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Transform Your Habits

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Here’s a quick rundown of 10 things you’ll learn in this guide…

- How to reverse your bad habits and stick to good ones.
- The science of how your brain processes habits.
- The common mistakes most people make (and how to avoid them).
- How to overcome a lack of motivation and willpower.
- How to develop a stronger identity and believe in yourself.
- How to make time for new habits (even when your life gets crazy).
- How to design your environment to make success easier.
- How to make big changes in your life without overwhelming yourself.
- How to get back on track when you get off course with your goals.
- And most importantly, how to put these ideas into practice in real life.

45 pages, ebook

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About the author

James Clear

70 books10.3k followers
James Clear is the author of "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones"

He writes about habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement at jamesclear.com. His website receives millions of visitors each month and hundreds of thousands subscribe to his popular email newsletter.

His work has appeared in the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Time, and on CBS This Morning. He is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies and his work is used by teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB.

Learn more at jamesclear.com

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5 stars
448 (51%)
4 stars
260 (29%)
3 stars
134 (15%)
2 stars
22 (2%)
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8 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
Profile Image for Naoise.
52 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2018
James Clear has a big following because of his newsletter –which I am subscribed to–, and that can probably explain the many good reviews. But this document, which is already only a 45-page free-to-download "ebook", is too long and could be synthesized in a 3 page tryptic. Although the intention is good and the concept an important one, and the proposals described to get rid of bad habits and attain desired ones are with no doubt good ones, it's a full blown action of "copy-writing": self-help mumbo jumbo that goes over and over again through the same concepts in an attempt to spin out something akin to a book to get people to give their emails in exchange of a free copy.

I do appreciate the contents, I certainly don't appreciate that I need to skim through the text searching for the meat. Fortunately this is not a full-blown book, which I am sure some authors would pull off delivering exactly the same meaningful information.

Moreover, it promises on talking about "the science of habit" and there is nothing even close to science or scientific references on it. The only references are other books on habits which presumably don't have sources in them either. I am not saying it's nonsense, I apply the techniques described in it and I can attest to its effectiveness, but there's no scientific proof here if that's what you are looking for.

Whoever is interested in an abridged version of the WHOLE thing, here it is:

How to build new habits:

Three step process (3 Rs):
- cue/reminder: don't wait to be motivated, associated an habit with an every-day trigger.
- routine: do it, no matter what, even if it's a minimal version of what you want to achieve.
- reward: associate doing it with a reward, which can simply be saying "success" to yourself.

Start small, make it easy so you never avoid the habit.

Identity-based habits:
The goal must not be the habit itself, nor what people think of you, or a deadline nor even what you want to achieve. Focus on who you want to be (or go back to being) and work towards that through the habit. (I.e. "I want to loose 10 kg" wrong, "I want to be a person that eats less junk" right).

Set schedules (habit), not goals (achievement).

How to break bad habits:

We have bad habits because we are rewarded by them. They are normally associated with stress and boredom. Thus, "just stop doing it" never works. You need to substitute a bad habit with a different one. How to:
- Choose a substitute.
- Cut out the triggers.
- Don't do it alone, commit to it with or in front of other people.
- It's ok to slip, just keep at it.

That's it. You may find some other things, but this is the important part, really.
Profile Image for Rimantė :).
131 reviews29 followers
August 24, 2018
Pirmoji knyga, kurią perskaičiau 2018-iems vos prasidėjus, buvo James Clear "Mastering Creativity". Trumpą PDF vadovą perskaičiau per porą valandų ir likau sužavėta: aiškiai pateiktos, pavyzdžiais ir moksliniais tyrimais pagrįstos mintys apie kūrybiškumą ir kūrybinį darbą. Kaip tik tai, ką turėtų perskaityti tie, kurie vis dar mano, jog kūryba nėra darbas, o mūzų suneštinis balius.

