James Clear has written an interesting and helpful book called: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones; Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results. Clear has been a motivational speaker focused on habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement for years. His website gets millions of visitors each month, and hundreds of thousands subscribe to his popular email newsletter – that’s how I learned about him. I kept reading the articles that he wrote about motivation and changing habits; when his book was coming out, I learned the release date and got my copy early. I certainly was not surprised when I learned that Atomic Habits was on New York Times instant bestseller list; the Wall Street Journal’s bestseller list; and Financial Times Book of the Month. It was just released on October 16, 2018.

I’m not a psychologist; so why am I writing about a psychology book? I’ve read the book once and have found abundant information on habit formation. With the US struggling to manage overweight of 74.1% of its adults and the resulting health problems, it seems like some of us may embrace this book and its methods. The book is practical; and in addition, has many tools on-line to help those trying to design new habits or break old ones. In essence, Clear can help you stop thinking; “I want to eat more vegetables.” or “I want to exercise more.” and give you the understanding of exactly how to do it. Just do it.

His methods are applicable to any number of behaviors; exercise/eating are just two that I write about. But you can use it in hundreds of ways. Maybe you’ve always wanted to write; or maybe you want to read more; or maybe you want to be more organized his methods are there for you. By the way, if you ever read, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey 1989; I personally think this takes habit design to the next level.

We’re polishing off another year; if you think you want to take steps toward an improved nutritional status, or a more consistent exercise regimen, or any other new habit for that matter, this book can be a great support for your goals – starting with recognizing how your thinking is involved. Maybe you’ll have a little time for some holiday reading; maybe you’ll be motivated to start something tiny – like atomic tiny. Happy holiday season!