My 2019 Annual Review

Another year complete. Here's a quick recap of 2019, which also happened to be one of the craziest years of my life. As always, this Annual Review will answer three questions. What went well this year? What didn’t go so well this year? What did I learn? Before we begin, it is worth noting that every Annual Review is a personal process. This...

Jan 2020

Happy 1st Birthday, Atomic Habits! (plus 3 gifts for you…)

One year ago today, Atomic Habits was born. The last 12 months have been a wild ride: 1.1 million copies sold worldwide 12 consecutive months on the New York Times best seller list (currently #3) Repeated appearances on the Audible, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller lists Over 20,000 reviews on Audible (4.8/5 stars) Over 1,300 reviews...

Oct 2019

The Ultimate Productivity Hack is Saying No

The ultimate productivity hack is saying no. Not doing something will always be faster than doing it. This statement reminds me of the old computer programming saying, “Remember that there is no code faster than no code.” 1 The same philosophy applies in other areas of life. For example, there is no meeting that goes faster than not having a meeting...

Apr 2019

30 One-Sentence Stories From People Who Have Built Better Habits

In this article, I'd like to share 30 “one-sentence stories” about building better habits. (They are not all exactly one sentence, but they are very short.) None of these stories are mine. They were sent to me by readers of Atomic Habits. My hope is that these examples will illustrate how real people are putting the book into practice. They will show...

Jan 2019

The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide: Why and How to Track Your Habits

This article includes an excerpt from Atomic Habits, my New York Times bestselling book. If you want to stick with a habit for good, one simple and effective thing you can do is keep a habit tracker. Here's why: Elite performers will often measure, quantify, and track their progress in various ways. Each little measurement provides feedback. It offers...

Jan 2019

The Surprising Benefits of Journaling One Sentence Every Day

From 1986 to 2011, Oprah Winfrey hosted The Oprah Winfrey Show. It was the highest rated talk show of all-time and familiar to nearly anyone who owned a television set in North America at that time. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the “Queen of All Media” built a career and brand stretched far beyond the television screen. She went on to become a billionaire,...

Jan 2019

My 2018 Annual Review

It's time for a little reflection and review. Each December, I conduct my Annual Review (this is my sixth year) and I've found the process useful every time. As always, this Annual Review will answer three questions. What went well this year? What didn’t go so well this year? What did I learn? Feel free to use this format for your own Annual Review....

Dec 2018

How to Make Your Future Habits Easy

This article is an excerpt from Atomic Habits, my New York Times bestselling book. While researching Atomic Habits, I came across a story that immediately struck me with its simplicity and power. It was the story of Oswald Nuckols, an IT developer from Natchez, Mississippi, and his simple strategy for making future habits easy. Nuckols refers to the...

Nov 2018

The Habits Scorecard: Use This Simple Exercise to Discover Which Habits You Should Change

This article is an excerpt from Atomic Habits, my New York Times bestselling book. The Japanese railway system is regarded as one of the best in the world. If you ever find yourself riding a train in Tokyo, you’ll notice that the conductors have a peculiar habit. As each operator runs the train, they proceed through a ritual of pointing at different...

Nov 2018

How to Make Your Future Habits Easy

This article is an excerpt from my book, Atomic Habits. While researching Atomic Habits, I came across a story that immediately struck me with its simplicity and power. It was the story of Oswald Nuckols, an IT developer from Natchez, Mississippi, and his simple strategy for making future habits easy. Nuckols refers to the approach as “resetting the...

Oct 2018