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{"found_url":"https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/books\/2023\/01\/22\/bookreview-atomic-habits\/","crawl_time":1775697974,"first_indexed_time":1674417944,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,thedarktrumpet!\/books\/2023\/01\/22\/bookreview-atomic-habits\/ s443","src_root_hash":"1956122017099485832","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Book Review - Atomic Habits – TheDarkTrumpet.com","meta_descriptions":["Website for David Thole. Musings related to technology (Programming\/SQL Server\/IOT\/etc), and GTD (Getting Things Done)"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Introduction\nAtomic Habits is a book written by James Clear.  The main thesis of the book is that our habits and identity play a larger factor in our lives than the goals we set out for ourselves.\nWhile I agree that habits and identity play a very large role in change (or, who we are), measuring through goals can still be useful.\nThat said, the majority of the book I do enjoy and I think it’s worth reading.\nSummary\nOut of a ranking from 1-10, I’d rank this book at least a 9.5. There are a few factual things that make little sense, and what I felt was a total downplay of goals, but this is easily one of the best books on personal change management I’ve seen.\nDetails\nAtomic Habits is primarily based in creation of and maintenance of, an identity that better reinforces the type of person we want to be.\nThe book starts by describing the problem with making “goals” our primary focal point when we’re wishing to change.  James points out, and rightfully so, that goals have some problems, namely (pg. 24):\nThey’re temporary\n- It may take awhile to get that goal (e.g. losing 10 pounds may take some time), and the win we get from that is also temporary (e.g. we’ll gain the weight right back)\nThey aren’t a vote for who we want to be\n- This relates to #1, but we’re not really changing ourselves for the long term.  Our identity itself doesn’t change from the goal.\nThey restrict our happiness\n- We have to wait til the goal is met to really be happy about the progress.\nIn order of importance, our identity is the most crucial and central part of ourselves.  Then comes our habits, then comes our goals (pg. 30).\nThe story we tell ourselves - that being, our identity, is by far the most important thing when defining our reality and what will stick.\nHabits can help “cast a vote” into the identity we want.  Furthermore, habits (any time doing X), is a “win” for us.  More simple celebrations.\nThe book also goes into the stages of a habit creation (pg. 47) which includes the\ncue\n(what predicts the reward),\ncraving\n(the emotional force that makes us desire the thing),\nresponse\n(The action we do to cure the craving), and the\nreward\n(What we get from the response).\nWhich leads to tweaking each stage depending on if it’s a habit we want, or a habit we don’t want.  Largely speaking, we want to make good habits easier and more attractive, and bad habits harder and less attractive.\nMost of the rest of the book is about implementation and the tweaking of the above stages to optimize the goal.  For example, modifying the environment to make a habit easier (pg. 85), to making it easier (pg. 151), to making it more satisfying (many pages).  There’s equal coverage of how to deal with and eliminate bad habits.\nThere are a few chapters that I really enjoyed.\nChapter 13 - Decisive Moments (pg. 161)\nRandom choices during the day can help shape the way the day will continue to unfold.  Each time we make good or bad choices, our day will shift a bit and those choices will greatly impact our choices\/outcomes later on.\nOne notable example of this is if after work, one decides to turn on the TV or to read a book.  For me, reading is better than TV.  That decisive moment impacts the entire evening, and how I feel the next day due to that decision.\nChapter 18 - Talent\n5 genetic traits are discussed, these are the “Big 5”.  They are, and their ranges are:\nOpenness to Experience\nCurious\/Inventive     TO   Cautious\/Consistent\nConscientiousness\nOrganized\/Efficient   TO   Easygoing\/Spontaneous\nExtroversion\nOutgoing\/Energetic    TO   Solitary\/Reserved\nAgreeableness\nFriendly\/Compassion   TO   Challenging\/Detached\nNeuroticism\nAnxious\/Sensitive     TO   Calm\/Stable\nThis isn’t so much to state that one type of trait is better or worse than another, but that that a weight one direction or the other can influence what habits we find easy or not to build.\nConclusion\nI really felt this book is by far one of the best I’ve read in 2022.  I took very detailed notes of the book, while reading, and have referenced those notes on multiple occasions (including the writing of this post).  While I don’t agree with everything in the book, the vast majority I do believe would help out the majority of people.