James Clear has a gift for breaking down complex human behaviors into simple, small ideas. In our conversation, James shares habits that can help you lose weight without using willpower. He shares simple approaches and mindset shifts that make developing good habits easy and breaking bad habits even easier. James’ book, Atomic Habits, has sold over 4 million copies, and it’s one of my favorite books to gift to someone who wants to create habits intentionally. 

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become." James Clear

Highlights

•  All humans are building habits at all times.
• We seem to inherit habits instead of designing them.
• Most people focus on the outcome of the habit or change and develop a plan for that.
• They believe that the identity will come as a side effect of achieving that plan.
• James believes that it’s more effective to decide on the identity and let the outcome come naturally.
• The goal is not “to write a book.” The goal is to “become a writer.”
• Every action that you take is a vote for the kind of person that you want to become.
• Scaling a goal down to something that you can do in 2 minutes or less is a great place to start focusing.
• Mastering the art of showing up is a key factor in building better habits.
• Habits are not a finish line to be crossed. They are a lifestyle to be lived.
• Pick just one habit to focus on.
• You’ll find that even a single habit has multiple smaller decisions and habits within it in order to facilitate the primary habit.
• Try to schedule your actions at times when you have the most control and energy over the time slot.
• Try to find someplace that you are surrounded by people that support your habits rather than conflict with it.
• James believes that working out 4 days a week has been one of his most productive habits.
• Convenience is often a primary driver for many of our habits.

Relevant Links

https://jamesclear.com

https://www.feelingfull.com