"Never outsource what you enjoy."
- James Clear
"Wisdom is the echo of experience."
- James Clear
"If you already live a comfortable life, then choosing to make more money but live a worse daily life is a bad trade.
And yet, we talk ourselves into it all the time. We take promotions that pay more, but swallow our free time. We already have a successful business, but we break ourselves trying to make it even more successful.
Too much focus on wealth, not enough focus on lifestyle."
- James Clear
"If you feel resistance before you begin, it's usually procrastination and you need to get started.
If you feel resistance after you begin, it's usually feedback and you need to make adjustments."
- James Clear
"A truth unsaid can still be felt.
What needs to be discussed, but hasn't been said yet?
Clear the air."
- James Clear
"The simplest way to clarify your thinking is to write a full page about whatever you are dealing with and then delete everything except the 1-2 sentences that explain it best."
- James Clear
"You can go to hell without moving an inch, just focus on what you lack.
You can taste heaven without leaving earth, just rejoice in what you have."
- James Clear
"In theory, consistency is about being disciplined, determined, and unwavering.
In practice, consistency is about being adaptable. Don't have much time? Scale it down. Don't have much energy? Do the easy version. Find different ways to show up depending on the circumstances. Let your habits change shape to meet the demands of the day.
Adaptability is the way of consistency."
- James Clear
"If you want to avoid criticism, create less.
If you want to avoid irrelevance, create more."
- James Clear
"The secret is not to find the meaning of life, but to use your life to make things that are meaningful."
- James Clear
"Do things for your own satisfaction. Consider praise from others to be a bonus. If you don't work for their validation in the first place, you won't need it to feel satisfied once it's done."
- James Clear
"I think about decisions in three ways: hats, haircuts, and tattoos.
Most decisions are like hats. Try one and if you don’t like it, put it back and try another. The cost of a mistake is low, so move quickly and try a bunch of hats.
Some decisions are like haircuts. You can fix a bad one, but it won’t be quick and you might feel foolish for awhile. That said, don’t be scared of a bad haircut. Trying something new is usually a risk worth taking. If it doesn’t work out, by this time next year you will have moved on and so will everyone else.
A few decisions are like tattoos. Once you make them, you have to live with them. Some mistakes are irreversible. Maybe you’ll move on for a moment, but then you’ll glance in the mirror and be reminded of that choice all over again. Even years later, the decision leaves a mark. When you’re dealing with an irreversible choice, move slowly and think carefully."
- James Clear
"When I go into a situation, I try to keep a mindset of baseline optimism.
-When starting the day: It’s going to be a good day.
-When meeting someone new: I’m going to like them.
-When trying something challenging: It’s going to work out.
Problems will inevitably arise and I’ll deal with them as the situation demands, but my preference is to assume I’m on a winning path until proven otherwise."
- James Clear
"You should always be rooting for the people you know. Not only because you may need their support tomorrow, but also because it feels good to celebrate something.
Celebration can rescue your day—even if it is someone else's victory. Envy will ruin your day—even if you're actually winning."
- James Clear
"Pay attention to how readily people talk themselves out of things—and be wary of adopting the same narrative. People will often try to convince you their limiting beliefs should become your own. They do not. Find your own ceiling."
- James Clear
"I have learned that whenever I think "I don't have enough time to do that" what I usually mean is "I don't have enough energy" or "I am not actually interested in doing this."
What I need to do a better job of is not managing my time, but rather caring for myself and identifying my true interests. When I am well rested and working on something I am genuinely excited about, finding time is rarely a problem."
- James Clear
"The pessimist criticizes, the optimist creates."
- James Clear
"Curiosity can empower you or impede you.
Being curious and focused is a powerful combination. I define this combination as unleashing your curiosity within the domain of a particular task: asking questions about how things work, exploring different lines of attack for solving the problem, reading ideas from outside domains while always looking for ways to transfer the knowledge back to your main task, and so on. Even though you're exploring widely, you're generally moving the ball forward on the main thing. You start something and you keep searching until you find an effective way to finish it.
