Bayou Pages | “Atomic Habits” by James Clear

review by Meredith McKinnie

“Some people spend their entire lives waiting for the time to be right to make an improvement.”

Like so many of us, spring brings feelings of renewal and self-assessment. Along with decluttering my environment, I begin to evaluate my behaviors. James Clear’s book Atomic Habits presents strategies for breaking bad habits and creating positive habits in their place. The title is alluring because of the word “atomic,” implying something large and perhaps destructive. But Clear tells readers that “atomic” refers to parts of a whole, suggesting that little changes add up to big results. And that is essentially the book’s message, incremental steps, hour after hour and day after day, are the only way to achieve true and lasting change. 

Clear identifies four laws (adjectives) for habitual change. Make it obvious. Make it attractive. Make it easy. And make it satisfying. And therein lies my issue with this book – repetition, tireless and exhausting repetition. Many of Clear’s points seem “obvious,” for lack of a better term, though some readers may need the structured framing to induce genuine change. If you need a point drilled into you for inspiration and motivation, then you might find this book useful. Another problem lies in Clear’s impetus for this book. He identifies as self-motivated and self-aware, chasing constant self-improvement. In detailing his journey and what works for him, he is talking to people already like him, who I imagine don’t struggle with this problem. Had Clear not been inclined to these practices, had he overcome some character flaw or inherent laziness, I might take his points more seriously. His matter-of-fact delivery of his message suggests that following his method is easy for everyone, which we know is not accurate. Clear scratches the surface but his analysis lacks depth. I believe more research and better-sourced material could have alleviated Clear’s issues here.  

I was intrigued, though, by Clear’s analysis of identity, encouraging readers to investigate who they are alongside who they want to become. He suggests altering inner dialogue, like reframing “I want to be.” into “I am.” – simple, yet effective. Clear writes, “Your actions reveal how badly you want something. If you keep saying something is a priority but you never act on it, then you don’t really want it. It’s time to have an honest conversation with yourself. Your actions reveal your true motivations.” But interesting points like this are few and far between, not to mention buried in useless text. I kept thinking while reading, “This could have been a TedTalk.” And guess what – it IS. My recommendation is to watch the TedTalk on YouTube, and supplement the information with the book as needed – though I doubt you will find it necessary. 

“Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it.”