10 Life Lessons from James Clear’s Atomic Habits with real life example

Hey there! Are you looking to improve your habits and build a better life? Look no further than “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear. This book, launched in 2018, quickly became a best-seller and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. It’s a game-changer when it comes to understanding how habits work and how to make them work for you.

Here are the top 10 life lessons from the book:

1. Small habits can lead to big results. Clear explains that even small improvements in our daily habits can lead to significant progress over time. For example, reading just one page of a book every day can lead to reading over 300 books in a year.
2. Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Just like compound interest in finance, habits compound over time to make a big difference in our lives. For example, going for a morning run consistently for a year will have a greater impact on your fitness than going for a run once a week for a year.
3. Habits are the only way to make lasting change. Clear emphasizes that true change comes from consistently making small improvements in our habits over time. For example, if you want to quit smoking, it’s not about quitting smoking for one day, it’s about quitting smoking for good.
4. Make it easy to do the right thing. Clear suggests creating an environment that makes it easy to make the right choices and difficult to make the wrong ones. For example, keeping healthy snacks in your pantry and not keeping unhealthy snacks in your house will make it easier to make healthier food choices.
5. Create an identity for yourself. Clear states that habits are not about what you do, but about who you are. For example, if you see yourself as a runner, you are more likely to stick to a running habit.
6. You become what you repeatedly do. Clear explains that habits shape our identity and that we become the sum of our habits. For example, if you want to become a better writer, you should make writing a daily habit.
7. The four laws of behavior change. Clear introduces the four laws of behavior change, which are make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy and make it satisfying.
8. The two types of motivation. Clear explains the difference between outcome-based motivation and identity-based motivation. Outcome-based motivation is driven by external factors such as rewards or punishments, while identity-based motivation is driven by internal factors such as values and beliefs.
9. The most powerful force for change. Clear states that the most powerful force for change is not motivation, but identity. When we change our identity, our habits naturally follow.
10. The importance of measurement. Clear stresses the importance of measuring progress in order to make better decisions and improve habits. For example, keeping a food diary can help you make healthier food choices.

here are a few real-life examples of how the lessons from “Atomic Habits” can be applied:

1. Small habits can lead to big results — A person wants to start exercising regularly but is intimidated by the idea of going to the gym. Instead, they start by taking a 10-minute walk every day after lunch. Eventually, they increase the duration of the walk and add other exercises to their routine. After a few months, they are now able to exercise for an hour every day and have lost a significant amount of weight.
2. Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement — A person wants to improve their financial situation. They start by setting aside $5 from their paycheck every week and invest it in a mutual fund. After a year, they have saved over $250 and their investments have grown by a significant amount.
3. Habits are the only way to make lasting change — A person wants to quit smoking. Instead of trying to quit cold turkey, they start by cutting down on the number of cigarettes they smoke each day. After a few weeks, they are able to reduce their smoking to just a few cigarettes per day, and eventually quit altogether.
4. Make it easy to do the right thing — A person wants to eat healthier. They start by keeping healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables in their fridge and pantry, making it easy to grab a healthy snack instead of reaching for junk food. They also stop buying unhealthy snacks and keep them out of their house altogether. They also make meal plans for the week in advance and prepare healthy meals ahead of time, making it easy to stick to their healthy eating habits.
5. Create an identity for yourself — A person wants to become a runner. They start by setting a goal to run a 5K race in the next 6 months, and start calling themselves a runner. They start by walking for 10 minutes and gradually increase the duration and intensity of their runs. After 6 months, they successfully complete the 5K race and continue to call themselves a runner.
6. You become what you repeatedly do — A person wants to become a better writer. They start by setting a goal to write 500 words every day. They start by writing a journal entry every day and eventually work on writing a book. After a year, they have written over 180,000 words and have become a more confident and skilled writer.
7. The four laws of behavior change — A person wants to start meditating every day. They make it obvious by setting a reminder on their phone, make it attractive by finding a comfortable and quiet space to meditate, make it easy by starting with just 5 minutes of meditation and gradually increase it, and make it satisfying by feeling the benefits of meditation such as reduced stress and improved focus.
8. The two types of motivation — A person wants to lose weight. They initially try to lose weight for an upcoming event and focus on the outcome of fitting into a certain dress. However, they find that they are unable to sustain the weight loss. Later, they shift their focus to becoming healthier, which aligns with their values and beliefs, and are able to maintain their weight loss.
9. The most powerful force for change — A person wants to become more organized. They start by decluttering their home and create a schedule for cleaning and organizing. As they begin to see the benefits of being organized, they start to identify themselves as an organized person, which leads to more consistent effort in maintaining an organized lifestyle.
10. The importance of measurement — A person wants to reduce their alcohol consumption. They start by keeping a log of how many drinks they have per week. By measuring their progress, they are able to see where they need to make changes and eventually reduce their alcohol consumption to a healthier level.

These are just a few examples of how the principles in “Atomic Habits” can be applied to real-life scenarios

If you’re looking for more books on the topic of building good habits and breaking bad ones, “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, “Better Than Before” by Gretchen Rubin, and “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod are all great options. “Atomic Habits” is available for purchase on Amazon and at most bookstores, priced at around $15 for the paperback and $10 for the Kindle edition ( in ruppe it can be low under 500). Each of these books are also available at similar prices and can be purchased online or at bookstores. Remember, building good habits takes time and effort, but with the right mindset and tools, you can make lasting change in your life. Happy reading!

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