Meanwhile, when your curiosity sends you off in a dozen different directions and fractures your attention, then it can prevent you from focusing on one thing long enough to see it through to completion. Curious, but unfocused. You're jumping from one topic to the next, they aren't necessarily related, your efforts don't accumulate, you're simply exploring. You start many things and finish few.
How is your curiosity being directed? Is it rocket fuel or a roadblock?"
- James Clear
"You will love whatever you pour your heart into. Passion follows commitment."
- James Clear
"Many of the best things in life grow along the way.
Start hanging out with someone and love grows along the way.
Start exercising and motivation grows along the way.
Start writing and inspiration grows along the way.
Start now and let the feeling follow."
- James Clear
"The information you consume each day is the soil from which your future thoughts grow."
- James Clear
"The way to live a full life is to act quickly.
Particularly as you grow older, it's alarmingly easy to let a year or two (or five) slip by without doing the big things you always felt like doing. You get into a rhythm—not necessarily one you love, but one you become comfortable repeating—and the grooves of your daily routine become deeper and more established.
Speed is perpetually undervalued. That doesn't mean you should feel frantic or rushed. In fact, it's likely you should eliminate some of the things that make you feel so busy to make space for things you always wanted to do. But it definitely means you should stop letting the days drift by waiting for the moment to be right.
Stop acting like there is infinite time. This—the way you are living right now—is your one life."
- James Clear
"It's more fun to be a fan than a critic. I'm not looking to spend my life tearing things down, when it can be so satisfying to build things up."
- James Clear
"One of the most unexpected gifts you can receive is an early loss.
-Missing out on a job you really wanted.
-Trying a business idea that fails.
-Suffering a heartbreak.
An early setback can become the catalyst for a wonderful next chapter—if you channel the emotion effectively.
Disappointment is a hot burning fuel. Let it light your fire to become better."
- James Clear
"Consistency enlarges ability."
- James Clear
"At some point, you will have to learn to let go.
There is an endless list of obligations and expectations, desires and ambitions, and worries and fears that will always be ready to insert themselves between you and the feeling of peace.
If you never learn to let them go, there will never be enough."
- James Clear
"You have to live with your mistakes, but you don't have to compound them.
To follow up an error with a foolish reaction is to lose twice. Given the reality of where you are right now, what is the best next action?
A wise response may not erase a dumb mistake, but it can redeem it."
- James Clear
"Relax. Your rumination, analysis, worry, and need to control the future are robbing you of the current moment. Yes, there is a time for preparation, but continually thinking of the future guarantees you'll never enjoy in the present."
- James Clear
"Don't overlook the basics. Don't ignore the foundation. How long can a tree remain standing without the roots?"
- James Clear
"When you tolerate an error, you rob yourself of learning.
When you ruminate on an error, you rob yourself of happiness.
Notice it, improve it, and move on from it."
- James Clear
"If you’re stuck on a problem, try solving it at a different level.
If you ask, “What can we do to create a more unified country?” then you end up with vague answers that are difficult to implement. The problem is mostly unmanageable at that level.
But if you ask, “What can I do to create a more unified neighborhood?” then you can likely think of many small things you can do to connect your friends and neighbors.
Zoom in or zoom out. Problems that seem impossible at one level are often quite accessible from a different one."
- James Clear
"Optimism early, pessimism in the middle, optimism late.
Your starting position has to be somewhat optimistic or you'll talk yourself out of getting started. Believing in what you are about to do does not guarantee success, but a lack of belief can prevent it.
Once you've committed, pessimism becomes useful. Question things. Find holes in your plan. Hold yourself to a high standard and try to identify your mistaken beliefs before they become your misplaced actions.
After you've spent some time troubleshooting, it's back to optimism again. Nothing will ever be perfect, but you have to act anyway. Progress requires the courage to forge ahead despite the inevitable obstacles."
