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A review by the_robyn
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
Enjoyed this book for the helpful advice on how to get rid of bad habits and replace them with new ones. Some ideas were genuinely new to me, and for what it's worth, the new-to-me tidbits have already helped me keep going on a positive habit that I've had troubles sticking with in the past. I found those parts very digestible and clear.
That said, there's a couple things I didn't love - the incessant self-promotion, where the author promotes his blog and newsletter in what feels like every chapter (and they're short). I also didn't love his insistence on how missing a habit twice is apparently a complete disaster!? Anyone with a chronic condition, or, I guess, simply a life where sometimes your days don't all look the same, can attest, this doesn't always work, as much as you want it to. If your bike has a flat or your car breaks down on your way to the gym, or your kid's sick or you're sick or a family member needs help, I'd venture most people would prioritize helping with / fixing those things rather than adamantly trucking on with their habits because a guy said so in a book, or that's how you get to be "successful". a) life happens, and b) not everyone has the freedom to design every single one of their days around a very specific routine they can lay out for themselves.
Oh and, for the love of everything holy, DO NOT give your passwords to other people so they can "reset them for you every week" to hold you accountable. How anybody comes up with a suggestion like that is beyond me.
Also steer clear of at the very least the intro chapter if you don't like to read about injury/medical details, since there was a fair bit of that in there.
That said, there's a couple things I didn't love - the incessant self-promotion, where the author promotes his blog and newsletter in what feels like every chapter (and they're short). I also didn't love his insistence on how missing a habit twice is apparently a complete disaster!? Anyone with a chronic condition, or, I guess, simply a life where sometimes your days don't all look the same, can attest, this doesn't always work, as much as you want it to. If your bike has a flat or your car breaks down on your way to the gym, or your kid's sick or you're sick or a family member needs help, I'd venture most people would prioritize helping with / fixing those things rather than adamantly trucking on with their habits because a guy said so in a book, or that's how you get to be "successful". a) life happens, and b) not everyone has the freedom to design every single one of their days around a very specific routine they can lay out for themselves.
Oh and, for the love of everything holy, DO NOT give your passwords to other people so they can "reset them for you every week" to hold you accountable. How anybody comes up with a suggestion like that is beyond me.
Also steer clear of at the very least the intro chapter if you don't like to read about injury/medical details, since there was a fair bit of that in there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Addiction, Body horror, and Eating disorder