Kadangi taip patiko James Clear rašymo stilius, iškart griebiausi kito jo vadovo "Transform Your Habits" apie gerų įpročių susikūrimą ir įtvirtinimą kasdienybėje, o taip pat apie blogų įpročių pakeitimą gerais. Pradėjau skaityt ne ką ilgesnį 50psl. PDF'ą prieš kažin kiek laiko, o perskaičiau tik dabar. Skaityklės aš neturiu, tai e-knygas skaitau labai retai, įpusėjus skaityti - paviliojo popierinės knygos, štai ir pasekmė - apžvalga po keletos mėnesių apidėliojimo.

"Transform Your Habits" - labai naudingas vadovas, tik tuo atveju, jei į jo turinį įsigilinsi ir imsi iškart taikyti savo kasdienybėje. Kitu atveju, kaip nutiko man, daug kas užsimiršta, dabar turėčiau skaityt iš naujo, norėdama panaudoti jame pateiktus praktinius patarimus. Neabejoju, kad ateityje būtent taip ir padarysiu - skaitysiu antrąkart.

"Mastering Creativity" ir "Transform Your Habits" visiškai nemokamai galima parsisiųsti iš James Clear tinklalapio. Be to autorius kiekvieną savaitę siunčia naujienlaiškius su naudinga bei įdomia informacija.

Labai rekomenduoju. Ypač jei jau domitės saviugda.

5/5
Profile Image for Fabio.
230 reviews11 followers
May 18, 2015
Less is more. This short book (45 pages in large font) is a perfect example as in few pages it manages to present very useful tips, example and strategy to do an effective transformation of our life.

Simplicity does not means put less effort, on the contrary, but finding the right way to focus our energies and thoughts is paramount.
I really appreciate both aspect of the book:
- a theoretical overview, short and concise, on how our mind (and habits) work and influence us and how positively change the framework with few simple (not for that, easy) steps.
- pragmatic examples that help us focusing on what is really needed to be done to change.

For example the point in focusing on daily schedule of regular action and not on ultimate ambitious objectives gives a perfect picture on how the transformation can, and does, work.

For completing the reading I strongly recommend to subscribe also to the bi-weekly newsletter or regularly read post from James Clear blog. You will get other good examples that will help you taylorize the approach to your own goals and needs.

A revealing reading that I will re-read on regular basis.
Profile Image for ΔRT.
58 reviews36 followers
March 25, 2017
I track my habits for several years in a row and have some observations from my own experience. That's why I was interested in other approaches/ideas in this direction.
As usual, some scores from me:

Transformation: 8
Ideally, every book I read should change my outlook in one way or another (be disruptive if you want).
There are some ideas that are new and promising from practical standpoint. Need some time to settle them down though. Also I like some counterintuitive findings from this book.

Actionable: 10
I try to read books that are relevant to my current interest and need and can be applied right now. That is why I expect a book to be a catalyst for actions.
This book is very practical. Nothing to add here.

Density: 10
I adore terse authors for their respect of my resources (time, energy, etc.).
A+++ here. Very short one. No noise, only signal.

Bottom line: You might want to read this book since it's short and practical.
Profile Image for Danielius (Debesyla).
Author 1 book242 followers
June 17, 2017
Really short and very compact guide about habits. I like this one!

> Bad habits are not useless (and thats why "just stop it" doesnt work)
> Good habits come with a routine
> Slow down, doing something is better than doing nothing and thinking about it
> You are that what you repeat

It just lacks some references to scientific research or useful links to read more on topics described.
Profile Image for Susan Zhuang.
9 reviews24 followers
February 6, 2018
This was more of an extended motivational LinkedIn post with common sense/opinions in PDF format, rather than an actual book.
Profile Image for Alaa Mrad.
15 reviews
December 15, 2015
كتاب جيد وخفيف يوضح لك الطريق لتبديل عاداتك السيئة بعادات حسنة، ويبين لك كيف يتعامل العقل مع عملية تغيير العادات.

ويوضح أيضا كيف أن التخفيز والإرادة سلاحان لا فائدة منهما لتغيير عاداتك وكسر روتين حياتك، إنما السلاح الأقوى لذلك هو إنشاء stronger identity وتغيير البيئة من حولك عبر إيجاد بيئة أخرى ملائمة للعادات الجديدة التي تنوي اكتسابها.

وأوضح أخيرا أن عملية تغيير العادات تتطلب وقتا وخطة وبرنامج والتزام.