- James Clear
"Many people view their habits and routines as obstacles or, at the very least, obligations to get through. Making the morning coffee, driving your kids to the next activity, preparing the next meal—we often see our routines as chores to be completed.
But these are not moments to be dismissed. They are life. Making coffee can be a peaceful ritual—perhaps even a fulfilling one—if done with care rather than rushed to completion. It’s about the amount of attention you devote to these simple moments, and whether you choose to appreciate them or bulldoze through them on the way to the next task.
Find the beauty and joy in your daily rituals and you will find beauty and joy in your daily life. To love your habits is to love your days, and to love your days is to love your life."
- James Clear
"A valuable skill in life is to be larger than the situation.
When you're feeling stressed or rattled, the situation is consuming you. It feels bigger and more important than it needs to be. This is when your emotions are likely to get the best of you.
But when you are larger than the situation, you can mentally "step outside and above it." Yes, there are problems to be solved. Yes, you need to take action. But the chaos is happening externally and you are still in the driver's seat internally. You're in control of the moment, the moment is not in control of you."
- James Clear
"People often think that something "far off" will make them happy. That moving to a new place or getting a different job or meeting someone new will change how they feel. But happiness will always be withheld if you believe it is somewhere else. The secret is to find happiness in the people and places that are close to you. See the beauty in the things that are nearby."
- James Clear
"Some things work and some things don't. There is almost always another way to get where you want to go. Don't keep trying to open a locked door."
- James Clear
"I recently found a box filled with notes I wrote to myself years ago. I like this one:
1. Know what you want.
2. Go after it relentlessly."
- James Clear
"One version of confidence is: I've got this figured out.
Another version is: I can figure this out.
The first is arrogant and close-minded. The second is humble and open-minded.
Be humble about what you know, but confident about what you can learn."
- James Clear
"Work hard.
If results depend on effort, then you will carry yourself far.
If results depend on effort and luck, then you will have done what you can to influence the outcome.
And if results depend on luck alone, then the outcome is random, but you will have won the battle with yourself."
- James Clear
"We want solutions, but what we really need are attitudes.
You don’t need abs, but rather an attitude of training. You don’t need the answer, but rather an attitude of curiosity. You don’t need an easier life, but rather an attitude of perseverance.
Attitude precedes outcome."
- James Clear
"Anxiety is thought without control.
Flow is control without thought."
- James Clear
"Passion is a feeling that follows action. It tends to be created or discovered, not predicted or planned. You don't find your passion. It finds you as you get in the mix and try things."
- James Clear
"Curiosity is the beginning of knowledge. Action is the beginning of change."
- James Clear
"Start with the thing you are most motivated to do.
Start with a small habit you think is fun and do it consistently. This will not only feel satisfying, but also open your eyes to the type of person you can become.
After the first domino falls, you can use the momentum to do a little more."
- James Clear
"People usually judge you based on where you are at currently, not what you could become eventually. Don't let one comment stop you from trying. File it away or use it as fuel. Focus on getting better. Someone else's analysis of your current position doesn't tell you anything about your current potential."
- James Clear
"The person who focuses on one task and sees it through to completion—even if they work in a somewhat slow or outdated manner—beats the endless optimizer who jumps from tool to tool and always hopes a new piece of technology will help them finish what they start."
- James Clear
"The difference between how I feel before my first set in the gym and how I feel after my first set is enormous.
You don't even need a full workout (or work session, etc.) to feel good again. You are 5 minutes away from putting your day on a completely different trajectory."
- James Clear
"The myth is that there isn't enough time. There is plenty of time. There isn't enough focus with the time you have. You win by directing your attention toward better things."
- James Clear
"It generally feels better to run toward something than to run away from something. Focus on what is pulling you in, not what you're trying to avoid."
- James Clear
"Just because improvements aren't visible doesn't mean they aren't happening.
You're not going to see the number change each time you step on the scale. You're not going to finish a chapter each time you sit down to write.
Early wins come easy. Lasting wins require a lifestyle."
- James Clear