In my humble opinion, this book is so good that I would like to file it under the elite category of books that can actually change your life!
In this book published by Penguin Random House India, the author focuses on “atomic habits” – a term that he uses to describe small improvements made on a daily basis so that small wins and tiny breakthroughs add up to noticeable change that can be celebrated. He builds out a nice 4-point framework for building habits and explains some good practices built around behavioral trigger that can help us reshape our lives.
Atomic Habits is a great book if you are looking for some prescriptive which will lay out a bunch of do’s and don’ts for creating new habits and breaking old ones. It is full of directly actionable advice. James Clear — presents in this book, very compelling arguments and examples from his in-depth research spanning multiple areas like sports, arts, science, business, history etc., to pick interesting nuggets that serve to push his framework. And his frameworks are very practical, with a good mix of examples and some thought-provoking life philosophies as well.
What is the reasoning behind the idea that tiny improvements made consistently are far more meaningful in the long run? The author offers a useful analogy. He writes, “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them.”
It is not just pages of pep talk stuck together. It offers a step-by-step plan for building habits that can serve us for a lifetime. The author translates research into everyday language that can be grasped quickly. Another valuable suggestion is the practice of habit stacking, wherein you “tie your desired behavior into something you already do each day.” The author also suggests using habit trackers and accountability partners to help you. Perhaps the best way to use this book is to study the main principles, and not take the recommendations too literally. People live under different circumstances, and what autonomy means to one person may not mean the same to another. Do not miss the appendix because it has pointers for additional reading, and links to online resources for readers who are keen to understand how the ideas in this book work!
Overall, I recommend ‘Atomic Habits’ because of the way it blends in some practical tips with powerful stories that align with those tips. As someone who has been trying to change habits since quite a few years (and failing miserably), I concede that this book helps me take my efforts a bit more seriously. This definitely helped me not only increase awareness in matters like health & fitness and hobbies, but also made me create some systems around these that brought to life some intentionality into how I approach these. That, to me, is the biggest take-away, from this book. I’d strongly encourage you to pick up a copy and read the rest for yourself. If you’re struggling with your habits, this is very much a book for you.
Ratings: 4.8/5
