locked it?
This happens a few times, so you adopt the habit of locking it twice to make sure you remember you did, in fact, lock it.
But soon enough, you won’t be sure about locking your car even if you did it twice.
You need to bring your unconscious habits back to a conscious level if you want to change them.
#6 Actionable Idea
In Atomic Habits James Clear recommends the pointing-and-calling technique. For the habit of locking your car, this means you should take your car key, point it at the car and say out loud (or whisper if someone is nearby) ‘car locked.‘
When you are trying to become aware of habits, keep a tally and note down each time during the day, week or month that you did this particular habit.
Do this for a while, and you will start noticing each time the habit comes up more easily. If you train your brain to look for something, it will begin to recognize it automatically.
Another idea for bad habits would be to keep a hair tie around your wrist and snap it slightly painfully every time you do the habit.
7. Habits can be dropped instantly by a change of environment
“Your habits change depending on the room you are in and the cues in front of you. Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
According to Atomic Habits sticking to habits is easier if they are designated to a particular area or object.
#7 Actionable Idea
You don’t even need to have lots of space to do this.
For example, you can use your desk’s left side for work and the right side for journaling, eating, or whatever else you do that doesn’t require the utmost focus.
If you have a double bed, use one side to sleep in and the other side for reading, chilling, or anything the like. And if you have a single bed, you could simply lay upside down to redefine the use of the bed.
You could also simply push your chair to different places inside the room depending on whether you are meditating or watching Netflix.
When reading Atomic Habits, I noticed that this was precisely what I had been doing almost unconsciously for a while now. For example, I use my laptop primarily for blogging and studying, my tablet for fanfictions and games, and my phone for socializing.
In fact, do this today. Keep track of the different activities you do throughout the day and where you do them.
If you notice some activities that belong in very different categories or are performed with a very different mindset (i. e.: work vs. pleasure), dedicate new spaces to them.
8. Being self-disciplined means structuring your life so that you don’t need to use discipline
“Instead, “disciplined” people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control. In other words, they spend less time in tempting situations. The people with the best self-control are typically the ones who need to use it the least.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“This is the secret to self-control. Make the cues of your good habits obvious and the cues of your bad habits invisible.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
To avoid bad habits, you need to stay clear of the area or object that functions as a cue for the habit.
If you always get something to snack when you enter the kitchen, you will automatically start craving snacks as soon as you enter that room.
If you always use your phone for scrolling through social media, the mere sight of your phone will trigger you to want to check your socials.
If you implement this Atomic Habits tip you can become a self-disciplined person almost over night!
#8 Actionable Idea
The next time you beat yourself up for not being disciplined enough, take a moment to stop and assess the situation.
What exactly are you not disciplined about?
Do you always start surfing through the internet when you ought to study?
Do you stay up late reading Fanfiction when you ought to sleep?
Now, think back and identify the exact moment you felt yourself slip. What triggered the urge to make this bad habit?
Once you have identified the trigger, device at least one way to get rid of it.
This could be installing a productivity app like Forest so that you can’t use your phone during your allocated study time.
Or maybe a timer that cuts of your wifi when you are meant to go to sleep.
Just figure something out and implement it straight away.
9. Wanting is more powerful than liking
“Your brain has far more neural circuitry allocated for wanting rewards than for liking them.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“It is the anticipation of a reward—not the fulfillment of it—that gets us to take action.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
Have you ever been looking forwards to something so much and for so long that it fueled you for weeks only for the actual thing to arrive and merely being ok?
Like, back in school and now in uni, I definitely had those phases when I’d think, ‘ok, after this one exam I’ll be free! It’ll be so awesome, I’m going to relax so much and I’m basically going to be a new woman!‘
And then the exam comes around and passes by, and I’m just like ‘huh, well, this is more unspectacular than I expected it to be. I’m actually kind of bored.‘
Atomic Habits reassured me that it’s more than ok to look forwards to something because that excitement is a powerful motivator.
#9 Actionable Idea
Don’t be afraid of looking forward to things and getting hyped about something.
Yes, they might end up disappointing you because you’ve imagined it to be even better than it turns out.
But that phase of you looking forward to it is a win in and of itself because of its powerful capability to motivate you.
10. Quantity trumps quality when it comes to habit building
“The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“The amount of time you have been performing a habit is not as important as the number of times you have performed it.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
Just do it already!
Stop the overthinking, stop the planning and most certainly stop waiting for the perfect time.
Starting taking action when it still feels uncomfortable, when you don’t feel quite ready yet.
It is incredibly uncomfortable and scary, yes, but it yields the most significant results out of all the things you could do.
#10 Actionable Idea
Start doing practice exams even when you’re far from having studied everything necessary.
Start a blog even when you barely know what you will write about.
Just start whatever you are currently putting off.
I know there is at least one thing you’d like to do, but you don’t think the times right yet.
Well, guess what, if you do it at least once, you will be twice as knowledgeable and capable that you will be through planning and preparing for it.
11. New habits should feel easy while naturally leading further
“A new habit should not feel like a challenge. The actions that follow can be challenging, but the first two minutes should be easy. What you want is a “gateway habit” that naturally leads you down a more productive path.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“Habits can be completed in a few seconds but continue to impact your behavior for minutes or hours afterward.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
I readily admit to being one of those people proud of doing the difficult things and having the discipline to stick with hard habits.
This mindset is entirely unnecessary and prevents me from using that energy elsewhere.