Profile Image for Ashraf Hefny.
55 reviews11 followers
February 9, 2018
this is the first book I read for James Clear after following him for a while. this book like a guide to habit. In this short book (45 pages) you'll learn useful tips and strategies to do an effective transformation of our habits. I totally recommend it to everyone.
Profile Image for Rahma Hashish.
4 reviews
August 5, 2021
I consumed this book almost in one go – I found it very well written, easy to read and understand.
The book contains a nice mix of examples from real life as well as Ilse’s own lovely honesty.
This book will accompany me throughout my life.
I look forward to reading it again – more slowly and spending more time on the details.
Rahma
39 reviews
March 2, 2015
Proof that small books are often the very best sources of knowledge

The key message of this book is the way to transform bad habits into good ones, and to avoid relapsing into negative ones

The key ideas of this books are summed up in the following sections:

How are habits formed:
- Reminder\trigger, routine, and reward. If the reward is positive, it will become a habit
- How to make new ones: current habits become reminders of new habits, make it incredibly easy to start, reward yourself when you do it
- How to choose reminder: two lists, one things you do all the time, another things happen all the time, pick one and use it as a reminder

How to stick to the habit:
- Change identity over performance
- To believe new identity, must prove it to ourselves through action
- Start with identity based goals
- Recipe for habits: what kind of person do you want to be, and prove it by small wins

What is identity:
- Different than motivation
- Motivation finite, identity isnt dependent on mood
- Combine identity goals for framework, 3rs for how to achieve identity change

How to start:
- Tiny daily behaviors
- Lifestyle habits over bit lifechanging goals
- Dream big start small

How to fit new habits:
- Schedule habits over putting deadlines for results
- Practice over perfomance, dont worry about being perfect

How to avoid being overwhelmed
- Find keystone habit: habit pulls life together and leads to more productivity

How to get on track
- Put habits on calendar
- Stick schedule even if you need to downscale
- Have someone hold you accountable
- Create environment for success: have triggers around you

How to break bad habit
- Bad habits from stress and boredom
- Dont eliminate replace: find substitute, cut triggers, join forces with somebody, visualize success
- Use "but" when you negative self talk yourself "im fat, but in a few months I can be in shape"
- Plan for failure and how to get back on track BEFORE it happens
- Raise awareness of bad habits, when they happen, how often (Marcus Aurelius said, remember when the gods have sent you a task, when you put it off, how often)

My key takeaways
- Choosing a reminder from one of my not productive activities such as playing videogames to put on a self development video of any kind in the background
- Habits over performance and appearance, as they are the most superficial part of identity change
- Identity change is the framework, the 3rs how to change identity
- Lifestyle over lifechanging goals
- Schedule is more important than deadlines, make deadlines about schedules
- My keystone habit is fitness\sports, especially martial arts and heavy weights\high volume training. When my life feels like shit, do 50 pushups or hit the gym
- Importance of putting items on calendar, downscale as lons as I do it, but especially teaming up with someone to make me accountable, and create an environment full of triggers for success. I know I need to print out photos of the best times in my life with my friends, my ex, family etc
- Replace bad habits, which come from stress and boredom. Find better ways to deal with both
Profile Image for Awrad.
72 reviews18 followers
August 23, 2017
I love how he ended his book with "Never settle."
You know how self help books often make feel very motivated to do something but once couple days have passed you realise you don't have enough resources nor the motivation to actually do it? Well, this book is nothing like that. In fact, it emphasises Not to rely on motivation:

“Getting motivated and trying to remember to do a new behavior is the exact wrong way to go about it. If you think about this, it makes sense. Sometimes you feel motivated and sometimes you don't, right? So why would you want to rely on motivation (something that changes) to create a new habit (something that you want to be consistent)?”

