They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy and (4) make it satisfying.” There are multiple tips and steps within each rule. Clear outlines his Four Laws of Behavior Change as a “simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. The rest of the book is a guide on how to create good habits and break bad habits. This is where we focus not on what we want to change, but on who we want to become. When most of try to start or stop a habit we are in the outcome or process stage but to make real change in our life we need to get to the identity change stage. Clear states there are three types of change, outcome change, process change and identity change. There are four steps that he outlines throughout the rest of the book that will help you create good habits and break bad habits but before you get to those you must identify the type of change you want. The problem is that when people decide they want to make changes they want those changes to be big and immediate and we don’t take the time to figure out how to make small, lasting habits that can lead to big changes over time. He begins the book talking about small changes and how even a 1% improvement can compound over time and become a big achievement. Clear defines a habit as “a behavior that has been repeated enough times to be automatic.” He further defines an atomic habit as “a little habit that is part of a larger system”.

Suzanne talked about this book this summer in one of her Thursday nutrition talks and I put it on my reading list then, but the beginning of the year just seemed like the perfect time to really get into a book about habits.

I am so motivated right now and I have so many ideas that I want to try after reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. Wow! That is my one-word summary of this book.

James clear habits