Atomic Habits - Book Review

I was at the Tattered Cover store in Union Station looking at books with the kids when I saw a copy of Atomic Habits on the shelf. I had heard this book mentioned in many a Reddit thread, so I thought I would give it a go.

Atomic Habits by James Clear touts itself as “An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones”, and I would say it really delivers on that. I found it an easy read, and it kept me interested the entire time with many actionable takeaways.

I have been actively working on my habits for many years now, and many of the suggestions regarding how proper habits are formed and broken rang true to me. Make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. I think environment design is an important thought to hold in the front of your mind when forming habits. For my exercise routine, I use exercise bands set up right outside of my bedroom door (obvious & easy) in my living room where I can watch TV (attractive). I use the Rubber Bands app to track my workouts (satisfying). The key is putting conscious thought into how you can shape your environment to strengthen or weaken habits.

The only real criticism I could have is that the author is clearly selling speaking engagements, an app, a newsletter, etc. But that is also part of the reason he has been able to dedicate so much of his life to thinking about habits.

Now for the classic question: “Should I read this book?” I would say as long as you are even a little into self-help books, this is an easy and quick enough read that it probably shouldn't be skipped. Getting proper habits defined and implemented falls under the 'sooner the better' category.