Atomic Habits, a book by performance coach James Clear, has taken the world by storm since its release in 2018. In this debut self-improvement novel, Clear seeks to explain how small, good habits will lead to great success in both your personal and professional life. As the psychology of daily habits and their formation is established, Clear’s tried-and-true formula for breaking down bad habits and building new ones comes into play, and it’s not only reasonable but shockingly familiar for the religious majority here at BYU.
Among the main ideas presented in this book are the arguments that small habits and processes bring about a positive difference (not goals) and that a habit must be tied to our identity in order to change it. Coincidentally, these sound like Alma’s “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” and President Nelson’s teachings about identity 1,2. With studies and examples not readily available during Book of Mormon times, Clear proves in his book that those small habits and thoughts about our identity change our behavior. From a Latter-day Saint perspective, these lessons have already been in the curriculum for thousands of years. However, the author does an excellent job of proving his theory by teaching applicable steps for creating new habits and including meaningful examples to illustrate his rules for change. This book would seem to back up these prophets’ advice and provide ways to practice it.
An issue I found with this book was that although meaningful, the stories and examples given were too large for me personally to consider simple. Change is difficult, and some of the steps that Clear considered to be small seemed a bit complicated to put into practice. As I read through the tips for applying the laws of creating a good habit, I realized that although Clear’s ideas of a one percent self-improvement were different from mine, his rules still held up if I shrunk my steps down to an even more miniature scale. Implementing these smaller steps also allows more room to follow the author’s suggestion to “habit stack.” This discovery has led me to realize that this habit system can work for anyone, making it an invaluable skill for those wishing to change not only their lives, but their company’s atmosphere, work ethic, and overall success.
Well-written, reasonable, and action-oriented, Atomic Habits is a critical success for a reason. The studies and processes for change are explored in a straightforward way, drawing the reader in and allowing them to understand the steps they need to take to form new habits. Clear has also unintentionally created a fascinating read for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; members are able to ponder some modern context for Alma’s teaching about small and simple things. This book is for anyone looking to practice the real process behind change and become the person they want to be through atomic habits.