\nYou can find some links on:\nAmazon\nB&N","attrs_markdown":"\n\n[Menu]()\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/)\n- *6*\n  [Articles](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/posts)\n- *1*\n  [Pages](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/pages)\n- *3*\n  [About Me](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/about)\n\n[Articles](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/books\/2023\/01\/22\/bookreview-atomic-habits\/#mm-1)\n\n- [Programming](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/prog)\n- [Security](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/security)\n- [Privacy](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/privacy)\n- [SQL Server](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/sql)\n- [GTD\/Productivity](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/gtd)\n- [All Categories](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/categories)\n\n[Pages](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/books\/2023\/01\/22\/bookreview-atomic-habits\/#mm-1)\n\n- [Zen Sitting](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/zazen)\n\n[About Me](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/books\/2023\/01\/22\/bookreview-atomic-habits\/#mm-1)\n\n- [Resume](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/resume)\n- [Hobbies](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/hobbies)\n- [Reading List](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/hobbies\/reading)\n\n- [![TheDarkTrumpet.com](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/images\/logo.png)](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/)  [TheDarkTrumpet.com](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/)\n- [About Me](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/about)\n  - [Resume](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/resume)\n  - [Hobbies](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/hobbies)\n  - [Reading List](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/hobbies\/reading)\n- [Pages](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/pages)\n  - [Zen Sitting](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/zazen)\n- [Articles](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/posts)\n  - [Programming](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/prog)\n  - [Security](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/security)\n  - [Privacy](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/privacy)\n  - [SQL Server](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/sql)\n  - [GTD\/Productivity](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/gtd)\n  - [All Categories](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/categories)\n- [Home](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/)\n\n# Book Review - Atomic Habits\n## January 22, 2023\nReading time ~3 minutes\n\n![Book Review - Atomic Habits](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/images\/posts\/2023-01-22.Feature.jpg)\n\nImage source: [Amazon Link](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break\/dp\/0735211299\/)\n# Introduction\nAtomic Habits is a book written by James Clear. The main thesis of the book is that our habits and identity play a larger factor in our lives than the goals we set out for ourselves.\n\nWhile I agree that habits and identity play a very large role in change (or, who we are), measuring through goals can still be useful.\n\nThat said, the majority of the book I do enjoy and I think it’s worth reading.\n\n# Summary\nOut of a ranking from 1-10, I’d rank this book at least a 9.5. There are a few factual things that make little sense, and what I felt was a total downplay of goals, but this is easily one of the best books on personal change management I’ve seen.\n\n# Details\nAtomic Habits is primarily based in creation of and maintenance of, an identity that better reinforces the type of person we want to be.\n\nThe book starts by describing the problem with making “goals” our primary focal point when we’re wishing to change. James points out, and rightfully so, that goals have some problems, namely (pg. 24):\n\n1. *They’re temporary* - It may take awhile to get that goal (e.g. losing 10 pounds may take some time), and the win we get from that is also temporary (e.g. we’ll gain the weight right back)\n2. *They aren’t a vote for who we want to be* - This relates to \\#1, but we’re not really changing ourselves for the long term. Our identity itself doesn’t change from the goal.\n3. *They restrict our happiness* - We have to wait til the goal is met to really be happy about the progress.\n\nIn order of importance, our identity is the most crucial and central part of ourselves. Then comes our habits, then comes our goals (pg. 30).