“A short idea from Atomic Habits:
Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. Your clutter is a lagging measure of your cleaning habits. You get what you repeat.”
– James Clear
“How to be a better writer:
– write about what fascinates you – make one point per sentence – use stories to make your point – cut extra words like “really” and “very” – read the whole thing out loud – post publicly (you’ll try harder when you know others will read it)
And finally, be more thoughtful about what you consume. The quality of ideas you put in determines the quality of ideas you put out.”
– James Clear
“If you haven’t started, then taking action is more important than finding a better strategy.
If you’re already taking action, then ensuring you’re working on the right thing is more important than working harder.
Your effort sets your floor. Your strategy sets your ceiling.”
– James Clear
“When you say no, you are only saying no to one option.
When you say yes, you are saying no to every other option.
No is a decision.
Yes is a responsibility.
Be careful what (and who) you say yes to. It will shape your day, your career, your family, your life. Pair with: The ultimate productivity hack is saying no.”
– James Clear
“A good choice may go unrewarded for a long time.
The best choices tend to provide exponential returns and a hallmark of any compounding process is that the greatest rewards are delayed. Things don't really take off until years later.
Keep working. Be patient.”
– James Clear
“Habits that have a high rate of return in life:
– sleeping 8+ hours each day – lifting weights 3x week – going for a walk each day – saving at least 10 percent of your income – reading every day – drinking more water and less of everything else – leaving your phone in another room while you work”
– James Clear
“Having good health isn’t everything, but not having it is.
Having money isn’t everything, but not having it is.
You don’t need 6-pack abs or a million dollars to be happy, but it is worth learning the fundamentals of fitness and finance.
They bring a margin of safety.”
– James Clear
“A simple way to ensure you are focused on what matters:
Imagine everything gets wiped. You inherit no tasks or responsibilities from your past or present. Then, add back only what you miss.
Choose what to add to a blank slate, not what to keep from a full plate.”
– James Clear
“The idea that “change is hard” is one of the biggest myths about human behavior.
The truth is, you change effortlessly and all the time. The primary job of the brain is to adjust your behavior based on the environment.
Design a better environment. Change will happen naturally.”
– James Clear
“The fact that you go to the gym even though you don’t “need” to… is why you don’t need to.
The fact that you save when you could spend… is why you have money to spend.
Your habits create your strength.”
– James Clear
“Negotiation Tips
-You want leverage. -The person who creates more value has leverage. -The person who can walk away has leverage. -The person who is irreplaceable has leverage. -The person who has a second option has leverage. -The person who knows the numbers has leverage. -The person who everyone likes and wants to work with has leverage. -The person who asks for more, gets more.
And finally, most negotiations are not one-time affairs. The person people continue to like at the end of this negotiation is in a better position for the next one.”
– James Clear
“Gut reactions are usually very wrong or very right.
They tend to be wrong when they are based purely on emotion and in domains where you lack experience. They tend to be right when they are rooted in deep understanding and well-developed taste.
Trust your gut when you have the experience to back it up.”
– James Clear
“Major life changes — moving to a new city, starting a new job, ending a relationship, getting married, having kids, etc — will often make life harder for the first 100 days before improving.
Not always true, but it’s a reminder that early struggle doesn’t mean it was a bad choice.”
– James Clear
“Why focus on the process when the world is outcome driven? Don’t results matter?
Yes, results do matter. But if you optimize for the outcome, you win one time.
If you optimize for a process that leads to great outcomes, you can win again and again.”
– James Clear
“The costs of your good habits are in the present.
The costs of your bad habits are in the future.”
– James Clear
“One of the most underrated career skills that isn’t really taught anywhere is editing your own writing.
Great writing is actually re-writing. Simplifying paragraphs. Clarifying key points. Double-checking for typos.
Good writing will impress in any job.”
– James Clear
“Your body adapts to what you eat.
Your mind adapts to what you consume.
Your soul adapts to what you love.
What you feed yourself today is who you become tomorrow.”
– James Clear
“Optimists win in the long-run because their miscalculation of how long it will take or how likely it is to succeed motivates them to give it a try.
If you knew how hard it would be and how long it would take in the beginning then you might not try in the first place.”
– James Clear
“Most people need consistency more than they need intensity.
