Productive Reading: Atomic Habits by James Clear – TPW230

In this latest episode of our recurring Productive Reading series, I share my key takeaways from James Clear's outstanding book, Atomic Habits.



Productive reading about how small habits can make a huge difference in our productivity

In this episode we’re continuing our recurring “Productive Reading” series, this time talking about lessons I’ve learned from James Clear’s new book, Atomic Habits. In past Productive Reading episodes, we talked about Gary Keller’s The ONE Thing (episode 133), The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg (episode 147), 3 books written by Brené Brown in episode 166, Soulful Simplicity, by Courtney Carver, in episode 182, and The Free-Time Formula, by Jeff Sanders, in episode 211.

Who is James Clear?

According to the book's cover copy, "James Clear is an author and speaker focused on habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Time, and Entrepreneur, and on CBS This Morning. He is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies and his work is used by teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB.”

You can learn more about Clear and his work on his website at jamesclear.com. Atomic Habits is Clear’s first book.

What is this book about?

The book's subtitle, “An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones,” caught my attention. Atomic Habits is about how very small actions, taken consistently over time, will “compound into remarkable results.” Clear defines a habit as “a routine or behavior that is performed regularly and, in many cases, automatically.”

The book's framework is Clear's “4 Laws of Behavior Change.” If you want to develop a new habit or create a new behavior and turn it into a habit that serves you, Clear says you start by doing these things:


* Make it obvious: For example, lay out your gym clothes the night before if you want to develop a habit of working out in the morning.
* Make it attractive


“Desire is the engine that drives behavior.