\n\nThe story we tell ourselves - that being, our identity, is by far the most important thing when defining our reality and what will stick.\n\nHabits can help “cast a vote” into the identity we want. Furthermore, habits (any time doing X), is a “win” for us. More simple celebrations.\n\nThe book also goes into the stages of a habit creation (pg. 47) which includes the *cue* (what predicts the reward), *craving* (the emotional force that makes us desire the thing), *response* (The action we do to cure the craving), and the *reward* (What we get from the response).\n\nWhich leads to tweaking each stage depending on if it’s a habit we want, or a habit we don’t want. Largely speaking, we want to make good habits easier and more attractive, and bad habits harder and less attractive.\n\nMost of the rest of the book is about implementation and the tweaking of the above stages to optimize the goal. For example, modifying the environment to make a habit easier (pg. 85), to making it easier (pg. 151), to making it more satisfying (many pages). There’s equal coverage of how to deal with and eliminate bad habits.\n\nThere are a few chapters that I really enjoyed.\n\n## Chapter 13 - Decisive Moments (pg. 161)\nRandom choices during the day can help shape the way the day will continue to unfold. Each time we make good or bad choices, our day will shift a bit and those choices will greatly impact our choices\/outcomes later on.\n\nOne notable example of this is if after work, one decides to turn on the TV or to read a book. For me, reading is better than TV. That decisive moment impacts the entire evening, and how I feel the next day due to that decision.\n\n## Chapter 18 - Talent\n5 genetic traits are discussed, these are the “Big 5”. They are, and their ranges are:\n\n1. Openness to Experience\n   - Curious\/Inventive TO Cautious\/Consistent\n2. Conscientiousness\n   - Organized\/Efficient TO Easygoing\/Spontaneous\n3. Extroversion\n   - Outgoing\/Energetic TO Solitary\/Reserved\n4. Agreeableness\n   - Friendly\/Compassion TO Challenging\/Detached\n5. Neuroticism\n   - Anxious\/Sensitive TO Calm\/Stable\n\nThis isn’t so much to state that one type of trait is better or worse than another, but that that a weight one direction or the other can influence what habits we find easy or not to build.\n\n# Conclusion\nI really felt this book is by far one of the best I’ve read in 2022. I took very detailed notes of the book, while reading, and have referenced those notes on multiple occasions (including the writing of this post). While I don’t agree with everything in the book, the vast majority I do believe would help out the majority of people.\n\nYou can find some links on:\n\n- [Amazon](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break\/dp\/0735211299\/)\n- [B\\&N](https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/atomic-habits-james-clear\/1129201155)\n\n[gtd](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/tags#gtd \"Pages tagged gtd\")[philosophy](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/tags#philosophy \"Pages tagged philosophy\")[business](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/tags#business \"Pages tagged business\") David Thole\n\n- [Like](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/books\/2023\/01\/22\/bookreview-atomic-habits\/ \"Share on Facebook\")\n- [Tweet](https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/books\/2023\/01\/22\/bookreview-atomic-habits\/ \"Share on Twitter\")\n- [\\+1](https:\/\/plus.google.com\/share?url=https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/books\/2023\/01\/22\/bookreview-atomic-habits\/ \"Share on Google Plus\")\n\n[About the Author](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/)\n\n### David Thole\n![David Thole](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/media\/profile.png)\n\nSenior Software Architect, Developer, Instructor. Reads\/studies a lot and enjoys all things technology\n\n[Read More](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/gtd\/2023\/01\/16\/intentional-new-year-resolutions\/)\n\n### [Child-Safety bills - an IT professional's take](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/security\/2026\/03\/08\/child-safety-bills\/ \"Child-Safety bills - an IT professional's take\")\n\\# IntroductionThis article is designed to explain my personal take - as a professional in the IT space for over 18 years of my life, when...… [Continue reading](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/security\/2026\/03\/08\/child-safety-bills\/)\n\n#### [AMD AI Max 395 - Gotchas](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/ai\/2026\/01\/18\/AIMax-gotchas\/ \"AMD AI Max 395 - Gotchas\")\nPublished on January 18, 2026\n\n#### [Book Review - Designing the Mind](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/books\/2025\/09\/07\/bookreview-designing-the-mind\/ \"Book Review - Designing the Mind\")\nPublished on September 07, 2025\n\n© 2026 David Thole. Powered by [Jekyll](http:\/\/jekyllrb.com\/) using the [Neo-HPSTR Theme](http:\/\/github.com\/aron-bordin\/neo-hpstr-jekyll-theme).","attrs_readable_markdown":"![Book Review - Atomic Habits](https:\/\/thedarktrumpet.com\/images\/posts\/2023-01-22.Feature.jpg)\n\n## Introduction\nAtomic Habits is a book written by James Clear. The main thesis of the book is that our habits and identity play a larger factor in our lives than the goals we set out for ourselves.