"Two simple rules:
1. You get better at what you practice.
2. Everything is practice.
Look around and you may be surprised by what people are “practicing" each day. If you consider each moment a repetition, what are most people training for all day long?
Many people are practicing getting mad on social media. Others are practicing the fine art of noticing how they have been wronged. Still more have mastered the craft of making plans (but never following through).
But, of course, it doesn't have to be that way.
What are you practicing?"
- James Clear
"When dreaming, imagine success.
When preparing, imagine failure.
When acting, imagine success."
- James Clear
"If you do not actively choose a better way, then society, culture, and the general inertia of life will push you into a worse way. The default is distraction, not improvement."
- James Clear
"You can lose yourself one small compromise at a time.
You can transform yourself one small win at a time."
- James Clear
"Train hard and focus on what you can control."
- James Clear
"If you're eager to learn—even if you aren't particularly talented—then you can make it a long way despite your shortcomings.
But if you're not eager and curious, you'll find your natural abilities often fall short of what is required."
- James Clear
"Limiting your options now will expand your opportunities in the long run because you can remain focused enough to master something.
Keeping your options open now will reduce your opportunities in the long run because you divide your attention and end up doing an average job on seven different things.
Are you falling into the pattern of always mastering one thing or always chasing the next thing?"
- James Clear
"The more an idea is tied to your identity, the more you will ignore evidence it is false. People seem to have no trouble finding reasons to ignore the merits of ideas they dislike.
To continue to grow and learn, you must be willing to update, expand, and edit your identity. In many ways, growth is unlearning."
- James Clear
"A critical quality to develop in life is the willingness to try. You simply must find enough confidence to give it a go. The human mind is fabulous at learning. You will get better at whatever you practice. But before you can develop the skill to succeed, you must find the courage to attempt."
- James Clear
"Grow fast, built to crash.
Grow slow, built to last."
- James Clear
"If you look for evidence that people are conspiring to hold you back and the world is working against you, then it will take you no time at all to find precisely that.
If you expect to encounter helpful people and experience a world that is working with you, then you find plenty of evidence to support that view as well.
The raw material for a sweet life or a bitter life is always there. The story you emphasize is the one you notice."
- James Clear
"Focus on what provides value to others, not what impresses others.
Other people spend about as much time thinking about your lifestyle and accomplishments as you spend thinking about their lifestyle and accomplishments. Which is to say, not much time at all.
The things we do to impress others rarely impress them for longer than five minutes. But the things we do to provide value for others can last a lifetime. In the long run, one of the most impressive things you can do is provide exceptional value."
- James Clear
"Anger is like an oven; heat without light.
Forgiveness is like the moon; light without heat."
- James Clear
"Ideas that are hoarded help no one. Success follows generosity."
- James Clear
"In many cases, you'll find the only thing preventing you from learning is your ego.
No one enjoys feeling foolish, but attempting something new requires that you climb down from your perch and struggle as a beginner. You must ask questions that reveal your ignorance or attempt skills that make you look uncoordinated.
Learning demands the willingness to live in a brief state of discomfort. You must believe that looking like a fool for an hour will not ruin your reputation for life."
- James Clear
"Before you worry about how to win the game, figure out whether the game is worth winning."
- James Clear
"There is no need to fear any problem you are working on. If you are working on it, then you are influencing the outcome.
It's the problems you don't address that should concern you."
- James Clear
"The secret is to do a few things for a long time.
The challenge is...
(1) You need to experiment and explore quite a bit to find the thing that is worth doubling down on. It may take a few years (or a decade) to find the project or relationship or cause that you want to commit to for a long time.
(2) New things are always coming up. Once you find something you want to do for a long time, you need the courage and discipline to say no to the shiny, new opportunities. After years of exploring and experimenting, it can be hard to flip the switch and remain focused.
You have to be willing to explore widely enough to find your thing, then willing to focus narrowly enough to make it something great."
- James Clear
"Focus on your likes, not your wants.
