The Science of Making & Breaking Habits: How to Change Your Life in 1 Month
episodePreviously titled “How to Become 37.78 Times Better at Anything: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Habits” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 3, 2026
Transcript
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Who is James Clear and why does his 'Atomic Habits' framework matter?
Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast. I just got out of the studio and I am so excited for you to hear today's conversation because ever since starting this podcast three years ago, I have wanted to sit down with the person who just left our Boston studios. He's a world-renowned researcher and the number one best-selling author whose book on habits has sold 25 million copies. And more than any other book, this is the book that has fundamentally changed my approach to behavior change and habits. What book am I talking about? Well, I'm talking about none other than Atomic Habits. James Clear taught me, your friend Mel Robbins, that change isn't about willpower. It's about systems.
James is going to tell you today, goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are the processes that lead to those results. And what you're about to learn is that there are very simple, specific systems that you need to have in order to break bad habits and create new ones. Today, you're going to learn exactly what these systems are, how to set them up, why they work. And even if you've read Atomic Habits, you need to hear the conversation today. Because number one, you've probably forgotten the systems. And number two, James is about to share things he has never said in any other interview. including the things he wishes he had put in Atomic Habits. Because after almost a decade of feedback from millions of readers around the world, James has so many additional insights and he's going to share them with you today for the first time here.
The frameworks and systems you're going to learn have helped millions of people lose weight, quit drinking, quit smoking, build businesses, start a new chapter, achieve goals, and help them become the person they've wanted to be. See, the problem's never been you. The problem is your lack of systems that support change. Today, you will learn them so you can become the person you want to be.
Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast. I am thrilled that you're here. It's always such an honor to be together and to spend this time with you. And if you're a new listener or you're here because someone shared this with you, I just want to take a moment and personally welcome you to the Mel Robbins Podcast family. I am so fired up for the conversation today. I cannot wait for you to meet today's guest, James Clear. James Clear is here to teach you an easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones. And he's also going to teach you how to become 37.78 times better at anything. James is the number one bestselling author, speaker, researcher, and he's widely regarded as one of the top experts in the world on habit formation and behavior change.
He is the number one New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits, which has become a phenomenon. It has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. Atomic Habits has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 164 consecutive weeks. The frameworks and systems you are going to learn today have helped millions of people lose weight, stop smoking, stop drinking, build businesses, start new chapters, achieve goals, and become the person they want to be. And today, James Clear is here in our Boston studios to teach you those very same systems so you can change your life too. Please help me welcome the extraordinary James Clear to the Mel Robbins Podcast.
Hello, Mel. How are you?
I am fantastic. I am so excited to be able to have this conversation with you because your work has made such a big difference in my life. I have bought Atomic Habits and pressed it into people's hands more times than I can count. And to be able to unpack the simple but powerful insights today, I've just been looking forward to this since I started the podcast.
No, thank you so much. That's very nice of you to say.
Well, it's true. And here's where I want to start. What will I experience in my life that could be different, James, if I take everything that you're about to share with us and teach us today to heart and I apply it to my life?
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
Who is James Clear and why does his 'Atomic Habits' framework matter?
0:00–22:06
2
How can I reframe failure and resilience to get back on track quickly?
22:06–23:13
3
What is the difference between goals and systems — which should I focus on?
23:13–51:18
4
What does the '1% better every day' rule mean and how does it produce 37.78x improvement?
51:18–1:30:28
Speakers
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