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Editorial review


By Madeline Anthony, Audible Editor

THE ATOMIC RISE OF ATOMIC HABITS

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m a person who tends to get caught up in emotion. I feel sometimes like a walking whirlwind of feelings, an open nerve, my days often changing drastically depending on the rise and tide of my moods. I pay attention to my intuition and believe deeply in the things we cannot see. It is for all of these reasons, that despite this book being recommended by friend after friend in the year following its release date, I avoided reading it. "It’s too practical," I thought. "It’s too X + Y equals Z." Snooze.

Fast forward to April of 2020—a few years since the book’s initial boom—and I am feeling sluggish and supremely unproductive in a pandemic-induced haze. In my now-virtual writers' group, we chat about what we are all reading. One member perks up, looking a bit more alert than the rest of us, and credits Atomic Habits by James Clear for taking her out of her creative slump and helping her feel a sense of control in this eerie moment we all found ourselves living in.

I can’t say what it was, exactly, about this particular recommendation that drew me in. Was it the time frame or the sense of calm I felt emanating from this usually chaotic person on the other end of the screen? Or was it just that I finally decided to listen to what people were telling me? Either way, the next night I decided to download the audiobook, which is narrated by the author. About 20 minutes after pressing "play" on this book that seemed to have been following me for years, popping up all over the place like meerkats in the jungle, I wished deeply that I had listened sooner.

Surprisingly, the practicality of Atomic Habits turned out to be just what I needed. The small steps suddenly felt important. Clear’s analogies—particularly. one about not getting mad at ice that doesn’t melt when you heat it to 29 and 30 degrees because it will melt entirely at 32—resonated with me as a writer who works on her craft daily, and who regularly submits to publications only to be rejected a very high percentage of the time. Things started to click. One day the ice will melt. Getting up every day at 5:30 to write for a precious few hours in the solitude of the early morning is not for nothing.

The concrete steps a person can take daily to achieve their goals and the processes that are needed in order to realize dreams are just as important as the overarching, emotional vision we all have for our successes. And being practical doesn’t mean to stop listening to your heart. All it means is that now, in addition to your spirit, you also have tangible steps you can take every day that will bring you just a little bit closer to the reality you have always imagined.

Continue reading Madeline's review >

Publisher's summary

The number one New York Times best seller. Over one million copies sold!

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving - every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.

Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, listeners will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.

Learn how to:

  • Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy)
  • Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower
  • Design your environment to make success easier
  • Get back on track when you fall off course
  • And much more

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits - whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

©2018 James Clear (P)2018 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

"Atomic Habits was a great read. I learned a lot and think it’ll be helpful to a lot of people." (Gayle King, co-anchor of CBS This Morning and editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine)

"In Atomic Habits, Clear will show you how to overcome a lack of motivation, change your environment to encourage success, and make time for new (and better) habits." (Glamour.com)

"Atomic Habits is a great book for anyone who is frustrated with the way they can’t seem to kick that one (or two dozen) bad habit(s) and wants to finally achieve health, fitness, financial freedom, great relationships, and a good life." (Medium.com)

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Featured Article: How to Build Self-Esteem


Often when we talk about the importance of confidence, we neglect to talk about how one might improve their self-esteem in the first place. Self-esteem is, to put it simply, trust and self-assurance in yourself and your own abilities, and your own sense of worth. There are a number of ways to build self esteem and confidence, and your path might vary depending on your personal situation and life goals. If you're looking for some ways to start building your self-esteem, we've got a few tips and some excellent audiobook recommendations to help you in your journey.

What listeners say about Atomic Habits

Overall ratings

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    116,537
  • 4 Stars
    14,681
  • 3 Stars
    2,631
  • 2 Stars
    583
  • 1 Stars
    466

Customer reviews

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5 out of 5 stars
By Lupuleasa Ionut on 02-04-19

It works This is a book that must be applied

Another tip not in the book that worked for me :

Habit cascading
Basically, list your bad habits from newest to oldest
Tackle only one habit at a time
The most recently formed one
Once you do it, momentum and inertia will cascade to the next habit to tackle

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25 people found this helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Amazon Customer on 12-19-20

Worth every word! Amazing!!!

I loved this book. I have read a lot of "self help" books and they seem to want to sell you a bigger and better product. they give you a sample of a VERY expensive service and the book is meant to sell you their product. James Clear gives you URLs, additional resources and simply wants to help. These concepts are "simple" and can change your life if you apply them. It's all backed by science and examples of how to apply the concepts. This book has helped me progress through medical school and create habits that have changed my life! Simply put, AMAZING!!

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16 people found this helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Justin Miller on 10-23-18

Great book with actionable advice

I randomly stumbled across this book and decided to give it a read. I’m so glad I did. I feel like I gained so much knowledge on ways that I can begin the process of improving myself in so many different areas. I’m definitely starting small but know that I have the tools to make big changes in my life by using the ideas James Clear presented in this book. I would recommend it anyone.

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10 people found this helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Tanja Doss on 01-25-20

FANTASTIC BOOK! Just a little less of a commercial

absolutely loved the book. he is well read in the field and makes it very easy to implement all that you have read previously in other books. well paced and motivating. My ONLY complaint is it feels like a TV show at times with the every ten minute plug for his website.

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5 people found this helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Tralyn Crosby on 05-11-20

Better than expected!

I read one sentence from this book, can't remember where it was referenced but I was determined to know more. That one sentence... "You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems." that's what got me hooked and I'm so glad I bought the audible, learned so much, but I will definitely be getting the paper book as well to follow along with the audible. I know I will listen and read it again and again and implement good atomic habits, 'systems', to improve my daily living habits. Thanks so much James Clear for writing this book!!

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4 people found this helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Adam B. on 10-24-20

Excellent strategies for improving your life

This book is like a toolbox for improving your life. These strategies seem straightforward and obvious but the key is to learn how to apply them to your own life. Good insight and helpful book. But author does endorse his website frequently throughout the text which is somewhat irritating at times.

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3 people found this helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Amazon Customer on 05-01-21

Very informative and enjoyable!

As a perpetual procrastinator, I found this book to be very helpful. I have put the author’s principals to work and I am succeeding at accomplishing a lot more on a daily basis.
The book is very easy to listen to and the author has a pleasant voice. It became a new habit—as I listened to it every day, while cooking, driving, or working out!

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3 people found this helpful

4 out of 5 stars
By Arshad s on 05-27-19

awesome book on developing good habits

loved the book as I developed some good habits and felt like I was not making any progress further. I now have a direction on how to move forward.

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2 people found this helpful

4 out of 5 stars
By Joel Nielsen on 07-15-19

OK, we get it. You like to work out

Some good points in here but kinda got old hearing about how he used all of these neat-o ideas to enhance his exercise routine. Zzzzzzzz

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2 people found this helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Mark on 04-30-19

Casting votes in favor of the person you wanna be!

The Compound Effect is a book I enjoyed very much and honestly, I was skeptical about picking up another book on habits. I'm glad I did! Understanding the need to take the long view and commit to the idea of investing now for returns later is one thing but actually knowing the little mental triggers and how to work them in your favor was something I really wasn't thinking about correctly. I have a better system for becoming a better me now in place.

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2 people found this helpful