Zack Vayda and "Atomic Habits"

What I liked:

Change is hard for all humans everywhere; it is far more easy to stick with the status quo, because the status quo is safe and comfortable. If the reader takes advantage of a moment of motivation and picks up a book about self-improvement only to be bogged down in elaborate verbiage, odds are the reader will trade the book for one far less challenging. The essence of a self-help book must be to get the message across in the simplest, most accessible manner possible. Because of this, it’s fortunate James Clear is not primarily a writer; Clear is, first and foremost, a communicator. Every sentence is presented in its simplest, most precise form. The reader need not be worried about deciphering abstract phrases or terms not in every-day language. Instead, the reader is freed to immerse herself fully within the essence of the message, and nothing else. Clear lives up to his namesake, providing the reader the opportunity to learn and grow via the most transparent style of writing.

Clear’s clean writing encompasses not only the flow between sentences, but also the framework of the book itself. Clear enlists tried-and-true communication concepts, such as beginning each chapter with a story to appeal to the readers’ humanity, and ending with an opportunity for self-reflection over the most important concepts covered in each chapter. Clear addresses the readers’ ethos by depicting accessible success stories, pathos by giving permission and space for feelings of self-doubt, and logos by outlining detailed action steps toward well-defined goals. Clear states his intention in the very beginning, writing that his whole book can be boiled down to four habit-supporting ideas: Make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. From the individual words to the outermost concepts, Clear makes his point with exact calculation.

Often, self-help books are simply a regurgitation of obviousness, restating ideas that have been around since the time of the first intellectuals. This is not the case here, though. Many of Clear’s ideas are genuine and original. For example, most books tote messages of immediate benefits, suggesting the reader can ‘lose 20 pounds overnight,’ or, ‘build a multi-million dollar business in a month.’ The human experience proves this is simply not the case. If someone does happen to gain wild success in a short time, it must be seen as the exception, not the rule. Clear leans heavily on this concept. He states overnight success simply will not happen. Life can only change with consistency over time. Since consistency over time is the only way to grow, Clear gives the reader permission to build habits on what one might see as impossibly low standards. Clear says, “...running a marathon is hard. Walking ten thousand steps is moderately difficult. Walking ten minutes is easy. And putting your running shoes on is very easy.” In order to run a marathon, one must first put their shoes on. In order to earn a PhD, one must first open their notes. In order to write a book, one must first write one sentence. For perhaps the first time, a self-help book hones in on allowing the emphasis on the habit to not be its effectiveness, but simply its repetition. Clear knows how hard it is to add a healthy habit into the reader's life, which is why his book removes as many obstacles as possible to make the habit as easy as possible. He does this by making them “obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying.”

What I didn’t like:

Clear’s transparent writing comes with a pitfall. If one chooses to write as straightforward as possible, certain flavors must be sacrificed. One aspect of this book that does not pave new roads is its writing style. Clear consciously chose to write cleanly, because he believes his message is more important than toting his abilities as a writer. For any other type of book, this simply would not be adequate. The reader expects to be entertained, but this book is no more entertaining than a self-help book can be. Can a self-help book be written concisely and ornately? Can the forwardness of self-help writing coexist with other approaches? Would a fusion of styles only directly detract from the message? If so, the reader must be glad Clear did not attempt more than he did, because if additional finesse would only result in a less straightforward product, the product would be worth less than it is now. In other words, while Clear’s writing does lack a unique voice, if the addition of voice would detract from the book’s purpose, then the book is better off without it.

What I’d recommend:

I’ve read my fair share of self-help books, ranging from the near-painstaking detail of Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to the unapologetic voice in Jen Sincero’s You are a Badass. While many have shaped my own journey of creating and maintaining healthy habits in my life, none have had the precise impact Atomic Habits has had. Clear redresses old ideas in more effective presentations and introduces new ideas aligned with modern psychology and research. Atomic Habits is so precisely comprehensive, I am not expecting to find another, equally helpful self-help book again in my life (not that I’ll stop looking, of course).

While I would consider myself further along in the search for a healthy, purpose-driven life, I wish I had come across this book as early in my journey as I possibly could have. Clear has written the content in such a way that “experts” have as much to gain as “amateurs.” If you are new to the world of self-improvement and empowerment, this book is for you. If you think you know all there is to know about healthy lifestyles, this book is for you. If you have always thought building healthy habits would be far too difficult, if you think self-help books aren’t for you, or if you have actively avoided them at all costs, this book is for you. 

Clear has achieved what I would consider the closest thing to a perfect self-help book. Because of this, I would recommend Atomic Habits for all people everywhere.