\n\nWhile I agree that habits and identity play a very large role in change (or, who we are), measuring through goals can still be useful.\n\nThat said, the majority of the book I do enjoy and I think it’s worth reading.\n\n## Summary\nOut of a ranking from 1-10, I’d rank this book at least a 9.5. There are a few factual things that make little sense, and what I felt was a total downplay of goals, but this is easily one of the best books on personal change management I’ve seen.\n\n## Details\nAtomic Habits is primarily based in creation of and maintenance of, an identity that better reinforces the type of person we want to be.\n\nThe book starts by describing the problem with making “goals” our primary focal point when we’re wishing to change. James points out, and rightfully so, that goals have some problems, namely (pg. 24):\n\n1. *They’re temporary* - It may take awhile to get that goal (e.g. losing 10 pounds may take some time), and the win we get from that is also temporary (e.g. we’ll gain the weight right back)\n2. *They aren’t a vote for who we want to be* - This relates to \\#1, but we’re not really changing ourselves for the long term. Our identity itself doesn’t change from the goal.\n3. *They restrict our happiness* - We have to wait til the goal is met to really be happy about the progress.\n\nIn order of importance, our identity is the most crucial and central part of ourselves. Then comes our habits, then comes our goals (pg. 30).\n\nThe story we tell ourselves - that being, our identity, is by far the most important thing when defining our reality and what will stick.\n\nHabits can help “cast a vote” into the identity we want. Furthermore, habits (any time doing X), is a “win” for us. More simple celebrations.\n\nThe book also goes into the stages of a habit creation (pg. 47) which includes the *cue* (what predicts the reward), *craving* (the emotional force that makes us desire the thing), *response* (The action we do to cure the craving), and the *reward* (What we get from the response).\n\nWhich leads to tweaking each stage depending on if it’s a habit we want, or a habit we don’t want. Largely speaking, we want to make good habits easier and more attractive, and bad habits harder and less attractive.\n\nMost of the rest of the book is about implementation and the tweaking of the above stages to optimize the goal. For example, modifying the environment to make a habit easier (pg. 85), to making it easier (pg. 151), to making it more satisfying (many pages). There’s equal coverage of how to deal with and eliminate bad habits.\n\nThere are a few chapters that I really enjoyed.\n\n## Chapter 13 - Decisive Moments (pg. 161)\nRandom choices during the day can help shape the way the day will continue to unfold. Each time we make good or bad choices, our day will shift a bit and those choices will greatly impact our choices\/outcomes later on.\n\nOne notable example of this is if after work, one decides to turn on the TV or to read a book. For me, reading is better than TV. 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While I don’t agree with everything in the book, the vast majority I do believe would help out the majority of people.\n\nYou can find some links on:\n\n- [Amazon](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break\/dp\/0735211299\/)\n- [B\\&N](https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/atomic-habits-james-clear\/1129201155)","meta_canonical":null,"ml_categories_json":"{\"\/Books_and_Literature\":485,\"\/People_and_Society\":396,\"\/People_and_Society\/Self-Help_and_Motivational\":383,\"\/Books_and_Literature\/Other\":253}","ml_types_json":"{\"\/Article\":998,\"\/Article\/Product_or_Brand_Review\":980}","ml_intent_types_json":"{\"Informational\":999}","meta_language":"en","attrs_author":"David Thole","attrs_publish_time":1674345600,"attrs_original_publish_time":1674345600,"attrs_is_republished":0,"attrs_nr_words":"918","attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words":"750","body_ext_links_number":11,"body_int_links_number":35,"meta_nofollow":0,"meta_noarchive":0,"props_was_rendered":1,"src_redirect":"","download_time_msec":135,"download_ttfb_msec":134,"download_size":6084}