Intensity: -run a marathon -write a book in 30 days -silent meditation retreat
Consistency: -don't miss a workout for 2 years -write every week -daily silence
Intensity makes a good story. Consistency makes progress.”
– James Clear
“If you want to be in the top 1% of a particular domain, then you can’t take your cues from and follow the social norms of 99% of people.
This is harder than it sounds. We are wired to imitate. The further you want to climb, the more carefully you need to construct your tribe.”
– James Clear
“To improve, compare little things.
-marketing strategies -exercise technique -writing tactics
To be miserable, compare big things.
-career path -marriage -net worth
Comparison is the thief of joy when applied broadly, but the teacher of skills when applied narrowly.”
– James Clear
“It’s crazy how often I feel like I need to resolve some big problem in my life when all I really need is one of the following:
1. A glass of water 2. A 10-minute walk outside 3. A good night of sleep
Three simple things that resolve many of the stresses and anxieties of daily life.”
– James Clear
“Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth.” —Machiavelli
Mistakes of ambition:
-failing on a big goal -creating something nobody wants
Mistakes of sloth:
-not attempting a big goal -consuming instead of creating
Mistakes of ambition teach. Mistakes of sloth comfort.”
– James Clear
“Your 1st blog post will be bad, but your 1000th will be great.
Your 1st workout will be weak, but your 1000th will be strong.
Your 1st meditation will be scattered, but your 1000th will be focused.
Put in your reps.”
– James Clear
“Practice is the price you pay today to be better tomorrow.”
– James Clear
“Problem solving strategy:
If you’re stuck, shift up a level or two (think bigger picture) or down a level or two (think finer details). Many problems are solvable at a different level.
Note: This works for strategy too. You’ll often find a better opportunity at a different level.”
– James Clear
“Merely believing you deserve something doesn’t make it a reality… but believing you don’t deserve something will prevent you from trying.
Most people are capable of more than they believe. Confidence won’t automatically get you results, but self-doubt sets your ceiling.”
– James Clear
“Habits will form whether you want them or not.
Whatever you repeat, you reinforce.”
– James Clear
“A strategy for thinking clearly: Rather than trying to be right, assume you are wrong and try to be less wrong.
Trying to be right has a tendency to devolve into protecting your beliefs.
Trying to be less wrong has a tendency to prompt more questions and intellectual humility.”
– James Clear
“You know yourself mostly by your thoughts.
Everyone else in the world knows you only by your actions.
Remember this when you feel misunderstood. You have to do or say something for others to know how you feel.”
– James Clear
“In the long-run (and often in the short-run), your willpower will never beat your environment.”
– James Clear
“The most effective networking strategy I’ve found has nothing to do with conferences, cocktail hours, cold emails, or any of the common ideas you hear.
1) Do interesting things. 2) Share them publicly.
Like-minded people will come to you.”
– James Clear
“Qualities that lead to increasing intelligence:
1. The curiosity to experiment and explore.
2. The honesty to observe the world as it is, not as you wish it to be.
3. The humility to kill your favorite ideas when you learn something new.
4. The consistency to repeat this cycle for life.”
– James Clear
“A simple strategy that will save you so many headaches: don't care about winning trivial arguments.
Someone says something you don't agree with? Smile, nod, and move on to more important things.
Life is short. Not caring about having the last word will save you so much time.”
– James Clear
“When making plans, think big.
When making progress, think small.”
– James Clear
“Mastery requires both impatience and patience.
The impatience to have a bias toward action, to not waste time, and to work with a sense of urgency each day.
The patience to delay gratification, to wait for your actions to accumulate, and to trust the process.”
– James Clear
“Start now. Optimize later. Imperfect starts can always be improved. Obsessing over a perfect plan will never take you anywhere on its own.”
– James Clear
“Life is short.
And if life is short, then moving quickly matters. Launch the product. Write the book. Ask the question. Take the chance.
Be thoughtful, but get moving.”
– James Clear
“Over 107 billion people have lived throughout history. These people tried things, failed, learned, and tried differently. Sometimes, they found new solutions. The cumulative lessons of those 107 billion have been passed down to you. It is the greatest gift you will ever receive.”
– James Clear
“It is not necessary to change a person in order to change their behavior. Just change their environment”
– James Clear