It's a realistic guide on how to build new good habits and break bad ones. Informative and to the point. I'd recommend this to everyone looking to make a change.
Profile Image for Ádám Gulyás.
3 reviews6 followers
April 13, 2021
Transform your Habits by James Clear is one of those "self-help" books I really like. Namely, the type of book that is free from frippery. You will get what you came for: a sum up about habits in general, and a few examples on how to form good ones and get rid of bad ones. You won't read about hundreds of anecdotes or researches in this book, and that's great. I am here to better myself and not to polish my lexical knowledge on social experiments and learn the names of researchers that I will forget in 3 hours. It is short, practical, useful and easily readable when you need to refresh your knowledge or want to work on your personal action plan.
Profile Image for Vibhooti.
47 reviews48 followers
February 27, 2017
Short, simple and clear. This one is worth a read. A different approach to building and transforming one's habits. Author also brings relevant examples from his own life, which makes this read more relatable. Two of my key takeaways - 'It's not about always doing your best work, it's about doing the
best you can on a consistent basis' and 'Set a goal and then give yourself a schedule to follow, not a deadline to race towards!.
Profile Image for Bindu Upadhyay.
131 reviews90 followers
March 16, 2016
A very crisp summary of "Power of Habit". It also includes practical examples from the author's life. I have noted a bunch of action items. More like a summary of the summary.
"Start small" "Set schedules, not deadlines" are my key takeaways.
Profile Image for Danny Dover.
Author 4 books28 followers
July 27, 2016
Short read with semi-interesting mental models for mostly common sense. I would have liked to see more of the promised science rather than just the paraphrased words of a Stanford professor restated three times.
Profile Image for Sue.
81 reviews12 followers
August 9, 2015
المختصر المفيد.
Profile Image for Powell Omondi.
110 reviews18 followers
June 14, 2017
short, precise to the point. Nice read and very interesting and intriguing.
3 reviews
May 2, 2023
"Transform Your Habits" by James Clear is an ebook that offers a step-by-step guide for developing good habits and breaking bad ones. The book is based on the premise that habits are the foundation of success, and that by changing our habits, we can transform our lives.
One of the strengths of the book is its practical and actionable approach. Clear provides concrete strategies and exercises for developing and maintaining good habits, such as setting specific goals, tracking progress, and creating accountability. He also offers advice for identifying and breaking bad habits, such as recognizing triggers and replacing negative behaviors with positive ones.
Another strength of the book is Clear's emphasis on the importance of mindset and self-awareness. He encourages readers to reflect on their values and priorities, and to develop a growth mindset that focuses on continuous learning and improvement. He also provides tools and exercises for developing mindfulness and self-awareness, which can help readers identify and change their habits more effectively.
One potential weakness of the book is that it covers a lot of ground, and may not provide enough depth on any one topic for readers looking for a more comprehensive guide. However, for those looking for a practical and concise overview of habit formation, the book is an excellent resource.
Overall, "Transform Your Habits" is a valuable guide for anyone looking to develop good habits and break bad ones. The book provides practical strategies and exercises for habit formation, as well as tools for developing mindset and self-awareness. Whether you are looking to improve your personal or professional life, this ebook can help you transform your habits and achieve your goals.
Profile Image for Seva Ruth.
8 reviews
December 25, 2021
I saw in the Goodreads reviews that a couple of people said that this book could have been 3 pages and conveyed the same information. I disagree. James Clear gave great tips for building habits by focusing on consistency rather than achievement, and his narrative is nice to read. I think it is absolutely worth the 45 page or-so read. He gives personal examples too and shows how to actually APPLY the concepts in your life, and I'll definitely refer back to this book as I work to develop goals & plans to actually attain those goals in my life.

5/5! Very short read and packed with info!
Profile Image for deshna w.
576 reviews
January 19, 2022
45 pages short. this book teaches you that good habits come with a routine and that doing something is still doing something even if it is a little. it is quite lengthy in parts where it isn't needed but, overall a good book.
Profile Image for Shravya G.
15 reviews
January 10, 2023
I love how much James Clear could fit in this book which was only 50 pages. I decided to read this after reading atomic habits because I found that really helpful and this short book was like an extension of the ideas he brought up in atomic habits. I will definitely re-read this book!
8 reviews
July 3, 2021
Nice little prompts to help establish new habits, nothing ground breaking but a nice quick read.
Profile Image for Tommy Bell.
1 review
February 13, 2022
While this is not earth shattering, this short book gave great information on habits that I had never considered. I believe using these principles can change anyones life!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews

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