Atomic Habits
by James Clear · first published 2016
57% recommend37% neutral7% critical
Why HN recommends it
Practical, research-minded guide to building habits through small changes: make cues obvious, reduce friction, and favor systems over goals. Suits anyone struggling with consistency, from exercise to learning to code.
Common criticism: Some find it padded and long-winded for its core ideas
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
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I had a frustrating year with books, I read about 20% of the titles I wanted to, and only a few stood out: * James Clear - 'Atomic Habits' * Gabor Mate MD - 'When The Body Says No' Both helped me kick some bad habits and start to undo years of self-inflicted mental/physical abuse. How did you get on this year?
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2020?” ↗…thinking much about it. You don't hem and haw and read a bunch of motivational memes to gather up the willpower to brush your teeth. It's just something you automatically do. I highly recommend the book Atomic Habits for advice about how to build up habits. The main key is to start small. If you want to get in shape, you're not going to start out working out for 90 minutes every day. You start with 5 minutes or something…
on “Ask HN: How do you stay disciplined in the long run?” ↗You should read "Atomic Habits", by James Clear. Basically if you want to build new habits, you need to set realistic goals that you will actually do (and also have self-love, that if you don't get it done, you aren't a failure, every…
on “Ask HN: I keep forgetting the new habits I'm trying to form” ↗Check these books: - Ultralearning by Scott Young - Deep Work by Cal Newport - Atomic Habits by James Clear - How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler - Mindfulness Meditation (many books by Jon Kabat-Zinn „Ultralearning“ has lots of valuable ideas. For instance: Directly attacking the skill you…
on “Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?” ↗…stop eating sugar, throw it all away, and when you go to the supermarket go when you have just eaten, and avoid buying sugar and sugary products. This gets recommended a lot, but because it is good - Atomic Habits by James Clear.
on “Ask HN: How do you avoid dopamine addiction on social media?” ↗…what notes we took, etc. Let me know if you would be interested! 1. Man’s search for meaning (Viktor Frankl) 2. The power of strangers (Joe Keohane) 3. How emotions are made (Lisa Feldman Barret) 4. Atomic habits (James Clear) 5. Strangers to ourselves (Timothy D. Wilson)
on “Ask HN: Is there a Tinder for book readers?” ↗Atomic Habits by James Clear. I work on a habit building platform so read almost all books and papers on habit building and behavioral science. This recent book by James Clear has summarized the key points of what's…
on “Best book/paper you read in 2018?” ↗"Atomic Habits" by James Clear - best book on the psychology and practice of habit formation. "Personal MBA" by Josh Kaufman - best introduction to business administration studies. "Why Switzerland?" by Jonathan Steinberg…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗Read a book that has changed my life: Atomic Habits by James Clear Just do it and thank me later.
on “Ask HN: How do you stay disciplined in the long run?” ↗…Understanding Michael Porter (great intro to business strategy) - Monetizing Innovation (pricing advice) Personally influential: - Thinkertoys and Cracking Creativity (how to be more creative) - Atomic Habits (how to establish good habits) - A Guide to the Good Life (friendly intro to stoicism) - What Got You Here Won't Get You There (building self-awareness) Fun: - Richard Feynman autobiographies…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗…you can make it a habit your brain actually gets better at finding the positives and it starts to create a positive feedback loop. P.S. If you want to learn how to make habits easier I highly recommend Atomic Habits https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40121378-atomic-habits?f...
on “Tips for the depressed” ↗…thought of it myself, I never heard anyone about it. And it feels quite unlike doing a "30 day experiment", because I am actively looking for the fun of it. I hope it works. I got inspired by it by reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. Everyone has their own system as the author said, so I'd encourage more of us share our systems. As having more systems to read from might be more inspiring to some procrastinators to…
on “I trick my well-developed procrastination skills” ↗…the bad ones can have a great impact here. In this video, I'm going to share the 7 takeaways from a book, that greatly improved my life and inspired the "developerHabits" Youtube channel. It's called "Atomic Habits", written by James Clear.
on “Become a better developer by improving your habits – 7 points from Atomic habits” ↗A Master's Secret Whispers: For those who abhor the noise and seek The Truth about life and living https://www.amazon.com/Masters-Secret-Whispers-those-living/... Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735211299/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b... Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth…
on “Ask HN: Life Changing Books?” ↗…Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana - Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright - Mastery by Gordon Leonard - Learning How to Learn (Coursera) - Mind Illuminated by Culadasa - Atomic Habits by James Clear - Pragmatic Thinking and Learning by Andy Hunt
on “My lizard brain is no match for infinite scroll” ↗