Atomic Habits (By James Clear) Book Review

Atomic Habits was recommended to me by a friend in early 2022, so I bought it. After hearing it mentioned on a podcast this past December, I finally decided to bring it to the top of the list and crack it open. After reading the first three chapters, and like we do sometimes, I thought “I get it, maybe I don’t need to read the rest of it”, but then I read chapter 4 and my mind was again racing , and I read the rest of the book in a few days. Atomic Habits is focused on personal habits, but the rest of this review parallels it to benefits for business leaders.

Atomic Habits is a critical read for any business professional looking to improve their productivity and achieve their daily, weekly…. and even lifetime goals. Clear presents his ideas in a straightforward manner, using real-life examples and relatable stories to illustrate his points.

What makes "Atomic Habits" valuable for business professionals is its focus on making small, incremental changes that compound over time. The book emphasizes the importance of finding your "atomic habits" (i.e. tiny habits) and making them a part of your daily routine, rather than trying to make drastic changes all at once. (On a personal note, since January I have had a morning routine of about 15 things that I now do every day. Two key game changers - flossing every morning (my habit item #4), and what started out as 20 push-ups x 2 (habits #3 and #6) is now up to 30 x 2 (60) every morning. Again, a game changer for me.

From a business perspective, one of the key takeaways is the importance of mindset. Clear challenges us to shift our focus from goals to systems, and to see failure not as a personal failure, but as an opportunity to learn and grow. This mindset can be applied to all aspects of or our professions, from project and process management to strategic planning and execution.

Overall, "Atomic Habits" is a must-read for any person, especially business professionals looking to improve their performance and achieve success. Clear's writing is both informative and engaging, making this book fun, immediately impactful, and a valuable read. Whether you're looking to improve your time management, boost your leadership skills, or increase your sales, the principles in this book can be applied to any area of your business. Highly recommended!