Book Review: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Reviewed by Marisa Scheidecker, Library Assistant, Charles City Public Library

The beginning of 2021 brought about a feeling in me of wanting to live a more organized life. We all can relate to the chaos that 2020 brought about in all our lives. I think many people desire to regain a more “normal” life this year. In thinking of how to become not only more organized, but more intentional, I kept hearing about the importance of habits and how they can help to create a better life. A person does not become organized overnight with just the desire to do so. There must be a foundation that is formed before your life can change. Cue the book Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. He published this book in 2018 and it is still #7 on Amazon’s Best Seller’s list. I had heard many people rave about this book and describe it as thought provoking and motivating. They were not wrong. I was immediately drawn into this book by Clear’s personal story of how forming lasting habits changed his life. His core concept is that making small changes that compound over time bring about lasting changes. Clear talks about how habit stacking, habit tracking, habit shaping, and environment changes all lead to success in forming and retaining new habits. His book does not make it feel overwhelming to create these changes, in fact you feel all of this is very doable and maintainable. He encourages self-control and provides tips on how to stop procrastination. Those two are some of the very things that I struggle with, in addition to feeling overwhelmed at making changes all at once. His actionable ideas bring a feeling of motivation. Clear has a website that you can download worksheets to aid you as you work to form new habits. If you are like me and want to feel encouraged to make lasting long-awaited changes and bring more peace and order to your life in 2021, I highly encourage you to check out Clear’s book. Atomic Habits is available for immediate checkout through BRIDGES Electronic Library. Visit www.charles-city.lib.ia.us for access or use the Overdrive or Libby app. We hope to soon have a hardcopy version in our library. Call 641-257-6319 and reserve your copy now.