About 8 years ago, I read The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Duhigg laid out the keys to creating & changing habits, and the content really spoke to me. The Power of Habit could be applied to many habits at home, but my sense looking back is that the book was mostly geared towards business and wasn’t as practical for some readers.
From that book, I absorbed information that shaped my understanding of habits and how to achieve results, and I applied lessons that years later contributed to 70lbs of weight lost. (For example, I learned from Duhigg how to create an environment for success by eliminating negative queues that would launch me into bad habits… ie: if I don’t see the chips, I don’t eat the chips.)
In James Clear’s take on the topic, with a handful of references to the book that originally made such an impact on me, he makes these concepts accessible & inspiring for the masses while gearing them towards our personal goals. Atomic Habits by James Clear is a road map to success in whatever area you seek success in.
Clear has done his research, and presents it all very well in an easy-to-understand formula, which I believe many will be able to implement successfully. My perspective as a Certified Konmari Consultant is that, much like Marie Kondo providing a method for identifying what objects/people/passions are in your own personal best interest and learning to take better care of them, James Clear asks if your behaviours help you become the person you wish to be – and if the answer is no, provides a method for changing those behaviours. In a way, it’s a perfect companion piece.
I believe one could certainly identify habits that “spark joy” for them, and habits that do not, and use Clear’s advice to make the “bad habits” invisible, unappealing, hard to do, and unsatisfying.
It’s January 5th, 2020, as I write this — a time of year when many take stock of their goals and intentions for the year to come. If you’ve been goal-setting, I believe you will find value in this book that will help you to achieve whichever goals you have set for yourself. Whether you want to lose weight, become a writer or artist, succeed in business, create a healthier relationship… To transform your habits is the way to do it, and I think Atomic Habits is the best collection of information and advice on the subject you can find.
Everybody should consider reading this book.
*fun fact*: I discovered I actually have a habit loop linked to reading. Whenever I finish a book, my reward is I write a review on Goodreads. I’m going to start posting the reviews here as recommendations as well, when they are applicable. Stay tuned!