The Science of Making & Breaking Habits: How to Change Your Life in 1 Month

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Jan 8, 2026

James Clear, the bestselling author known for his impactful book 'Atomic Habits,' joins to discuss how habits shape our lives. He reveals that failure to change isn't a lack of motivation but flawed systems. Clear emphasizes the importance of tiny improvements, actionable steps, and designing enjoyable habits. He shares personal stories, including his recovery journey, and highlights methods to overcome setbacks. Discover how to maintain consistency and build a supportive environment for successful behaviors.

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INSIGHT

Systems Trump Willpower

Systems, not willpower, determine whether you change your habits.
Fix daily systems and the results will follow over months and years.

INSIGHT

Small Gains Compound Exponentially

Tiny daily changes compound into massive differences over time.
1% better each day becomes ~37.78x better after a year through compound interest.

ANECDOTE

Recovery Taught The 1% Rule

James Clear recovered from a severe facial and skull injury by focusing on tiny, consistent improvements.
That slow recovery taught him the power of small daily progress and shaped his approach to habits.

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In today’s episode, you’re going to learn an easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones.

Here to offer you a guide to improving your life, no matter what your goals are, is James Clear – the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits, which is one of Mel’s favorite books.

James Clear is one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation and behavior change. His work has helped millions of people lose weight, quit smoking and vaping, stop drinking, build businesses, start new chapters, achieve lifelong goals, and become the person they want to be.

In this conversation, James reveals a simple truth most people never learn: if you’re struggling to change your habits, the problem isn’t you – it’s your systems.

Bad habits don’t repeat because you lack motivation or willpower. They repeat because your system is designed to produce them.

James breaks down the proven frameworks behind lasting change and explains how tiny, consistent improvements compound into extraordinary results over time.

And even if you have read the book Atomic Habits, which Mel has several times, there are things in the interview today that James says that he has never shared before.

He will also cover the things he wished he had written about when he wrote Atomic Habits 7 years ago!

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

-Make time for new habits
-Overcome a lack of motivation
-Design your environment to make success easier
-Get back on track quickly when you fall off course

-How 1% improvements compound into extraordinary results
-The difference between goals and systems - How to break bad habits without relying on willpower
-The identity shift that makes change permanent

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand why change has felt so hard in the past - and you’ll walk away with a proven system you can use for the rest of your life.

For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page.

If you liked the episode, check out this one next: How to Get Things Done, Stay Focused and Be More Productive

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