The Tim Ferriss Show

#648: James Clear, Atomic Habits — Simple Strategies for Building (and Breaking) Habits, Questions for Personal Mastery and Growth, Tactics for Writing and Launching a Mega-Bestseller, Finding Leverage, and More

Jan 4, 2023

James Clear, author and speaker on habits and continuous improvement, talks about the power of annual reviews and self-reflection, utilizing Asana for idea organization, the importance of multiple distribution platforms, the fragility of platform dependence, the significance of email and prioritization, strategies for breaking bad habits, deconstructing 'Atomic Habits', choosing an impactful book title, focusing on specific targets and bestseller lists, sending out advanced copies, and the power of pre-game routines.

02:22:48

Episode guests

James Clear

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Quick takeaways

Optimizing for time and focusing on high leverage activities leads to a fulfilling and impactful life.

Building lasting habits requires creating a new identity and consistently performing small actions that align with it.

Taking pride in your desired identity makes it easier to stick with habits that align with that identity.

Writing a remarkable book involves creating timeless, universal content that captivates readers' attention.

Developing a pregame ritual can initiate a habit and make it easier to stick to it.

Deep dives

Optimizing for Time and Building Leverage

Optimizing for time rather than money and focusing on high leverage activities can lead to a more fulfilling and impactful life. By deciding how you want to spend your days and making choices that align with that vision, you can create a small but effective team and maximize your productivity. The key is to identify the work that keeps working for you once it's done, such as creating assets that compound and continue to deliver value over time. By building an ecosystem that connects your internal distribution channels, such as your website and newsletter, with external platforms like Twitter and Instagram, you can create a network of content that supports and drives each other. This approach provides a level of autonomy and reduces dependency on external platforms, allowing you to maintain control over your content and reach a wider audience.

The Power of Identity-Based Habits

The key to building lasting habits is to focus on creating a new identity first. Your current behaviors are a reflection of your current identity, so to change your behaviors, you need to start believing new things about yourself. This involves deciding the type of person you want to be and then proving it to yourself with small wins. By consistently performing small habits that align with your desired identity, you reinforce the story of who you are and shape your future behaviors. By building identity-based habits, you can create meaningful and lasting change in your life.

Building Habits: The Power of Identity

Building habits is about creating an identity that you can be proud of. When you take pride in a certain aspect of your identity, it becomes easier to stick with habits that align with that identity.

Proving Your Desired Identity Through Small Wins

To reinforce your desired identity, start with small wins that align with the type of person you want to be. By consistently showing up and performing these small habit actions, you build momentum and shape your new identity.

Creating a Remarkable Book: Timeless, Universal, and Fascinating

To create a remarkable book, focus on writing something that is timeless, universal, and that fascinates you. Look for patterns in best-selling titles and structure your book in a way that captivates readers' attention.

Strategic Book Launch: Concentrated, Energized, and Influencer-focused

Plan your book launch well in advance, ideally 9-15 months ahead of time. Concentrate your marketing efforts in a tight window, such as one month, to generate a sense of widespread excitement. Utilize podcasts, bonus giveaways, and influencer copies to boost visibility and generate word-of-mouth recommendations.

The Power of Pregame Rituals

Developing a pregame ritual can be a powerful way to initiate a habit. By doing the same sequence of actions before starting an activity, like writing or exercising, you can get into the right frame of mind and make it easier to stick to the habit.

The Importance of the Social Environment

The social environment plays a significant role in shaping our habits. When our desired behavior aligns with the expectations and norms of a group or tribe, it becomes more attractive and motivating to stick to those habits. Surrounding ourselves with people who have similar habits and behaviors can help us reinforce our desired habits and make them easier to maintain.

Consistency and the Trajectory of Habits

Consistency is key when it comes to building and maintaining habits. Focusing on small, incremental improvements each day can lead to significant long-term progress. By making small changes and staying on a positive trajectory, we can harness the power of time to magnify our desired habits and achieve better results.

Questions to Ask Yourself Regularly

02:03

Improve your Information Flows to Improve Your Ideas

00:45

The 2 Minute Rule To Build Habits

02:06

What is the Work That Keeps Working for You?

01:05

Introduction

5min

Introduction of James Clear and Peloton Row Ad

2min

Annual Reviews and Self-Reflection

22min

Utilizing Asana for Idea Capture and Organization

11min

Building Multiple Distribution Platforms and Owning Assets

5min

The Fragility of Platform Dependence

10min

The Importance of Email and Prioritization

8min

Breaking Bad Habits and Finding Optimal Solutions

17min

Deconstructing 'Atomic Habits'

9min

10.

Choosing an Impactful Book Title

18min

11.

Focusing on Specific Targets and Best Seller Lists

7min

12.

Sending Out Advanced Copies

5min

13.

The Power of Pre-Game Routines

17min

14.

Promotion of Five Bullet Friday and Sponsor Segment on Peloton Row

6min

Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one supplement, Peloton Row premium rower for an efficient workout, and You Need A Budget cult-favorite money management app.

James Clear (@JamesClear) is a writer and speaker focused on habits and continuous improvement. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits, which covers easy and proven ways to build good habits and break bad ones. The book has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 50 languages. On average, Atomic Habits has sold one copy every 15 seconds since it was published.

James is also the creator of the 3-2-1 Newsletter, which is one of the most popular email newsletters in the world and has more than 2 million subscribers. Each issue contains 3 short ideas from James, 2 quotes from other people, and 1 question to consider that week. You can sign up for free at JamesClear.com.

He is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies, and his work is used by players and coaches in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. In college, he was an Academic All-American baseball player, and he is an avid weightlifter.

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[06:52] Annual reviews.

[13:06] Habitual accountability.

[17:24] Systemic scaffolding.

[22:03] Capturing good ideas.

[29:15] Asana.

[32:02] Leveraging maximal results from minimal scale.

[41:50] Rolling with social platform inconsistencies.

[46:45] Don’t let the algorithm dictate your identity.

[50:55] The key to building lasting habits.

[55:07] How James would promote 5-Bullet Friday.

[1:00:59] What might an outside observer believe are your priorities?

[1:02:00] Success generates opportunities — and distractions.