Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Excellent, insightful, and concise book on the power and practicalities of habit formation.

I have read a bit of James Clear's work from his blog, I knew most of what would be here, yet interestingly I realised I had already incorporated several of the rules into my life. They have worked. I became a person who exercises everyday, I had made it part of my identity.

This at times simple book can change your life, slowly, little by little each day but it can. That's rare.

The science writing, particularly on psychology, is very well presented. You can read it elsewhere, but nowhere as clear and practically framed. He presents simple rules and methods for forming/breaking habits and through short vignettes displays their power.

You can see many apps today that use the same techniques to get you to come back for more, with positive/negative results depending on what ones. I love my 900+ day streak on the language learning app Duolingo, and the tracking of books on Goodreads encourages me to read more.

My only problem is with one habit I can't break. Eating the skin from my fingers. I have tried to break it, but its triggers and actions are so automatic and quick that I struggle to apply the rules and techniques laid out. I will try again.