This is the second in a series of articles recommending reading material. In this entry we'll look at James Clear's bestselling Atomic Habits, where we learn how very small changes can result in eventual life-changing outcomes.

Details: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear, Cornerstone Press, 2018

In a sentence: An easy-to-understand guide on how forming small habits can lead to meaningful, long-term change

Tone: Practical, approachable, motivational

Who is it for: Anyone who wants to make changes but finds themselves struggling to do so

I've lost count of how many times I've tried to take up running.

It always starts with the best of intentions. I want to get fitter, to get more exercise, to challenge my body after a day of sitting at a computer screen. Sometimes, I can even find myself excited about it. And out I'll go, running as far as my meagre lung capacity will allow, and return home breathless and sweaty.

It's unlikely I'll still be doing it a week later.

I know I'm not alone in this. We all have aspirations to make changes to our lives, whether that's to spend less time on our phones, to start going to the gym, or to stop letting work get to us so much. The challenge comes when we don't see the results from those changes straight away. If, after I went for that initial run, I noticed that I had a whole new lease of life, with stronger, more powerful muscles and the ability to run for miles without getting out of breath, I'd keep doing it. But that's not how it works, and so, sadly, I lose motivation and stop doing it.

"The challenge comes when we don't see the results from those changes straight away."

That's the situation that Atomic Habits covers.

Atomic Habits is about the small habits we can start to form that will, over time, result in meaningful outcomes that will stand the test of time. It's along the lines of the infamous "marginal gains" concept, where changing something, no matter how small, can have a huge impact on your life. After all, if you improve at something by 1% every day, you'll improve by 37% over a year.

Where Atomic Habits offers most value is in helping to explain not just the importance of making those small changes, but how to ensure you keep doing them when the initial enthusiasm has worn off. This is key. I know from my own failed attempts at running that changes don’t tend to have immediate rewards, and that can make it hard to do keep at them. But just because I wasn't seeing the outcome that I needed didn't mean I wasn't making progress. It just hadn't seen the result yet.

The analogy Clear uses in the book is that of trying to melt an ice cube. If you put an ice cube in a room at -10°C, it will stay frozen. Heat the room by 1 degree to -9°C, it will remain frozen. -8°C, still frozen. -7°C, same. And on and on, until you reach 0°C. If you gave up after lowering the temperature nine times, finishing at -1°C, the ice cube would remain devoutly unfrozen, and you'd think that all your temperature changing attempts were for nothing. But they weren't. You just hadn't reached the tipping point, the additional degree where the ice begins to show signs of melting.

This shows that change isn't linear. We want to put the work in and immediately see the rewards for that change, but that's not how it works. If you saved £1 a day (not an insurmountable amount for most by any means), after a week your saving of £7 probably wouldn't feel too rewarding. Depending on where you live, that can barely cover a drink at a bar. But keep doing it over a year and you've ended up with £365. Do it over ten years, and you've got £3,650. At some point on that journey, your savings will have shifted from feeling like they're hardly worth the effort, to being able to offer a a meaningful difference to your life. Clear explains this with the phrase "your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits."

"Change isn't linear. We want to put the work in and immediately see the rewards for that change, but that's not how it works"

What brings this book to life are the actionable, focused steps it suggests for creating small habits that will, over time, begin to pay off. Perhaps the most impactful example of this for me was the importance the book puts on our identity, because this helps to explain why making changes can be so hard to do.

To return to the running example, the sort of language I'd use about myself is "I'm not a runner". It's no wonder I don't go running! Even language such as "I'd like to go running more", or "I'm trying to run more" are defeatist. I'm unintentionally presenting the habit I want to form as something that goes completely against my identity, and something I want, but am not able, to do. Shifting the language to "I am a runner" completely changes the dynamic of how I carry myself. And if I start making sure I go for a run every day - if only for 2 minutes rather than running until I can't move any more - I start to build evidence that I am a runner. I am changing my identity and reinforcing that this new identity is accurate through my actions. As Clear says in the book, "the most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do".

"I am changing my identity and reinforcing that this new identity is accurate through my actions. As Clear says in the book, "the most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do"."

The book goes on to cover in much more detail how to make these changes a reality, focusing on the Four Laws of Behaviour to make sure they stick, and including tips such as habit stacking, where you add a new habit on top of an existing one. While there are other "self-help" books that have spoken more to my own personal journey, I can't think of many others that have made such a noticeable change to the way I live my life. Its actionable, simple approach to small, sustainable change makes it a particularly motivating read, even if at times it can feel a little forced, as well as - in my opinion - excessively focused on aesthetics over purpose (e.g. encouraging gaining muscle to look good, not for the benefits of increased exercise). Those are areas where your enjoyment may vary.

With that said, if you are finding yourself trapped in a cycle of good intentions but lacking meaningful change, this is highly recommended.

Top three takeaways:

1. Keeping changes small can often make them easier to maintain. Small, manageable habits are more sustainable and can lead to significant improvements over time.

2. Outcomes from new habits are not always immediate, linear, or visible. This doesn't mean they aren't leading to meaningful improvements in the future. Progress may not be immediately apparent, but consistent effort will eventually yield results.

3. Be mindful of defeatist language that may be subconsciously limiting what you are capable of. The way you talk about yourself can influence your actions and help reinforce positive habits.

Has the thought of making small changes that can make a huge differences got you excited? If so, check out my Services page to see what I offer as a certified Stress Management Coach.