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Introduction Atomic Habits is a book written by James Clear. The main thesis of the book is that our habits and identity play a larger factor in our lives than the goals we set out for ourselves. While I agree that habits and identity play a very large role in change (or, who we are), measuring through goals can still be useful. That said, the majority of the book I do enjoy and I think it’s worth reading. Summary Out of a ranking from 1-10, I’d rank this book at least a 9.5. There are a few factual things that make little sense, and what I felt was a total downplay of goals, but this is easily one of the best books on personal change management I’ve seen. Details Atomic Habits is primarily based in creation of and maintenance of, an identity that better reinforces the type of person we want to be. The book starts by describing the problem with making “goals” our primary focal point when we’re wishing to change. James points out, and rightfully so, that goals have some problems, namely (pg. 24): They’re temporary - It may take awhile to get that goal (e.g. losing 10 pounds may take some time), and the win we get from that is also temporary (e.g. we’ll gain the weight right back) They aren’t a vote for who we want to be - This relates to #1, but we’re not really changing ourselves for the long term. Our identity itself doesn’t change from the goal. They restrict our happiness - We have to wait til the goal is met to really be happy about the progress. In order of importance, our identity is the most crucial and central part of ourselves. Then comes our habits, then comes our goals (pg. 30). The story we tell ourselves - that being, our identity, is by far the most important thing when defining our reality and what will stick. Habits can help “cast a vote” into the identity we want. Furthermore, habits (any time doing X), is a “win” for us. More simple celebrations. The book also goes into the stages of a habit creation (pg. 47) which includes the cue (what predicts the reward), craving (the emotional force that makes us desire the thing), response (The action we do to cure the craving), and the reward (What we get from the response). Which leads to tweaking each stage depending on if it’s a habit we want, or a habit we don’t want. Largely speaking, we want to make good habits easier and more attractive, and bad habits harder and less attractive. Most of the rest of the book is about implementation and the tweaking of the above stages to optimize the goal. For example, modifying the environment to make a habit easier (pg. 85), to making it easier (pg. 151), to making it more satisfying (many pages). There’s equal coverage of how to deal with and eliminate bad habits. There are a few chapters that I really enjoyed. Chapter 13 - Decisive Moments (pg. 161) Random choices during the day can help shape the way the day will continue to unfold. Each time we make good or bad choices, our day will shift a bit and those choices will greatly impact our choices/outcomes later on. One notable example of this is if after work, one decides to turn on the TV or to read a book. For me, reading is better than TV. That decisive moment impacts the entire evening, and how I feel the next day due to that decision. Chapter 18 - Talent 5 genetic traits are discussed, these are the “Big 5”. They are, and their ranges are: Openness to Experience Curious/Inventive TO Cautious/Consistent Conscientiousness Organized/Efficient TO Easygoing/Spontaneous Extroversion Outgoing/Energetic TO Solitary/Reserved Agreeableness Friendly/Compassion TO Challenging/Detached Neuroticism Anxious/Sensitive TO Calm/Stable This isn’t so much to state that one type of trait is better or worse than another, but that that a weight one direction or the other can influence what habits we find easy or not to build. Conclusion I really felt this book is by far one of the best I’ve read in 2022. I took very detailed notes of the book, while reading, and have referenced those notes on multiple occasions (including the writing of this post). While I don’t agree with everything in the book, the vast majority I do believe would help out the majority of people. You can find some links on: Amazon B&N

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The main thesis of the book is that our habits and identity play a larger factor in our lives than the goals we set out for ourselves. While I agree that habits and identity play a very large role in change (or, who we are), measuring through goals can still be useful. That said, the majority of the book I do enjoy and I think it’s worth reading. # Summary Out of a ranking from 1-10, I’d rank this book at least a 9.5. There are a few factual things that make little sense, and what I felt was a total downplay of goals, but this is easily one of the best books on personal change management I’ve seen. # Details Atomic Habits is primarily based in creation of and maintenance of, an identity that better reinforces the type of person we want to be. The book starts by describing the problem with making “goals” our primary focal point when we’re wishing