Atomic Habits

''Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones'' is a 2018 self-help book by James Clear, a researcher of habit formation. The book received acclaim from most critics, with a few strongly disapproving of its claims. It became highly popular among readers in the years following its publication; as of February 2024, it has sold nearly 20 million copies, and had topped the New York Times best-seller list for 164 weeks.

Synopsis

In ''Atomic Habits'', James Clear, a researcher of how humans form habits from an addiction. He claims that if the reader often displays negative habitual behavior, it is not caused by "you"—in that "you" specifically are inherently predisposed to perpetuating the habit, as the reader may believe—but rather by "your system": the reader's network of previously self-imposed mental barriers which now prevent the personal growth">Mental block">mental barriers which now prevent the personal growth they need to break the habit. Clear writes that this "system" can also prevent the reader from naturally displaying positive habitual behavior, but says that they can break their system down over time.

Clear says that all habits are made of a "cue, craving, response, and reward”, which he exemplifies with people needing light to see: a person receives a "cue" that they need light to see inside of a room, they "crave" better vision and thus turn on a light in the room, they feel the "response" of better vision, and Reward system">get the "reward" of seeing clearly.

The book's "ethos" is that a reader's "lack of willpower" towards displaying positive habits is best fought with "getting 1% better each day": if they make a routine of displaying "atomic habits", positive habits which require little exertion, they builds up their ability to display larger ones which, otherwise, they would not have enough willpower to do routinely. Clear says that "designing the right environment to build habits" is necessary for this; the reader should focus on the "deepest layer of behavior change"— changing their identity—which he simplifies by saying, "the goal isn’t to run a marathon, it’s to become a runner.” For this task, the reader should engage in self-actualization, finding out "who heywant to be" and proving their new identity to themselves by solving the tasks required to become that person.

Similar to other self-help books, but with his own terminology, Clear recommends "stacking", or starting a task immediately after finishing another; and then "temptation bundling", giving yourself a small reward for doing the "stacked" habits. He notes that positive habits come more naturally to some people than others; as an example, he says that people with higher oxytocin levels are more likely to be "high in agreeableness", so they "might be inclined to build habits like writing thank-you notes."

Publication history

''Atomic Habits'' was first published by Avery Publishing (an imprint of the Penguin Group) on October 16, 2018. The book was reissued in 2023 with a new cover design by George Griffiths, which won the Penguin Cover Design Award in 2024 for books in the adult non-fiction category.

After the book's publication, Clear started selling the "Clear Habit Journal", a daily planner intended to aid in the development of good habits. In 2024, he released a smartphone app named "Atoms", designed to help in the same way.

Reception

''Atomic Habits'' was not an instant success, only gaining popularity in the years following its publication. In 2024, Omaid Homayum wrote for ''Forbes'' that the book had "caught fire", having sold nearly 20 million copies—faster-selling than famous self-help book '' The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People''. Homayum said that quotes from Clear's book had "broken the internet ''sic''">Sic.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Sic">''sic''. As of February 14, 2024, the book had topped the New York Times best-seller list of U.S. book sales for 164 weeks, and was the top-selling book on Amazon