Review: Atomic Habits (by James Clear)

My Rating:  4 stars

As I've mentioned in previous reviews of self-help books that I've read, I'm always a bit weary when I pick one of these books up because they can be a real "hit or miss" for me in terms of reading experience.  I would consider myself "picky" about books in general (mostly because I have a problem abandoning a book once I start it), but even more so when it comes to non-fiction reads, which for me in particular, requires extra effort and concentration. 

 

With this mindset, I went into James Clear's popular self-help book Atomic Habits not really expecting to get too much out of it – which is why I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this one.  Of course, as is the case with many self-help books, the concepts that Clear talks about in his book aren't brand new (I'm sure there are dozens of books out there covering the same topic) and in all honesty,  there was nothing particularly mind-blowing about the content itself.  Having said that, what made this book stand out for me was its simple, easy-to-understand format – basically, Clear took what can be a complicated topic and broke it down in a way that was clear, insightful, and practical.   As I was reading, I didn't feel like I had to jump through hoops in order to grasp the concepts or that I had to think too deeply on how to meaningfully apply the ideas to my daily life.  In fact, I already started applying some of it and, seeing the results, am motivated to continue.  I also really liked the structure of the book, with nice short chapters as well as relevant charts and tools interspersed at the right moments.  I also found the summary at the end of each chapter – which listed out main "takeaways" from the chapter in simple bullet points – extremely useful in terms of helping to remember the important points in each section.

 

In a way, I guess this is one of those instances of reading "the right book at the right time".  Given how chaotic the end of the year usually is for me (both at home and at work), finding the time to read at all can be challenging, so it definitely helps to read a book that I can easily get through and parse, for one, and two, can be readily applied to situations I'm working through currently. 

 

While quite a few aspects of this book definitely resonated with me, especially in this moment of my life, I'm sure it will be different for others, so I would say keep that in mind when deciding whether to pick this one up or not.  I found this book to be a worthwhile read, of course, but even if it doesn't particularly resonate with others, I feel like there are some insights that can be helpful.