to change. James points out, and rightfully so, that goals have some problems, namely (pg. 24): 1. *They’re temporary* - It may take awhile to get that goal (e.g. losing 10 pounds may take some time), and the win we get from that is also temporary (e.g. we’ll gain the weight right back) 2. *They aren’t a vote for who we want to be* - This relates to \#1, but we’re not really changing ourselves for the long term. Our identity itself doesn’t change from the goal. 3. *They restrict our happiness* - We have to wait til the goal is met to really be happy about the progress. In order of importance, our identity is the most crucial and central part of ourselves. Then comes our habits, then comes our goals (pg. 30). The story we tell ourselves - that being, our identity, is by far the most important thing when defining our reality and what will stick. Habits can help “cast a vote” into the identity we want. Furthermore, habits (any time doing X), is a “win” for us. More simple celebrations. The book also goes into the stages of a habit creation (pg. 47) which includes the *cue* (what predicts the reward), *craving* (the emotional force that makes us desire the thing), *response* (The action we do to cure the craving), and the *reward* (What we get from the response). Which leads to tweaking each stage depending on if it’s a habit we want, or a habit we don’t want. Largely speaking, we want to make good habits easier and more attractive, and bad habits harder and less attractive. Most of the rest of the book is about implementation and the tweaking of the above stages to optimize the goal. For example, modifying the environment to make a habit easier (pg. 85), to making it easier (pg. 151), to making it more satisfying (many pages). There’s equal coverage of how to deal with and eliminate bad habits. There are a few chapters that I really enjoyed. ## Chapter 13 - Decisive Moments (pg. 161) Random choices during the day can help shape the way the day will continue to unfold. Each time we make good or bad choices, our day will shift a bit and those choices will greatly impact our choices/outcomes later on. One notable example of this is if after work, one decides to turn on the TV or to read a book. For me, reading is better than TV. That decisive moment impacts the entire evening, and how I feel the next day due to that decision. ## Chapter 18 - Talent 5 genetic traits are discussed, these are the “Big 5”. They are, and their ranges are: 1. Openness to Experience - Curious/Inventive TO Cautious/Consistent 2. Conscientiousness - Organized/Efficient TO Easygoing/Spontaneous 3. Extroversion - Outgoing/Energetic TO Solitary/Reserved 4. Agreeableness - Friendly/Compassion TO Challenging/Detached 5. Neuroticism - Anxious/Sensitive TO Calm/Stable This isn’t so much to state that one type of trait is better or worse than another, but that that a weight one direction or the other can influence what habits we find easy or not to build. # Conclusion I really felt this book is by far one of the best I’ve read in 2022. I took very detailed notes of the book, while reading, and have referenced those notes on multiple occasions (including the writing of this post). While I don’t agree with everything in the book, the vast majority I do believe would help out the majority of people. You can find some links on: - [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299/) - [B\&N](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/atomic-habits-james-clear/1129201155) [gtd](https://thedarktrumpet.com/tags#gtd "Pages tagged gtd")[philosophy](https://thedarktrumpet.com/tags#philosophy "Pages tagged philosophy")[business](https://thedarktrumpet.com/tags#business "Pages tagged business") David Thole - [Like](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://thedarktrumpet.com/books/2023/01/22/bookreview-atomic-habits/ "Share on Facebook") - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=https://thedarktrumpet.com/books/2023/01/22/bookreview-atomic-habits/ "Share on Twitter") - [\+1](https://plus.google.com/share?url=https://thedarktrumpet.com/books/2023/01/22/bookreview-atomic-habits/ "Share on Google Plus") [About the Author](https://thedarktrumpet.com/) ### David Thole ![David Thole](https://thedarktrumpet.com/media/profile.png) Senior Software Architect, Developer, Instructor. Reads/studies a lot and enjoys all things technology [Read More](https://thedarktrumpet.com/gtd/2023/01/16/intentional-new-year-resolutions/) ### [Child-Safety bills - an IT professional's take](https://thedarktrumpet.com/security/2026/03/08/child-safety-bills/ "Child-Safety bills - an IT professional's take") \# IntroductionThis article is designed to explain my personal take - as a professional in the IT space for over 18 years of my life, when...