-You may not want to exercise, but you like how it makes you feel.
-You may not want to write, but you like the feeling of accomplishment.
-You may not want to wake up early, but you like the calm beauty of morning.
Wanting is the desire you feel before doing something. Liking is the satisfaction you feel after doing something. Let your likes guide you."
- James Clear
"There are many ways to win in business, but there is one surefire way to lose: run out of money. Entrepreneurship is a game of survival."
- James Clear
"There are all kinds of cheat codes lying around, but they usually look boring. People will routinely ignore things that already work for the hope of a slightly easier path. The cheat code is the work you're avoiding."
- James Clear
"Two years, not two months.
The visible progress you're hoping for usually comes slower than you'd like. Even with consistent effort it can take a long time before progress feels significant. It might be a year of writing and editing before the book really starts to come together. You may need two years of recovery from a major injury before you notice just how far you've come. It may take two years of yoga before you realize how flexible you have become.
Take a deep breath, stop worrying about immediate results, and settle into a nice routine."
- James Clear
"The rules:
(1) know precisely what you want,
(2) determine the cost of what it will take to get it,
(3) don't bargain over the price."
- James Clear
"You can carve out a very good career simply by being the most reliable person on the team. You would not think that always showing up on time, hitting every deadline, and responding quickly and professionally to all communication would be such a differentiator, but these traits are always in short supply."
- James Clear
"Plant the seeds of greatness in your mind."
- James Clear
"The strategy required to find a great opportunity (lots of saying yes and exploring widely) is different from the strategy required to make the most of a great opportunity (lots of saying no and remaining focused)."
- James Clear
"I have had periods in my career when I have been sprinting full speed and accomplished a great deal and I have had seasons when I have been fairly lazy and coasted on my previous effort.
What I have learned is that I am the major obstruction to getting results. Whether external conditions are favorable or unfavorable makes less difference than whether I am fully engaged and consistent. Even in competitive fields, the competition is primarily within yourself."
- James Clear
"Do bold things with a pleasant and friendly demeanor."
- James Clear
"Communication is about what is received, not what is intended. If there is a gap between what you are saying and what they are hearing, you have to find a new way to say it."
- James Clear
"The bad workouts are the most important ones. It's easy to train when you feel good, but it's crucial to show up when you don't feel like it—even if you do less than you hope.
Going to the gym for 15 minutes might not improve your performance, but it reaffirms your identity. It's not always about what happens during the workout. It's about becoming the type of person who doesn't miss workouts."
- James Clear
"In many cases, what you hope to learn by reading books or listening to podcasts can only be learned by attempting what you fear. Some knowledge is only revealed through action."
- James Clear
"Some projects benefit from early action. If you're writing a book, it's easy to spend a lot of time brainstorming titles and dreaming up an outline, but it's better to simply write. The book discovers itself as you go. Yes, you'll need to go back and organize things, but this is easier to do once you have material. The key is to act first and then organize your thinking.
Other projects benefit from early planning. The best way to build a skyscraper is to plan carefully. If you start placing steel beams on day one, you're guaranteed to run into problems. It is harder to make changes once you've begun. You'll need to tear it down and start over again. The key is to organize your thinking and then act.
Do you need early action or early planning?"
- James Clear
"In my early 20s, I wrote a list of ambitious things I wanted to do in life. Go bungee jumping. Create a movie. Start a business. That sort of thing. I did a few of them, but not most.
Looking back, however, that list was incredibly valuable because it taught me the usefulness of chasing bold ideas—even if they never materialize. The dreams that didn't happen changed shape and led me down other interesting paths.
The important thing isn't to achieve all your dreams, but to keep dreaming. Your desires change as you learn and grow. Old dreams will spawn new dreams. And eventually, one of these newer, more refined visions will find their moment and become reality."
- James Clear
"The first minute of action is worth more than a year of perfect planning."
