The Best of James Clear
10+ most popular James Clear articles, as voted by our community.
Author of the #1 NYT bestseller Atomic Habits (http://atomichabits.com). I write about building better habits.
James Clear on Creativity
3-2-1: The value of nature, controlling your attention, and designing your environment
3 IDEAS FROM ME I. “Most people optimize for the day ahead. A few people optimize for 1-2 years ahead. Almost nobody optimizes for 3-4 years ahead (or longer). The person who is willing to delay…
«Look around the rooms where you spend the most time. What behavior does this space encourage? How can you set things up to make your good habits easier?»
James Clear on Fasting
The Beginner's Guide to Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is one of the simplest strategies that can help you lose fat, gain muscle and live healthy. Read this article to learn more.
James Clear on Habits
How to Build a New Habit: This is Your Strategy Guide
Read this guide right now to learn 5 easy, powerful strategies for changing habits.
«It is important to keep each habit reasonable, so that you can maintain momentum and make the behavior as easy as possible to accomplish.»
The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide: Why and How to Track Your Habits
Shared by 174, including Phillip Murphy, Katja Evertz, DON’T PANIC
James Clear on Mental Models
Inversion: The Crucial Thinking Skill Nobody Ever Taught You
One of the best ways to solve problems in life is to use the mental model of inversion. Read this article to learn how to become a better thinker today.
«Imagine the most important goal or project you are working on right now. Now fast forward six months and assume the project or goal has failed.»
Mental Models: How to Train Your Brain to Think in New Ways
Learn how to think better and gain a mental edge.
«“Scientists generally agree that no theory is 100 percent correct. Thus, the real test of knowledge is not truth, but utility.”»
James Clear on Procrastination
Procrastination: A Brief Guide on How to Stop Procrastinating
This guide explains what procrastination is, how it works, and how to stop procrastinating. Now for your first test: Don't procrastinate, and read this now.
James Clear on Productivity
Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead.
When it comes to getting things done and making progress in the areas that are important to you, there is a much better way to do things.
«if you completely ignored your goals and focused only on your system, would you still succeed?»
The Physics of Productivity: Newton’s Laws of Getting Stuff Done
Read this article to learn how to be more productive. Discover how Newton's Laws of Motion can boost your productivity.
«Simplify your life, learn how to say no, change your environment, reduce the number of responsibilities that you take on, and otherwise eliminate the forces that are holding you back.»
James Clear on Willpower
3-2-1: Happiness, the opinions of others, and accepting the reality of slow progress
3 IDEAS FROM ME I. “Before you try to increase your willpower, try to decrease the friction in your environment.” II. “Your habits are how you embody a particular identity. When you make your bed,…
«Author Leo Tolstoy on the opinions of others: “If you care too much about being praised, in the end you will not accomplish anything serious.»
James Clear on Writing
The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers
What to develop better daily routines? Read this article to discover the daily habits of famous writers and how you can use their strategies.
«A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.»
3-2-1: How to approach life, and how to succeed as a writer
3 IDEAS FROM ME I. “It’s better to be alone than to spend time with toxic people. It’s better to do nothing than to work on something that doesn’t matter. It’s better to rest than to climb the wrong…
«The Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi on how to approach life: “To the most trivial actions, attach the devotion and mindfulness of a hundred monks. To matters of life and death, attach a sense of humor.”»
Popular
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The Habits Guide: How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones
How do habits work? How do you change your habits? How do you hold yourself accountable? This complete habits guide contains everything you need to know.
«By simply removing yourself from an environment that triggers all of your old habits, you can make it easier to break bad habits and build new ones.»
3-2-1: Small habits with big plans, the shape of genius, and advice to a younger self
3 IDEAS FROM ME I. “It's only work if you would rather be doing something else. Find a way to carve a career out of what you already want to do.” II. “Build small habits. Make big plans. 1) Keep your…
«I would tell myself to focus on my strengths, and not on my weaknesses»
3-2-1: Acting your age, financial advice from a grandmother, and forgiveness
3 IDEAS FROM ME I. “On the ground, a rock is just a rock. But when moving at high speed through the atmosphere, a rock becomes a meteor—alive with fire and burning bright. People are not so different.…
«When you buy something cheap and bad, the best you’re going to feel about it is when you buy it. When you buy something expensive and good, the worst you’re going to feel about it is when you buy it»
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds
Why don't facts change our minds? This article explains the logic of false beliefs and proposes a better system for constructive conversation.
Motivation is Overvalued. Environment Often Matters More.
Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.
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