James Clear is not a poet – he’s an effective and to-the-point communicator who knows the literature around habit-formation. 

That makes him a perfect candidate to write the concise and accessible Atomic Habits. 

Each chapter has summaries at the end to help solidify his points. Even the sections – each built around one of his four laws and bookending chapters on fundamentals and advanced tactics – have summary tables for your review. 

The book stands in contrast to another popular but effective and well-written habits book. Charles Duhigg wrote The Power of Habit as a series of narratives to illustrate how habits shape and impact our lives. You’ll see some of the same basic content around habits here, but that’s where the similarities end. Duhigg wanted you to see the power of habits (as the name suggests) and maybe get some ideas as to how to make habits work for you. Perhaps as some icing on the cake, you got some idea of how to actually develop habits themselves. 

Clear’s book is all practical, minimal narrative. Stories about habits or examples of how they impact our lives are Clear’s toppings, not the main course. 

Both books serve their purposes well. Atomic Habits is well worth the read for anyone looking to improve their lifestyle or productivity. If it wasn’t made clear (pun not intended), the book is incredibly accessible both in its bite-sized delivery and reading level. 

Four Simple Laws of Habit Formation

I don’t like to spoil books during my reviews, but I’ll help whet the appetite if you’re on the fence about Atomic Habits. 

According to Clear, habit formation has four main rules: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying. He also notes the importance of the inverse laws when it comes to ending old habits. Make them hidden, make them repulsive, make them difficult, and make them unsatisfying. 

While reading, I applied the “make it obvious” rule. 

I’m not the kind of person who can just say “I want to read more” and then let it happen. For me, I need reminders and an optimized environment if I’m going to see a habit begin to form and then stick – even if it’s something like reading which comes naturally and attractively to me. 

So what do I do? 

I started putting books out on my living room table beside the couch – and leaving them there. Each night, there’s my book waiting for me, its next chapters filled with alluring mystery. 

Not in my room, on my shelf, needing to be pulled out and then put back every night. 

It’s where I’ll see it and where I plan to read it, making it obvious and easy. 

As a side note, I tend to not bother with a book if I start to find it boring or lacking. 

The point here is that every little bit counts, both in the impact of your habits and in the process of forming the habits themselves.

Whether you’re planning on forming a habit or changing your life, changes happen a little at a time. That’s where you need to invest your energies. Not in massive, overnight overhauls but in incremental wins that multiply with the days you live. 

Here’s to your changed life! May the book bless you as it did me.