- James Clear
"I'm not the best writer, but it is a strength. I might be a 90th percentile writer. And I'm not the best marketer, but it is a strength.
Again, maybe 90th percentile? I'm better than most, but if you pass 100 people on the street it won't be hard to find some people better than me.
What I have gradually learned is that it is not your strengths, but your combination of strengths that sets you apart. It is the fact that writing and marketing are mutually reinforcing—and that I enjoy both—that leads to great results.
How can you combine your strength? That's something I would encourage everyone to think about. You will find talented people in every area of life. It's the combinations that are rare."
- James Clear
"Make a mistake? Release the guilt, remember the lesson."
- James Clear
"Surround yourself with people who have the same goals as you. Rise together."
- James Clear
"Productivity is most important for things you don't want to be doing. Most people want to increase productivity so they can spend less time on the task.
But before you worry about being more productive, think about being more selective. Rather than focusing on increasing productivity, it may be worth asking, "What would I be delighted to spend time on, even if it went slowly?"
Direct your energy toward figuring out how to start what you want to do rather than thinking about how to shorten what you don't want to do."
- James Clear
"You can handle whatever you face."
- James Clear
"Do not mistake a confident explanation for an accurate prediction.
An engineer can predict how much weight a steel bridge will hold and you can be quite sure reality will match their calculation. That's an accurate prediction.
Meanwhile, strongly held opinions about what will happen in markets or sports or politics have little predictive power. A lot of what you hear can be summarized as: confident, but inaccurate."
- James Clear
"Mastery requires lots of practice. But the more you practice something, the more boring and routine it becomes.
Thus, an essential component of mastery is the ability to maintain your enthusiasm. The master continues to find the fundamentals interesting."
- James Clear
"There are at least 4 types of wealth:
1. Financial wealth (money)
2. Social wealth (status)
3. Time wealth (freedom)
4. Physical wealth (health)
Be wary of jobs that lure you in with 1 and 2, but rob you of 3 and 4."
- James Clear
"A simple rule that makes life easier:
Always strive to give value before you ask for value."
- James Clear
"Three ways to learn something new:
1. Reflect on what you have already tried.
2. Attempt something you have not tried.
3. Read about what someone else has tried."
- James Clear
"You can cold email nearly anyone, but nearly everyone overlooks how powerful it can be.
Sending one email each week that feels like a stretch can change your life. Will you get turned down? Sure, most of the time. But you only need one to pay off for something amazing to happen.
Take your time, write a thoughtful message, and muster the courage to press Send."
- James Clear
"Clarity isn't about knowing what you want to do with your life, it's about knowing what you want to do this week.
You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to know your next step."
- James Clear
"You'll probably surprise yourself with what you can accomplish—if you're focused on one thing.
You'll probably frustrate yourself with what you fail to accomplish—if you're doing 5 or 7 or 10 things.
Nobody performs well when stretched in a half dozen directions."
- James Clear
"My personal rule is that it's a good idea to be patient as long as I'm in the mix.
If I'm taking action, putting in my reps, and trying things out, then I should remain patient and see what opportunities arise. But if I'm not taking action consistently, then I'm not practicing patience. I'm just waiting."
- James Clear
"People can help you in many ways throughout life, but there are two things nobody can give you: curiosity and drive. They must be self-supplied.
If you are not interested and curious, all the information in the world can be at your fingertips, but it will be relatively useless. If you are not motivated and driven, whatever connections or opportunities are available to you will be rendered inert.
Now, you won't feel curious and driven about every area of life, and that's fine. But it really pays to find something that lights you up. This is one of the primary quests of life: to find the thing that ignites your curiosity and drive.
There are many recipes for success. There is no single way to win. But nearly all recipes include two ingredients: curiosity and drive."
- James Clear
"The recipe for finding opportunities is:
1. Be pleasant
2. Ask questions
3. Engage daily
It's hard for a warm and pleasant person who is asking a lot of questions and engaging in their industry daily to not come across interesting opportunities. "
- James Clear