Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Book Summary:
An atomic bomb delivers cataclysmic power from a singular atom. It is a tiny change in the atom which makes the big difference. In Atomic Habits, James Clear makes the compelling case that small changes in our habits can be potentially atomic over time. By way of example, James references British Olympic cycling director, Dave Brailsford. Dave transformed British cycling from being an embarrassment to becoming a record breaking dynasty. His strategy was simple – incrementally improve by 1% in every aspect of cycling. Dave pursued an aggregation of marginal gains. Small and consistent changes over time would make the difference, and it did. With small changes to everything that they did as a cycling team, they became an unstoppable force for years. This principle proved true for the cycling, but it is also universally applicable. Improvement in any aspect of life requires small deliberate changes over a long period of time. This is how weight is lost, muscle is gained, knowledge is attained, money is stewarded, and skills are developed.
Clear aims to practically equip the reader to build good habits and break bad ones. He provides four laws for establishing a habit. You have to make the habit: 1) Obvious, 2) Attractive, 3) Easy, and 4) Satisfying. He provides helpful tips and tricks along the way for creating habit chains in your life so that the good habits become second nature and the bad habits become out of the question. But before he gets into these laws of habit forming, he begins with what he calls the fundamentals.
Clear explains that our daily habits are first an overflow of our perceived identity, beliefs, and desires. The little actions we do every day express who we believe ourselves to be and what we believe to be important. In order to stop a bad habit, or begin a good one, there has to be a deeper cognitive change. You have to believe that you are the kind of person who embraces such a habit. You have to believe that the habit has long term value which supersedes the short term difficulty of performing the habit, and you have to cultivate a desire for such a habit. James is right about the need for deeper change, but he misses where that change can be found. James encourages the reader to change their sense of identity, belief, and desire by the power of their own will to change.
Atomic Habits is not a Christian book written through the lens of a Christian worldview, but there is much to consider here for the Christian. The Bible, likewise, teaches that our habits need to change. We are predisposed to bad habits, whereas God commands us to pursue good habits. The Psalmist teaches that the blessed man meditates on God’s word day and night. That’s a good habit. The author of Proverbs warns against sexual sin, drunkenness, and laziness. Those are bad habits. The Bible, likewise, teaches that we will not change without deeper more fundamental change in identity, belief, and desire.
The problem is, however, that we do not have the power to change our hearts. The good news is that God does. For the Christian, we trust Jesus to change us from within. In him, we have our deepest sense of identity. In him, we believe that God’s ways are the best ways for living life in his world. In him, we desire what he desires for us. In reliance upon him we have both the power and the desire to change our habits. The habits God commands are the kinds of habits that actually cultivate our personal transformation. Atomic Habits hits the nail on the head about the need for habit change, and the author is incredibly helpful with practical tips for waging the war against bad habits. He just misses the heart of behavior change. He misses the power of God that is promised for those who have faith in Jesus. So, why should Christians still consider reading Atomic Habits?
Why Should Christians Read Atomic Habits?
We Have Bigger Goals
Christians should be ambitious. There is a goal for the universe and that goal is the ever expanding kingdom of God through his people who live to enjoy and glorify God. Boredom and biblical Christianity is an oxymoron. We have much to do and much to enjoy. Our goals are bigger. Our goals are eternal. Our goals involve the souls of real people coming to know the saving grace of our God. But over a million copies of this book on atomic habits have sold to what I would assume to be a predominantly non-Christian audience. The over one million people who have purchased this book are setting their minds on self-discipline, self-control, and good habits to effectively pursue their potentially less than eternal goals. I want to pursue the mission of God with as much intentionality, self-discipline, and earnestness. That means I too need to do a self-assessment on my daily habits.
We Have Better Habits
While Atomic Habits is all about giving you the tools for beginning and maintaining good habits, the author does not and really cannot define for you what those good habits are. That is left to the reader. Christians, however, have a little bit more guidance. We have God’s Word. In the Scriptures we are told to pursue self-control, sober-mindedness, and discipline in our pursuit of Christ-likeness. We are told to meditate on the Scriptures, to pray without ceasing, to serve the local church, and to evangelize the lost. Those are habits! They demand small decisions and actions every single day. If I am going to meditate on the Scriptures and have meaningful times of prayer every morning, then I had better figure out the right kind of habits that put me in bed early. My phone habits, sleep habits, eating habits, and work habits are all going to impact whether I am freed to faithfully pursue my wife, parent my kids, and maintain a healthy devotional life. God has told me what the best kinds of habits are, but I live in a hostile and distracting world. Atomic Habits is not a Christian book, but I was certainly glad to read and refocus on the kinds of habits I would like to embrace for the coming year. Clear gave me perspective on the fact that I already do have habits. They just aren’t all good ones that coincide with what I truly believe to be the best stewardship of my time. He gave good suggestions, and thought provoking strategies for more consistently and faithfully pursuing the good habits I want to pursue.
Here are some habits I am pursuing for 2024:
– Self-Control, Sleep, and Exercise: Up by 5 AM and in bed by 10 PM. This will allow for adequate sleep, morning exercise, and unhurried devotional time.
– Self- Control and Screen Time: My greatest enemy these days is the allure of the iPhone. It wants to steal my time, my attention, and perhaps my sanity. I have set my phone to go into down time mode from 7 PM to 8 AM, and I will set focus times throughout the day to work without having access to my phone. I want to take back the time that doom scrolling has stolen.
– Self-Control and Devotional Life: I’ll read a two-year Bible reading plan in the mornings. In the evenings from 8:30 to 9:30 PM, I’ll give myself to a good book or good conversation.
– Self Control and Scheduling: I am always allowing the most urgent thing to dictate how I spend my time. I want to pick up some small habits to protect certain things from slipping through the cracks. For example, each night at 9:30 PM, an alarm goes off for me to start the bedtime routine. I want to lay out my clothes, Bible, pen, journal, and any other reading for the next morning. At that time, I also look over my top 3 tasks for the next day, and make sure I don’t need to adjust anything. I have task lists labeled for the different categories in my life. One of those categories is family, and on that list I have a reoccurring reminder each month to schedule a date night with my wife. It’s one of those things which always gets pushed by the more immediate needs, but I am hoping this new habit of putting it on the calendar each month will help us stick to the plan!
Conclusion: There are certainly some other habits I am pursuing for this year. I’ve got goals for eating healthier, stewarding finances, and establishing discipleship relationships, but none of this is to earn the favor of my God. It’s all because he has already been so gracious to me. He has poured out on me grace upon grace, and my greatest desire is to steward his varied gifts of grace for his unending glory. As the new year approaches, take some time to assess your habits. Pray for God to reveal to you what the bad habits are and what the good ones could be. Then get after it. Love the lord. Make disciples. Enjoy the gifts of grace you get to steward.
Further Reading:
For a fantastic Christian book on the kinds of habits we are called to pursue check out Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus Through Spiritual Disciplines by David Mathis.
To pick up Atomic Habits from Amazon, click here.
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