I’ve become a bit obsessed with reading personal development books. (Maybe it’s a sign of my age, maybe I just love learning 😉) At the end of September 2020, I downloaded the audiobook Atomic Habits by James Clear. Honestly, I didn’t expect a book about habits to be so interesting. I like personal development books, but it’s not usually a binge-worthy genre for me. Atomic Habits was an exception… I could not stop listening. I was eager to play it in the car, while I worked around the house and anytime I had a few free minutes. It’s so good that I’m going to re-read it with our next Book Club group!
Atomic Habits Review
James Clear shares his own compelling story of building habits and overcoming his personal struggles after he sustained a very serious injury in high school. He also shares the stories of so many others who have risen to the top, including athletes, business owners, artists and professionals. He seamlessly integrates research with authentic examples and helpful advice.
The book provides actionable tips for developing your own habits (and breaking bad ones). James Clear presents 4 laws that guide human behaviour and thus, can be used to shape our habits. It’s easy to read (or listen to) and totally inspiring! It’s a book you can come back to over and over again for support and suggestions on building better habits and improving yourself. There is so much wisdom in this book and I’m confident in can benefit anyone who takes the time to read it and apply some of the strategies.
Building My Own Atomic Habits
After a few too many near-burnout experiences, I started a shift to prioritizing my wellness several years ago. It wasn’t easy for me to balance the demands of teaching with personal commitments and actually taking care of myself. I often seemed to stretch myself too thin and end up exhausted, stressed, sick or in full emotional meltdown mode before I’d reset and try again. I was well on my way to some positive wellness habits when COVID hit in March 2020 and the change in my schedule was the push I needed to commit to a daily wellness routine. You can read all about how I committed to daily yoga, meditation and journalling for (over) 1 year in this blog post.
Many of the principles James Clear taught in his book supported me in maintaining my daily wellness habit and developing other positive habits. Here are a few tips that really helped me:
Don’t skip it: Commit to your routine and don’t skip a scheduled commitment to your habit. My goal was to have a daily wellness practice so, in my case, “don’t skip it” means: it’s better to do a 10 minute yoga practice and 1 minute of meditation than skip it altogether and break the streak (thus, losing my momentum).
The best exercise for gaining strength is not missing workouts.
-James Clear
Don’t underestimate small improvements: Clear writes “It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action.” Making small changes in my life, like taking even a few minutes for daily wellness, has had massive impact on my well-being and resilience.
Tracking is essential. Keeping track of your “streak” is motivating and can be super simple. I just used a calendar and added checkmarks for every day I completed my yoga practice. Eventually, I started using an M to track meditation and J to track journalling to show all 3 practices. It’s super easy and it works.
Let’s Read it Together!
If you’re ready to read Atomic Habits and put it into action to change your own habits, you’re invited to join me for our next Book Club session, starting April 19th! Get all the details here.
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