James Clear

And there also are just a bazillion social psychology and cognitive psychology studies that illustrate a lot of the examples that I talk about. But this is more of a mindset, I would say, or a philosophy on how behavior change works. Second thing is, it's maybe the only unique idea that I have.

Pretty much everything else that I share is stuff that's been widely covered by other people or things that we've known for hundreds, if not thousands of years. But I felt like this was something that maybe I could contribute to the conversation. Part of the reason I started thinking about it is I started asking, why do habits really matter? We seem to care about them a lot as a society.

Pretty much everything else that I share is stuff that's been widely covered by other people or things that we've known for hundreds, if not thousands of years. But I felt like this was something that maybe I could contribute to the conversation. Part of the reason I started thinking about it is I started asking, why do habits really matter? We seem to care about them a lot as a society.

It's something a lot of books get written about, something we talk about a lot. There's clearly some kind of deeper importance to them. So what is it? The surface level answer is that we care about habits because they get us these external things that make us more productive and more fit and so on. Habits can help you do all of that stuff, which is great.

It's something a lot of books get written about, something we talk about a lot. There's clearly some kind of deeper importance to them. So what is it? The surface level answer is that we care about habits because they get us these external things that make us more productive and more fit and so on. Habits can help you do all of that stuff, which is great.

But I think the real reason, the deeper reason that habits matter, is that they are a signal internally to ourselves about who we are and what we care about. And they're kind of a signal of like the story that we're telling ourselves. So in a sense, every time that you perform a habit, you are embodying a particular identity.

But I think the real reason, the deeper reason that habits matter, is that they are a signal internally to ourselves about who we are and what we care about. And they're kind of a signal of like the story that we're telling ourselves. So in a sense, every time that you perform a habit, you are embodying a particular identity.

When you make your bed, you embody the identity of someone who is clean and organized. When you shoot a basketball for 30 minutes, you embody the identity of someone who is a basketball player. You do those things once or twice. It doesn't radically transform the story you have about yourself.

When you make your bed, you embody the identity of someone who is clean and organized. When you shoot a basketball for 30 minutes, you embody the identity of someone who is a basketball player. You do those things once or twice. It doesn't radically transform the story you have about yourself.

But if you keep showing up and shooting a basketball every day for six months or two years, or at some point you cross this sort of invisible threshold where you're like, yeah, being a basketball player is like part of who I am, some aspect of my identity. And so your habits provide evidence. They provide proof of the story that you're telling yourself.

But if you keep showing up and shooting a basketball every day for six months or two years, or at some point you cross this sort of invisible threshold where you're like, yeah, being a basketball player is like part of who I am, some aspect of my identity. And so your habits provide evidence. They provide proof of the story that you're telling yourself.

And that I think is a very powerful thing, a very deep personal thing that habits can provide. And perhaps the real reason why they matter. So to come back to your question about process versus outcome versus identity, where how we change. Usually when people set out to make some kind of change, they start by thinking about the results or the outcome that they want.

And that I think is a very powerful thing, a very deep personal thing that habits can provide. And perhaps the real reason why they matter. So to come back to your question about process versus outcome versus identity, where how we change. Usually when people set out to make some kind of change, they start by thinking about the results or the outcome that they want.

So they say, I want to lose 40 pounds in the next six months. And then from that outcome, they back into a process or a plan. So they say, all right, if I want to lose 40 pounds, then I need to follow this nutrition plan. I'm going to need to work out four days a week. And maybe there are details to those plans and everything, but that's usually kind of roughly where it stops.

So they say, I want to lose 40 pounds in the next six months. And then from that outcome, they back into a process or a plan. So they say, all right, if I want to lose 40 pounds, then I need to follow this nutrition plan. I'm going to need to work out four days a week. And maybe there are details to those plans and everything, but that's usually kind of roughly where it stops.

And then the assumption is if I do those things and I lose that weight, then I'll be the kind of person that I want to be. The argument that I try to unpack in that chapter is what if we worked backwards from this? What if instead we said, who is the type of person I wish to be? What is the identity that I'd like to have?

And then the assumption is if I do those things and I lose that weight, then I'll be the kind of person that I want to be. The argument that I try to unpack in that chapter is what if we worked backwards from this? What if instead we said, who is the type of person I wish to be? What is the identity that I'd like to have?

And in fact, we could even ask the person who has that identity, what kind of habits would they have? And then we use that identity to inform the process, the habits, and we let the outcomes come naturally. There are a variety of examples of this. One reader of mine, she lost a bunch of weight. I think it was 110 pounds in total. And she's kept it off for over a decade.

And in fact, we could even ask the person who has that identity, what kind of habits would they have? And then we use that identity to inform the process, the habits, and we let the outcomes come naturally. There are a variety of examples of this. One reader of mine, she lost a bunch of weight. I think it was 110 pounds in total. And she's kept it off for over a decade.

And the question that she sort of carried around with her as she was starting her weight loss journey is what would a healthy person do? And that's very much aligned or oriented with that identity piece. It's like, okay, would a healthy person take a cab or would they walk four blocks the next meeting? Would they order a salad and chicken at lunch or would they have a hamburger and fries?