What I really liked about this book was that it simultaneously showed the reader how to solidify good habits and break bad habits. The chapters flowed easily into one another and I never felt overwhelmed by the topics. If you are looking to change your habits, this is must read.

For centuries people have understood the power of habits. Around 2,000 years ago, the Roman poet Ovid wrote, “Nothing is stronger than habit.” The 18th century English writer Samuel Johnson wrote, “The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.”For some time now, we’ve even known how to break habits. Erasmus, a 16th century Dutch philosopher, wrote, “A nail is driven out by another nail. Habit is overcome by habit.”Stanford Professor B.J. Fogg has made quite a name for himself with his research and teaching of Tiny Habits.If you have done any reading/studying around habits and changing human behavior, you might wonder if there is anything new or exciting in Atomic Habits written by James Clear.The short answer is yes. This is a well written, well thought out approach to changing habits.Mr. Clear starts by showing why changing behavior is so difficult. Most people approach behavior change from a wanting something different standpoint. A few improve their odds by approaching behavior change from a process standpoint. As Mr. Clear points out, unless you approach behavior change from aligning your long-term behavior with your core beliefs, you have little chance of succeeding. Instead of focusing on the have or doing, you must first focus on who you wish to be. There is a short hand for this – Be – Do and then Have.Mr. Clear then guides the reader on a four-step process showing how any behavior is created and developed into a habit. He calls this Cue – Craving – Response (action) – Reward.To create a new habit, you need to 1) Make if obvious 2) Make it attractive 3) Make it easy and 4) Make it satisfying. To break a habit, simply do the reverse 1) Make it invisible, 2) Make it unattractive 3) Make it difficult and 4) Make it unsatisfying.The book is thoroughly engaging. Mr. Clear is an accomplished writer. His writing style is very conversational. He illustrates the concepts with engaging, real stories.You will be a slave to your habits. You also have the power to choose the ones you want in your life – they can serve you or rule you. This book gives you all the tools and information you need to dramatically change your life by changing your habits.

I have just finished reading Atomic Habits and am happy to share some thoughts with you. The book has profoundly impacted me. James Clear starts by sharing his strategies to overcome from a serious accident when he was a teenager; and from the there he delves deep into a simple and logical system that help us build good habits while breaking unwanted ones.Before sharing some key points I just wanted to say I could not put this book way, reading it in 3 enjoyable sits. In fact, James writes beautifully, it is an engaging and easy-to-read book. There is no mistake, it took him 3 full years to write it after signing a deal with his publisher. Well, I say that because each phrase was chosen precisely, not only inspiring me to take actions right there, but also touching me deeply while reading.Now, going to the book itself, James Clear divides it into 5 sections:The first section is about the fundamentals, which kept me motivated to read the entire book without a blink. We learn that tiny habits/changes have such a positive effect in the long run due to the “compounding effect”. That is, in the beginning new habits/changes are barely noticeable, but once we cross the main plateau, they grow exponentially. In order to get habits formed properly, James Clear emphasizes that we should focus on the overall “system” rather than on a single “goal” itself. In other words, the process we choose will determine our progress. The writer also explains how our habits and identity are interconnected, feeding each other as we develop our habits in a “feedback loop”. That said, one of the most effective ways to change our habits for better is to focus on “who we wish to become” instead of on “what we want to achieve” by working on our behaviors. As a consequence, we build better and stronger habits when we continuously work on improving our own identity. After all, habits and behaviors are interconnected.The next 4 sections are dedicated to the 4-step method proposed by James Clear. According to him, habits can be broken down into a “feedback loop” that involves 4 steps: cue, craving, response, and reward. Cues are the first signs that trigger our brains to initiate behavior. Cravings are the motivational forces behind our habits—they feed our desire for change assuming that the outcomes will be pleasant/positive. Response is the actual action or thought performed—which may create a habit over time if performed repeatedly. Finally, rewards are the outcomes of positive responses—the end goal of a habit. The author explains that we chase rewards to satisfy our cravings and also to teach us which actions are worth remembering in the future. To build strong habits, we should feed these 4 steps creating a cycle known as the “habit loop”.These 4 sections are replete of real examples; step-by-step exercises/methods to help us create better habits; many diagrams/figures to better illustrate the writer’s points; and discussions on how each step serve to connect the “habit loop”.Last section is a bonus where we learn key points about talent development, about keeping our motivation in difficult times, and some drawbacks from certain habits created throughout life.As a disclaimer, I have not known James Clear’s work beforehand and pre-ordered the book while researching on Amazon for a book on “building better habits”. I trusted my intuition after reading only 2 of his articles on his personal website and seeing his biography. Although I have read a few interesting books that could add to Atomic Habits such as Thinking in Systems, The Talent Code, The 1% Rule, Getting Things Done, Essentialism, and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I have not read yet the well-known The Power of Habits to compare with the present one.As a short digression, I believe the book Essentialism, by Greg McKeown, is a good companion—it adds to Atomic Habits by clarifying and presenting a valuable system to focus on what matters most for us. In that way, we can combine building better habits with those few and most valuable aspects we want to pursue. However, if you would like a book in building habits that focus on business, specially one that relies heavily on having customers coming back over time, I feel like Hooked, by Nir Eyal, was an interesting read, and the system proposed is quite similar to the Atomic Habits.All in one, I cannot recommend this book enough. That said, during these last 3 days since I started reading it, I have already moved forward towards more meaningful habits based on “who I want to become” by applying simple steps on my daily routine. Blessed for that.Anyways, I sincerely hope you, too, enjoy reading this book and build positive habits into your routine.Take good care,HaicalP.S. I normally read good books twice: it is during the second run when key information settles down, and when I capture details that are not easily noticed at first. Also, it is during this process I take notes, those that will help me better retain thoughts and use them in life. The second read frequently happens within a few months from the first. That said, with this book will be totally different, I will read again starting this coming weekend. It is a powerful tool that I cannot wait to see positive improvements day after day.

This book was Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of , as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. Search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations.This book was a Best of the Best for the month of November 2018, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. Search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations.

Anyone who has struggled with managing/changing habitual behaviors will benefit from this book.