I try to have your standard habits – eat well, exercise, make the bed etc., but I’m all about trying to be more productive, even if things don’t always go as planned – the old procrastination rears its ugly head sometimes!

I also like to listen to the odd audiobook on occasion – mainly non-fiction, and I’m always on the lookout for self-improvement books, so here’s my latest review of James Clear’s Atomic Habits.

Book Synopsis

A revolutionary system to get 1 percent better every day

People think when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions – doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.

He calls them atomic habits.

In this ground-breaking book, Clear reveals exactly how these minuscule changes can grow into such life-altering outcomes. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, the unexpected power of the Two Minute Rule, or the trick to entering the Goldilocks Zone), and delves into cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience to explain why they matter. Along the way, he tells inspiring stories of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy.

These small changes will have a revolutionary effect on your career, your relationships, and your life.

Book Review

I thoroughly devoured James Clear’s ‘Atomic Habits’. Recommended by the YouTuber Rowena Tsai, I thought I’d pick up the audiobook as I have an Amazon Audiobook account, and promptly started listening.

I will admit, I took a break between listening for a few months, but I went back to it again this week, and it honestly fascinated me all the way through.

All about how you can change your habits, be more productive, and generally achieve more in your life, ‘Atomic Habits’ explains multiple ways of doing this, the difference between good and bad habits, and also how, depending on our genes and personality, we can achieve the best out of life.

I really liked the set-up where each chapter starts with a story, explains the subject matter in more detail, and then does a chapter summary. I almost want to get the physical copy of the book just to have it to dip in and out of. The book also directs you to sites on James Clear’s website to download useful resources – so I recommend buying the book in some format or other to get access to these, so you can track your habits, determine ways of making your habits work for you, as well as determine what habits are good or bad in whatever way, shape, or form.

I definitely think you can dip in and out of the book if needs be, rather than read through it in one go as I mostly did. I’d almost say it’s more a pick the best thing for you type of book, as – like James says – we’re all different, but I liked that there was a plan to the book so you can read it all in one go as well. 

Throughout, James recommends a bunch of ways you can manage your habits, one of the main ones being to stack a bunch of habits together that work well together. As well as ensuring the bad habits are made harder to achieve, there’s lots of useful tips and tricks throughout.

I learnt a lot about habits as I listened, and a lot about myself too. I’m keen now to get my habits on track and to embrace the boredom. So, if you’re looking at your habits and want to look at ways to be more productive, I thoroughly recommend Atomic Habits. 

I give it 5 out of 5 stars.