Last week I listened to this book on Audible and found myself stopping to take notes repeatedly because I was so moved by the brilliance of this man’s words and ideas. After finishing the book, I purchased the Atomic Habits Workbook, which is a summary of the most important points with questions and exercises to help you move forward with your habits.

If you love “Cliff Notes” versions of books, you will definitely prefer the workbook.

This post is being listed in stress relief and mindfulness because our habits tend to increase or decrease our stress. For example, if we say that we want to meditate more but can’t seem to maintain a meditation habit, many of us berate ourselves for our lack of follow through and our inability to change our negative thought patterns.

One of the first “game changing” things James Clear said that struck me was that we will only be successful in maintaining our new habits if they are supporting a change in our identity versus simply achieving a goal.

For example, someone may want to exercise daily and lose 20 pounds. That’s a very specific goal that is hard for most to achieve. However, if we instead think in terms of being a healthy, thin, and/or athletic person, those are personality traits that we can work on seeing as part of ourselves and this change in perception helps us to stick with the small changes we’re trying to make, rather than giving up after a few days or being incredibly sporadic with our habits (which then technically are not habits anyway).

A habit is something we can do without thinking about it and without any real effort. The author talks about starting our new habits by “stacking” them onto our already existing habits. For example, after brushing your teeth, sit and meditate for one minute. When I first heard this suggestion, I literally thought “one minute, that make no sense…I can do 5 minutes easily.”

Big surprise, I did not do the 5 minutes. One minute is so easy that I can actually manage it without any resistance or discomfort and I actually do it. I am finally establishing a meditation practice one minute at a time and it’s so easy that I’ve added 1 minute after each time I use the bathroom.

The identity trait is “I am a meditator”, versus someone who has a goal to meditate daily and doesn’t follow through, which has historically been the case.

The ultimate habit will grow beyond the 1 minute mark but it will not do so until the habit is firmly established and there is a desire for more.

When I tried to change my 1 minute to 2 minutes too quickly, I didn’t want to do it. When I added 1 minute in more frequently, that was fine AND I found myself being more present in my day.

The book was great but the workbook may be better for many. It’s a breakdown of the key points within the book with questions at the end of each chapter and action steps to help you move forward.

It’s great to have information, but if we don’t use it it becomes somewhat useless.

If you’d like to live more mindfully or with less stress but you’re not following through with your meditation practice, try habit stacking 1 minute of meditation into your day at a place that makes sense for you. I’d also love to hear what you do that creates more successful habits in your life.

If you want more information and other resources related to Atomic Habits, please visit James Clear’s website. You can download the first chapter of his book for free.