About James Clear

Hi, I’m James Clear.

I’ve been writing at JamesClear.com about habits, decision making, and continuous improvement since 2012. I’m the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits, which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 60 languages. I’m also known for my popular 3-2-1 newsletter, which is sent out each week to more than 3 million subscribers. Click here to learn more and sign up.

You can find me elsewhere on Twitter and Instagram.

Author of Atomic Habits
Creator of the 3-2-1 newsletter
Speaker at major companies and events

How My Work Will Benefit You

I’m an advocate for useful ideas. The central question I explore through my work is, “How can we live better?”

In other words, I want to find great ideas and explain them in a way that is easy to use and apply to daily life.

My writing focuses on topics like…

How to start (and stick to) good habits
How to make good choices and avoid bad ones
How to accomplish more in less time
How to create better systems and processes
How to achieve meaningful results without overwhelming yourself

Most of all, I write about how to put these ideas into practice in daily life.

Most of the concepts I write about aren’t my own. They are ideas I discover and build upon after many hours of reading and research. I look for insights from all fields: architecture, biology, economics, history, mathematics, physics, philosophy, and more. I consider it my job to find the best ideas and explain them in a way that is actionable and easy-to-understand.

Humankind progresses by adding layer upon layer of knowledge. We all benefit from the insights of our ancestors. I like the idea of leaving a great “intellectual inheritance,” and I’m trying to add a little bit of knowledge to the pile by creating this website and sharing my work.

I don’t claim to have all the answers and I still have a lot to learn, but I’m happy to share what I’ve discovered so far. My work isn’t the only way to think about life, but it’s how I think about it. Hopefully, you’ll find it useful as well.

You can start by reading my articles or check out my books.

About Me

Here are a few notable things about me…

Author of the international bestselling book, Atomic Habits.

Over 25 million copies sold worldwide.
Over 5 years on the New York Times bestseller list.
Translated into 60+ languages.

Over 250 articles published.
Over 3 million email subscribers.
Over 10 million visitors per year to jamesclear.com.

Speaker at major companies and events.

I deliver 1-2 speeches per month about habits and continuous improvement.
Previous clients include American Express, AT&T, Cisco, Disney, ESPN, Google, Honda, IKEA, Microsoft, State Farm, and many more.
If you are interested in having me speak at your event, please click here to submit a request.

Former athlete and weightlifter.

I played baseball in college. I was a pitcher at Denison University.
In 2008, I was named to the ESPN Academic All-America team.
In 2024, I was selected to the Academic All-America Hall of Fame (press release).
Best deadlift — 501 lbs (227 kg)
Best squat — 425 lbs (192 kg)
Best bench — 305 lbs (138 kg)
Best clean — 315 lbs (143 kg)

Other Interests

Things that fascinate me, but that I typically don’t write about include…

Charitable giving.

In 2017, I began donating 5% of after-tax profit to charitable causes. My primary charity partner is Against Malaria Foundation (AMF). AMF distributes nets to protect children, pregnant mothers, and families from mosquitoes carrying malaria. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase lifespan. To date, we have provided nets for over 319,000 people.

Great speeches.

As a side project, I like to search for insightful speeches that are not well-known. Whenever I find a gem, I create a transcript and add it to my list of great speeches. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only place on the web where you can find all of these amazing speeches in one place.

Travel photography.

I’ve taken photos in more than 40 countries. I have many favorite places, including Australia, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portugal, and Turkey. Through photography, I have come to appreciate great composition. I love the hidden beauty of Steve McCurry’s photos and the brilliance of Every Frame a Painting.

Peak athletic performances.

Lezak’s comeback. Secretariat’s Belmont. Auburn’s Kick Six (and the local radio call). Usain Bolt’s 100m dash in Beijing. Basically every swim from Katie Ledecky. Vince Young against USC. Tiger’s 2000 US Open. Cardale’s historic 3-game run.

Architecture.

I love thoughtful, well-designed buildings. Specifically, I enjoy layouts that blend nature with beautiful and functional homes and urban spaces.

Book recommendations.

It’s basically my job to read. After years of research, I created my personal reading list with favorites from a wide range of categories including the best business books, best self-help books, best biographies, and more.

30 Days to Better Habits: A simple step-by-step guide for forming habits that stick.

Take the guesswork out of habit-building. 11 email lessons walk you through the first 30 days of a habit step-by-step, so you know exactly what to do.
Get the tools and strategies you need to take action. The course includes a 20-page PDF workbook (including templates and cheatsheets), plus new examples and applications that you can’t find in Atomic Habits.
Learn a framework that works for any habit. You can use this course to build any good habit – from getting fit, to saving for an early retirement, to daily meditation.

Enroll in the free email course and get your first lesson today

You will get one short email every three days for a month. You can unsubscribe any time.