Why not make habits easy? Why not almost trick ourselves into making a habit with barely any resistance at all?
#11 Actionable Idea
To do this, think of a habit you wish to incorporate into your daily life.
Let’s say you want to meditate daily for 5 minutes.
Now, let’s cut that down to the first tiny step you have to take to start meditating.
For me, that would be sitting on my yoga mat, cross-legged, and having a timer close by.
Alright, so now, instead of meditating, my new habit is to sit on my yoga mat, cross-legged once a day with a timer close by. That’s easy, right?
Now, when could I do this to naturally lead me to want to close my eyes and meditate for a few minutes?
After my workout, I tried to do it in the morning when I am already on my mat. However, I realized quickly that by then, I am far too much in go-go-go! mode to calm down and meditate. There is just too much resistance.
Now, I’ll do it later in the day after I did a few minutes of daily stretches on my yoga mat.
What about you? What is the tiniest action you can do, and when will it naturally lead to the habit you are aiming for?
Try this Atomic Habits tip out for yourself. And make sure to pat yourself on the back even if sitting cross-legged didn’t naturally progress into meditation. At least you accomplished the gateway habit. That’s already more than you did before!
12. Instant gratification is a danger to long-term goals
“As a general rule, the more immediate pleasure you get from an action, the more strongly you should question whether it aligns with your long-term goals.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
I see it so often that people sabotage their long-term opportunities for short-term pleasure.
Please don’t be one of these YOLO people.
Yes, you only live once. But you might live a very long life, and your future self will curse you for your instant gratification attitude.
So the next time a quick and comfortable alternative presents itself to you, think twice about using it. The not so attractive looking option might just be better for the long term.
#12 Actionable Idea
Get yourself a jar and place it on your desk.
You will place one paper clip or anything similar into the jar for every time you’ve done something for your future self.
You could also write what you did down on a small piece of paper and place it in the jar.
Seeing the jar get fuller over time will motivate you to choose delayed gratification over instant pleasure, and as a result, you will create a better life for your future self.
13. The all or nothing mindset makes the way to success harder
“You don’t realize how valuable it is to just show up on your bad (or busy) days. Lost days hurt you more than successful days help you. If you start with $100, then a 50 percent gain will take you to $150. But you only need a 33 percent loss to take you back to $100.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“Furthermore, it’s not always about what happens during the workout. It’s about being the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
I feel like especially perfectionist suffer from an all-or-nothing kind of mindset.
And it’s understandable in a way. If you were planning on studying 4 hours but only managed 1 hour, it’s disappointing and frustrating.
But you know what’s even worse? Not studying at all or for just 30 min.
Doing something is in the vast majority of cases better than doing nothing.
So use Atomic Habits to quit the belief that you have to do it perfectly or it’s not worth doing at all.
Just make the habit, no matter how much you manage that day!
#13 Actionable Idea
Make a conscious effort to pat yourself on the back every time you made the habit, even though you didn’t feel like doing it or you did it only half-heartedly.
Keep a habit tracker on your phone or in your journal, and always mark your habit as done no matter how good you did it.
Remember: Bad practice is still better than no practice!
14. The secret to success is to work hard on what comes easy to you
“The secret to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“Play a game that favors your strengths. If you can’t find a game that favors you, create one.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“Genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it. They tell us what to work hard on.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
Instead of complaining about how unfair life is or how others have it much more comfortable than us, focus your attention on the things where you have an unfair advantage.
We all have those areas in life that come more easily to us than to others.
If you can, focus your efforts on that area. If you can’t abandon the work that doesn’t come naturally to you, at least let the knowledge of you being talented elsewhere reassure you.
#14 Actionable Idea
Ask your friends and family what they think you are extraordinarily talented in. When have they noticed you completing work almost effortlessly while others struggled?
Once you know your natural talents, see how you can change the game in your favor.
For example, if you are good at being self-disciplined and teaching yourself things, you might want to consider skipping lectures and the commute to college to have more time teaching yourself the material.
Or, if you are naturally drawn to hiking, change your workout regime to include more hiking. For example, you could hike with a weight jacket to add an additional difficulty to it instead of simply lifting weights at the gym.
Brainstorm ways to make the tasks that annoy you fun and easy to do.
15. The most significant obstacle on the journey to success is boredom
“But this coach was saying that really successful people feel the same lack of motivation as everyone else. The difference is that they still find a way to show up despite the feelings of boredom.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
“The only way to become excellent is to be endlessly fascinated by doing the same thing over and over. You have to fall in love with boredom.”
– James Clear (Atomic Habits)
This lesson from Atomic Habits is another reminder to not beat yourself up whenever you are feeling unmotivated.
It’s not just you who’s feeling like that. Even the most successful people battle against demotivation.
#15 Actionable Idea
Figure out what motivates you.
You only need a quick motivational boost and then immediately start the habit.
Perhaps create a playlist of songs or videos that never fail to get you pumped and ready to go.
Whatever your secret motivation weapon is, make sure to have it in a separate and easily accessible place, so you won’t get lured into scrolling through other stuff instead of using the motivation to start on your habit.
Phew, that was possibly the longest blog post up to date.
But a great book like Atomic Habits deserves an excellent book review.
I hope this got you excited about reading the book yourself. I promise there is still a lot to learn from it.
And if you’ve read it already, I hope this was a useful revision of its content.
What was your favorite lesson from the book? And what do you plan on reading next?
I’m curious to hear from you!
Sophie
