Atomic Habits by James Clear, Penguin Random House, 2018
"When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do," writes author James Clear. In his book about the science of habit-building, Clear tells us to focus on the smallest daily actions at first. For example, if your goal is to run three miles every day, start by simply putting on your running shoes. If your goal is to read before bed each night, focus on reading one page. The beauty is that these small daily actions will compound over time.
"The point is to master the habit of showing up," says Clear. Eventually, those two minutes will become an opening "ritual" of sorts—a natural segue to a larger routine. This "atomic" (tiny, marginal, 1 percent) approach to habit-building is an almost foolproof way to avoid procrastination: Who can say no to two minutes?
Atomic Habits is packed full of concrete strategies, like the "Two-Minute Rule," for improving our personal and professional lives—one habit at a time. As Clear explains, an essential way to establish good habits and abolish bad ones is to address our systems—"the processes that lead to results." Success is in the journey, he emphasizes, not the destination.
This quick read is an excellent way for anyone, educators included, to jolt themselves out of autopilot.
—Sarah McKibben