… [Continue reading](https://thedarktrumpet.com/security/2026/03/08/child-safety-bills/) #### [AMD AI Max 395 - Gotchas](https://thedarktrumpet.com/ai/2026/01/18/AIMax-gotchas/ "AMD AI Max 395 - Gotchas") Published on January 18, 2026 #### [Book Review - Designing the Mind](https://thedarktrumpet.com/books/2025/09/07/bookreview-designing-the-mind/ "Book Review - Designing the Mind") Published on September 07, 2025 © 2026 David Thole. 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![Book Review - Atomic Habits](https://thedarktrumpet.com/images/posts/2023-01-22.Feature.jpg) ## Introduction Atomic Habits is a book written by James Clear. The main thesis of the book is that our habits and identity play a larger factor in our lives than the goals we set out for ourselves. While I agree that habits and identity play a very large role in change (or, who we are), measuring through goals can still be useful. That said, the majority of the book I do enjoy and I think it’s worth reading. ## Summary Out of a ranking from 1-10, I’d rank this book at least a 9.5. There are a few factual things that make little sense, and what I felt was a total downplay of goals, but this is easily one of the best books on personal change management I’ve seen. ## Details Atomic Habits is primarily based in creation of and maintenance of, an identity that better reinforces the type of person we want to be. The book starts by describing the problem with making “goals” our primary focal point when we’re wishing to change. James points out, and rightfully so, that goals have some problems, namely (pg. 24): 1. *They’re temporary* - It may take awhile to get that goal (e.g. losing 10 pounds may take some time), and the win we get from that is also temporary (e.g. we’ll gain the weight right back) 2. *They aren’t a vote for who we want to be* - This relates to \#1, but we’re not really changing ourselves for the long term. Our identity itself doesn’t change from the goal. 3. *They restrict our happiness* - We have to wait til the goal is met to really be happy about the progress. In order of importance, our identity is the most crucial and central part of ourselves. Then comes our habits, then comes our goals (pg. 30). The story we tell ourselves - that being, our identity, is by far the most important thing when defining our reality and what will stick. Habits can help “cast a vote” into the identity we want. Furthermore, habits (any time doing X), is a “win” for us. More simple celebrations. The book also goes into the stages of a habit creation (pg. 47) which includes the *cue* (what predicts the reward), *craving* (the emotional force that makes us desire the thing), *response* (The action we do to cure the craving), and the *reward* (What we get from the response). Which leads to tweaking each stage depending on if it’s a habit we want, or a habit we don’t want. Largely speaking, we want to make good habits easier and more attractive, and bad habits harder and less attractive. Most of the rest of the book is about implementation and the tweaking of the above stages to optimize the goal. For example, modifying the environment to make a habit easier (pg. 85), to making it easier (pg. 151), to making it more satisfying (many pages). There’s equal coverage of how to deal with and eliminate bad habits. There are a few chapters that I really enjoyed. ## Chapter 13 - Decisive Moments (pg. 161) Random choices during the day can help shape the way the day will continue to unfold. Each time we make good or bad choices, our day will shift a bit and those choices will greatly impact our choices/outcomes later on. One notable example of this is if after work, one decides to turn on the TV or to read a book. For me, reading is better than TV. That decisive moment impacts the entire evening, and how I feel the next day due to that decision. ## Chapter 18 - Talent 5 genetic traits are discussed, these are the “Big 5”. They are, and their ranges are: 1. Openness to Experience - Curious/Inventive TO Cautious/Consistent 2. Conscientiousness - Organized/Efficient TO Easygoing/Spontaneous 3. Extroversion - Outgoing/Energetic TO Solitary/Reserved 4. Agreeableness - Friendly/Compassion TO Challenging/Detached 5. Neuroticism - Anxious/Sensitive TO Calm/Stable This isn’t so much to state that one type of trait is better or worse than another, but that that a weight one direction or the other can influence what habits we find easy or not to build. ## Conclusion I really felt this book is by far one of the best I’ve read in 2022. I took very detailed notes of the book, while reading, and have referenced those notes on multiple occasions (including the writing of this post). While I don’t agree with everything in the book, the vast majority I do believe would help out the majority of people. You can find some links on: - [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299/) - [B\&N](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/atomic-habits-james-clear/1129201155)

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